Successful Meetings - February 2009 - (Page 23)

breakouts—all from the comfort of the participants’ desks. Instead of replacing the face-to-face meeting, this type of connection could be used with a meeting that has been made smaller, as mentioned in question number 1. 7 Is it a good idea to cancel the meeting? H YAT T R E SOR T S 5 Could we postpone the meeting? If cancellation seems inevitable, look at the alternatives for immediately rescheduling—even if that date is six to nine months out. In the current economy, six months could present significant changes in the business climate and immediate rescheduling could save significant cancellation penalties. Could we alter the design of the meeting to include people who might immediately impact our organization’s bottom line? 6 It’s also important to at least consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, we should cancel the meeting. Many meetings are held for bad reasons (e.g. “We’ve always held this meeting quarterly” or “We want to announce some things” or “We love coming to the islands in December” etc.) This might be a good time to rethink the meetings we have scheduled and determine if they’re necessary. If not, then we should take some of that budget and reallocate it to other meetings that are well-aligned with strategy and that might be in danger of cancellation. In other words, we need to do a little “portfolio management” on our scheduled meetings. These are complex times. As I mentioned in a November 2007 Harvard Business Review article that I coauthored with David Snowden, conditions of complexity call for high levels of human interaction in organizations. Meetings are one of the most important tools a leader has for tapping into the intellectual capital of an organization and for building the social capital necessary to weather tough times. Canceling an important meeting in a time of increased uncertainty is usually not only a bad idea, but it also could be an idea that strikes at the very heart of your organization’s ability to adapt and thrive. Sit back, take stock, put your money where it can do the most good, and get creative in redesigning your meeting so your participants can still make connections, be informed, and get engaged. SM This is a question that is particularly relevant to corporate planners. Let’s say your meeting was originally designed as strictly an internal event. You should consider whether you could broaden the scope of the meeting to include additional stakeholders like customers (to add revenue) or suppliers (to decrease costs) whom you might not have initially planned to invite. You might be able to augment the original purpose for the meeting by sharing information at the meeting that would be of interest to customers or suppliers and having them work with your employees to brainstorm opportunities for working together in new ways. Mary Boone is president of Boone Associates, located in Essex, CT. She is an expert in interactive meeting design and has been consulting in the field of organizational communication and collaborative technologies for more than two decades. She is the author of Managing Interactively (McGraw-Hill), Leadership and the Computer (Prima Publishing), and numerous other articles and publications. Her 2007 Harvard Business Review article (with David Snowden) won an award from the Academy of Management. If you have any questions about this article, please contact her at mary@maryboone.com Offer valid at participating Hyatt Resorts in the U.S., Mexico and Caribbean. 10% rebate off master bill is valid for qualifying meetings booked and held between January 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. Offer valid for newly contracted meetings or group incentives with 10 or more paid room nights at peak. Offer not valid in conjunction with previously booked or held meetings or events and may not be combined with other promotional offers. Offer applies to all eligible bookings, including bookings by travel agents and other qualifying third parties at a commissionable rate. Qualifying planners who are Hyatt Gold Passport members may also be eligible for a Hyatt Planner Rewards program bonus. A Hyatt Planner Rewards program bonus must be requested at the time of booking. Offer subject to availability of function space and guest rooms at time of booking. Meeting rebate will be issued after the event has been held and in accordance with the Sales Contract. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this program at any time without notice. The trademarks Hyatt,® Park Hyatt,® Grand Hyatt ® Hyatt Regency,® Hyatt Gold , Passport ® and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. , © 2009 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved. SuccessfulMeetings.com I February 2009 I SM I 23 http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - February 2009

Successful Meetings - February 2009 Contents Editor's Letter News Update: Meetings Associations Band Together Education Planner Spotlight Technology Talk Food & Beverage Making Cents of It All Meanwhile, Back at Headquarters Seal of Approval Come Sail Away Making Tracks Places & Spaces Florida’s East Coast Aruba Maui 3 Days in Philadelphia

Successful Meetings - February 2009

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