What’s your preferred leadership style (as a leader or a follower)? There are plenty to choose from, that’s for sure, ranging from tender to tyrannical and everything in between. Consider these five leadership styles and some of their associated luminaries:

• Just Do It! – Task-oriented, walk the talk, take action. (Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo; Jack Welch, GE; General/President Dwight D. Eisenhower)
• Transformational Leadership – A trendy, new-agey way of saying stubborn at times, flexible at others. (Bill Gates, Microsoft; Elon Musk, Tesla; Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook)
• People-First, Always! – Empathetic, inclusive, consensus-building, allows others to succeed. (Sundar Pichai, Google; Sir Richard Branson, Virgin; Mary Barra, General Motors; Basketball Coach John Wooden, UCLA)
• Expect More, Demand More – A maddeningly insistent yet dynamic leader that people both love and hate as a boss. (Jeff Bezos, Amazon; Steve Jobs, Apple; Coach Bill Belichick, New England Patriots)
• Dictatorial – Traditional model of black & white, hard-nosed leadership, leads by intimidation, micromanages, sometimes even ruthlessly. (Larry Ellison, Oracle; Henry Ford, Ford Motor Co.; Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation; Martha Stewart, Omnimedia; Ebenezer Scrooge, banker)

While it’s hard to argue with success, it’s fair-game to favor, if not expect, a leadership style rooted in goodness and compassion when accepting a job or leading a team. It is both a reasonable expectation for a team member and a personal/professional responsibility if you’re the one at the top.

Clearly, much can be learned, both good and bad, by studying varying leadership styles. Wouldn’t it be nice if all leaders were a tidy combination of People-First, Always and Just Do It! Alas, that’s not reality. But … that would be an influential leader.

Speaking of which …

I recently came across an article by David McNally in Training Magazine entitled: The Influential Leader. The premise of the influential leader is “not about what we learn to do to others but what we can learn to be for others – consistently becoming the kind of person others want to follow.”

In it, McNally shares nuggets of insight worth sharing … and emulating.

Ego is best kept in the bottom drawer  – Quoting from the Jim Collins biz-blockbuster Good to Great, McNally says that more than 2/3 of companies led by self-absorbed, bombastic leaders were far less likely to succeed than others. He calls attention to this passage from the book: “the presence of a gargantuan personal ego contributed to the demise or continued mediocrity of the company”. Meanwhile, companies that were able to sustain success over an extended period of time were those being steered by a leader who was “a study in duality … modest and willful, humble and fearless”.

Determining Influence – While charisma is a wonderful asset for anyone to possess, it can quickly go toxic when paired with a lack of personal character. Bernie Madoff of Madoff Investment Securities comes to mind, as does the entire “leadership” team at Enron Corporation.

“Great leadership is ultimately about competence and influence,” McNally posits. “What determines influence (is) the ability to gain others’ commitment to the shared missions and goals of the organization. People follow leaders they believe in – who demonstrate values with which they align.”

When the team sees its leader operating with fundamental integrity, knowing he or she has the individual’s and the organization’s best interests at heart, they willingly and enthusiastically fall in line. As stated earlier, it’s not about doing to others, it’s about being for others. Not unlike The Golden Rule or JFK’s famous line at his 1960 Presidential Inauguration: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Choosing “Right Action” – The foundational book of the Hindu faith is the Bhagavad Gita which is based on the precept of “right action”,  the personal commitment to always do what we know and believe to be moral and honorable. How many times, in the course of the average day – whether you’re sitting at home, sitting in traffic, or sitting at your desk – are we presented with situations in which it’s possible (and sometimes tempting) to take the easy way out and do something less than noble?

When you operate from a “right action” mindset, you stop and consider the effect your decision will have on others and you proceed accordingly. Taking the proverbial high road may make the journey steeper and longer but it’s always the best route. “Right action is often a courageous decision because it might mean taking a stand for what is honest and just,” McNally writes.

Being a nonconformist is something Sir Richard Branson has prided himself on throughout his career – and a rather successful career it’s been! Branson didn’t get there by cutting corners, making easy decisions, or following the pack. He got there by taking “right action” regardless of what others thought.

Business experts’ eyes widened when Branson announced Virgin America would extend unlimited leave – not just maternal leave but an always-available “timeout” for any employee. Many American CEOs (some who’ve never taken more than a two-week vacation in their lives) shook their heads and scoffed at the inanity of such a decision. What about productivity and business efficiencies and overhead and workload and, and, and … ?

“If someone wants to go off for a month and travel the world, they can go and do it,” Branson told Forbes magazine. “They’ll work that much harder when they get back. It doesn’t impact the company.” Branson also criticized America’s standard 2-3 weeks annual vacation at a recent Adobe Summit, a highly popular digital conference featuring leaders from the world’s most beloved brands. “Treating people with flexibility, as humans, like you’d treat your own children comes back to the company many times over.” Branson’s courageous decision made absolutely no business sense and, at the same time, made absolutely perfect sense. “Right action” can be very powerful indeed.

Some want to lead, others are happy to follow – Also from the Bhagavad Gita, “Whatever a great man does, ordinary people will do; whatever standard he sets, everyone will follow.” This is perhaps the most important thing for a principled leader to remember. You set the tone. You are the role model. You are being closely watched. Your actions will trigger others’ actions. Be the kind of person you yourself would be proud to call “my boss”.

The leadership style I prefer to emulate is People First, Always! I’m sure I have my moments when I fall short but I assure you my heart is in the right place 100% of the time. I hope you feel the same.

Choose to be an influential leader because “doing the right thing” will never go out of style.

CONCLUSION

Be mindful of your personal leadership style and course-correct, if necessary. If you lead a business, team or organization, people will emulate you so be sure to set the right example.

Cheers,

The post Is It Time To Take A Fresh Look At Your Leadership Style? appeared first on dynami.

For those of us in the meetings and events industry, it’s critical to understand the tangible impact of current realities like change, speed-of-change, adaptation, discernment and, ultimately, success.

I attended an industry event early last month that featured a fascinating luncheon presentation. Michael Dominguez, Chief Sales Officer for MGM Resorts International, delivered a fast-paced, one-hour whirlwind (appropriate!) of insights that had many in the room snapping smartphone photos of his PowerPoint presentation.

I’D LIKE TO SHARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, STARTING WITH “THE BIG PICTURE” THEN FOCUSING IT DOWN TO THE HOTEL INDUSTRY:

Change is running faster than our ability to 100% keep up – Sometime in the last several years, the trend lines of Human Adaptability and Technology crossed and, for the first time in humankind, people are, to some degree, tripping and falling like hamsters on a spinning wheel, unable to stay on top of everything. That’s because “everything” now consists of many more “things” than it used to. The key is to identify those platforms and tools we must keep pace with and not sweat the others. To try and do it all perfectly – email, text, instant messenger, cell, social media, etc., etc., etc. – will ultimately exhaust you.

– If you’re fond of being the best door-to-door salesman or VHS repair dude, don’t change. But if you’re looking to survive and thrive in this nutty-fast world, you simply must learn to do things differently. What worked yesterday is wasted time today. If you don’t believe this, when was the last time you saw advertising for Polaroid, Blockbuster, Sears, Radio Shack, Woolworth, Kodak, K-Mart, myspace or napster? As Charles Darwin  — that evolutionary revolutionary – opined more than a century ago: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent … it is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Coping at the speed-of-life – There is good news amongst the chaos and frenzy: Authenticity is still in style and is as important as ever. Be true to your clients, customers and consumers and you will be rewarded. Meet them on their terms instead of doing what you’ve always done.

At one point during his presentation, Dominguez asked the audience what American company has led the way in recent years when it comes to evolving and remaining relevant to its base. He got the expected responses: “Apple … Amazon … Google”, etc.

Nope, “Domino’s Pizza,” he told the group. Suffice to say virtually everyone’s jaws dropped.

In stark contrast to the Polaroids and K-Marts of the world, Domino’s, Netflix and, yes, Apple, Google and mighty, mighty Amazon have succeeded in evolving and growing but it was the pizza company whose CEO came out publicly and admitted, “Our pizza sucks and we need to make it better” that led all others.

And it has paid dividends. Consider, if you’d invested $1,000 in Domino’s stock just eight years ago (when the “We suck” declaration was made) you’d be sitting on a $21,238 pile of cash today. That wouldn’t be true had their CEO not been bold enough to be authentic.

As Alvin Toffler, author of Future Shock and a rather insightful dude with a crystal ball, once said: “The illiterate of the 21^st century  will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who  cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” Clearly, Domino’s accomplished that.

 
So how does all this relate to the meetings and events industry and the hotels we research, site visit, contract with, execute meetings in, and call home for a large percentage of the year?

Boom times for rooms! – Every single significant metric used to measure hotel success – occupancy, average daily room rate, revpar (short for “Revenue Per Available Room” and calculated  as Revpar = Revenue ÷ Available Rooms), occupied rooms, and room revenues – were up, up, up in the U.S. in 2016 with the trend continuing at a record pace in 2017 and, up until recently, this year, too. For the first time since 2010 – a run of 102 consecutive “plus” months – the U.S. hotel industry saw a slight 0.3% dip in revpar in September, according to STR which monitors the lodging industry. (The record of 111 consecutive months of revpar growth was established 1992-2001.) Hurricane Irma helped smash the demand record in September 2017 which made this month’s year-to-year comparison a toughie to surpass. But Dominguez said all indicators are the positive growth will continue for at least two years.

That panic button …? Yeah, no need to push it yet. The industry is alive and well with no end to bookings in sight.

Demand is outpacing supply – Every year since 2011, there’s been a call for more rooms than there are rooms available for groups. Some industry analysts believe this balance in favor of sellers has helped the industry skip a downturn which typically occurs every 8-10 years. Expect group rates to continue to be less than a bargain moving forward. And the booking cycle will include even greater lead times.

Less is apparently more these days – Put your Real Simple magazine aside for a moment and consider this: The biggest area of growth in new hotel construction is in the “Limited-Service” category which means hotels with fewer ballrooms than we traditionally have seen, or those ballrooms and other conference spaces are shrinking. Thus, if you find an attractive group rate, you might have to be creative and locate a nearby space large enough for your group’s business and social settings. (This adds ground transportation, budgetary and agenda timing challenges.) This “limited-service” movement is particularly true in the upscale and upper-midscale categories which makes sense since they’re already outpacing the industry in terms of room demand. And while there are six new hotels opening in the U.S. this year with 50,000+ square feet of meeting space, that trend is expected to turn downward in 2019.

Fewer Meetings = Larger Groups – Interestingly, during the period 2013-2015, we saw a trend begin towards fewer meetings but larger groups of attendees. There was actually a decline in group size in the >300 and 300-900 categories while meetings of 1,000 people rose.

People are suddenly more than mere units – Demographics have always been, and always will be, important but numbers-based data needs to slide over and make room for non-black & white considerations called “psychographics” which is hoity-toity-speak for what tickles peoples’ fancy. It’s no longer simply a matter of age, gender breakdown, race, geographical location, and employment status, it’s also the “grey areas” like personality, value systems, attitudes, interests and behavioral patterns. That’s why we’re seeing “lifestyle brands” popping up in the hotel industry – Stay Well, Kimpton, West Elm and Shinola to name a few. Finally, the industry has awakened to the fact that behavioral science is just as important as mathematics and percentages when it comes to targeting markets and managing your business. It seems behavioral science has actually become more important than math when assessing what the consumer needs and desires.

In Conclusion …

Just as Domino’s did, we must all step back and honestly assess how we approach what we do and how we do it. Today’s meetings and events (or Meeting and Event Planner, for that matter) are not the same as yesterday’s. Modern times and industry dynamics everywhere are shifting and being reshaped. We must keep pace or we’ll become irrelevant because, “The times, they are a’ changin’ …” (Sing it, Bob Dylan!)

TAKEAWAY MESSAGE

Today’s meetings and events (or Meeting and Event Planner, for that matter) are not the same as yesterday’s. Modern times and industry dynamics everywhere are shifting and being reshaped. We must keep pace or we’ll become irrelevant.

Cheers,

The post If You Want To Survive The Meetings And Events Industry, You Must Read This … Now! appeared first on dynami.

You can too!

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THEMES THAT REALLY CREATE RESULTS

Most conferences and conventions have a theme, but only a few really leverage its full potential. Instead, they put a graphic and a few inspiring words on their materials and scatter it among their content, but it is forgotten as soon as the event is over.

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NOT ALL ATTENDEES ARE CREATED EQUAL

New franchisees, under-performers and top performers with a lengthy track record all have different needs at your convention. Giving them the same information in the same way really doesn’t work. Find out how you can design a more customized convention experience for ALL your attendees, whatever level they are at at the moment.

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MAKE EVERY ENGAGEMENT COUNT

There are endless opportunities during every convention to reinforce key content, provide deeper dives into important initiatives and build awareness for major actions that are needed. Still, it requires careful forethought and planning to create the stream of content effectively

Check out where you might be missing a great opportunity to reach your attendees outside of the session rooms for greater impact.

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Cheers,

The post Inspired Franchise Conferences: THE POWER OF GREAT CONTENT appeared first on dynami.

Here are 10 fascinating things you probably didn’t know about our Manager, Event Marketing

Hi, Everyone!

Here’s my story …

1. I grew up on a small farm just north of Atlanta in Lawrenceville. My family owned about 20 acres (think Green Acres with cows, chickens, apple trees and a large garden) that had been in our family for decades. We ended up selling and moving 20 miles north to Cumming when I was in high school. Our “Green Acres” is now a part of Ronald Reagan Parkway, a very busy, east-west toll road in Gwinnett County. My, how times change!
2. Speaking of times changing (and time zones), I love traveling! I’ve been to Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, China, England, France, Germany, The Republic of Maldives, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Peru; and have made multiple stops in the Caribbean and, of course, throughout the good ol’ USA. I once traveled around the entire world in a westerly direction in one trip (multiple stops, of course)! Destinations I dream of traveling to one day include Guam, the Seychelles and South Africa.
3. My husband and I attended a smallish liberal arts college (Georgia College in Milledgeville) at the same time but didn’t know each other. It wasn’t until five years after graduation that we officially “met” while I was on a date … with his best friend. Don’t worry – no hard feelings – it was just a friendly, casual wedding date. They’re still best friends and, ironically enough, the mother of my “friendly, casual” wedding date officiated our
4. My husband and I were married in April 2017. For our honeymoon, we journeyed nearly 10,000 miles to the Maldives in the middle of the Indian Ocean and stayed in one of those travel magazine, over-the-water bungalows that’s on everyone’s Bucket List. It was for me, too. Not anymore. It was also the first time my husband had traveled internationally. Go big, big, big or go home, right?
5. They say your reasoning skills don’t fully develop until you’re around 25-years-old. Thus, I thought it would be fun to skydive for my 25^th My theory was, if I waited any longer, I would probably be more fully reasoned and talk myself out of it because let’s face it, jumping out of a plane at an altitude of 13,000 feet is not a rational idea. The experience was awesome but I can honestly say, it’s one of those one-and-done Bucket List adventures.
6. We adopted two black Labrador/Shar Pei-mix pups named Oliver and Otis. We got lucky, because they’re adorable like Labs with a few extra wrinkles. They have the temperament of a Shar Pei, so they’re super laid back. We love ‘em!
7. Speaking of a dog’s life, I used to volunteer for Canine Assistance, helping to train their service dogs. It’s truly amazing what a dog can do!
8. I used to say running keeps me sane (well, as sane as someone in the Meetings & Events industry can claim to be, that is). I ran the Chicago Half-Marathon in 2013 and quickly came to appreciate the extraordinary commitment of time and discipline it takes to train long distance. It’s truly a feat … a feat of feet, you might say. Nowadays, I stick to shorter runs and jogs, but I sure do respect those who run long distances. I still use running as a coping mechanism when life gets crazy!
9. My husband and I love wine! We learned all about the agricultural process and factors, the science behind wine-making, and how various flavors are achieved. It’s absolutely fascinating to us. We’ve started quite a collection which includes many wines we’re currently aging. (I wasn’t always an instant-gratification girl!) We prefer “new world” wines over the “olde world”, so Napa is one of our favorite destinations — definitely a more-than-one-and-done Bucket List experience.
10. My birthday falls on Christmas Eve and I used to be a professional gift-wrapper. For me, there’s something therapeutic about wrapping packages (assuming you don’t wait until my birthday to start wrapping for Christmas Day). I like to joke around and say I’m “part elf” … without the pointy ears.

And for a bonus insight …

11. I am a member of Meeting Professionals International and earned my Meeting Professionals International (MPI) certification in 2016 which was a goal of mine the day I started in this wonderful, exciting industry. I’m very proud of that accomplishment. My next goal is to complete the MPI Experiential Event Series certification and get hands-on, behind-the-scenes experience with some of the world’s largest and most impressive mega-events.

I approach each day with the following philosophy: Always align my efforts with the client’s business goals and objectives, and create a memory along the way. I believe wholly understanding the “why” is a critical aspect of my role. Making the connection between a company’s organizational strategy and the specific meeting or event goals is the key. This allows me, as Event Planner, to focus on what is critical to the organization and its stakeholders. It ensures the event is designed and focused on accomplishing stated goals, exceeding attendees’ expectations, and maximizing the client’s return on investment. In short, strive for max impact that creates results.

Having said that, the event must also be highly memorable and trigger attendees’ “Remember when we …” button years later. I want everyone – client, attendees and event team members — to walk away truly “wowed”. We accomplish this by incorporating the latest event trends and innovative concepts to create a one-of-a-kind attendee experience with the added polish of a personal touch.

So there ya have it. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it … and adding to it all the time. I look forward to working closely with you on new adventures in the near-future!

CONCLUSION

Farm girl to college girl to globe-trotting, wine-lovin’ “dog person” … Lauren Justice Kolve is passionate about pairing your objectives and goals with her creativity!

Ciao!

The post Meet Lauren Justice Kolve, dynami group’s Manager of Event Marketing! appeared first on dynami.

As with everything, there are tips, tricks and little-known secrets that can make life on the road much more enjoyable. Here are 10 for your consideration…

Centralize and organize all travel-related info – That thing you always have on your person isn’t merely a mobile phone, it can be an invaluable, mobile repository of important travel info – flights, hotel confirmations, ground transportation arrangements, restaurant reservations, appointment schedule, etc. Check out the TripIt app (available for iOS and Android) which keeps all travel data conveniently in one place.  Also, don’t forget to shoot a picture of your rental car, your hotel room number and parking lot space number in case it slips your mind. Store those images in the TripIt app. It’s also a wise idea to shoot a photo of your driver’s license, auto insurance card, medical insurance cards, list of prescriptions and your passport

Think twice before booking the last flight out – Yes, you’re busy. Yes, you’ve got back-to-back, all-day meetings. And yes, you’re catching the last flight out. Bad idea. If that flight gets canceled, you’re cooked and that big presentation you’ve been slaving over for weeks will never pass before the client’s eyes. Don’t risk it. Always give yourself a secondary option in the event of inclement weather, mechanical breakdowns, etc. Also, if you’re traveling to a more remote location and there’s only one flight per day, go a day early.

Maximize your commute time – Consider booking an executive limo or sedan service vs. driving yourself to and from the airport and renting a car at your destination. The average biz traveler spends an hour driving to the airport, then another hour after renting a car upon arrival and

driving to their destination hotel. Add another hour for driving around to “get the lay of the land” then reverse the whole process for the return trip. That’s five hours that could’ve been spent polishing that presentation or following up on urgent tasks. Research global limo services, set up an account, and you can leave the ground transpo up to your trusted limo provider. Of course, there’s always easy and (mostly) convenient Uber or Lyft which is becoming more and more mainstream with business travelers. Just be sure to assess, in advance, their presence in the market to which you’re traveling.

If you must rent a car, be selective – Travel + Leisure recently released its annual list of leading of U.S. auto rental companies. For the fifth year running, National was tops with a customer satisfaction rating of 80.4%, followed in order by Enterprise (78.7%), Hertz (76.4%), Alamo (74.5%) and Sixt Rent a Car (73.9%). Business travelers particularly noted National’s clean fleet, high-quality customer care, and vehicle availability. They also like the Emerald Club loyalty program which allows members to bypass the check-in counter and choose their own vehicles from dedicated aisles.

It’s OK to pick your (airline) seat – Experienced business travelers overwhelmingly turn to Seat Guru (part of the TripAdvisor family of services) when it comes to choosing airline seats. Seat Guru offers seat maps, flight shopping, in-flight service listings, seat advice, user comments section, and a Guru Factor comfort rating system.  Other similar service-providers such as Seat Expert, Expert Flyer, Seat Plan, Skytrax and Seatlink offer data regarding available, in-flight power ports; cabin crew ratings; seat widths; leg room; overhead bin space; and the ability to create an alert when a more desirable seat becomes available. (As an added FYI … the U.S. Senate last week overwhelmingly passed legislation that extends funding for the Federal Aviation Administration for another five years. Included in that legislation is the mandate the FAA come up with minimum seat widths and minimum space between rows of seats. Stay tuned.)

Worst-Case Scenario: Your flight’s been canceled, you missed a connection or you got bumped. Now what? – It happens, so be ready and be smarter than the masses. Don’t sprint to the nearest ticket counter or start dialing the airline’s 800 number where you’ll be on hold for extended periods of time. Tweet at the airline for help. Most major carriers have Customer Service Reps monitoring Twitter 24/7 and they will respond to you quickly and provide rebooking assistance.

Look before you book a hotel  – Yes, many business travelers are loyal to the hotel flag that will help them build the most travel points but that may not always be the right strategy. Unless you’re booking a room simply to lay your head down, you’ll need more than a comfortable bed and soft pillow. It’s likely you’ll be spending some portion of your “road time” working in your room. Do a little legwork and find out about in-room workspace, electronic connections, WiFi speed, on-premise business facilities, ambience, lighting, etc. All these factors will have an impact on your productivity. Look for a location convenient to the airport, client’s office and restaurants. You might even want to scan the Room-Service Menu in advance if you expect to be working late. And when it comes time to de-stress, be sure there’s a fitness facility onsite or a nearby walking trail or park.

What’s in your wallet? – There’s a wide array of premium credit cards specifically targeted at business travelers. Check them out and compare. A recent article by “The Points Guy” who has made a career of “gaming” the system and amassing huge amounts of travel credits to explore the world at little or no cost, recommends The Platinum Card from American Express. Beyond the well-known perks of access to Centurion Lounges (located at nine major airports with three more coming soon) and $200 in annual airline fee credits, the card grants you elite status at Hiltons and Marriotts (good for upgrades and bonus points), baggage insurance, car rental loss and damage insurance, roadside assistance, purchase protection, and even $100 in annual purchase credits at Saks 5^th Avenue.

If cavemen invented the wheel 5,500 years ago… – Why did it take so long to put wheels on suitcases and laptop bags? And why did it take so long to realize four wheels are better than two? You’re behind the times if you’re totin’ anything other than a 360° spinner, those sleek 4-wheeled suitcases that stand upright with wheels that spin in all directions. They’re becoming more common and prices are coming down. Check for a sturdy polycarbonate casing and equally sturdy wheels that will hold up under trying conditions. Some spinners offer built-in USB chargers, TSA-approved combo locks, scratch-resistant exteriors, Bluetooth tracking technology, even a handle that doubles as a luggage scale.

Do-it-yourself, in-room laundry service – Who has time to Google “Laundromats near me”, much less spend an hour or two washing, drying and folding clothes? Probably not you. And who has the deep pockets to pay for a hotel laundry service? Definitely not me. There’s a simple solution. Pack a Ziploc gallon bag or two, fill with water, laundry soap, and soiled clothing then seal and shake, shake, shake. Rinse thoroughly and hang to dry overnight. Use your in-room iron and your clothes will always be fresh, clean and neatly pressed. There are also travel clotheslines for hanging clothes near windows, fans, radiators or in showers. Travelon makes a line of dry laundry soap sheets which start as solids and dissolve in water. And if you’re a water conservationist, multi-task and wash your clothes while you’re taking your shower. (Shampoo works well as a substitute laundry detergent.) And don’t forget to pack a stain stick to make sure that red wine Oops! from dinner — or lunch if you’re in France or Italy — doesn’t permanently set.

These are but a few travel tips and shortcuts to make business travel a more enjoyable experience. Wander if you wish. Travel if you must. Either way, make it as pleasant, comfortable and efficient as possible. I’d love to hear your biz travel secrets!

CONCLUSION

Business travel is both a blessing and a curse. Be at your productive best by keeping any (or all) of these travel tips in mind next time you hit the road.

Cheers,

The post 10 Hot Tips And Secrets For Today’s Business Traveler! appeared first on dynami.

In Vegas, it’s generally understood (less so by those left dazed and wondering, “Wuh happened?”) that “the house” will always finish ahead. You may win a little here, a little there, maybe even hit a biggie from time to time but, as a rule, the house will nearly always walk away the winner.

In corporate meeting and event planning, not every planner knows all the emerging, subtle tricks and sleight of hand used in hotel contracts that can leave you wondering, “Wuh happened?” at budget reconciliation time. Don’t gamble with the Gotchas! Knowledge is power and you need all you can get when it comes to corporate meeting and event planning.

Here are 10 things to be on the lookout for.

1. Taxes, Service Fees (and Taxes on Service Fees)

This seems to be a newish trend. We’ve all become accustomed to the “plus-plus” phrase used when referring to taxes and service fees. But now, there’s a movement toward adding a special “tax” to the service fee, turning “plus-plus” into a “plus-plus-plus”.

For example, let’s say you’ve got a $100 charge for a gallon of coffee on your bill (hey, it’s good coffee). Add in the local and state tax at, say, 8% then toss in a 22% service fee and you’re at:

(Step 1) $100 x 1.08    = $108.00                        County/State Taxes

(Step 2) $100 x 0.22% = $  22.00                         Service Fees                     

PRESUMED TOTAL         $130.00

But wait, there’s more! There’s a new “Step 3” appearing in hotel contracts and bills.

(Step 3) $22 x .08 =             $1.76                         “Tax” on Service Fee

ACTUAL TOTAL              $131.76       

Now, “a buck-seventy-six” upcharge may not seem like much at first blush but consider the many hundreds of dollars within the hundreds of thousands you spend on a typical program and it adds up, up, up.  Don’t say you weren’t warned!

2. Charging per Person vs. Consumption for Coffee

Most hotels charge a flat fee for coffee by the gallon. But some hotels are now insisting on “per-person” fees. A hotel in Charlotte recently charged us a $14 per-person fee … and you had to order for a minimum 85% of the people in your group. If you’ve got a group of 500, your minimum is 425 x $14. Factor in the plus-plus-plus, and yikes, that adds up, too.

3. In-House Recommended A-V Company for Breakouts vs. Sole Provider 

A new twist we have seen is a Sole Provider for Breakouts This arrangement is vaguely referenced in the main contract but all the details (including pricing, service charges, special requirements, etc.) are detailed in a separate, free-standing document. A busy planner may not think to read carefully the satellite document and, Wham!, you discover, ex post facto, your breakout A-V charges are 50% higher than what they usually are. “Captive market” is a nasty thing.

4. Absurd Inbound/Outbound Shipping “Handling” Charges

This one’s a headshaker. We recently shipped a rolling case from Atlanta to a Houston hotel and literally were charged a $250 fee on the front-end and another $250 fee on the back-end for a tidy sum of $500. Mind you, this wasn’t for literally “handling” the cart, storing it in a secured area, and delivering it to the appropriate meeting space. Nope, this was merely for saying, “Yep … it arrived” and “Yep … it just left”.

5. From the “Truss and Up” 

We all know rigging can get quite expensive but, at the same time, we understand a hotel needs to protect its physical plant by ensuring heavy work like truss rigging is handled properly by in-house techs. A corporate meeting planner typically has the selected A-V supplier bring in the truss, understanding in-house techs will handle the actual rigging. Now, more and more hotels are insisting on providing the physical box truss along with the rigging labor and, yep, bigtime upcharge versus what you’re used to paying. Again, “captive market” is a nasty thing.

6. Fees for Guaranteed Room Flips

You’ve got a packed agenda and your General Session room needs to be flipped for your Awards Gala ASAP. Hotels are now charging a premium for a guaranteed “flip time”. This, too, can bust your budget.

7. Late Fees for Last-Minute Registrants 

Beware the Book Late, Dig Deep, Gotcha! trap for the air and travel portion of your program. Encourage your attendees to book early and often or your budget will be burdened (or busted) by “procrastination penalties”. Like airplanes, air and travel rates go up, up, up the longer you wait to book.

8. Alcohol on Consumption vs. Package Pricing 

This is nothing new but it’s worth a reminder. Like coffee (see #2 above), hotels want to steer you toward actual consumption fees versus package rates which are typically more affordable. Know your audience and their consumption levels. And manage your time windows for alcohol-served events carefully. You also need to have a checks & balances system to ensure the drink tally is accurate and fair when you opt to bill on a consumption basis.

9. Feed the Masses (and a few more)! 

When developing your F&B budget, be sure to consider those hungry souls beyond your actual attendees. If you’ve got a five-piece band playing, a linens & florals team, a décor team, etc., they expect to be fed and they expect said food to be hot. Since the number of “over-and-above” folks typically falls below the required minimum for a buffet, you have no choice but to order costlier plated dinners. Again, this adds up!

10. Daily vs. Weekly A-V Rental Rates

This one applies to in-house A-V providers, as well as outside production companies. Like “Long-Term Parking” and “Short-Term Parking” at the airport, you’re going to pay more for short-term. Compare weekly vs. daily rates carefully. Even though your program is only four days in duration, you may find the weekly rate is a more favorable option.

Don’t roll the dice when it comes to event budgeting. Know where the Gotchas! lurk and work around them … or you’ll pay the price, literally.

CONCLUSION

When it comes time for budget planning for your next corporate meeting or event, be on the lookout for subtle clauses and conditions that can cost you dearly in the end!

Cheers,

Related Post:

• Everyone Loves a Surprise — Except When It Comes to Event Budgeting
• Why Event Production Is Costing You More
• What You Should Know About Hotel Concessions

The post Meeting Planners: 10 Event Budgeting Gotchas! To Watch Out For appeared first on dynami.

“Daddy,” she whispered, finally, while tapping him on the arm, “Trees only have one leg.”

Through the prism of purity, it’s amazing what we can all discover. Trees do only have one leg! But it takes a child or an adult that has reclaimed that “child within” to make such an observation. It takes looking at the world a little differently. Or going back to the way you viewed the world when you were only knee-high to a grasshopper.

If you’re a parent of school-aged children, no doubt your kids have headed back to the classroom, or soon will. (My daughter started fifth-grade and my little guy started third-grade last week.) Supplies have been bought, along with new shoes and first-day-of-school outfits, and some kids will become bus-riders or enter a new school for the first time. As much as the little ones groan when the gut-punch of back-to-school advertising hits and summer vacation ends, they generally harbor a sense of adventure and excitement under all that whininess when it’s time to climb back in the saddle and see if “the next grade” truly is tougher than the last.

What will my homeroom teacher be like?

Who will I sit next to?

Will there be any new kids in my class?

Where’s the boys’ or girls’ room, and the water fountain and the lunchroom, and how long do we have for lunch, anyway?

Where will our field trips take us?

When do I get to go to the playground?

And what will I get to do that’s new and different?

These are all important questions and priorities that emerge from youthful curiosity and wonderment as they ready for the next challenge. And by and large, they generally always are ready for the next challenge. Bring it on!

I can’t help but wonder myself: Why can’t we, as adults, stride confidently into new situations with that same thirst for knowledge, sense of adventure, and desire to discover that our kids have? In so many ways, the ones we work so hard to protect are actually quite fearless. Or, perhaps more appropriately, why can’t we choose to try out a new prism and see if the seemingly familiar world around us can actually be viewed differently?

It’s all about perspective.

How else do you explain young ones singing joyfully at the top of their lungs in the Kids’ Chorus (even if they can’t carry a tune in a sturdy bucket)? Or the cute, little pig-tailed girl happily lugging a trombone case half her size to the bus stop each morning? Or kids that grab Crayons or paint brushes and create stick-figure artwork of family and friends and beam like mini-Michelangelos when their masterpiece is posted on the ‘fridge.

We’re all born great artists, and poets, and dancers, and singers, and sculptors, and actors, and musicians. It’s only later in the life that we discover we’re probably only good (perhaps great) at one or two of those disciplines and nobody gets the full package. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still pursue activities that we may not excel at but can still turn to for pure pleasure. It’s quite OK to have some fun along the way … because that “way” is not endless.

Stop and Watch the Ants

Parenting experts encourage adults to be slow and deliberate when taking young children for a stroll. They recommend allowing time and opportunity for exploration and learning. Physically, the little ones are closer to the ground, their eyesight is sharp, their mind open, and they want to stop and see what those ants are building, or collect those colorful leaves, or imagine what type of exotic animal left that paw print that looks amazingly like the yappy chihuahua’s next door.

This is important because, unlike most of us adults, they’re still in discovery and exploration mode. They want to learn. They’re curious. They wonder. And, perhaps most importantly, they allow themselves to be fascinated by the world around them, including other people. And just as you give them the time to satisfy their curiosity and wonderment, you need to do the same for yourself.

Yes, you have deadlines approaching. Yes, money is tight. Yes, your spouse was a bit of a crank this morning. Yes, traffic sucked today, just as it did yesterday. And, yes, you work for an overly demanding boss, or with some co-workers who spend more time protecting turf than they do being productive. You may think you already have too much on your plate and that it’s too late to do something new and different – that you can’t teach the proverbial “old dog” new tricks – but I call BS on all that.

There are 1,440 minutes in one 24-hour day. Surely, we can spare a few of those minutes each day to turn back time and feel the wonder and excitement that simple things like toys in cereal boxes or catching fireflies at night brought us all. Five or 10 minutes spent joyfully can probably offset the toughest of days at the office. But you must be open to allowing …

If you learn one thing this “school year”, let it be that the playground is always, always open.

CONCLUSION

Make a point each day to carve 5-10 minutes from your busy schedule to look, observe and learn. That brief return to wonder and curiosity can renew your spirit!

Cheers,

The post Curiosity Inspires Learning: Let Yourself Be A Kid Again! appeared first on dynami.

This oh-so-brief respite is also a great time for business folks to explore a bit and discover new tools and resources that can help us all be better in our roles. 

Here are four you definitely want to check out …

itseasy.com – When was the last time you checked the status of your passport? When was the last time you tried to get your passport renewed when turnaround time was critical? Not fun.

That’s where ItsEasy (sic) comes in.

Based in New York City with offices in Washington, DC, Boston, Denver and LA, ItsEasy is one of the nation’s largest expeditors of passport and visa applications for travel to virtually any country on the planet. Some applications are turned in a month, some in a week, and there’s even a 1-day turnaround if you’re really up against the wall.

The application process is clean and simple. Say you’re looking for a travel visa, simply enter your nationality, state of residence, destination country, type of visa needed, and number of entries. It immediately lays out all relevant rules and regulations for travel to/from and within that country and allows you to select from pricing tiers with turnaround times designated. Gather the required documents and either hand-deliver or Fed-Ex them to the company and, whoosh, just like that, you’re only days away from receiving your visa.

In a word, it’s easy!

unsplash.com – Budgets are tight, deadlines tighter, and you’ve got a presentation due tomorrow that’s looking, well, sorta blah. The content and triple-checked data are all correct and

relevant but the lack of photo imagery makes your PPT deck look more like the front page of the WSJ.

Unleash unsplash.com, a great go-to resource for freebie, high-rez visuals that will breathe life into that dull deck you’ve been fretting over. Go to unsplash.com, key in the type of image you’re looking for and, voila!, options galore. And in varying aspect ratios (i.e., vertical, horizontal, square, etc.) A prompt encourages you to give credit where credit is due and name the photographer but also states that’s not required. I searched for a lighthouse and had a beauty of a shot on my desktop ready for use in just two clicks.

Check ‘em out!

lumosity.com – If you’re a distance-runner — marathoner, half-marathoner or weekend 10ker — you understand the importance of giving your weary bones a rest every now and again. But you also know how easy it is to lose your edge if that brief timeout turns into a week away from training.

Same’s true for your brain. Don’t let the summer slowdown rob you of your mental edge. Stay sharp with Lumosity.com, an online provider of games, puzzles and mind-benders that will keep that cranial matter a rich shade of gray (if there is such a thing).

You’ve probably heard their commercials on satellite radio but maybe you haven’t checked ‘em out. It’s worth it. For about 15 bucks a month (or choose 80 bucks a year), you can access hundreds and hundreds of mental challenges that will keep you alert and focused. And they’re fun and engaging, too!

Programs are scientifically developed and users’ results are used for ongoing research to help us all better understand mental cognition (which sounds a bit funny – “better understand mental cognition”).

Stay sharp, y’all!

corbinball.com – Stumped as to how to make your upcoming event or tradeshow experience truly meaningful and memorable? Wondering how to structure your next program to create a palpable “buzz” and get your folks energized? Enter Corbin Ball, one of the world’s leading experts in the area of technology applied to events, tradeshows and conventions. To visit his site is to stroll around a virtual Disneyworld if you’re a corporate event professional. There is so much content, so many rich topics, and so many tips and insights, it’s almost dizzying. (All the more reason to keep your brain sharp with Lumosity, right?)

One recent article by Ball, entitled Virtual Meetings Will Not Replace Face-to-Face Meetings, addresses the distinct advantage of in-person events despite a massive, worldwide trend to do everything in life virtually, thanks to the tech explosion of the past decade or so. While there is a role for the periodic virtual meeting or expo, Ball believes the traditional meeting and tradeshow models are here to stay.

“Webinars and other virtual meetings are great for short information exchange,” the article says. “However, in today’s multi-tasking and often distracting work environment, attention spans are short. Thirty to forty-five minutes is usually the maximum you can expect someone to pay attention to a webinar while sitting in front of a monitor.

“Meetings, on the other hand, take people to a more-focused environment with fewer distractions. As long as attendees are informed, entertained and fed, event hosts can keep them engaged for days … the opportunities for networking, brainstorming, and relationship-building are usually far greater at face-to-face events than online. Meetings provide a vastly richer, more targeted, and more focused learning experience than nearly any virtual meeting.”

Remember that line: “As long as attendees are informed, entertained and fed, event hosts can keep them engaged for days.”

CONCLUSION

Take advantage of the brief summer slowdown to brush up on some great new tools and resources that will make you a superstar in the corporate meetings and events industry.

Cheers to summertime and discovering new tools and resources!

The post 4 GREAT RESOURCES TO MAKE YOU A BETTER MEETINGS & EVENTS PROFESSIONAL! appeared first on dynami.

Designing and executing programs that put the needs and desires of attendees as your top priority will get you there. Let’s take a closer look …

Healthier Food & Beverage Options – Most studies indicate you can point the finger at F&B as the biggest driver of escalating corporate meeting and event costs, so navigating this particular trend is a sticky-wicket. Here’s the deal: As audiences skew younger and younger, with Millennials and Generation-Whatever becoming a larger percentage of attendee groups, the presence of health-conscious “foodies” is also increasing. For instance, at breakfast they don’t want the traditional smorgasbord of greasy meats, yolky eggs, starchy cereals, and sweetened juices … or the sugary pastries and buttery baked goods at the morning break … or the … you get the picture.

More and more, attendees are not only demanding but expecting healthier choices from meeting planners. They prefer quality over quantity when it comes to consumption. Swap natural granola bars for pastries (or do a 50-50 split of each). Include fruit in greater varieties at breakfast and breaks, as well as organic yogurt, a selection of herbal teas, and a bowl of raw almonds.  Avoid sleep-inducing and waistline-expanding starchy items like pasta at lunches and dinners and offer more lean meat and non-fried fish options. And at cocktail hour, move beyond the tired lineup of basic beers and wines, and create stations where handcrafted cocktails (“alchemy cocktails” is the trendy name) are mixed by a bartender who also informs and shares the chemistry involved while mixing the concoction. Add local craft beers, too.

Questionable practices within the food industry have been exposed in recent years. People are better informed and rightfully cautious about what they consume to fuel their bodies. Yes, healthier food options cost more but you may discover the quantity of the food you need to order actually shrinks. And hey, healthier eating might help fend off that dreaded 2 PM slump!

Speaking of health …

Comfort is King – Remember the straight-back schoolroom chairs or rock-hard church pews of your youth? Yeah, they didn’t enhance the overall experience much, did they? People listen more closely and learn more deeply when they’re physically comfortable. This extends beyond seating and seating configurations, it involves wearing comfortable attire, as well.

The vast majority of companies have adopted biz-casual as the dress-code norm over the last couple of decades, and nowadays it often includes athleisure wear – clothing originally intended for workouts at the gym that is now socially acceptable (and more stylish) in many other casual and business settings.

Ladies are ditching spiked heels and dresses in favor of yoga pants, fashionable tops and clean, comfortable running shoes instead. For guys, suitcoats and ties are mostly a thing of the past and so are starched, button-up shirts. Athletic-cut clothing made from modern fabrics is more popular and common among men in meeting and event settings these days.

Meeting groups today are looking more and more like smartly dressed, physically fit groups on a walking tour of a city. And trust your attendees to be tasteful when it comes to choosing their attire. Allow them to be comfortable.

“All aboard the training train!” – Several recent industry surveys noted the trend towards training-based corporate meetings and events. Lectures and “Sermons on the Mount” — in this case, from the mainstage — are passe’. There is wisdom behind the Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” (Take him fishing and buy his beer and he’ll be your best bud! I digress …)

When people listen and do something simultaneously, both sides of the brain are engaged and they learn more meaningfully. Meeting hosts are realizing this and seeing the value in designing and executing carefully crafted programs that are heavily training-based.

Expos are Exponentially Popular – I’m not talking tradeshows and expositions in huge convention halls, I’m talking about vendor fares, supplier showcases, product demo stations, etc. within the context of a corporate meeting or event. Gone are the days of collecting a vendor fee, providing a skirted, 6’ folding table and two chairs, and saying, “Have at it, Mr. Supplier.”

A greater number of meeting professionals are pouring a lot of thought, money, time and attention-to-detail into expos. They’re more discerning as to who and what is showcased; making sure attendees gain something of true value from the interactions. High-quality food and beverage is often incorporated, and hours are being extended beyond the typical, 90-minute window when people rush from table to table to get their “passport” stamped enough times to redeem it for a logo’d t-shirt that washes up nicely exactly once.

I recently attended an event that kept its expo open from 10AM-7PM and it never had a lull. There was food and beverage, hourly prize giveaways of something you’d actually like to win, and lively upbeat music that added to the experience without overpowering it. As the day progressed, bars were brought in. There were only 65 vendors but the nine-hour time window allowed people to linger longer at each station and have more engaging interactions. But there’s a caveat …

If you want to include a meaningful expo element in your program, understand you will only deliver a highly impactful experience if you work closely with your vendors and truly collaborate on the best way to engage attendees. You know your audience and their needs and desires best. The vendor knows his or her product or service best. Find common ground where vendors are able to spotlight their offerings in a manner that better educates and trains an attendee to be better at their job. Expand the hours, add environmental dimensions like F&B, bars, prizes, an emcee or facilitator who can create energy, along with music and quality giveaways vs. cheap, branded trinkets. Make expos a place where everyone wants to be.

“Gimme a break. No, really, I need a break.” – With general sessions and workshops and training and expos, etc., etc., etc. to attend and with all this knowledge to gain in the course of a 2-3-day program, attendees’ brains are screaming for a break.

“Mindfulness” and being mindful is a chic topic these days and while it may be overused, it’s still important for event planners to build in opportunities for attendees to reflect on what they’ve just experienced. (True confessions: I have to walk away from my keyboard from time to time just to uncross my eyes and give my brain a five-minute “chill session”. Your attendees need that, too.)

Jam-packed meetings and events can be quite demanding for conference attendees. As one recent article stated, “And while the goal is ensuring attendee minds are full, don’t discount the benefits of attendees being mindful as well. Leading experts agree that ‘brain breaks’ are crucial to rejuvenating the mind, and actually foster elevated levels of creativity. Give attendees time and space to breathe, reflect, and regroup with hands-on workshops, outdoor activities, art exhibits or wellness activities.” Truth.

Now, go out there and be a rockstar!

CONCLUSION

Corporate meetings and events professionals have to meet more youthful audiences on their terms by staying current on trends in healthier food and beverage, experiences, higher levels of engagement, and comfort.

Cheers,

The post 5 Corporate Meetings & Events Trends You Need to Know About appeared first on dynami.

I’ve been to The Masters three times previously but not since 2006 and I understand from friends who’ve attended the tournament more recently that the golf club with the reputation for clinging to tradition like a mother does a child, has actually made enormous changes since my last visit. There’s a luxurious, new Media Center considered the finest in all of sports, additional and ample nearby patron parking, improved viewing areas and, of course, there’s constant tinkering with the course itself. Yet, the changes are always so subtle and so seamlessly logical that you probably think they’ve been there all along.

Billy Payne, the recently retired Chairman of Augusta National, says the club and its zealously guarded membership make these improvements and enhancements out of “the principle of constant improvement. We know no other way.”

Undoubtedly, many of you reading this blog have hosted guests, or been a hosted guest, at The Masters and can appreciate how indescribably special the grounds, the event, the staff, and the overall experience truly are. GOLF Magazine writer Michael Rosenberg wrote in an April 2017 article, “The Masters is special for many reasons, but the biggest is this: It is designed to be special. Special is the driving force. For more than 80 years, the members have done everything they can to make the tournament stand out, from the concessions to the limited (TV) commercial time to the green jackets that their wives would not let them wear to any other social occasion. A lot of sporting events produce revenue; only a special event would take pride in turning down revenue.”

This got me thinking about what lessons those of us involved in corporate meeting and event planning could learn from Augusta National Golf Club and its signature event often called “a tradition unlike any other”.

Here are five that I hope will inspire you to constantly strive to enhance and tinker with your corporate meetings to make them special and memorable in their own way …

Southern Hospitality … on Steroids!

Gracious hospitality with a Southern flair is as abundant at Augusta National as lush green fairways, pimento cheese sandwiches, and $4 beers. From the moment you turn off Washington Road or Berckman’s Road into the rolling, grassy parking area, you are greeted by smiling, genuinely friendly volunteers who keep your vehicle moving constantly until it stops in the closest available parking space. As you leave your car and pass other volunteers, they greet you with a cheery “Good Morning, enjoy The Masters!” This continues as you pass through the security gates, into the merchandise shop, at concessions stands, and onto the grounds where polite marshals gently guide you along. It’s obvious they’re as happy to be there as you are.

LESSON: Make every aspect of your corporate meeting or event friendly, warm and inviting – from the ground shuttle staff at airports to the dedicated registration desk at the hotel, during breaks, at activities, from presenters onstage, during luggage pull, etc. Smiles come cheap but are worth more than you can imagine!

 “The Toughest Ticket in Sports!” 

For most of its 80+ years, The Masters has been considered “the toughest ticket in sport” for its elite field of competitors, magical setting, history loaded with defining moments, and the international demand that far surpasses the available supply of series badges and daily tickets.

LESSON: Make your event a hot commodity. Design and execute it at such a high level that people count down the days to it. Whether you’re an association trying to lure attendees or an in-house corporate group with a “command performance” audience, infuse your corporate event with the energy of a rock & roll concert. Ask anybody who’s ever attended Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce event each year in San Francisco. They’ll understand.

Emergency Evacuation Planning

A friend of mine who attends The Masters every year on Wednesday of tournament week shared his experience from last year. He left Atlanta at 4 o’clock in the morning to make the three-hour drive to Augusta, attended an association’s annual meeting in the Media Center shortly after breakfast, then walked onto the grounds to take in some golf. One minute later, the mandatory evacuation sirens sounded due to nearby lightning. Two hours and 45 minutes later (spent waiting in his car), the gates reopened, he walked onto the course and, one minute later, the sirens sounded again, signaling a second lightning-related evacuation and the end of the day’s activities. Despite six hours of driving and nearly three hours cooling his heels in his car for a

mere two minutes on the course, he told me how amazing it was to see so many people so quickly and orderly dispatched from the grounds and to a place of safety. Staffers knew exactly what to say and do in order to move people along smoothly and efficiently, and to ensure the evacuation didn’t feel like a rough herding of cattle.

LESSON: We all understand the importance of emergency contingency planning but, like personal estate planning or pruning bushes, do we ever really get around to it? Time to rededicate yourself to the development of contingency plans and, just as importantly, take the time to educate your staff so they know the plan like the backs of their hands – because that may be all they have to refer to in an emergency situation.

Lines, Lines, Everywhere a Line ….

You’re thirsty and hungry and just want to grab an ice-cold “Coke-cola” and a BBQ sandwich but the line at The Masters concession stand is so long. Or, did you promise all your friends who fronted you money that you’d come back with a treasured Masters golf shirt, hat, key chain or some other memento for them? But, jeez, look at that line that serpentines outside the merchandise shop. It’s so, so long. But wait, it’s moving right along. That guy up there in the green shirt was way back here five minutes ago and now he’s two steps shy of the entry door. Things aren’t always as they seem at Augusta National … and for good reason.

LESSON: Just as Augusta National excels at moving people along by staffing, staffing and staffing some more, make sure your onsite meeting and event staff is far beyond a skeletal crew. I know that carries with it budget ramifications but the fact that your guests’ needs will be immediately met, and staffers won’t be unduly stretched and stressed is worth the investment. That smile thing I mentioned a few paragraphs north of here …? Yeah, people working consecutive 20-hour days aren’t likely to do a whole lot of smiling or sharp thinking, and that greatly diminishes the guest/attendee experience.

Honor Tradition … but Keep Evolving

Every Thursday morning of Masters Week at precisely 7:40AM, The Masters holds its ceremonial opening tee shots on hole No.1 (nicknamed Tea Olive as every hole at Augusta National is named for a flower or shrub that was once grown on the grounds of Fruitlands Nursery which is now where Augusta National sits). Golf legends Jack Nicklaus, the all-time leader with six Masters Green Jackets, and Gary Player, who owns three, will each stripe a ball down No.1 fairway and current Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley will declare: “The 2018 Masters has officially begun. Have fun, everybody!”

LESSON: Tradition counts. Honor those icons – people, products, company milestones, etc. – at your corporate meetings and events while quietly working to tweak and tinker with the event from year to year to ensure it doesn’t get old, it only gets better.

The bottom line: If you’re going to do something, do it right. Make it special. Make it memorable. Make it the gold standard. In short, make it … Masterful!

CONCLUSION

The Masters Golf Tournament is a shining example of fastidious attention to detail and passionate desire to deliver a world-class experience for its patrons. Corporate meeting and event planners can learn a lot from The Masters!

Cheers,

Related Posts

• It’s the Little Things that are Masterful

The post 5 Lessons Event Planners Can Learn From The Masters Golf Tournament appeared first on dynami.