Saturday, 14 November 2009
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Make meetings work for the owner
I recently saw an interview with Frank Gehry, the Canadian architect that built the Gugenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Walt Disney Concert hall in Los Angeles. When asked what it is that makes his work so special, Gehry says “I only create a building that works for the owner, on time and in budget.” This is an interestingly simple answer for the world’s most famous architect.
Maybe this is just what Meeting Architects also should do; creating a meeting that works for the owner on time and in budget. “That works for the owner” actually means a few things:
First is “that works for the owner” as in “that works for me”, or I like that, I’m happy with that. Obviously that is an important goal for any architect; to make the owner happy, so he will have a smile on his face whenever he talks about the building and whenever he mentions the architect. Good for publicity, such a happy client.
Second is “that works for the owner”, like in “it does what it needs to do”. That is obviously much more important. In this way the building creates value for the owner, the visitors, and the users of the building. Here lies the difference between good architecture and great architecture. If a building is beautiful and functional, you have spent your money well and your ROI is guaranteed.
Same thing with meetings and events, things don’t stop with creating a spectacular stage act or a beautiful performance; no that is only to make the owner and guests happy. The real challenge is to create value, to design the meeting so it supports the objectives, serves its purpose and works for the owner.
The end remark from Gehry in this interview was also an interesting one:He described how the computer is giving more power back to the architect. Since designs are now becoming so precise, in 3D and include a lot of engineering information, the architect remains in control of the construction he designed longer than in the past. Gehry says “this brings us back to the ‘master builder’, the ‘archi-tect’ again. In the past few decades, construction companies and owners took control during construction and the architect was not included in the actual building work, he was reduced to a designer.
Again, in our work as Meeting Architects, we should try to be involved or even in control of the execution. If we leave the execution of the meeting to another team, chances are that the curves you have designed turn into straight lines, and important details are seen as trivial gimmicks and removed from the plan.
When Meeting Architects design meetings that work for the owner and remain in control during execution, maybe one of us will grow into the Frank Gehry of the meeting industry.
Maybe this is just what Meeting Architects also should do; creating a meeting that works for the owner on time and in budget. “That works for the owner” actually means a few things:
First is “that works for the owner” as in “that works for me”, or I like that, I’m happy with that. Obviously that is an important goal for any architect; to make the owner happy, so he will have a smile on his face whenever he talks about the building and whenever he mentions the architect. Good for publicity, such a happy client.
Second is “that works for the owner”, like in “it does what it needs to do”. That is obviously much more important. In this way the building creates value for the owner, the visitors, and the users of the building. Here lies the difference between good architecture and great architecture. If a building is beautiful and functional, you have spent your money well and your ROI is guaranteed.
Same thing with meetings and events, things don’t stop with creating a spectacular stage act or a beautiful performance; no that is only to make the owner and guests happy. The real challenge is to create value, to design the meeting so it supports the objectives, serves its purpose and works for the owner.
The end remark from Gehry in this interview was also an interesting one:He described how the computer is giving more power back to the architect. Since designs are now becoming so precise, in 3D and include a lot of engineering information, the architect remains in control of the construction he designed longer than in the past. Gehry says “this brings us back to the ‘master builder’, the ‘archi-tect’ again. In the past few decades, construction companies and owners took control during construction and the architect was not included in the actual building work, he was reduced to a designer.
Again, in our work as Meeting Architects, we should try to be involved or even in control of the execution. If we leave the execution of the meeting to another team, chances are that the curves you have designed turn into straight lines, and important details are seen as trivial gimmicks and removed from the plan.
When Meeting Architects design meetings that work for the owner and remain in control during execution, maybe one of us will grow into the Frank Gehry of the meeting industry.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Pretty woman, dumb man…
Should we separate man and women at our meetings and conferences? http://ping.fm/9uGrx
Should we separate man and women at our meetings and conferences? http://ping.fm/9uGrx
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Monday, 21 September 2009
The meeting iIndustry is an operational industry and it should embrace that.
For over a decade we now have heard about the ‘seat at the table’, ‘strategic meeting management’, ROI etc. All very interesting topics, but the vast majority in the meetings industry have not walked far with these things.
I believe that the explanation is simple: Meeting planning is an operational world and the hearts and minds of most of the people are not into C-level stuff.
“Strategic” is the corporate wide plan or the organisation’s global plan. In the corporate component of meetings this is about consolidating, managing and controlling spent in meetings. Not very operational and certainly not the stuff most meeting planners are made of. Meeting planning is an operational world where you manage projects, hands on. Of course one negotiates, contracts etc., for the project at hand, not making policies, creating rules and regulations for procurement let alone controlling them.
The seat at the table is a fable. Only in pyramid marketing organisations will you have a CMO, a Chief Meeting Officer. Very few places are vacant and most of our people are not dreaming of ever becoming part of the boring boardroom. This is not what they like! Meeting planners like projects, planning and organising events, designing exceptional experiences, not designing corporate strategies!
ROI is great, it’s methodology essential to know. But how many meeting planners like numbers so much they would spend days doing the math? This is not them! They are social, creative, and structured planners, not number crunchers.
This being said, some meeting planners have the talent and grow into leadership, taking on the responsibility o leading the conference team. This takes them away from the operational side but still not provides them with strategic responsibilities. In many corporations, the meeting planner works for a team manager, reports to a marketing manager that reports to a director that reports to a VP or an EVP who is close to strategy.
Not many have the will or the ambition to become an executive; most even fear talking to the CEO, in many case the distance is too big. And by the way, they do this job because they liked it in the first place!
When we look at the ROI methodology, it actually is all there. Understanding the five levels is essential, but working on the lower levels could prove effective. As a reminder, these are the five ROI levels for meetings:
5 ROI4 impact3 action2 learning1 satisfaction
C-level is interested in ROIThe CFO may create a strategy around itThe Procurement team or financial managers my do the workThe meeting owner is interested in the Impact (Level 4) which he should communicate upwards so the finance people can use it to calculate ROI.
The meeting owner could understand that this Impact is the consequence of Action (level3) which he should communicate downwards to the person designing the meeting so the learning (level 2) is designed for that desired Action that will lead to Impact...
And with level 2, we are getting close the territory of the meeting planner. This professional mainly focuses on designing for satisfaction (level 1); creating a great experience is what they mostly do. This is very operational work, as is designing the content, its form and delivery - to improve the Learning. Helping the meeting owner with a better design sits close to the day to day work of the meeting planner and therefore is something most planners will like. Especially the senior meeting planners that don’t want to become managers of teams or buyers, let alone executives. Most planners like their jobs and maybe we can keep them doing their jobs (longer than the usual 10 to 15 years) by adding an intellectual challenge: a new realm of smart but operational work. They will flourish and remain valuable members of this industry, not leaving our associations dissatisfied as they become senior planners. My advice to the leaders of the industry is to study their members and if 80% are operational and like their job; don’t try to change them into strategists! Let’s make them happy again, and proud of their work, by expanding their operational work and increasing their impact on their projects’ effectiveness. Let’s get in charge of content, content, content…
If our industry is an operational one, let’s embrace that fact, let’s not hide it and try to be more than we are. We are the essential operational component of meetings, a fundamental profession that makes it possible for other people to meet and really change the world.
Maarten Vanneste, CMM
Sunday September 20th 2009
I believe that the explanation is simple: Meeting planning is an operational world and the hearts and minds of most of the people are not into C-level stuff.
“Strategic” is the corporate wide plan or the organisation’s global plan. In the corporate component of meetings this is about consolidating, managing and controlling spent in meetings. Not very operational and certainly not the stuff most meeting planners are made of. Meeting planning is an operational world where you manage projects, hands on. Of course one negotiates, contracts etc., for the project at hand, not making policies, creating rules and regulations for procurement let alone controlling them.
The seat at the table is a fable. Only in pyramid marketing organisations will you have a CMO, a Chief Meeting Officer. Very few places are vacant and most of our people are not dreaming of ever becoming part of the boring boardroom. This is not what they like! Meeting planners like projects, planning and organising events, designing exceptional experiences, not designing corporate strategies!
ROI is great, it’s methodology essential to know. But how many meeting planners like numbers so much they would spend days doing the math? This is not them! They are social, creative, and structured planners, not number crunchers.
This being said, some meeting planners have the talent and grow into leadership, taking on the responsibility o leading the conference team. This takes them away from the operational side but still not provides them with strategic responsibilities. In many corporations, the meeting planner works for a team manager, reports to a marketing manager that reports to a director that reports to a VP or an EVP who is close to strategy.
Not many have the will or the ambition to become an executive; most even fear talking to the CEO, in many case the distance is too big. And by the way, they do this job because they liked it in the first place!
When we look at the ROI methodology, it actually is all there. Understanding the five levels is essential, but working on the lower levels could prove effective. As a reminder, these are the five ROI levels for meetings:
5 ROI4 impact3 action2 learning1 satisfaction
C-level is interested in ROIThe CFO may create a strategy around itThe Procurement team or financial managers my do the workThe meeting owner is interested in the Impact (Level 4) which he should communicate upwards so the finance people can use it to calculate ROI.
The meeting owner could understand that this Impact is the consequence of Action (level3) which he should communicate downwards to the person designing the meeting so the learning (level 2) is designed for that desired Action that will lead to Impact...
And with level 2, we are getting close the territory of the meeting planner. This professional mainly focuses on designing for satisfaction (level 1); creating a great experience is what they mostly do. This is very operational work, as is designing the content, its form and delivery - to improve the Learning. Helping the meeting owner with a better design sits close to the day to day work of the meeting planner and therefore is something most planners will like. Especially the senior meeting planners that don’t want to become managers of teams or buyers, let alone executives. Most planners like their jobs and maybe we can keep them doing their jobs (longer than the usual 10 to 15 years) by adding an intellectual challenge: a new realm of smart but operational work. They will flourish and remain valuable members of this industry, not leaving our associations dissatisfied as they become senior planners. My advice to the leaders of the industry is to study their members and if 80% are operational and like their job; don’t try to change them into strategists! Let’s make them happy again, and proud of their work, by expanding their operational work and increasing their impact on their projects’ effectiveness. Let’s get in charge of content, content, content…
If our industry is an operational one, let’s embrace that fact, let’s not hide it and try to be more than we are. We are the essential operational component of meetings, a fundamental profession that makes it possible for other people to meet and really change the world.
Maarten Vanneste, CMM
Sunday September 20th 2009
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
