A few pointers onInternet manners = net etiquette = netiquette

UNNI SOELBERG-CLARIDGE, CMP, CMM

Have you ever received an emailthat’s written as if the sender was

from another planet? Or, been copiedon something of no interest to you – andwith 2 pages of email addresses beforeyou find the message? I’m sure youhave, and I’m sure most of you find thatas annoying as I do. Conversely, maybe

you, as I, have been guilty of doingsomething similar on occasion – withoutthinking or because we didn’t know anybetter, particularly when we were newto the “net” and to emails. So, how canwe avoid the most obvious faux pas?

Well, first of all there is simply thecase of “good manners”. Sounds anti-quated? Maybe, but good old-fash-ioned manners on the net will do asmuch for your personal branding andprofessional stature as any schmoozingat a networking event will ever do.

It’s no longer just the thought that counts. In this fast-paced global economy, just giving a gift is no

longer enough. With the massive amounts of coffee mugs,pens and golf jerseys emblazonedwith corporate logos, there is aneed to go beyond the traditionaland to redefine the meaning of per-sonalizing corporate gifts. No mat-ter the occasion, creativity is key.The gift needs to be well thoughtout, well packaged and customizedif it is to carry the message and pro-duce the results that are intended.

Whether giving corporate gifts to a client for the holidays orplanning gifts for your next event, keep the occasion, the mes-sage, and of course the recipient in mind. Try to incorporatethe theme into the gift if it is for an event. For instance, you caninclude food native to the city or country where the event isbeing held.

Deciding between promotional items with logos and moremainstream gift items can be challenging. Sometimes a giftshould be just that—a gift and not a promotional tool.

Many believe that if a logo is on the gift, the client is more likely to remember the company that gave it to them. Inreality, many of these gifts are left hidden in drawers.

Using HR to grow business 4

Book review 6

Trends 7,11

The exhibit manager 8

Loyalty Pt. 2 12-13

Datebook 15

Working with visual aids 16

Being productive on the train 17

Hotel News 20-21

VOL. 3ISSUE 4

A MONTHLY DIGEST TO INFORM, ENLIGHTEN AND HUMOUR MEETING PLANNERS

IN THIS ISSUE To do or not to do...on the Internet

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

June-July 2005Edition

Thinkingoutside the gift basket

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

BY ALLISON BOMAN, MBA

Many readers pose the question to us: Why do you callyour company i.e. publishing?

Well, as you may know, i.e. stand for “that is” in Latin. So theshort answer is “That is publishing.” The longer answer stems fromwhat we want to do—our mission statement in two tidy letters.

Let’s start with the “i”:”i” stands for instant. With its easy-to-read format of short

articles (max two pages), The Planner provides instant reading;“i” also stands for ideal. You can take The Planner with you

to read on the plane or in line at the bank. There’s no ink on thefingers and it’s easy to photocopy if you want to pass on anarticle to your colleagues as many planners like to do;

“i” can mean impressive as well. The Planner has a simplicity that allows planners to retain information from it. At least, that’s what they tell us;

“i” definitely means informative. With the hundreds of tidbits, articles and advertisements we have provided toplanners over the course of the past few years, we believe oursubscribers are getting what they really want: useful informa-tion that makes their jobs and lives easier.

Now on to “e”:“e” is for entertain, a word we take seriously. The format,

presentation, length, and subject of all articles are the criteriawe believe needs to be met if our publication is to be entertaining.

“e” means enlighten and it’s not easy to do since many plan-ners are very knowledgeable. It’s always a challenge to findinformation or trends that most people know little about, andremain vital to most meeting planners.

“e” is for educate, always a lofty goal. In my book, you cannever have enough education, and it can come from manysources, not just school or motivational speakers. We like tothink we have a small hand in the education of our subscribers,and we hope to keep helping educate planners for a long time.

Published by:

2105 rue de la Montagne, suite 100 • Montreal, Quebec • H3G 1Z8Telephone: (514) 849-6841 ext. 333 • Fax: (514) 284-2282

We welcome your comments: info@theplanner.ca

Editor: Leo GervaisAssistant Editor: Nathalie Caron

Proofreader: Keith MottonTranslator: Dominique Lamarche, Marc Levasseur

Administration: Patrick Galvin, Julie BoisvertSales: James Paulson, Camille Lay

Contributors: Mike Auctor, Allison Boman, Anne Biarritz, Thomas Chalmers,

Peter De Jager, Nicole Gervais, Michelle Ventrella, Stacey Hanke, Unni Soelberg-Claridge, Barry Siskind,

Harriet Wezena

The Planner is a monthly publication distributed to 11, 500 professional meeting planners across Canada and the U.S..

Poste-publication No. 40934013

Our Mission and GoalOur mission is to inform and enlighten meeting planners.

Each edition will have no more than 30 to 35 per cent advertis-ing (all of which will be informative) with the rest of the publica-tion dedicated to articles to help meeting planners in their day-to-day activities. Our goal is to give out the accumulated profit aseducational grants to planners.

“Why i.e.?”NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

JUNE–JULY 20052

GIVING BACKEDUCATIONAL GRANTS

• Survey: Ideal cars for planners

• New hotel policies

• Protocol and etiquette

• Combatting jet lag

What would you like to read about?Please e-mail me at:lgervais@theplanner.ca

Comingsoon

After all, we seem to spend an awful lot of time on the netthese days. So, if you are concerned about how you appear toothers – and trust me, appearance is important in business,then think … or lurk before you leap, as it is called in neti-quette speak.

Let’s start with emails. First of all, take the time to addresseach person to whom you are sending an email as you wouldaddress someone to whom you are writing a letter, and endwith a greeting of sorts, just as in a letter. Also, use proper sen-tences, good grammar and spell-check before hitting the send button.Oh, I can just hear some of you saying.…. forget it, the point of email is thatit’s supposed to be fast and easy touse so why bother with spelling andpunctuation! Why? Because if youdon’t bother, it tells people that youdon’t care enough about them to takethe time to do it right. How do youthink a client or prospect would viewyour poor communication style whenit comes to doing business with you?Or a colleague, or your boss? Whytake a chance of upsetting someone’ssensibilities for the sake of saving afew seconds?

The same goes for joining a chatroom/discussion group. Lurk – or lis-ten – first, just as you listen before youspeak when joining a group of people talking at a function; youdon’t just join in with a comment before you have a very goodsense of what’s going on. You may even decide that the pres-ent discussion isn't for you after all, and you have saved your-self possible embarrassment by an untimely or disconnectedcomment. Good manners usually save the day, any time!

But there is more to it than simply good manners. In fact,there are some commonly agreed to netiquette “rules” whenusing the Internet. Since there are several good websites youcan tap into to read more (see end of article), I won’t give youloads of details here, but will highlight a few of the main points.

1. Remember there is always a real person at the other end,so don’t offend.

2. Properly identify the topic in the subject line (allows therecipient to decide whether message is of interest or not).

3. Use proper introductions and sign-off, sentence struc-tures, grammar and spell-check.

4. Keep messages short and to the point; common abbrevia-tions are acceptable in casual messages.

5. Remember that anything you write in an email can re-sur-face, particularly items posted to a newsgroup or in a chat ses-sion.

6. Remember that private e-mails ought to remain private.Particularly now with FOIP, PIPEDA and various provincialprivacy legislation in place, you may want to obtain the

author’s permission to pass it on. At least, if in doubt, err onthe side of caution.

7. Edit email threads before responding; remove parts thatare not necessary for the ongoing communication (shows con-sideration for the recipients’ time and bandwith, and theonline environment).

8. Don’t use “respond all” if not asked for.9. When sending a message to a large group, use the BCC

feature, unless a CC has been requested or agreed to (keep inmind FOIP, PIPEDA and other pri-vacy legislation).

10. Minimize/zip large filesbefore attaching them (many havelimited capacity on their server)

11. Don’t spam, and don’t for-ward jokes unless you know therecipient’s sense of humour well.

12. Lurk before joining a chatroom/discussion group, e.g. get afeel for the group, its culture, lan-guage, type of issues discussed, etc.before you post a comment or aquestion.

13. Don’t “flame” anyone (postor email a criticism or very strongopinion) unless used in a construc-tive way to correct bad manners ormisinformation.

14. Count to 50 before you replyto a nasty comment or message. In other words, cool down.

15. Be cautious when using “smileys” (emoticons); knowwhat each means before using one.

As you can see, there are rules that govern our use of theInternet. Although they are not laws (except for FOIP, PIPE-DA, etc.), they are good, sound suggestions for how to behaveand interact with others on the net. So, take some time tobecome familiar with the most common rules and learn whereto go when you need to check for others. In sum, mind yourmanners and be professional. Become a good “netizen” (anoth-er net term you’ll see when you read more); you’ll set a goodexample and be respected for it!

Suggested links:www.albion.com/netiquettewww.fau.edu/netiquette/netwww.learnthenet.com/english/html/09netiqt.htmwww.onlinenetiquette.com/courtesy1.html

• • •

Unni Soelberg-Claridge is the Founder/President of EventPlancoordination & management inc., a full-service meeting and eventmanagement firm in Calgary. She is a professional meeting plannerand also an occasional writer, speaker and facilitator.

JUNE–JULY 2005 3

CONTINUED FROM TO DO OR NOT TO DO PAGE 1

The more information you gather the better

Good old-fashionedmanners on the net will

do as much for your personal branding and

professional stature as anyschmoozing at a networking

event will ever do

JUNE–JULY 2005 4

Use HR to grow your businessHere are eight new ways to turn those human-resourceschallenges into opportunities

BY MICHELLE VENTRELLA

If you're seeking insight into how to manage your humanresources (HR), you'll find that most of the books and reports

on the subject only apply if you're a big company with a sub-stantial human resources department. Entrepreneurial firmsneed a different approach. Here are eight key strategies fordealing with HR issues likely to face your company.

1. Build a leadership pipeline: Spending time on leadershiptransition is crucial, because the depar-ture of one key executive can have dev-astating effects on a business's viability.Allocate time each quarter, if only for afew hours, to review key managementroles and responsibilities. What wouldyou do if one or two key managers leftor were promoted? What are you doingnow to ensure knowledge and skills areshared among your team members?

2. Spread power around: The inabil-ity (or unwillingness) to transfer leader-ship responsibility to line managers isone of an entrepreneur's biggest challenges. This reluctance todelegate is a key factor in why many businesses fail to grow —or fail altogether. For most owners, it boils down to a fear of lossof control. But if you expect to grow your business, you'll needto learn to delegate authority to other members of your team.Ease slowly into this. Implementing a more formal performancemanagement program tied to specific, objective results canmake the transition easier.

3. Use your brand to attract talent: You'll probably neverhave the brand clout of a Microsoft or WestJet, so to attracthigh-profile talent you need to do things differently from largeemployers. Figure out what makes your firm unique and suc-cessful. Where did your current superstars come from? Whydo they stay? Networking, employee referral incentives andflexible workplace practices are all powerful tools to attractand retain top talent.

4. Train, train, train: Competitive advantage isn't just due toyour products and technology — it's keeping employeestrained and up-to-date. Historically, most small- and mid-sizedcompanies have underinvested in training, partly because it'snot perceived as generating a measurable return on invest-ment. To measure training ROI, follow up on your training toensure that it has been understood, is being used and has

improved performance and behavior.5. Use (lack of) size to your advantage: Paying more money

doesn't always make happier, more productive employees.Interestingly, employee commitment is an area where you havean advantage over huge corporations. Because your companyis smaller, employees tend to work on projects that are moreclosely linked with the organization's core goals. This givesemployees a higher sense of organizational purpose, increas-ing your ability to retain strong talent.

6. Embrace diversity: A diverse workforce can offer yourcompany insights into how to sell to particular communities,and reduce the risk of “groupthink” that may arise if everyoneon staff has similar backgrounds. Large companies often havea specific department charged with managing and promotingdiversity. To assess the current diversity of your business, walkaround your plant or office and ask yourself whether your

workforce is a good reflection of yourbusiness market. If it's not, then consid-er whether you have any obvious oreven hidden barriers to diversity. Takea close look at your hiring and promo-tion practices and see if you can get cre-ative in making improvements.

7. Invest in face time: Forget aboutcomplicated newsletters, annual meet-ings and company picnics. Roll upyour sleeves and get out to talk face-to-face with employees. Find out what's

working and what needs improvement. More importantly, acton recommendations. And give praise where it's due: a simple“thank you” or “good job” can have far more immediateimpact than any sophisticated employee morale program.

8. Measure results: Some larger HR departments have a badhabit of creating work where none is needed e.g. flavor-of-the-month initiatives with little or no measurable ROI. While youdon't need to get bogged down in complicated ROI analyses,it's important to identify and prioritize which human-resources initiatives will give you the biggest bang for thebuck, as well as to monitor results. If turnover is a problem, doa quick measurement of your cost per hire times the number ofpeople leaving each year. You might be surprised to find that a10% reduction in turnover can easily be achieved by a smallinvestment in recruiting practices such as testing, screeningand reference checking.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published inPROFIT-Xtra / October 7, 2004.

• • •Michelle Ventrella is a human resource director within the

Managed HR practice of Pivotal Integrated HR Solutions (www.pivotalsolutions.com) in Mississauga, Ont. Pivotal is the largestprovider of integrated HR solutions for mid-market firms in theToronto area. She can be reached at mventrella@pivotalsolutions.com.

Get out to talk face-to-face with

employees

JUNE–JULY 2005 5

Gifts can be tremendous tools forbranding or launching products

If the gift is appreciated, the recipient will always remem-ber who gave it to them, and that is more powerful than a logo.

If the decision is to include a logo, consider more discreet orless permanent options. For example, a golf shirt can beembroidered using thread in the same tone as the shirt; pictureframes can be customized by inserting a card with a logo. Thecard can then be replaced with a family photo. Remember thatwhatever the occasion, the gift will be fully appreciated if it isuseful and it fulfills a need.

Wrapping the gift is important as wellOnce the gift has been selected, most people believe their job

is over. However, a well-wrapped gift shows how much youcare. Whether packaging a single item or a gift arrangement,affordable options are available e.g. a simple white box can bedressed up with striking organza ribbon. The packaging is alsoa great opportunity to incorporate a logo. To personalize thegift even further, remember to include a hand written note.Hand-written cards stand out from the masses of e-mails andare truly appreciated.

For those who don’t have the time to devote to selecting andpackaging the gift, or simply find this to be a daunting task, itwould be wise to turn to a professional. There are many com-panies who can help you create customized gifts. They canhandle the selection as well as the fulfillment services requiredfor large orders.

Whether you choose to outsource the task or take it uponyourself, keep a few last notes in mind. Don’t forget that cer-tain subjects are taboo in the corporate world—avoid gifts orcards with political or religious undertones as they can beoffensive to the recipient. Be sure to research cultural traditionsbefore sending gifts to recipients in foreign countries. Lastly,begin the planning early and consider the lead time required.If at all possible, try to start at least 6-8 weeks in advance.

If executed correctly, corporate gifts can prove to be tremen-dous tools for branding, launching a new product or reinforc-ing corporate values to clients or employees.

Allison Boman, MBA, is president of Ali B. Creations which special-izes in Gift and Event Services. She can be reached at: Allison@alibcreations.com or (514) 483-4278.

FOR MORE ON THE ART OF PERSONALIZATION, SEE PAGE 18.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

JUNE–JULY 2005 6

The Complete Idiot’s Guide toMeeting and Event Planning by Robin E. Craven and Lynn Johnson GolabowskiBY NICOLE GERVAIS

Few things can strike terror into theheart of an employee as when theirboss asks them to organize an event.

Have no fear; Robin E. Craven and LynnJohnson Golabowski have come to yourrescue with this comprehensive publicationthat will help even the most naïve debutantplan a successful meeting or event.

This 317-page book of 28 chapters,divided into four sections, will walk youthrough all the essential steps to followin order to become a triumphant eventplanner. It starts when you open thecover and see The Complete Idiot'sReference Card with such topics as “TenTips for a Successful Meeting” and “TenCommon Pitfalls When Planning aMeeting.”

Part I of this book offers an answer toone of the most basic questions: What isthe difference between a meeting and anevent? More importantly, it asks thequestions of why are you running thisparticular event, and what you hope toaccomplish; in other words, what areyour goals and objectives.

The chapters in Part II take the readerthrough the nuts and bolts of event plan-ning from: Creating a timeline (managingyour project), Dollars and Sense (keepingexpenses under control), Negotiating theBest Deal with vendors (includes every-thing from airlines to web site providers),contracts, marketing and exhibits. Theimportance of site visits is stressed notingdetails such as requesting guided tours,virtual inspections and consideration forevent attendees with special needs.

Part III delves into the details that canmake or break an event with such sub-jects as: Floor Plans (from classroom tochevron), Name Badges, Give Aways,Awards, Hiring Speakers (where do youfind them), Transportation (how to moveyour people), Receptions/Banquets(food and beverage planning) Audio-Visual Needs and Housing.

Behind the scenesFinally, Part IV illustrates to the read-

er the importance of what happensbehind the scenes with topics like:Meetings about your meeting, The ThreeR's – review, review, review, Staffing,Crisis (Event emergencies- keeping themin stride), Paying the Bills, and YourFinal Report. The importance of a Finalreport, Post–Con (post-conference orpost mortem meeting) is stressed so thatthe planner can confirm what went well(what didn't!) and how to best plan foryour next event.

The question of ethics is also

addressed, given the competitive natureof the meetings industry and the fact thatincentives (rewards) are often offered toclients. It is essential for event plannersto remember that they represent theirrespective firms and their behaviourmust always be professional and ethical.Interestingly enough, Part IV offerschapters with valuable information forsuppliers on successfully managing theirrelationships with their clients, variousevent planning certifications as well as,the value of having a mentor or coach.

The three appendices at the back of thisbook offer valuable information to thebeginner event planner especiallyAppendix A with its sample forms andchecklists, essential to solid event planning.

This book addresses the general logis-tics of event planning from a beginnerspoint of view, with a winning format ofliner notes in the form of text boxes offer-ing The Inside Scoop, Meeting-Speak,Food for Thought and Don't Drop theBall. Each chapter begins with a synopsisentitled “In this Chapter” and ends withvaluable wrap up bullets under “TheLeast You Need to Know.” While thisbook is a first-rate reference tool for jun-ior event planners, it is just as valuablefor intermediary and senior event plan-ners with checklists, reminders and cheatsheets that will jog your memory. It might not be the Holy Grail of eventplanning manuals but it certainlydeserves to ride on Sir Galahad's horse.

Book: The Complete Idiot's Guide to:Meeting and Event PlanningAuthors: Robin E. Craven and LynnJohnson GolabowskiPublisher: Alpha Books - A Member ofPenguin Group (USA) Inc.ISBN: 0-02-864004-7Price: U.S. $ 19.95

BOOK REVIEW

Courtesy Charm Character Calm Cuisine - Canadian

Redefines life in the CountryLangdon Hall offers escape into a world of gracious hospitality, elegant amenities andexemplary service. An excellent meeting and entertaining venue. For 2005 AAA/CAAhas awarded Langdon Hall the coveted Five Diamond Award for dining.

Relais & Châteaux has set a worldwide standard for elegant hospitality defined by the five C’s. Now a select group within the family has added a sixth: Canadian.

LANGDON HALL IS ONE OF 13 R&C MEMBERS ACROSS CANADAWWW.RELAISCHATEAUX.COM

R.R. 33 Cambridge, Ontario N3H 4R8 519.740.2100 1.800.268.1898 www.langdonhall.ca

JUNE–JULY 2005 7

A picture is worth 1,000 mealsIn our world of billions of websites, here’s one that will like-

ly interest a lot of would be travelers: www.airlinemeals.net. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is billed as “the world’s first andleading site about nothing but airline food.” The truly originalsite features people’s comments and photos of various airlinefoods (including business class meals) as well as vintage pho-tos of meals from the 50s and 60s, a forum, reviews of airlinelounge food and even airline reviews. The site is put togetherby a 30-ish Dutch graphic/web designer who was inspiredwhen he was travelling back and forth to Turkey and his momasked him what he ate on the plane. He replied, “I’ll take a pic-ture for you next time...” And now, there are more than 7,000pictures of airline food on the website.

If you’re not Charlie Brown...You could be allergic to peanuts. Actually, it is the protein in

peanuts some people are allergic to, and these proteins cannotbe destroyed during cooking. Half of adults and more thanhalf of children who have an allergy to peanuts are also aller-gic to other nuts like walnuts, Brazil nuts, etc. Minor symp-toms can include a mild rash, tingling mouth and tongue orstomach ache. Serious symptoms (anaphylaxis reaction) caninclude facial swelling, difficulty breathing, collapse, coma andeven death. Anyone can develop an allergy to peanuts, but it ismore common in people who have other atopic conditions likeasthma or eczema. The U.K. Department of health recom-mends that if a member of the immediate family has an atopiccondition, any pregnant mother should avoid peanuts andpeanut products during pregnancy and breastfeeding to avoidthe risk of a child developing a peanut allergy. So be careful onthe plane when you get those little peanut bags...

Campari bitter is better for summerWhen Gaspar Campari become an apprentice drink maker

at Turin’s Bass Bar at the age of 14 in 1842, he probably neverthought his name would live on as the creator of Campari

Aperitivo. A bitter, his creation uses 60 natural ingredients:herbs, spices and fruit peels along with its active ingredientquinine (a bitter extract from cinchona bark).

He opened Café Campari in Milan and in 1860 released hispotent new concoction (25% alcohol). It makes a splendid aper-atif, or pre-prandial, and costs between $20-$25 in Canada.

Carbs still popular: StatsCanLife’s not all turkey and tuna, as recent Statistics Canada

figures show Canadians still crave their carbs.Low-carb diets may be all the rage, but Canadians each ate

66.8 kgs of cereal products last year, up from 65.8 kgs in 2003.Canucks apparently were still loading up on pasta, bakeryproducts and cereal-based snacks despite the popularity oflower carbohydrate diets like the Atkins plan.

The report also noted that rice consumption by Canadians hasdoubled since 1990. Last year, Canadians ate on average 7.3 kgs each.

Elsewhere, the study found that beef consumption fellabout 4 percent in 2004. Last year, Canadians ate on average13.6 kgs of beef. In 2003, beef consumption rose about 5 percent over the previous year as Canadians rallied round theindustry. Currently, Canadians consume 8 percent less redmeat than at the beginning of the new millennium.

Food Trends

Flyers are not callers, it seemsDespite the common view that people who fly (i.e. busi-

nesspeople) have a strong need to use their cell phones onairplanes, a recent survey rejects that very notion.

National Business Travel Monitor published a recent surveyof American business travellers that found only 23 percentthought cellphone calls should be allowed on board, whilemore than two-thirds said, if permitted, callers should beconfined to a designated section. On the heels of a recentreport from Scandinavian Airlines that passengers wereusing laptops to make cheap calls via its in-flight Internetaccess, the survey may give carriers pause for thought.

�Industry Trends

What is the role of the exhibit manager?

Congratulations,you have just

taken on the role ofexhibit manager.Now you are proba-bly asking, “Whatthe heck does an

exhibit manager do?” Good question.You have likely worked on trade or con-sumer shows, so you know what exhibit-ing involves. You might have set up adisplay at a trade show, conference,sporting event, mall, hotel lobby orboardroom. The exhibit manager is theperson responsible for planning, organ-izing and executing the exhibit plan.

Which begs the question, “Whatexhibit plan?”

Exhibiting is face-to-face marketingand has two essential ingredients: thehardware and the software. Hardwarerefers to the actual exhibit and materials- the physical means of creating the rightimage and attracting the right audience.The software includes the planning andimplementation of programs required tomake the face-to-face interaction possi-ble. To do the job well, the savvy exhibitmanager must carefully orchestrate bothof these elements into one harmoniouspackage with one goal in mind—results.In a nutshell, that’s what the exhibit planis all about.

Exhibit management is a relativelynew corporate function. While somelarge organizations have dedicatedexhibit staff, often the role of exhibitmanagement lands on the desk of

unsuspecting and overworked sales ormarketing person or the owner/operatorof a small business. These people oftenfeel like they bought a new car withoutan ignition key. The car looks good but itwill not take you where you want to go.

THE STRATEGIC LOOKExhibiting is serious business with a

real payoff. The job of the exhibit manag-er is to take a strategic look at the overallplan, set a focused objective and thenharness the power of three keyresources:

1. Your fiscal resourcesExhibiting is not the least expensive

marketing option in town but if youallocate your financial resources proper-ly, exhibiting can be the most profitable.To do this you need to co-ordinate yourexhibiting activities into your overallmarketing plans to increase the value ofeach. There are lots of opportunities toamortize the cost of one marketing ini-tiative with another. For exampleimages, slogans, signs and graphics thatare created for one marketing tool canoften be easily adapted to another.

2. The physical resourcesThese are the tangible assets needed

to do the job. They include booth hard-ware, promotional products, catalogues,signs, product samples and displays.Think of this resource as your hardware.Take inventory of all existing hardwareincluding materials used for other mar-

keting campaigns and events. Evaluatethese assets for their suitability in yournew plans and decide what needs to bereplace or added to.

3. The human resourcesThis is the software that converts your

hardware into results. Without a well-trained and motivated team this mightnot happen. Getting the results youdeserve starts when everyone under-stands your exhibiting objectives andtheir individual responsibility to achiev-ing. You must give your staff the skillsthey need to accomplish the mission.Any good general knows that without awell-trained army, success is impossible.

If one of these three resources is lack-ing then it throws everything out ofwhack. This is a mistake made by manyneophyte exhibit managers who puttheir efforts into one resource and leavethe other two to chance.

However, when the exhibit managerproperly orchestrates these three asresources, the chance of success is dra-matically improved.

• • •

Barry’s newest book, Powerful ExhibitMarketing, is available in major book storeseverywhere or visit his web-site at:www.siskindtraining.com.

JUNE–JULY 2005 8

BY BARRY SISKIND

If charity is milk, devotion is its cream.

François de Sales

www.itravelcanada.caThis Canadian site is designed to allow people to book

specific aspects of a Canadian trip, such as a flight or

hotel. Great site if you’re not sure where to go in

Canada (try the Destinations browser link).

www.spafinder.comOkay, so maybe walking is not your bag. But who

doesn’t enjoy being pampered? This is a connoisseur

collection of the best day spas and vacation spas known

to women. If you need info on spas chances are you’ll

find it here, so surf the site to relax..

www.concierge.comThis is a fantastic place to browse for travel ideas, good

deals and destination guides. The perfect thing for the

traveler who is working way too hard. Be sure to check

out the Editors’ Picks.

Do you have a website you want to share with other planners?

Email us at: info @theplanner.ca

JUNE–JULY 2005 9

Websites of

interest

KKEYSEYS TTOO FFAILUREAILUREThe top reasons most businesses fail, according to 1,900 professionals who help troubled companies:

Source: Bucciono & Associates, Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business

Too much debt 28 %

Inadequate leadership 17 %

Poor planning 14 %

Failure to change 11 %

Inexperienced management 9 %

Not enough revenue 8 %

JUNE–JULY 2005 10

Bullying is somewhat difficult to define. Atthe root, it’s an abuse of power. It is per-

petuated through the use of force, whether itis the ability of the schoolyard thug to gener-ate fear of pain, or that of a manager with theability to terminate our employment.

The key phrase is “an abuse of power”.The role of management always includes the ability to termi-nate employment of an individual, but a bully uses that abilityas a threat to gain unreasonable control over other individuals.Sometimes the violation of dignity is obvious as in many formsof sexual harassment, other times the abuse is more subtle,even debatable. Consider the following example;

A manager from another department walks into theaccounting office. An employee, well known to this manageras a long time dedicated worker, is sitting at their desk obvi-ously in great pain. Her face is ashen, her breathing labouredand hands trembling as she types at the computer.

The manager asks what is wrong and the employee answersshe has a swollen abscess on a wisdom tooth. The manageradvises the employee to leave the office and get to a doctorimmediately. The employee responds that she can’t leave;because her manager is out of the office and that “there will behell to pay if this work doesn’t get done.”

She continues to work in pain because she can’t afford tolose her job.

It is obvious to the manager, the employee is more afraid ofthe thought of her manager getting upset, than she is of thepain she’s enduring.

Is this the act of a dedicated employee willing to go aboveand beyond the call of duty to meet a deadline? Or is it anexample of an abuse of power? Personally, I cannot think ofany deadline in a normal office environment which could jus-tify the type of fear capable of chaining a seriously ill employ-ee to a desk.

What is also interesting is that the “bullying” manager was-n’t even present. They had created a poisonous office environ-ment which posed a threat even when they are absent.Bullying does not have to threaten physical violence.Economic violence, executed at a later date is as much an abuseof power as a punch on the arm.

The word “fear” is important to this discussion. I sufferfrom debilitating migraine headaches. I’ve worked through aheadache from time to time, but I did so out of a sense ofresponsibility and certainly never out of fear of losing my job.

It should be obvious that “fear” has no legitimate place inthe workplace, yet if headlines and anecdotes contain anygrain of truth… organizational bullies thrive and prosper. Thecost of bullying is significant, even if it is difficult to measure.How many sick days are attributable to a fear of going to theoffice? How much employee turnover is due to people simplyseeking a safer work environment? How many people don’tapply to your organization because they’ve “heard stories”?

If neither the existence of bullies, nor the above examples ofhidden costs, are convincing enough to force us to impose, andstrictly enforce, an anti-bullying policy in our organizationsthen perhaps some hard cold figures will do the trick.

An employee, Kavanagh, of the Government of Newfoundlandwas harassed, bullied, and subjected to emotional and physicalabuse by fellow employees with the full knowledge of manage-ment. The case went to court Kavanagh was awarded damages ofalmost $875,000 (More details at: http://www.hra.ca/newslet-ter/newsletter_preview.cfm?id=54#113)

The arbitrator pointed to several failings of the employer,two of which make the case that employers have responsibili-ty for bullying in the workplace;

• The employer allowed and did nothing to stop the campaignof harassment. • The employer ignored several complaints regarding the harass-ment, and when it did respond its actions were insufficient.We expect bullies in the schoolyard, but predatory behaviourshave no place in the work environment. Left unchecked, theconsequences range from the invisible to tragic headlines onthe evening news.

The solution is to create policies which define the unacceptableforms of behaviour and the commitment to investigate, and takeaction if necessary, all complaints of harassment and bullying.

© 2005, Peter de Jager – Peter is a speaker, consultant and writeron issues relating to Change and Management. Read more of his workat www.technobility.com

When the schoolyard bully graduatesBY PETER DE JAGER

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Passport required for U.S.Homeland Security is making its pres-

ence felt. International travelers who typ-ically do not need visas to enter theUnited States must present machine-read-able passports to U.S. border officials byJune 26, the federal Department ofHomeland Security announced recently.

The June date, for travelers from 27countries included in the federal VisaWaiver Program (VWP), is an extensionof the previous deadline, Oct. 26. Prior tothe new deadline, the departmentauthorized a one-time waiver of themachine-readable passport requirementfor travelers from countries participatingin the program.

Beginning June 26, the governmentwill fine transportation carriers $3,300 perviolation for carrying any VWP travelerto the United States without a machine-readable passport, and VWP travelerswithout the passports will be deniedentry, according to the department.

A machine-readable passport con-tains a bar code that conveys to borderofficials the passport holder's identityand other information typically foundon a passport's inside cover.

The 27 countries participating in theVWP are the following: Andorra,Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei,Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan,Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, theNetherlands, New Zealand, Norway,Portugal, San Marino, Singapore,Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

and the United Kingdom. The machine-readable passport

requirement does not affect the Oct. 26deadline requiring that VWP countrypassports additionally contain biometricsfor visa-free travel to the United States.

Last year, approximately 15 millionVWP travelers visited the United States.

Buy airline tix in a groupfor big savings

The next time you’re flying in agroup, buy your tickets individually. It can be cheaper.

This is because most travel and airlineWebsites search for adjoining seats whenyou look for two or more tickets. If you do not find two seats together inthe economy class for example, thesearch engine looks for them in the nextfare level which is usually more expen-sive. This is likely to be the case especiallywhen a flight is more than half full.

Check this out. One roundtrip ticketon an American Airlines flight from NewYork to Paris costs US$1,436, accordingto a search on orbitz.com. But buyingtwo roundtrip tickets together for thosesame flights costs US$2,047 per ticket.

Travel experts say though this strate-gy doesn’t work all the time, it oftenworks on long-haul domestic and inter-national flights since the have a greaternumber of seat classes and fare levels.

To avoid the flight filling up beforeyou get the chance to purchase all yourtickets, travel experts recommend that

you open up a Web browser for eachticket you’re buying and buy them allsimultaneously. This keeps you in theknow that enough tickets are available.

Another way is to call the airlinedirectly to book your flights.

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JUNE–JULY 2005 12

Ed. Note: This is the second in a two-part series on loyalty.

What makes the Highland Scots' story relevant todayis that they never lost their famous capacity for loy-alty. Though persecuted, impoverished and dis-

persed, they went on to form some of the greatest regiments inthe British Army; their descendants also formed some of thefinest fighting units in the Canadian Army. They transferredtheir loyalty from their clan chiefs to their regiments . In sodoing, they gave their highest loyalty to each other as mutual-ly dependent comrades in arms.

If nothing else, their bitter experi-ence shows that human beings have aneed to be loyal. The eminent psy-chologist Erik Erikson believed thatwhat he called “fidelity” is a neces-sary stage in psychological growth.“Fidelity,” explained Erikson, “is theability to sustain loyalties freelypledged in spite of the inevitable con-tradictions and confusions of valuesystems.” It comes when the narcis-sism of adolescence has passed.

Loyalty is connected with maturi-ty because it requires the kind ofunselfish sacrifice of personal autono-my that can only be made by a self-confident adult. A matureperson sees no conflict and no threat in giving loyalty to some-one else, providing it is earned. That proviso also applies toinstitutions. If people today seem apathetic towards govern-ments and other organizations, perhaps it is because thosebodies cannot demonstrate that anyone really owes them loy-alty.

In Eastern Europe, the strong loyalties to the formerCommunist establishment have been destroyed by abuse, sug-gesting that we may be witnessing what the sociologist DanielBell called, in a 1960 book, The End of Ideology . But Bell, too,believes that human beings have an irrepressible need forattachments, and hence loyalties.

“I did not say that all ideological thinking was finished,”

he later wrote. “In fact, I argued that the exhaustion of the oldideologies inevitably led to a hunger for new ones.” This rais-es the point that even rebels have a desire to be loyal. They sim-ply replace a loyalty to the old order with a loyalty to the new.

Like every generation before them, people today want tocling to something. The difference now is that it must demon-strably be worth clinging to. The old blind loyalty which onceimpelled otherwise sane individuals to shout “my countryright or wrong” is obviously dead in places where there areeffective mass communications and high educational stan-dards. Political parties lately have been learning this. No

longer will citizens vote out of sheerstaunch support for a party, as theirforebears once did.

Shrewd political tacticians arewell aware that the least likely wayto appeal to potential followers thesedays is to tell them to leave every-thing to you; you will take care of itall; you know better than they do.Paternalism is a spent force, perma-nently discredited by individuals invarious positions of respect whohave been exposed as betrayers oftrust.

A deep skepticism has overtakenthe public mind which has serious implications not only forpoliticians, but for business people both as marketers andemployers. In marketing circles, they now talk about the newbreed of “tough customers” who will stick to a brand for onlyso long as it is clearly superior in its class.

The readiness to jump among an ever-broadening array ofchoices is not confined to buying. Speaking in support of hiscontention that North American society has entered the “post-modern” era, futurist Jay Ogilvy recently commented:“Postmodern man and woman are all dressed up with every-where to go. They have costumes for every occasion, but notruly compelling reason to prefer one occasion over another,

The end of paternalism, but not of ideology

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

Loyalty is connected with

maturity

JUNE–JULY 2005 13

Learning to harness the “wisdom of the anthill”

one career over another, one life over another.”For management in North America, postmodernism means

having to deal with workers whose commitment to an employ-er can never be taken for granted. This does not, however,mean that they have no emotional investment in their employ-ment. According to attitudinal research, they feel angry andguilty when the organization they work for violates their per-sonal values. They are no longer willing to let managementunilaterally dictate policy on external issues such as ecology. Ifthey feel strongly about their employer's negative actions, theyfeel just as strongly when it does things which they perceive aspositive. Thus a company that makes its people feel they areengaged in doing something socially worthwhile can be thebeneficiary of a degree of motivation money can't buy.

But unquestioning loyalty to the firm is history, andnowhere more so than in corporations that have had to trimtheir payrolls in the interests of productivity or simple sur-vival. The assumption behind old-fashioned dedication wasthat there was a more or less permanent pact between employ-ees and employers. They would throw themselves body andsoul into their jobs in return for (nearly) life-long employment.In the present atmosphere of intense competition and financialstringency, no North American company is in a position tomake that sort of guarantee.

According to Toronto lawyer Brian Grosman, “Traditionalconcepts of loyalty will not survive. Loyalty—like businessitself—will change, adhering to leaders whose actions, not doublespeak, command respect and commitment.” The“doublespeak” he mentioned includes cosmetic languagewhich misrepresents the increasingly tough corporate reality—the kind of language that speaks of a firing as a “dehiring,” andthe like. “"In a corporate world that softens every blow with.positive rhetoric about employees being members of the fami-ly, both the employer and the employee feel failure and guiltwhen the need arises to make decisions in the corporate inter-est, contrary to the employee's interest,” Grosman said.

Corporate loyalty and the employee’s point of view

If corporate loyalty has to be redefined to contend with thehard new facts of life, it must be done from the employee'spoint of view , not from that of an employer who expects hero-ic efforts from people in return for a pay cheque which mightnot be forthcoming in the near future. It may seem a difficulttask to elicit dedicated efforts from people whose future is inse-cure, but the fact is that they basically want to think well of thecompany they work for, because it means thinking well ofthemselves, their friends and colleagues. They will recognizethe need for retrenchment, technological change and biggerindividual workloads as long as it is honestly explained tothem.

A major Canadian corporation recently conducted an attitu-dinal survey among its hourly-rated employees. In it, theemployees consistently talked about restoring a sense of pride

and team spirit to the operation, which had been considerably“down-sized.” They urged management to trust them to do agood job without heavy-handed supervision. Above all, theysaid, they wanted to be treated with respect.

When thinking about corporate loyalty, it is hard not tothink of Japan, where the workers' wholehearted commitmentto their firms is legendary. Watching television clips of Japaneseworkers starting the day by singing the company song, peoplein the West may be inclined to think of their dedication as acarry-over from Japan's feudal past. But if vestigial feudalismexists in Japanese business life, it reflects the pure idea of thesystem, in which reciprocal commitments between the superiorand subordinate are solemnly made and cheerfully fulfilled.

In a 1989 article in Harvard Business Review, businessscholars Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad noted that all of theJapanese companies that have come from the back of the packto dominate markets in the past 20 years “created an obsessionwith winning at all levels of the organization and sustainedthat obsession over the 10-to-20-year quest for global leader-ship.” They did so by “motivating people by communicatingthe value of the target” and leaving room for individual teamcontributions. "Japanese companies win not because they havesmarter managers, but because they have developed ways toharness the ‘wisdom of the anthill,’” the authors wrote.

While Japanese workers are kept fully engaged in carryingout company strategy, their American rivals are often kept inthe dark. In one case the authors studied, “the only time thework force heard about the company's competitiveness prob-lems was during wage negotiations when problems were usedto extract concessions. Unfortunately, a threat that everyoneperceives but no one talks about creates more anxiety than athreat that has been clearly identified and made the focal pointfor the problem-solving efforts of the entire company. That isone reason honesty and humility on the part of top manage-ment may be the first prerequisite of revitalization. Anotherreason is to make participation more than a buzzword.”

Making the transitionThis brings us full circle back to Erick Erikson's theory of

fidelity. In Japan, corporate loyalty has become a matter ofmature adults “freely pledging” commitments in an atmos-phere of mutual trust in which they know that their abilities arerespected and their work is prized. It is no accident that theoutstanding corporate performers in North America andEurope in recent years have developed the same type of work-ing atmosphere.

Although there are many brilliant exceptions, it seems thatwe in the West have yet to make the complete transition fromthe old authoritarian demand for loyalty to the new egalitari-an appeal for loyalty among interdependent parties who havesomething to offer each other. We would be wise to re-examinewhat loyalty really means to the well-informed and well-edu-cated people of today.

• • •Reprinted with permission from the Royal Bank of Canada.

Visit their website: www.royalbank.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

I’m perfectBY THOMAS CHALMERS

Perfection has one grave defect; it is apt tobe dull.

- W. Somerset Maugham (1874 -1965)British Novelist.

Iused to be a perfektionist but (as youcan see) I’m alright now!Being a perfectionist can be bad for

your health. To achieve perfection inevery single thing that you do isadmirable but there is usually a price tobe paid. Perfectionists harbour the frus-tration of having to get it right or be rightall the time.

Undo your top button for a moment –it is altogether much easier on your well-being if you strive for excellence ratherthan perfection. Maintaining a high levelof excellence is perfectly acceptable!

Perfectionism imprisons. But excel-lence pardons you from dotting the i’sand crossing the t’s. The very thought ofmaking a mistake or getting thingswrong or achieving anything less thanperfection can prevent us from even try-ing, never mind moving forward.

The distinction between perfectionversus excellence was first introduced tome several years ago by my dear friend,Dr Rodney K. King at his website:www.supersmartnetwork.com

Rodney also introduced me to the80/20 Rule. This equation serves todemonstrate that, for any given task, in20% of your time available, you willachieve 80% of that task. In the remain-ing 80% of your time you will onlyachieve the final 20% of the task. And alarge percentage of that latter 80% ofyour time will be dedicated to polishingand perfecting. Ever spent two hourswashing and drying and polishing yourcar . . . and then the heavens open?

There are many, very successful indi-viduals, who have the ability to let go atexcellence without wearing themselvesinto the ground chasing perfection. I amnot, for one minute, saying that perfec-tion is not always attainable or desirable.For example, there is no point in havinga dozen typographical errors in a C.V.boasting your ‘attention to detail.’ Onoccasions such as that it is critical thatyour attention to detail is indeed perfect.I am not suggesting that a perfectmoment or a perfect day or a perfectexperience is outside the realm of possi-bility. What I am saying is that in everyday living, in day-to-day challenges, orin wanting to try something new but notsure whether you have what it takes, thepursuit of excellence will allow room forerror as you move forward. On the con-trary, the constant pursuit of perfectioncan be daunting if not wearisome.

A retired friend offered to prune ourhedge a few years ago and I jumped atthe opportunity. After a couple of hours Ilooked out the window to see how he

was doing. To my surprise only half thehedge had been cut and our new garden-er was packing away his shears for theday. Previously, when I had pruned thehedge I hadn’t stopped until the entirejob was finished - for the sake of perfec-tion, you understand. When I venturedoutside he explained.

“Thomas, I’ll be back tomorrow to fin-ish the hedge. You know, you must walkaway from a hedge otherwise you couldgo on clipping all night long.”

Our gardener is 76 years old and livesa stress-free life.

I learned two lessons that night.Firstly, you can leave most jobs and goback to them another day feeling totallyrefreshed. You don’t have to punishyourself with perfection. And secondly,you can learn to let go. Hedges grow, youknow. There will always be cars to wash,crumbs to vacuum, ornaments to polish,clothes to press . . . don’t be too hard onyourself.

Let me leave you with a lovely quotefrom Dr. Richard Carlson, author of‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.’

“Make peace with imperfection.”

And don’t allow those imperfectionsto stop you from moving forward.

Look after yourself. Know when to letgo of perfection and enjoy peace of mindevery day of your life.

Website: www.idealife.co.uk

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JUNE–JULY 2005 14

JUNE–JULY 2005 15

For more information call:Anne Stevens, Director of Sales

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accomplish your agenda, try surfing, then linger over freshly-planked salmon

and a glass of fine, local wine? Where else domeeting rooms have natural light and windowsthat open to greet fresh, sea air? White Point.

Only 90-minutes from Halifax, yet worlds awayfrom a culture that relies on words like;

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JULY 9-12Meeting Professionals International World Education Conference, MiamiConvention Centre, Fla. www.mpiweb.org, (972) 702-3000.

JULY 11-15Trade Show Exhibitors Association TS-2 The Trade Show About TradeShows, Washington (D.C.) Convention Centre, D.C. www.tsea.org, (703) 683-8500, ext. 221.

AUGUST 3-6International Association of Convention & Visitor BureausAnnualConvention, Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, Calif. www.iacvb.org

AUGUST 11-13International Special Events Society Eventworld, Renaissance HollywoodHotel, Los Angeles, Calif.. www.ises.com, (312) 321-6853;

AUGUST 13-16American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting, GaylordOpryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: ASAE, (888) 950-2723; www.asaenet.org

DATEBOOK

JUNE–JULY 2005 16

How to effectively interact with a visual aid

Several weeks ago Ifound myself sit-

ting in the audienceobserving a presenta-tion delivered by anindividual whom I

perceived as confident and credible. Thisperception quickly reverted backwardswhen he began to interact with PowerPointand his notes. As he turned to have a con-versation/relationship with his slides andnotes, his energy deflated, he disconnectedwith his audience, his vocal projection wasinaudible and his rate of speech took offwith record speed. You’ve been therebefore, sitting in the audience watching aspeaker talk to their visual as if you were notthere. Your mind wanders and you begin tothink, “Gee, should I leave the two of themalone?” It’s what we call visual aid mad-ness. We’ve lost the meaning and purposebehind visuals. Have we forgotten who ismore important, the visual or ourselves?Are we using the visual to hide from our lis-tener? When used appropriately, a visualprovides impact, control and emphasis foryou, the listener and your message.

Are you thinking to yourself, “I don’tpresent. I don’t use PowerPoint nor do Ihave future plans for doing so.” When Ispeak of visuals, I’m referring to muchmore than PowerPoint, I also mean:

• The notes you read to during a meeting.• The computer or papers on your deskyou speak to when a peer is sitting acrossfrom you trying to convey their message. • A face-to-face conversation when yourepeatedly look away from your listener inmid sentence. They begin to get a complexwondering, “What are you looking at?”

Whether we’re using PowerPoint,flipchart, notes, or marketing pieces at a tradeshow, we’ve allowed these pieces to becomeour message rather than support our message.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s essential weincorporate visuals to support and enhanceour message. In fact, we’re kidding our-selves if we believe our words alone willpersuade listeners to take action. The keyis how we interact with visuals. Have you

ever considered that not only are market-ing pieces, props or PowerPoint visuals butyou are a visual. Your non-verbal behaviorwill positively or negatively impact theamount of information your listenerremembers. When you lose eye contactwith your listener or fidget with yourpaper, pen, etc., you’re creating distractionsthat will minimize the amount of informa-tion they’ll receive. As a result, the chancethey’ll take action is slim to none.

According to a study by the Universityof Minnesota, visual aids increase yourchance of persuading your listener toaccept your position by 43 percent. In addi-tion, studies by Harvard and Columbiashow that visuals improve retention by upto 38 percent. This is why it’s critical thatyour visuals don’t become a victim of ameeting planner’s most common mistake –losing sight of the message objective andbecoming enamored with the visual.

Here’s another example for you; howmany times have you been in a face-to-faceconversation with a peer while they weretrying to multi-task? They’re respondingto email, answering their phone or fidget-ing when they quickly glance at you andsay, “Go ahead, I’m listening.” You’re smil-ing right now because the person who ismulti-tasking may be you. Imagine theperception your listener creates whenyou’re not giving your full-undividedattention? The perception may be uninter-ested, insincere, and unprofessional withlittle respect and the list goes on. I’m talk-ing about eye connection. No, this isn’t aspelling error, eye connection allows you toconnect and engage your listener. Lookingaway when you’re talking to one or moreindividuals will immediately force you toloose your train of thought. (Stay tuned formy article on what you’re behavior com-municates in the August publication.)

When we communicate, we need toremember who is more important, you orthe visual. Avoid the visual aid madness —talking frequently to the visual, using onetoo often as your “security blanket,” orusing the visual as part of your gestures.(Sometimes a pen in your hand willbecome a gesture and distraction whileyou’re unaware that you’re holding it.) Thetrick is remembering the visual supports your

message and shouldn’t distract from yourmessage.

Interact, not to distract:The following skills apply to all visuals

during a presentation, face-to-face conver-sation, trade show or meeting. (For exam-ple; PowerPoint, marketing brochures,handouts, notes, props, flipcharts or dryerasable boards.):

• Provide an introductory statementprior to displaying the visual. This willengage your listener’s attention andheighten their anticipation. • Pause immediately after displaying thevisual to give yourself time to think and togive the listener time to absorb the visual. • Pause and think every time you look atthe visual to gather your thoughts. • Talk to the listener, not the visual! Turnfrom the visual to the listener in silence,connect with their eyes and then speak. • Disregard the visual if it no longer sup-ports your message e.g. if you’re explain-ing an idea while referring to a marketingpiece and you’ve now transitioned to a newsubject, place this piece off to the side. Thiswill bring the listeners focus back to you. • Become familiar with your visual(s) andhow to work with them smoothly andeffectively. Your knowledge of theseresources is just as important as the knowl-edge you convey in relaying your message.

Rule Of Thumb If you do not see a pair of eyes, do not

talk. The floor, ceiling, computer or anyother object you’re looking at while you’retalking will not talk back to you. Trust andcredibility will be created when you con-nect with the audience not the visual.

The next time you’re having a face-to-face conversation, participating in a meet-ing or delivering a presentation, pay atten-tion to your non-verbal behavior when youinteract with a visual. You’ll be pleasantlysurprised when you follow these steps howyou’ll enhance your relationships, stay ontrack and increase listeners to take action.Isn’t that what communication is all about?

Stacey Hanke is an Executive Consultant,Author, Coach and Speaker with 1stImpression Consulting, Inc.

Contact her at (773) 209-5970 or via e-mail at:staceyhanke@ameritech.net

BY STACEY HANKE

JUNE–JULY 2005 17

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Being productive while travellingBY ANNE BIARRITZ

When travelling for business, good organization is necessary. On short or long trips, the time we spend onbusiness travel is counted and we always try to improve

our travel conditions in order to increase our productivity.Experiencing the train is an incredibly efficient way to not

waste any precious time on your trip.My frequent trips between Montreal and Toronto during

the month made me discover the services offered by Via Railwhich allow me to be very productive on board until the finaldestination. Most of us endure fatigue during such trips andtherefore we are not always in our best shape when it is time

to meet a crucial client upon arrival or organize a long-distance event. With VIA1, those problems simply disap-peared: 4.5 hours on the train can be spent working in tran-quility being connected to the wireless Internet, making phonecalls, etc. It is an excellent way to follow up with e-mails leftbehind at the office, which always looks more professional toyour correspondents. Your research about the city you aregoing to can also be done on board, as well as some contactdevelopment. And for a well-deserved break, a breakfast isserved to morning travelers and a three-course meal (includ-ing a hot dish) to day and evening ones.

The train is a solution that all professionals should consid-er. In contrast to the plane, the train allows you to keep yourenergy and to save time when you check-in and board; trainstations are usually downtown and the departure lounge forVIA1 users offers priority service. Therefore, we can go every-where and keep up with our professional activities whileimproving our productivity when we travel by train.

For more information, please visit www.viarail.com

Via’s spacious cabins are popular among businesspeople.

The Montreal-Toronto corridor is a well-travelled route.

The train is a solution

Practicing the art of the handwritten note

JUNE–JULY 2005 18

Practicing the art of the handwritten noteBY HARRIET WEZENA

Anytime I receive a bunch of letters in the mail, I’malways eager to open the handwritten ones. Why, youmay ask? Because they are vastly more intimate and

personal.With the advent of the Internet and e-mail and their accessi-

bility, millions of people prefer this form of electronic corre-spondence to writing a handwritten note because of its instan-taneous nature. So does it make any difference if you send ahandwritten letter to a relative, friend or client? Or is the hand-written note a dying art?

Many would say it makes a huge difference to send a hand-written note as opposed to a typewritten one due to its numer-ous virtues. In contrast to a phone call, a handwritten note isless intrusive. It doesn’t arrive demanding to be read when youhave other pressing issues to attend to.

Acclaimed calligrapher Margaret Shepherd writes in herbook “The Art of the Handwritten Note” that “…when youwrite you are giving yourself to the reader in the most civilizedway… a unique gesture that offers more of you withoutdemanding more of them.”

You may say, “I don’t just have the time to sit down andwrite, it’s faster to email or make a phone call.” But considerthe alternative. “The handwritten note tells me the writer caresa lot about me. Considering that the person took the time and

effort to put pen to paper just for me. You couldn’t help but feelvery special,” says Nicole Gervais, an Administrative Assistantat the Canadian Space Agency.

The handwritten note also gives you the opportunity toexpress yourself in ways that you otherwise could not havedone. Your personality and emotions flow through giving thereader a glimpse of who you are. The whole process involvingchoosing the right writing pad, pen, decorations and pouringyour thoughts on paper are determined by your individuality.People need to know who you really are, be it in a friendship,family or business setting.

They handwritten note is also very courteous. This is why itis very pertinent to add a few handwritten words in printedgreeting cards you send to people. This gives the card a person-al touch rather than just the prefabricated words in the pur-chased card. For instance, if you are sending thank you cardsto clients be careful to mention specific tasks they have done towarrant your thanks in your thank you note and don’t gener-alize. It tells the client you remember what they have done andvalue their contribution.

According to Shepherd, a real letter (handwritten) is thebest way to maintain the long-term commitment and enduringwarmth that characterize the close friendships of compatiblepeople who live apart.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Baton down the hatchesHurricanes will once again ravage America’s coast-

lines later this year, according to the U.S. NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)recent annual forecast.

Forecasters predict seven to nine hurricanes this year,compared with a forecast of six to eight in 2004—and lastyear was far worse than predicted, with 12 major storms.Four storms hit Florida within six weeks.

Hurricane season stretches from June 1 to Nov. 30,traditionally a profitable period for U.S. airlines going toFlorida and the Caribbean. Most airlines took a substan-tial hit in last year’s third quarter.

For more info : http://hurricanes.noaa.gov

JUNE–JULY 2005 19

Summer airline delaysGet ready for delays this summer if you’re travelling by air: crowd-

ed flights, tight security will lead to delays in about 25 percent offlights according to the American Federal Aviation Administrator.Airline economics dictate that airlines will likely fly fewer flights withmore passengers and delay rather than cancel flights even in cases ofsevere weather like thunderstorms.

About 800 million North American passengers are expected to flythis year, the most since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and up about fourpercent from 2004. One reason for the increase is the continued dropin airfares.

It allows you to gracefully mix daily details with overarching themes.“Your handwriting makes you vividly present to your reader, whobecomes almost a part of your inner voice if you write letters regular-ly…” she emphasizes in her book.

If you value your privacy and uniqueness, the handwritten noteensures that. Its rarity heightens its appeal and the anticipation preced-ing reading its content upon its arrival. You are sure of its uniquenessbecause nobody else has received exactly the same kind of letter, whichis personal, private and just for your eyes only. With the problem ofhackers on the Internet you cannot be sure that someone else isn’t read-ing the most private thoughts you want kept between you and the recip-ient. But with the handwritten letter you avoid this menace.

You may not be able to pick up the phone to call Prime Minister PaulMartin’s house to ask a question. What you can do is to write him a let-ter which anyone can do. The handwritten note thus, “…facilitates socialequality without eliminating courtesy” states Shepherd. Virtually every-one can pick up a pen, afford a stamp, and set their thoughts on paper.It could be a poor person writing to a rich person, a young person to anolder person, a subordinate to a boss, etc.

So if you think the handwritten note is a dying art, Shepherd coun-ters “wrong! It’s healthier than ever.” But it certainly is an art, because itbrings out the best in both the person who creates it and the person wholooks at it.

The handwritten note

also gives you the opportunity to

express yourself in ways that you

otherwise could not have done...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

Personal notes will be cherished

JUNE–JULY 2005 20

Hotel News from around the world

Extreme hotel makeover?The mini-bar is going the way of the coin-fed bed and

watercolours are being replaced by stylish B & W photos—suresigns hotels are sprucing their rooms up to get with the times.

From new mattresses to flat-screen TVs, a broad spectrum ofhotel chains are emulating the boutique hotels who seem tohave tapped into the Gen Xers (and their parents) by empha-sizing brighter rooms and improved in-room technology.Many chains put off remodeling during the post-9/11 travelslump, but as demand increases chains are flush with cash andready to spend it—Hilton Hotels Corp. and its franchisees, forexample, are spending millions of dollars to redesign 230Hilton brand hotels by the end of 2006.

The industry’s biggest push is to install flat-screen TVs.Marriott plans to roll out 50,000 flat-panel, high definition TVsin the next four years in its Marriott, JW Marriott andRenaissance hotels and the Mayflower in Washington, Conn.,has begun installing so-called mirror flat TVs that look like amirror when they are turned off. And no worries about the oldTVs, armoires, and mini-bars going to the landfill—most arebeing picked up by college students at dirt-cheap prices.

Is there room at the inn… or inCentral Park?

Due to a downsizing in the number of hotels and ipso factorooms, New York City is facing a severe room shortage. Muchof the year, Manhattan’s 64,000 or so hotel rooms are effective-ly full. And with the price of real estate in NYC (the averagecondo price is US $1.2 million), it makes more sense to sell offrooms in former hotels like The Plaza as apartments than rentthem out each night. Over the past few years, NYC has lostabout 3,300 rooms, including 1,093 in 2004. During the sameperiod, only three new hotels opened, with a total of 339rooms. And this classic illustration of supply and demand isreflected in the occupancy rate and average daily room rate(ADR): NYC has an 81.6 occupancy rate (compared to distantsecond Orlando at 63.4%) and ADR of US $230, more than double second-place Boston at US $111. Critics of the new trend

include the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, a unionthat has vowed to fight the trend of disappearing rooms whichfor them translates into disappearing jobs.

Here we go, IndigoHotel Indigo, a “lifestyle” brand from Intercontinental

Hotels Group PLC, plans to open its second property inChicago in June. The first hotel, featuring a casual look charac-terized by oversize lobby chairs and whitewashed wood furni-ture, opened in Atlanta last fall and more are planned forSarasota, Fla., Houston and Palatine (outside of Chicago).

“I’m nice and in need of ice.”Karim Rashid’s Hotel Semiramis in Athens was recom-

mended by a plethora of well-known sources (Tater 100 BestHotels, The Guardian, The Times of London, etc) for stuff likebroadband access via flatscreen plasma screens and digitallocks. Then they installed electronic message boards outsideevery guest room linked to in-room keyboards. So instead of“Do Not Disturb” people might write “Hello, I’m single. Pleasecome in.” Sounds a bit high on the cheese factor… but check ityourself: www.semiramisathens.com

Not to be outdone, Starwood...Starwood Hotels & Resorts searched the alphabet to find a

good name for its new brand of hotels that aims to inject thetrendy ambience of its W Hotels at a lower rate. The new chain,currently referred to as “Project XYZ” will go after travellerswho are now spending their nights in relatively inexpensive(US$125 approx.), but often nondescript, quarters underbrands like Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott. It’sa profitable market segment that has seen recent growth asbusiness travel rebounded after the post-9/11 slump. An aver-age night’s stay at a W hotel costs at least US$200, but an XYZroom would be in the US$125-$150 range.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

JUNE–JULY 2005 21

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* Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply. Taxes and services are extra.

Hotel News Going Cosmopolitan in T.O.

On June 1, 2005, the Cosmopolitan Toronto hotel opened itsdoors to leisure and business travelers in the heart of the city.Located in the busy Financial District, this new hotel offersviews on the city and lake and provides ultimate modern com-fort. With its discreet meeting space providing high-speed andwireless Internet access, plasma screens and surround sound,a luxury spa and an Asian-Japanese fusion restaurant, theCosmopolitan is a new venue to accommodate visitors with 26floors and 97 suites, including two penthouses.

For more information, visit the Cosmopolitan website:www.cosmotoronto.com or call at (416) 350-2000.

Room rates rise, reaching recordA closely-watched lodging forecast is forecasting that

American hotel-room prices will reach record high levels in 2005.PriceWaterhouseCoopers is forecasting that the average

nightly room rate will reach US$89.97, a jump of 4.3 percentfrom last year. Bjorn Hanson, the New York consulting group’shead of hospitality practice, said “We’re in a period of recordgrowth, both the number of years anticipated in the cycle andthe percentages of increases being achieved.”

Hotels in the biggest cities in the U.S. are reaping a wind-fall, with occupancy buoyed by international visitors flockingto America to take advantage of a weak U.S. dollar.

Brian Newman usually works from his office at the ultra-modern showroom and warehouse facilities ofCelebrations on Victoria near Jean Talon West. Founded

in 1919, Celebrations is comprised of ACME Tent, Bench &Table and Party Time Rentals, specializing in top-quality rentalequipment and services to the special events industry foreveryone from major corporations to event planners, charities,and private functions.

After more than 30 years in the tent rental business, Brianhas served countless clients. His company has done more than6,000 installations of every shape and size, including attaching

tents to buildings, installing temporary gutters, and even putting tents over swimming pools and on top of buildings.His equipment ranges from a simple canopy to a tent with airconditioning and or heating and is primarily for private andcorporate events designed to cover all budgets. ACME alsospecializes in so-called “uneven” installations such as attach-ing a tent to a house with multi-level terrain. Acme once put upa series of tents for the opening of the Miramichi Pulp & PaperPlant in New Brunswick for 6,000 guests and co-ordinated allthe rental equipment requirements.

ACME’s customers include three Canadian prime ministersas well as leaders in the business and entertainment fields.

We asked Brian to provide our planners with a checklist fordoing events in tents, and you’ll find it on the following page.

JUNE–JULY 2005 22

Call us for your corporate events!

A tent event checklist

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

A tent can be a fabulous venue for an event, but there aremany considerations to be made beforehand.

JUNE–JULY 2005 23

Brian Newman’s Checklist for doing an event in a tent

1. What is your budget?There are many variables that can be part of a tent reception,so it is wise to be honest about the amount you have to spendon the total event.

2. Where’s the venue?A site visit is always recommended to determine what spaceis available and verify the grade of the land includingobstructions, if any. Brian develops floor plans with precisedetails for his clients on a planning board that provides anoverhead view. He can also suggest appropriate sites e.g.waterfront or garden views.

3. Will there be a buffet, bar, bandstand or DJ?The placement of these requirements if needed is importantin the overall floor plan. The types of tables and seatingarrangements are also crucial to the plans.

4. How much space will you need?Marry the site to the number of people on the guest list andthe use of that space. For example, the cocktail area may beused for dancing later.

5. Do you need a floor? Brian highly recommends a floor for most events where ladiesmay be wearing high heels or where there is a possibility thatthe ground may not remain dry due to uneven terrain—it’s aninsurance policy for any event.

6. Spend money where warranted. Priorities in spending are important. A choice of less expen-sive décor or tent accessories might afford the client theinvestment in a floor.

7. What are the electrical requirements?If you have a caterer, a band, lighting, photography, video, oraudiovisual you must make sure that the electrical supply isadequate. A generator may be needed if there is not enoughpower onsite. The last thing you want is not having the prop-er electrical service for your event.

8. Look at examples.Professional tent rental companies like ACME provide pho-tographs, videos, or websites for clients to view successfuljobs they have done.

9. Use a professional.You only have one chance to make an event memorable, soensure success by using someone with a reputation for expe-rience and reliability.

Contact Brian Newman at www.celebrationsgroup.comor (514) 738-4755.

JUNE–JULY 2005 24