IMEX14 - The Beginning

I love when Padraic Gilligan does his recaps of shows and I will attempt to do him justice with my own reflections on my experiences at IMEX America this year.

For the past three years I have had the great pleasure of supporting the Vancouver team in their booth, and this year, we focused on creating a more usable space (with the talented team at Cantrav) and I think we not only accomplished that but created visual impact worthy of this very fantastic show.  While I have transitioned this as I changed jobs, it was bittersweet to do so, and I may have stopped by more than once to visit.

Last year QuickMobile had a fantastic space filled with iPads and sportily dressed staff rocking the colors and sharing information in their inimitable style. This year we opted to invite people into a relaxed atmosphere where they could learn more about mobile with us, enjoy a foot massage handily placed under the table during their meeting, and have a respite from the busy space all around us.  Of course, we have to focus on technology, so in addition to demos, they could also see our newest social capture tool Concerto tracking Twitter activity on the screen, or check out the Augmented Reality built into the pictures on the back wall. That is right, the ARt (blown-up covers from our most recent resources designed for meeting planners) was really AR!

this portion of the booth featured Augmented Reality fun

Anne Thornley Brown as always shared her best booths of the show, and we have to say while it is impossible to choose only a few, she has chosen some excellent pavilions. 

This of course all happened before opening day, much as the great IMEX America app was launched and the excitement begins before we arrive as appointments are made, the floor plan is explored, we see who is going to be there and we procure tickets for the evening events including perhaps the CIC Hall of Leaders Gala, SITE Nite, the FRESH dinner, MPI Foundation Rendezvous and so many other events that take place throughout.

When I joined QuickMobile it was because I love the intersection of human needs and mobile technology, and to see the intuitiveness, interaction and analytics which will now facilitate a year-round community for IMEX Exhibitions - that is what makes my job interesting.  I cannot wait to see what next year brings.

ps. there is a LOT more to talk about so watch for other posts to come! 

Thank you Cantrav

My Ode to Cantrav

As I look forward to some holidays and the end of my time at Cantrav draws near, I look back with fond memories on the many friends and fabulous events I have enjoyed during my five years as the Creative Director here.  I have had many fabulous creative and production team members, notably Kelly Clarke, my compadre and the other half of my brain whose balance to my skill set has been (in her word) "awesomesauce", the lovely Jen Aldridge, fiesty Luiza Junqueira aka Darth Vader and the quietly fabulous Tristan Bassett, all who made my work life more interesting, and more enjoyable.

George, our fearless leader; Lisa who brought me here to start with; Janice and her endless energy and depth of knowledge; the Resource team of Marijke, May, Teresa, Monica and recently Priscilla and Krista whose intimate and updated knowledge of our area astounds me; our support team with Brian, Ruth, Jenny and Lynne, and the inimitable Sue who keeps popping up; Christine and Selene, Dave and Tom with their stories; Our Service delivery team of smart, funny, customer-focused women including spunky Kim in Whistler; adventurers Lynn, Kim, Tracey and Claudia who have Rocked the Rockies with me; Michelle who balances my early mornings with her late nights, Jen and Jo-Anne and Missy, our Director of Business Events who pointed out today that we have worked together for all but nine months of the last nine years, and whose yin is my yang and who with the team members will continue to make conferences brain-friendly and awesome.

No DMC or Event Producer is complete without great vendor partners, and we have had these in spades. You know who you are because you are the ones working our programs, and bringing it home with us show after show. My deep gratitude to you.

For me, the journey to engaging events using technology is a logical next step, and I look forward to seeing where this leads, and working with many familiar faces in a new way, and learning and growing as we move forward in our fast - paced world.

They asked today what my favorite events were in the past five years, and there are really too many to name, but here are a few...

Four Seasons of Canada - 600 guests

MPI WEC 2010 Welcome Reception

My last "Fire and Ice" at the Olympic Cauldron, 2012

Would I recommend Cantrav? In a heartbeat. The things I have loved - the depth of knowledge, the passion for service, the innate skills and the dedication to excellence, these are all still here so if you need an excellent partner for your business or special events, you can trust they will get it right!

GMIC - Virtually Amazing

For those of you that have been following my blog, you know that I am basically addicted to events, and that I believe that all events can be done with sustainability front of mind. By sustainability, I mean BIG PICTURE sustainability, as I blogged about for Engage365 - the 3ps of Meeting Planning.

While I would have loved to have been live at the Green Meetings Industry Council Event in Portland this week, for time and money, I had to make a choice, and instead found myself at Event Camp live, and as a virtual attendee at GMIC and team member of Team Spruce Almighty.  What an awesome thing, to be able to be engaged from my desk and thank you to this team (GMIC and its many sponsors and Spruce specifically) for making this possible.

Things I have learned so far:

1. Face to face remains the most important way for people to connect, but
2. Engaged virtual attendees have a lot to offer and including this option increases opportunity on both sides
3. I am lucky to work now primarily in Vancouver / Whistler / Banff, all true leaders in sustainable meetings and living (I know but hey, it is my blog, right...)
4. Cooperation is necessary - integrate and initiate discussions about how all the partners you work with can fit into a more sustainable model
5. Solutions that start with looking at the entire supply chain and work their way through the various details of the meeting are integral to continued success
6. APEX is a great tool and will fit well with standards around the globe
7. We need to not only use the sustainable tools we have, but to communicate them, pre-event, during it and following - show what we are doing TOGETHER
8. We have the opportunity to be leaders in change and we must embrace the opportunities and be leaders in sustainability
9. Sustainability is thinking strategically - when we as planners can show that we think strategically we get to sit at the table with the "big kids" and be much, much more effective in bringing our organizations overriding brand messages and values to life in live events (which are fundamentally one of the most powerful tools in our marketing and communication mix)
10. Every step counts  

Happy Memories

Well on a slightly brighter note this week, we have finally uploaded the video of the building of the MPI WEC event this summer, and this was a BLAST!  Yes, it was July - but every memory of this night was great! Check it out

www.cantrav.com/mpi-event

Room with a View, week 2 - The Vegans arrive

This may be the coolest meeting ever from what it means to the world. An organization that manufactures globally has brought together in Vancouver, a city working on its sustainability for future generations with this initiative -  Vancouver greenest city by 2020 a group of people dedicated to the same values.  They are together to look at every business unit and find more sustainable opportunities from products with no glues or toxins, to improved factory conditions and maximum positive impact in the communities they are part of.

Of the sixty, one-third are vegetarian / vegan and all have been riding skytrains, walking and taking the aquabus for their transfers required this week.  The food prepared by one of our favorite local caterers has been stellar, with many positive comments.  A member of the green table network, it is important to Culinary Capers to be a responsible part of the food chain also, and they have been a great partner to event planners for two decades.

The first evening included members of First Nations from here to welcome and bless the meeting, with a Chief from New York who is also working closely with their team to identify ways of including this culture in continuing initiatives to create a more solid future. This was held at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, a perfect venue, not only for its spectacular setting and art, but also for setting the context that we have been here for thousands of years and we need to take care of our earth for the many generations to come.  Not one or two they suggested, but think ahead in your planning to seven or more generations from now.  Daunting, yes. Possible? Absolutely!

Again, we have used a sustainably manufactured furniture line to dress up Creekside, and it looks great! They are ready to engage!

Room with a View

To truly engage learners they need a combination of great environment, facilitators and presenters who understand the message and the method of delivery that will be the most beneficial for the learners and their organization. This week we have an amazing example of clients who know their audience, understand the messages they want to deliver, have brought in the right speakers and facilitators to deliver that message and then worked with us to create the setting.  The right venue helps too and in this case it is Creekside, a new legacy venue created out of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, where this was a key part of the Athletes Village.

The message they chose is how to stay lean.  This is one that has been around for a number of years, and in these economic times, and particularly for our clients who manufacture and sell globally, one of renewed importance.  There are lots of places to find information on it - this is just one.
1000ventures.com - one look at Toyota's Lean Model

Here are a few pictures of where they get to meet, and where they get to eat, all inspired by nature, with sustainability planned throughout, a part of meeting in Vancouver that is easy to accomplish. The girari furniture line is a sustainably built line, and one we love to use for both its stylish features as well as its overall philosophies. The plants you see are all grown locally, and will all be sent to good homes following the meeting. The dining choices are healthy, they can fill their own water bottles from the coolers or the tap, and the group is transferring mainly with their feet, on the Skytrain and using our Aquabus system. Excellent choices all around.

Egonomics - What do YOU need?

As some of you know, I have worked across various sectors of the industry. I have been a PCO/Meeting Planner, an Event Producer at a DMC, a Sr. Event Producer (hey that's what happens when you change jobs right...) at an Incentive House, and now a Director of Creative and Production back at a DMC.

In any job we have had to answer this question, "What VALUE do you bring?" Whether asked by a meeting host (often in a profession completely unrelated to what we do and senior in their world), or a seasoned planner, my answer is consistent, “We will give you back time and use our expertise to create a memorable experience for your guests".

Anyone who is working in meetings and events is busy, working on mutliple projects for multiple stakeholders, who all work to their own time schedules, usually engaging less than three weeks before a program, and of course wanting us to adapt to their input. This is not even stressful, it is an anticipated reality.  The reality is, in any job or position I have had in this industry, our teams have always risen to the challenge and made it happen. We don't do this alone, we do this with our highly engaged and professional supplier / vendor partners - who also understand that we are all always only as good as our last event. 

Our last event is also very specific - very specific to meeting the individual needs of each and every guest who has participated, as everyone has an opinion.  Now I have been doing this long enough that in the olden days, we collected thousands of paper evaluations and spent a lot of time collating these results, which were shared with one or two people.  Then we moved into online surveys, an amazing tool for the instant results you can obtain, and again, reviewed by a handful of people.  Now as meeting and event professionals, we have the added challenge of social media, a great tool for marketing, and a tool where now, in nano seconds, any spectacular moments can be shared, and any flaws can be exploited for all the world to share, with words, pictures, video all able to be streamed instantly. As if there wasn't already enough pressure on us!  Are we ready to work tirelessly (or with a lot of 'insert energy beverage of choice') to create an end-to-end memorable experience for our participants - HECK YEAH!

This week I participated as a virtual participant in Event Camp Twin Cities  twitter #ectc10 and it was phenomonal to hear the same messages from a room and a virtual room of people who CARE about making events more meaningful - and how we will continue to do that now and into the future.
This is what I will continue to love about what we do - everyone who is part of our extended team, does what they do with passion, energy and a true expertise and we are so lucky to wake up every day not knowing exactly what the day will bring, but knowing what we do makes a difference to the people we touch.

What is sustainability?

The first time the Greater Vancouver Regional District wrote a green meetings guide it was 1995. We have come a long way, and now the Convention Industry Council, in partnership with a host of organizations is about to launch their guide, more excellent tools to come!


Green Meetings Standards Mark Industry Transformation


Below are some ideas of things we have been doing here for a while, in a city / country that embraces recycling of most paper, metal, plastic and more, where it is easy to do.
1. Eating local, using in season or locally available products whenever possible

2. Oceanwise seafood – ensures seafood is grown and harvested sustainably

3. Unused food is picked up by local shelters and shared with those in need

4. Water stations vs. bottled water, either guests “bring your own bottle”, or hosts can give them to attendees – a great branding opportunity that will last for years in the stainless steel version

5. What about giving them their own coffee cup?

6. China, glassware, flatware – with little need for disposable use the “good stuff”

7. Recycle everything you can in partnership with the venues – on the west coast this is really easy as separate containers for all types of waste are commonplace from paper to aluminum, glass and plastic

8. Recycle items like name badge holders, or use the cornstarch based plastic holders that decompose quickly

9. Think corn and bamboo – everything from “paper” plates to knives, forks and even golf balls!

10. e-send everything you can – ask your attendees if they prefer paperless – there are a small percentage that might still want paper, but certainly not all of them

11. Create signage that can be reused event to event or recycled / on recycled materials

12. Print using soy or vegetable inks on paper that can be recycled, or planted such as seed paper

13. Use your glass again – at a reception, asks guests just to refill – successful at the MPI WEC Welcome

14. Ask us about the Hybrid SUV’s, bio-fuel use, even incorporating the SkyTrain into your programs – and remember that a motorcoach with 50 people on it is actually pretty darn fuel-efficient when put on a per-person basis

15. We can provide a carbon off-set package when you book your air travel with our travel department

16. We design our environments using furniture made locally and / or sustainably produced

17. Centrepieces can be made from a myriad of substances – even the florals we use are grown within 100km of the downtown core!

18. Dine by candlelight – soy candles even!

19. Give back – have attendees bring work appropriate clothing they no longer wear and collect it for an organization such as Dress for Success with chapters across the country supporting women re-entering the workforce

20. Production value – what we have today uses less power and creates amazing impact – let’s talk about what you really need to deliver your message effectively

21. Incorporate activities that bring people back to nature – kayak, bike, hike, canoe around the amazing scenery and enjoy this time you have here at a slower pace and only human fuel required!

22. Gift if it makes sense – are you creating a memory and providing something useful (water holder, USB stick, clothing they can use for example)

23. Planning ahead – from the first meeting to the final guest departure, we will find ways to help you in both the messaging and the implementation around making your meeting the most sustainable it can be – it is just our way of thinking

24. What else can we do locally to leave behind a positive impact - bring your old suits to share with a local dress for success (seen at MPI WEC), bring books to support a local inner city school with limited library resources, spend an afternoon cooking where not only do you enjoy the meal but you also get to prepackage enough for groups like meals-on-wheels or the Dr Peter Foundation to share with those in need...

Ultimately it all just ties into thinking that the only footprint we leave behind is, well, from our own feet!  Here is another one of my favorite intiatives - being spearheaded by some of our favorite bands!  I also love when we can all get together to share and celebrate with music, and when we can do it in a way that makes sense.

Filter For Good

Aspiring to... Inspired by... Rewarded... Recognized

Permission to pause.
Permission to reward (appropriately)
Recognition accepted.

No matter the pressure on organizations today around the optics of hosting meetings, and particularly incentives; combined with on-line learning / webinars / hybrid events available, there is really no way to replace the value of a F2F experience.

In an incentive program, the most value for the attendees is the time they get to spend usually with the significant other that has given them the time and support to be successful, but also the time they get with senior management and the C-level of the organization they have chosen to be engaged with.

Determining the ROI is important - setting the objectives of the program, staying true to the goals and parameters set at the beginning of the reward cycle, and knowing what measurements your C-level is looking for are all critical to success. There are many ways to do this - just one is below.

Motivational Experiences Deliver Business Results - well they should or else what is the point?
SITE White Paper on Validation of Motivational Experiences

The big impact though is exactly the same as what happens when your sales (or service) force is in the field delivering to the clients you need to be successful.  The elusive and tougher to measure ROR - Return on Relathionships.  Relationships with each other, relationship with the organization and the perceptions brought to life during the program, the amount of leisure time vs. education vs. networking vs. recognition - the most important aspect is finding the balance that is right for those who are being rewarded. Then watch the magic happen!

A true reward with a private concert

A gala night of our stars - with each award brought out by a Cirque performer!