Lisa Larter

 If X + Gen Y = Success, what is X?
 By: Lisa Larter

I attended a conference in 2008 with 3,000 of my non-closest friends. I met a couple people (okay two) that I keep in touch with from that event, and I do admit to hiding in my room at one point because talking to all these strangers was a bit too much effort. I was not having fun.

How could I make this a better experience? How could I make it fun and enjoyable? I needed a different approach if I was to go back in 2009. 

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Wayne Outlaw

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination
By: Wayne Outlaw

Several years ago, it was predicted that video and the Internet would dramatically reduce in-person meetings, making them almost obsolete. This, like many other predictions, has not been accurate. Even with post-9/11 travel issues and a challenging economy, the ability to meet face-to-face, network with colleagues, hear great speakers in person and learn from others is still a very strong attraction.
The collegial effect of meeting with others that are in similar situations and with similar interest is still a key part of our personal and professional life. It can be enriched by the sharing of information using video.

Our ability to connect over distance has made life easier and richer. With the phone in the past to present day with everyone having their own mobile communication devices (much more than cell phones), communication has become easier and more immediate. In the same way, live video can make the experience of hearing a speaker, viewing a PowerPoint presentation or sharing ideas much better.

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What are hybrid conferences and why is there so much interest in incorporating them into a professional development strategy?
Hybrid conferences provide remote participants access to real time, onsite presentations and meetings. It is the creation of a teaching environment suitable for both onsite and online participants where each is able to have the same opportunity to learn, engage with the presenters and achieve the same educational outcomes.

Hybrid conferencing has become popular because onsite attendance appears to be one of the first impacts of the recession we began to experience in 2008. Our community of members and stakeholders are thinking twice about absorbing expense for travel, accommodations and onsite registration.

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Bob Hooey

A Captive Audience On The High Seas

By: Bob “Idea Man” Hooey

Imagine you are lying face down as your masseuse gently smoothes away the stresses of your day. Instead of recorded music, you listen to the sea breaking on the rocks just metres from your Caribbean seaside massage hut. A soft breeze gently caresses your body. “Ahhhh,” you think, “This is ‘sooooo’ much better than last years ‘typical’ conference.” As you relax deeper, you wonder, “How could they provide this amazing experience and still the registration was even less than last year?” The answer is deceptively simple: Your innovative meeting planner wisely took advantage of the challenging economy to negotiate with the cruise company and/or hotel and spa to leverage their investment on your behalf.

Cruise lines are open to negotiating what might have been luxury items in previous years. Currently, groups account for only four to five per cent of cruising clients and cruise lines are seeking to increase this profitable market segment. Groups now represent their “survival,” particularly conference or incentive groups. Previously, incentive groups were more fun based; now they serve as enrichment programs to refresh and recharge the individual’s creativity and focus while creating a shared growth experience.

The hospitality industry is still reeling from the global economic turmoil. This provides a gap for a wise meeting planner to step in and leverage their investment. Wise planners understand that value is not only about dollars and cents. Incentives do provide a return on their investment and should not be dismissed lightly – they can be leveraged profitably!

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