Create a Culture of Leadership

In our current do more with less business climate, it’s more critical than ever that you bring everything you’ve got to your company’s leadership. And that doesn’t just mean being a great leader yourself. It means leading the way for others – at all levels of the organization – to become great leaders, too.

So how do you do that? That’s exactly what I’ll be discussing when I deliver the opening keynote at the general session of the Education Conference in Montreal. With all the changes the conference and meeting industry has undergone and so much at stake in the future, my goal is to give you a blueprint for clarifying your vision of success, simplifying the most direct route for reaching it, and executing your action plan against measurable milestones that your team enthusiastically embraces.

A big part of professional success – and what I’ll be talking about - is learning to maximize your Leadership DNA, that is your style of collaboration and influencing others. At the risk of oversimplifying the complexities of human nature, there are some basic categories into which most people fit. Take a look and see if you can identify yourself or the members of your team in the list below:

• DIRECTOR: A natural leader, the Director likes to take charge of projects and people. Directors have a sense of vision and are comfortable making decisions, even in the absence of all the data and information they’d like. But watch out - despite being extremely focused, Directors can be demanding, at times even dictatorial.

• SUPPORTER: Like the name implies, a Supporter is most at home working in service of others. Hard working, dependable and loyal, the Supporter is an excellent candidate to implement another’s vision. But don’t be surprised if the Supporter panics during high-stress transitions. Although they love being on the team, they rarely want to lead it.

• THRILL-SEEKER: Thrill-seekers are easy to spot. They’re at the center of the action, soaking up the attention. They’re usually charismatic, often creative and occasionally downright annoying. Thrill-seekers are the life of the party, just don’t ask them to do the dishes afterward.

• ANALYST: The Analyst thrives on information, the more the better. Although Analysts are highly skilled at synthesizing data, they can be slow to make decisions, always looking for the next piece of the puzzle before they make up their minds. But if they wait too long, the competition just might leave them in the dust.

Which description most closely resembles your primary and secondary leadership styles? Can you see why you click with some people and clash with others? Even more important, can you see why it’s crucial that you have all these types represented to build a dynamic ,well-rounded team?

I look forward to discussing how you can optimize your skills to create a culture where bold leadership is part of your organizational DNA. If you have any questions or comments prior to the conference, feel free to post them here or contact me directly at Libby@LibbyGill.com. See you in Montreal!

Turn and Face the Strange

"Cha cha cha cha changes, turn and face the strange."

 David Bowie’s lyrics from his hit recording “Changes” remind me that we certainly are in the midst of some very strange times. Who would have ever thought that volcanic ash would cause worldwide havoc and prevent planes from flying? When will the next earthquake suddenly disrupt the normal everyday lives of a community or city? What’s next on the horizon for the economic recovery and how will that impact our industry?

We live in a world of constant change yet often find ourselves ill prepared to face the changes that come our way. Is that how it has to be or are there things we can do to properly prepare ourselves for the unexpected changes which, quite frankly, are to be expected?

On Wednesday, May 26th PCMA is offering a day of learning at Executive Edge “From Vision to Execution: A Strategic Approach to Managing Change”. It promises to be a world class learning experience on “change” in one of the top business schools in the country. Three of Georgetown’s top ranked professors will guide participants in a day of discovery to uncover the tools and resources necessary to effectively manage the changes that come our way. I have personally met with each of the professors and I can tell you they are very excited about this day and have assured me that participants will walk away with great ideas they can implement back in the workplace.

And if learning from three of Georgetown’s top professors is not enough incentive to consider registering for this event, then maybe the low cost of this program will do it for you. If not for the generosity of PSAV Presentation Services and Canada and Partners, this program would cost upwards of $2,100 per attendee. PCMA’s price - Professional Member: $395.00, Non-member Professional: $495.00, Supplier Member: $500.00, Non-member Supplier: $600.00. It’s an unbelievable value that you would be crazy to miss.
Yes. It’s time to make a commitment and invest in your future growth and development. Join me and your industry colleagues as together we “turn and face the strange”.

If you get a moment, be sure to check out PCMA Chairman of Board, Kati Quigley’s Blog UnConventional. Her post captures the changes she encountered when she started working for Microsoft and how she overcomes the challenges of change every day.

This program will be customized for PCMA and participants will benefit from sessions with three of Georgetown's top-ranked faculty members, all experts in the field of Change Management. Georgetown's McDonough School of Business is renowned for excellence in global business, leadership and change management. Georgetown's Global Executive MBA is ranked #1 in the US for Career Progress, #1 in the world for women enrolled, and #2 in the US for international students. You are sure to leave this experience with the tools you need to manage the changes we're all experiencing in meetings today.

Jennifer's SMMP Blog - PCMA June 13-16, 2010 - Education Conference, Montreal

Although the SMMP (Strategic Meeting Management Program) was launched in 2004, this business initiative really gained momentum in 2008 as the U.S. (and world) felt the impact of a deep, global recession. As with any economic downturn, most organizations look for cost cutting measures, which place a focus on meetings, conventions and events…and meeting planners and departments.

By defining and implementing Strategic Meeting Management solutions, consolidating the meeting planning process, leveraging your spend and having access to management and financial reports, meeting planners can clearly demonstrate the increased value of meetings and events to senior management. This process will elevate management’s perception of the meeting planning process and specifically, how strategic planning drives successful business outcomes and achieves the company’s big picture goals.

In a nutshell, NBTA defines SMMP as the following combined key components:

• Meeting and event registration
• Approval process
• Sourcing and hotel contracting
• Planning and execution
• Payment and expense reconciliation
• Data analysis and reporting
• Advanced technology

Okay, I agree the SMMP business model does seem a bit overwhelming. The simple truth is when senior meeting planners conduct their own company evaluation and needs assessment, create an action plan, get management’s buy-in and carefully prioritize and launch these strategic meeting management solutions, clearly there will be powerful business (and career) results.

Although there are plenty of white papers, webinars, workshops and articles on this topic, there is no “one size fits all” business plan ready for implementation. During my interactive workshop at the PCMA Education Conference in Montreal, I will discuss industry best practices and specific steps to create an action plan to generate management buy-in and assure success in implementing specific strategic meeting management solutions that work for you. Be sure to join me, Tuesday June 15 at my faciliatated peer-to-peer session.

So, what are your specific issues, concerns, challenges or questions on the SMMP topic? I would love to hear from you!

Jennifer Brown, CMP, is President of Meeting Sites Resource, a global specialist in meeting site research and hotel contract negotiations. MSR also offers meeting support services, meeting education / SMMP consulting and meeting technology solutions (sourcing, meeting consolidation, strategic meeting management). Jennifer can be reached at jbrown@meetingsites.net / 949-250-7483 ext. 315.

Register Today for Montreal

PCMA Education Conference, June 13th – 16th, 2010 in Montreal

This is Bob Hancock, co-chair, (along with Mike McCurry) of the PCMA Education Conference in Montreal. I must say that I am very excited about this year’s event, for not only is it an opportunity to learn from our peers in the industry, but is also an opportunity to learn how to effectively use the power of social media.

Not only is there exceptional peer-to-peer interaction, general sessions, and networking opportunities, but there are a few events that I am particularly excited about. On Monday, June 14th, is a peer-to-peer session facilitated by Curt Peoples, CEO of Peoples and Company Communications, focusing on collaboration to achieve goals and creating a collaborative culture. Also, after Monday’s networking luncheon, Midori Connolly, CEO of Pulse Staging and Events, and Jessica Levin, CMP and President of Seven Degrees Communication, will be guiding a peer-to-peer session on creating event engagement using social media. I am also looking forward to Roger Rickard’s, Partner and Chief Business Solicitor for REvent, peer-to-peer session on Tuesday, June 15th, on how to become an effective advocate so that you can better influence policy and gain support for your projects.

All of us from the PCMA Education Committee and the PCMA staff look forward to seeing you in Montreal this year so that all of us can take-away new shared ideas and solutions to our industry’s challenges.

I encourage each of you to register and look forward to seeing you in Montreal.

Register today.

Bob

2010: The Year of Collaboration

Posted by: Curt Peoples, President, Peoples & Company Communications, Toronto

Business concepts go in and out of fashion, but sometimes a concept we have offhandedly used for years rises above the rest to encapsulate just what is happening (or needs to happen) now.

In 2010, collaboration is the concept that has emerged to describe what organizations need.

Like teamwork, collaboration is an activity where people or organizations work together to achieve common goals. But collaboration is something more. Fruitful collaboration requires everyone to fully appreciate and build on each others’ strengths. It involves multiple players making decisions in order to maximize their returns.

Those involved in creative, collaborative activities will tell you success starts with a shared chemistry, positive intent and collective acceptance. Collaborators share a desire to meet a high bar of excellence.

The session I am facilitating on Monday at the PCMA Education Conference is a peer-to-peer session. We will kick it off with a look at the mindset and skills that great collaborators employ. You’ll get the chance to share experiences with others in the session — focusing on ways to creatively collaborate with clients, suppliers and business partners. The goal is to give you new ideas that you can use in your business.

Here are the details:

Monday, June 14, 2010
10:30 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.
Collaborate to Achieve Greater Success
For meeting professionals to succeed, meet goals and thrive they need to embrace the concept of collaboration

• Discover collaboration techniques to achieve goals and positively impact your bottom line
• Leverage collaboration for co-location of events, costs, logistics, and crowdsourcing
• Leverage sponsorships to build a collaborative culture that will lead to long-term planner and supplier relationships

An extra note: One aspect of great collaboration is giving useful advice with no expectation of getting anything in return. In this spirit, I recommend three Montreal restaurants that you might not find on your own.

• Griffintown Café – Canada’s National Post lists the Griffintown Café as one of the top ten casual dining restaurants in Montreal.
• Le Pied de Cochon – The food is inventive, the staff is cool and the wine list is amazing.
• Joe Beef – This one is for foodies. There are only 30 seats in this cozy restaurant of renowned Montreal chef, David McMillan.

Enjoy! I hope I’ll meet you Montreal.

Curt

Let's Talk!

Let’s talk about what new things you are doing to drive attendance to your meeting—are you looking at new social media campaigns, new markets, new programs? Or, are you focusing your limited resources harder on programs and tactics that worked in the past to make sure your “strengths” are as good as they can be?

Let’s talk, and let’s listen, here on this blog. And then-- let’s meet face to face in Montreal to share what’s worked and why, what hasn’t and why not. Let’s share our successes review our challenges so we can increase our understanding of what tactics are working, and why.

Over the course of my career, PCMA members have been my “panel of experts.” I’ve reached out to my peers repeatedly for help, for answers, or even for permission to copy their ideas. PCMA is giving us another exciting opportunity to learn from each other, and I hope you can join us.

I’m Teri Jarvie and I am excited to be facilitating at this year’s Education Conference (formerly the Leadership Conference). Here are the details on the session:

Monday, June 14, 2010
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Drive Attendance to Your Event
Strategies designed to build attendance and attract interest are more important today than ever before. Meeting professionals play a critical role as they are designing and developing meeting experiences their stakeholders need, want and expect.

• Match your organization's profile with programming design that stimulates interest
• Leverage sponsorships to drive value to the experience
• Develop a marketing strategy that effectively communicates clear and concise messaging
• Understand how to market your events in a digitally connected world

Notice that I said facilitating, rather than speaking – so I really need your help. Let’s talk in advance – tell me what’s keeping you awake, what’s important to you, what’s working for you and what’s not. We need your input to this interactive, innovative session, and we need it now.

In addition, you need to be in Montreal to expand the discussion. You’ll get ideas and solutions from your peers (the experts).  Tools you can take back and use, immediately. More importantly, you’ll have a new network of experts to turn to when the next challenge arises. We’ll talk and listen to each other, and it won’t be complete if you’re not there. You can register now at pcma.org/EduCon

Please take a minute to review the program and provide your input into this session. I look forward to listening to you in Montreal!

--Teri

p.s. You can respond through the links on this page, or feel free to email me directly at tjarvie@cscmp.org.

Montreal Here We Come!

2010 PCMA Education Conference, June 13-16,2010

Have you marked your calendar yet for the PCMA 2010 Education Conference? More importantly, have you taken that next important step and registered?

Let me officially introduce myself... I am Mike McCurry, your Co-Chair (along with Bob Hancock) for the 2010 PCMA Education Conference. I am thrilled to be part of the volunteer leadership team, helping to plan and stage this wonderful event.

As you may know this conference was previously entitled the "PCMA Leadership Conference." While PCMA expects to preserve the historically intimate feel of this event, it's focus is broadened, and the program has been expanded to a three-day format. Here is a brief video clip introducing the conference:



I am excited, as the 2010 event is going to feature some really outstanding education value! The PCMA staff and the 2010 Conference committee are working really hard to deliver a special, innovative program to you, our attendees.

So, why should you attend the 2010 Education Conference?

Here are just some of the many reasons:

• Inspirational and Captivating General Session Speakers
• Libby Gill -- Former Head of Communications for Sony, Universal and Turner Broadcasting
• Jamie Clarke -- Extreme Adventurer & Motivational Speaker/Author
• Scott Klososky -- Entrepreneur, SocialTech Guru, and Innovator
• Jeff Corwin -- Animal Planet Host and Leading Conservationist
  


• Interactive and Engaging Peer-to-Peer Education Sessions -- moderated by skilled facilitators, you will collaborate with, and learn from other, like-minded professionals, to exchange ideas and develop solutions to critical industry issues. Some topics covered include:
• Event Engineer Strategies
• Create An Event Engagement Plan
• Innovative Techniques in Conference Formats
• Social Media Tools
  
• Strategic Meeting Management

• Great Social and Networking Opportunities
  

• Opportunity to Enjoy a World Class European-style Canadian City

The absolutely stunning Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel is our host hotel. Please make sure to reserve your hotel room as soon as possible, as the city is extremely busy over our conference dates.

On behalf of the entire PCMA team, and our 2010 Conference Committee, we look forward to seeing you in Montreal! Don't miss this great event opportunity.