One + May 2011 - (Page 22)

THE Travel Back On in New Zealand “I am acutely aware of the challenges the tourism sector—not just in Christchurch—is experiencing throughout the country as a consequence of the earthquake, and we are focused on doing everything we can, as quickly as we can and as sensitively as we can to support the industry.” –Tourism New Zealand CE Kevin Bowler about the state of the country’s tourism industry Thoughts +Leaders Ken Kirsh Don’t Be That Guy HR WEBSITE FISTFUL OF TALENT has an amusing post about “Conference Guy.” Who? Here’s part of what the blog says: “As I was sitting watching a presentation on HR, from a very dynamic speaker, a current trench HR Pro—‘Conference Guy’ decides to cut in—and out of nowhere comes a question that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic currently being discussed. It would be like you and I discussing how the new political administration is going to impact the HR function as a whole within the next three years, and ‘Conference Guy’ raises his hand to ask: ‘So, do you think Obama is better than Bush?’ You just stand there, somewhat in shock, trying to determine is this a joke, or is this poor sap really that disconnected with reality, that he just asked that. ‘Conference Guy,’ though, can’t just stop with one misguided question, he has to continue high-jacking your presentation until you’re almost out of time, too many slides left to even fake your way to the end, and no time left for any legitimate question and answer.” I think we’ve all encountered this guy a time or two. —BLAIR POTTER New U.K. Policy Must Do More “The industry is eager to work with the government to ensure the speciﬁc needs of the business tourism and events sector are met so it can fulﬁll its potential to contribute substantially to Britain’s export-led recovery.” –Michael Hirst, chairman of The U.K. Business Visits and Events Partnership, about the U.K. government’s new tourism policy What advice would you give to today’s international meeting planners? President Kirsh Productions Regardless of when you started your career, planning international meetings is more complex with more moving parts than ever before. They require the same skills and strategies as domestic events but with more thought and veriﬁcation. Here are my top recommendations. • More site visits. Whatever you think you can do on the phone or email, think again. Take more trips, visit every supplier, make sure everyone is clear on your expectations. • Audiovisual labor and equipment varies enormously throughout the world. Don’t assume they will meet your standards, have the same philosophy, speak your language. Be very speciﬁc in ordering, and monitor substitutions closely. • What passes for entertainment and speakers in one country may not for audiences in other regions. Check out all presenters even more closely than in your country. Know your audience. • Be aware of cultural tastes and differences, of your audience’s perception of speaker mix and origin and of what’s important to them regarding schedule, food, breaks, production, design, formality and so on. • Rules and regulations change year to year, country to country. Conﬁrm they haven’t changed since your initial site visit one to two months before your program. • Manage your client’s expectations in direct proportion to your conﬁdence in your partners’ ability to deliver what you yourself expect. We’re Only Human “People yearn to be individuals. They want to be authentic. They have numerous different groups of real-life friends. They stylize conversations. They are emotional and have an innate need to connect on different levels with different people. This is because humans are born with an instinctual desire to understand the broader context of their surroundings and build rapport, a social awareness often called emotional intelligence.” –Steve Cheney, entrepreneur and programmer, in “How Facebook is Killing Your Authenticity” I’m Humble, Honest! “Honest and humble people could be a good ﬁt for occupations and organizations that require special attention and care for products or clients. Narcissists, on the other hand, who generally lack humility and are exploitative and selﬁsh, would probably be better at jobs that require self-promotion.” –Megan Johnson, a Baylor University doctoral candidate, about a study that shows honest and humble employees are rated higher in job performances by employers Read more stories at www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint 22 one+ 05.11 http://www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + May 2011

One + May 2011
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Meeting Design Goes Mobile
Picking Brains
Agenda
Ask the Experts
Thoughts+Leaders
Overheard
Art of Travel
Web Watch
Radical Co-creation
Engagement + Innovation = Wunderbar
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
The Business of Being Social
Safety in Numbers
Ads, Sponsors and Patrons
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
It’s Getting Better All the Time
Blame It on Rio
Ride Free
Learning How the Brain Learns
Just Face It
Becoming Mindful with Your Meetings
Group Think
The Mesh Meeting
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again

One + May 2011