Meeting News - October 20, 2008 - (Page 7)

Inside the Meetings Industry Thought Leaders Lay Out The Futur e of Training at IACC’s Tor onto Confer ence On Oct. 3, the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) hosted its first Thought Leaders conference in Toronto, assembling experts in nine disciplines to address changes that will affect how organizations gather employees for training and communication in the coming years. Adwoa Buahene, an executive with n-Gen People Performance in Toronto, led off the half-day event with an assessment of the different learning, interaction, and motivational styles of the four generations currently in the workplace. Her conclusions prefaced the presentations that followed, in that everything from meeting schedules, technology usage, F&B preferences, to even architecture and furniture design at meetings facilities must adapt as attendee demographics and expectations shift. Tom Bolman, IACC’s executive VP, stressed that conference centers that join planners in adapting to emerging needs will not only help prove the ROI of in-person events, but also prove that conference centers are the best venues for such events. A white paper aimed at both planners and conference center personnel is set for release in early 2009. Further, IACC’s annual conference, at Chateau Elan Winery and Resort in Braselton, GA, March 26-29, will have several educational sessions dedicated to the issues raised by the experts at the Toronto event. r —Section written by Robert Carey IMEX Is Assembling Hopefuls for Annual Gr een Competition The International Meetings Exchange (IMEX) show, which draws more than 3,600 hosted buyers to Frankfurt, Germany, each May, recently put out a call for nominations among event planners, exhibitors, and industry suppliers for the 2009 IMEX Green Awards. The annual awards, which are presented at the show’s final-night gala, now comprise three different environmental categories, plus another that recognizes an outstanding contribution to a local community project. The Green Meetings Award, established in 2003, attracts entries from corporations and agencies worldwide that can demonstrate effective green meetings principles and document environmental improvements and savings. The Green Exhibitor Award, launched in 2005, honors best practices in reuse and recycling strategies in exhibit design and construction. And, in 2008, IMEX introduced the Green Supplier Award to acknowledge meetings venues and hotels whose investment and foresight enable their clients to achieve environmental objectives. Award winners are chosen by an independent panel comprising meetings industry veterans and environmental experts. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 6, 2009. Visit http://www.imexfrankfurt.com/imexawards.html for rules and applications. IMEX will be held May 26-28. http://www.imexfrankfurt.com/imexawards.html http://www.imexfrankfurt.com/imexawards.html http://wyndhamriomar.com http://wyndhamriomar.com http://wyndham.com

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Meeting News - October 20, 2008

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