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W ho can forget watching Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs wearing their pastel suits as they chased bad guys along beautiful South Beach in Miami as the flamingos and tanned hot- ties walked by on the hit TV series Miami Vice? Well, some things never change. On a recent visit to the Miami Beach area for MPI’s 2005 WEC, I saw the crew setting up to shoot a scene for the Miami Vice movie which will feature Collin Ferrell and Jamie Foxx in the lead roles. It really is as beautiful as it looks on TV: The beaches are spectacular, it’s hot and, of course, beautiful people of all persuasions are to be seen everywhere. Art Deco and much more Located at the southern end of Miami Beach, South Beach's Art Deco District, a whimsical collection of more than 800 architecturally protected buildings from the 1930s and 1940s, has been anointed the “American Riviera” in a nod to the unmistakable air of casual chic that permeates the district. On my drive from the airport, the driver pointed out about a dozen homes of celebrities like Shaquille O’Neill, Ricky Martin and J-Lo who live in the area. Serious sun and fun Miami Beach: BY DEBORAH MACFIE F ood safety handling procedures affects all of us in the event industry, not just the caterers. “Off Premises” means exactly that— a caterer is taking raw or cooked prod- uct from their commissary/production kitchen to another kitchen and turning it into the final product for the client. There are many “cottage” caterers in the United States and Canada, working out of their homes or basements, transport- ing food in their own family vehicle or a vehicle without proper temperature control. This is a serious problem and a potential disaster waiting to happen. What is the danger zone? Refrigerated food should be kept at 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) or lower. Hot food should be kept at a minimum of 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher. Bacteria grows rapidly between this tempera- ture range—this is the danger zone. All off-premises catering companies should be transporting food in refriger- ated vehicles; if they are not, then ask Biometric passport 2 Become a world-class manager 6 Book review 7 Sudoku 8 You name it, he’ll tag it 10 Professionalism 12-13 Ask Stacey & Denise 18 Can you hear me? 24 APEX 26-27 Hotel News 28-29 VOL. 3 ISSUE 5 A MONTHLY DIGEST TO INFORM, ENLIGHTEN AND HUMOUR MEETING PLANNERS IN THIS ISSUE Caterers should be cool with your food CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 August-September 2005 Edition CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 Miami has a well-deserved reputation for fabulous beaches and great weather . Photo courtesy of the GMCVB

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* Miami Beach: Serious sun and fun * Caterers should be cool with your food * Biometric passports * Three Qs that will help you become a world-class manager * You name it, he’ll tag it: A profile on Nick Topitzes of p/c Nametag * Finding your exhibit zone * You can hear me but are you listening? * APEX offers some great tools

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Who can forget watching Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbswearing their pastel suits as they chased bad guys along

beautiful South Beach in Miami as the flamingos and tanned hot-ties walked by on the hit TV series Miami Vice?

Well, some things never change. On a recent visit to theMiami Beach area for MPI’s 2005 WEC, I saw the crew settingup to shoot a scene for the Miami Vice movie which will feature Collin Ferrell and Jamie Foxx in the lead roles.

It really is as beautiful as it looks on TV: The beaches arespectacular, it’s hot and, of course, beautiful people of all persuasions are to be seen everywhere.

Art Deco and much moreLocated at the southern end of Miami Beach, South Beach's

Art Deco District, a whimsical collection of more than 800architecturally protected buildings from the 1930s and 1940s,has been anointed the “American Riviera” in a nod to theunmistakable air of casual chic that permeates the district.

On my drive from the airport, the driver pointed out abouta dozen homes of celebrities like Shaquille O’Neill, RickyMartin and J-Lo who live in the area.

Serious sunand fun

MiamiBeach:

BY DEBORAH MACFIE

Food safety handling proceduresaffects all of us in the event industry,

not just the caterers.“Off Premises” means exactly that—

a caterer is taking raw or cooked prod-uct from their commissary/productionkitchen to another kitchen and turningit into the final product for the client.There are many “cottage” caterers in theUnited States and Canada, working outof their homes or basements, transport-ing food in their own family vehicle or avehicle without proper temperature

control. This is a serious problem and apotential disaster waiting to happen.

What is the danger zone?Refrigerated food should be kept at 4degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit)or lower. Hot food should be kept at aminimum of 60 degrees Celsius (140degrees Fahrenheit) or higher. Bacteriagrows rapidly between this tempera-ture range—this is the danger zone.

All off-premises catering companiesshould be transporting food in refriger-ated vehicles; if they are not, then ask

Biometric passport 2

Become a world-class manager 6

Book review 7

Sudoku 8

You name it, he’ll tag it 10

Professionalism 12-13

Ask Stacey & Denise 18

Can you hear me? 24

APEX 26-27

Hotel News 28-29

VOL. 3 ISSUE 5

A MONTHLY DIGEST TO INFORM, ENLIGHTEN AND HUMOUR MEETING PLANNERS

IN THIS ISSUE

Caterers should becool with your food

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3August-September 2005 Edition

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Miami has a well-deserved reputation for fabulous beaches and great weather.

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f the

GM

CVB

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 2

TT he American Society of Association Executives (ASAE),Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Professional

Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Society ofIncentive & Travel Executives (SITE) are urging Members ofthe U.S. Congress to support legislation (H.R. 2628) extendingthe deadline by one year for countries in the Visa WaiverProgram (VWP) to begin issuing passports that include bio-metric data identifying the passport holder.

In a recent letter to Members of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, the four industry organizations voiced sup-port for travel initiatives that balance the need for homelandsecurity with the business needs of the U.S. “Meetings and con-ventions are a multi-billion dollar industry, which bring anenormous positive economic impact and generate millions ofjobs in the United States,” the letter stated. “The industry reliesheavily on the ability of travelers from other countries to comein and out of the United States efficiently.”

The biometric passport requirement, which entails issuingpassports equipped with chips containing digital recognitionimages and fingerprints, was originally introduced as part ofthe “Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002,”with a deadline of October 26, 2004. That deadline was extend-ed by one year after lobbying by a number of travel organiza-tions, all of which have come out in support of the current

extension proposal. According to the U.S. State and HomelandSecurity Departments, the 27 countries in the Visa WaiverProgram (VWP) are committed to implementing the biometricpassport requirement, but very few of them, including theUnited States, would be able to meet the current deadline ofOctober 26, 2005.

“If the deadline were not extended, the meetings and con-ventions industry could be severely affected, as travelers fromVWP countries unable to meet the requirements would start tocut back on travel to the United States,” the June 13 letter fromthe industry organizations said.

According to FutureWatch 2005, MPI’s annual report on theglobal business of meetings, for the second consecutive year,the multi-billion dollar global meetings industry is forecast toexperience solid increases in key economic impact indicatorsincluding spending, international travel, employment andtraining budgets. Globally, meeting planners in segments suchas corporate, independent and association/nonprofit forecast a5 percent budget increase in 2005, building on a 3 percentbudget increase in 2004. From Europe, outbound meetings willincrease to 28 percent of all planned meetings in 2005, over 17percent in 2004; and from Canada, 29 percent of meetings willbe international in 2005, versus 23 percent in 2004. In bothinstances, the United States is the top destination choice.

Meeting organizations voice support forbiometric passport extension legislation

them how they are keeping the cold product out of the dangerzone during transportation. Cambro Hot/cool boxes are essen-tial in the off-premises catering business and a food thermome-ter should be used to check that the product is kept cold andiced in the Cambro. This method is a widely accepted andapproved method of keeping food out of the danger zone.

Cooking raw products outdoors brings with it further foodhandling safety issues. Make sure that your caterer supplies ahand-washing station at the cooking area. This hand washingstation consists of hot water, soap and paper towels. Just sup-plying hand sanitizer is not enough. Cross contamination isalways more of a concern at outdoor events when spacealways seems to be limited for food preparation. All of usshould understand what cross contamination means, and if wedon’t then the websites listed below can provide you withenough information to ensure that your next off-premisescatered event complies with all food safety handling proce-dures. Your caterer should employ staff that have taken a foodsafety training course offered by various organizations inCanada and the U.S. Please visit these websites:

www.foodsafetyline.orghttp://www.inspection.gc.cahttp://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca www.foodsafety.gov (U.S.)

Remember: Caterers should be cool!

Deborah Macfie is the Vice President of Gourmet Cuisine FullService Catering and president elect-ISES Toronto Chapter.

She can be reached at: www.gourmetcuisine.com• • •

CONTINUED FROM CATERERS PAGE 1

Know what cross-contamination means

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 3

A Gourmet Cuisine employee uses a Cambro hotbox.Ph

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of G

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et C

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Istayed at the National Hotel in Miami Beach during the MPI WEC from July 9-13. What a fine hotel—great

rooms, a spectacular 205-foot swimming pool and good service.However, on my third night the fire alarm went off not once buttwice during the night. Both times it was a false alarm butnonetheless I got up, got dressed and went down to the lobby.The next morning when I complained about this I was told thatit was not the hotel’s fault but a local supplier working in thebuilding. Now, as far as I know, they chose this supplier and assuch are responsible for this supplier. Anyway it was left at that,and the hotel later informed me that they would give me two freebreakfasts as a make good for the inconvenience. On August 11,I also received a letter of apology from the general manager. Mythought on this is that the hotel should have had a policy in placethat as soon as I complained they should have simply said waking guests up twice during the night is totally unacceptableand they’d like to make it up to us by offering free breakfasts orsomething else. Now THAT would have been proactive.

False alarms in hotels happen. However, it is an inconven-ience and should be accepted as such—management should nottry and sweep it under the carpet and pretend it didn't happen.In this industry these things occur but the guest should not ulti-mately be penalized for it. An immediate phone message or anote, both easily done, to all the guests from the manager wouldhave been a small thing to do and would have gone a long wayto smoothing things over. As planners we are responsible for ouractions and we assume them; I think that hotels should do thesame and not wait until the client complains.

Let me know your thoughts on this. Along this train ofthought we have a follow-up to our June article (page 19) onhurricanes and how some proactive hotels are reacting.

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: [email protected]

Editor: Leo GervaisAssociate Editor: Camille Lay

Assistant Editor: Nathalie CaronProofreader: Keith MottonTranslator: Marc Levasseur

Administration: Patrick Galvin, Julie BoisvertSales: James Paulson

Contributors: Mike Auctor, Anne Biarritz, Sandy Biback, Thomas Chalmers, Peter De Jager, Stacey Hanke,

Deborah Macfie, Unni Soelberg-Claridge, Stacey Robinson &Denise McDonald, 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.

Where do wedraw the line?

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

GIVING BACKEDUCATIONAL GRANTS

• Baggage

• 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:[email protected]

Comingsoon

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 4

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

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 5

MPI puts on another great WECIf the recent World Education Congress (WEC) in Miami,

Florida is any indication, Meeting ProfessionalsInternational (MPI) is solidifying its reputation for putting onfirst-class events for its members.

From the Opening General session to the events at theOpening Night Networking Reception at the spectacular LoewsHotel to the dozens of workshops and roundtables to the“Visions of Bleu” closing gala at the famed Fontainbleu Resort,MPI pulled out all the stops. This WEC (held July10-12) was thesecond largest event in MPI’s history after the 2001 event in LasVegas attended by 3,461 registrants, 44 more than this year.With 3,417 attendees (including 1,139 planners and 1,910 sup-pliers), the WEC, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center,had plenty to offer in terms of education and entertainment.

Perhaps the most interesting element for event plannerswas the revamped and renamed MPI Member SolutionsProgram, which will deliver an unprecedented level of serviceto members. MPI previewed the web-based skills-assessmenttool that helps planners map out a career path toward a goal ofincreased professionalism. The product, which is expected tobe available in January, 2006, details core competencies forplanners at different career levels and contains a wide range ofjob descriptions. The career mapping tool is the end result fromwhat had been MPI’s Career Pathways initiative but was sub-sequently renamed Professional Pathways.

In the opening session, Christine Duffy, chief executive of Maritz Travel Company and MPI’s incoming chairwoman,told planners they need to become more aware of broader business issues that affect the industry and how meetings playa significant role in the business world.

Duffy said MPI plans to launch a research project to better under-stand the thinking of senior executives on the value of meetings.

Exhibitors occupied 610 booths at the trade show, whichwas held for one day from 9:30 a.m to 1:45 p.m. which, if youdo the math, gave a participant about 25 seconds per booth,not including walking time. Suffice to say, several plannersand suppliers told me the trade show was much too short.

Also at the convention, Glenn Reighart, director of meetingsand conventions for the National Community Pharmacists

Association, in Alexandria, Va., was named InternationalPlanner of the Year; and the singularly named Coleman, prin-cipal of The Conference Works, in Mineral Point, Wis., wasnamed International Supplier of the Year.

This year's Global Paragon Award, for meetings excellence,went to Sea to Sky Meeting Management, of Vancouver, B.C.,for the 23rd International Conference on Offshore Mechanicsand Arctic Engineering, in category one, meetings with budgetsup to $1,000 per attendee. (see photos of the WEC on page 16).

On the web: www.mpiweb.org

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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 6

Three questions that will

Aclient recently expressed to me great frustration that anumber of his mangers weren't running their part ofthe business as he thought they should. He gave me

endless examples including financial performance, customerservice issues, slipping standards and the treatment of front-line people.

I gave him my three simple questions to ask when some-thing isn't going the way it should in your business, or in yourdepartment within a business. Memorize these three ques-tions, use them...and you'll see how helpful they are.

Question #1: When something isn't going the way itshould, sit down with the person or groupresponsible for that area of activity and firstask the "understand question". Here aresome examples of "understand questions",depending on what the specific issue is...

• Do you understand our customer serv-ice commitment regarding on-time delivery?

• Do you understand our commitment totreat all employees with trust, dignity andrespect?

• Do you understand our commitment togrow our domestic sales by 8% this year?

• Do you understand our commitment togenerate a profit of $450,000 this year?

• Do you understand our commitment tointegrity in all of our dealings with cus-tomers, suppliers, our community...and with each other?

• Do you understand our commitment to maintain ourbuildings and property in a clean, safe and attractive mannerthat helps make us a responsible employer and neighbour?

Bonus tip: Note that all of the above questions refer to yourbusinesses "commitment" to do something. Not your "plan", oryour "aim", or your "target"...your commitment. If you wantyour people to be committed to specific outcomes, use theword "commitment". Get them to agree to specific commit-ments and then hold them responsible to those commitments.

Their answer to your specific "understand question" shouldbe pretty straightforward. Either they understand...or theydon't. If they don't understand, find out what specificallythey're unclear about and provide whatever information theyneed to understand. Be a bit careful with this one becauseoften people understand perfectly, but are trying to "weasel"out of taking responsibility for their failure to perform.

Question #2: Next ask, "Do you embrace this particularcommitment, value or standard of performance? Do youbelieve in it and fully support it?"

Once again, the answer should be pretty straightforward.Either they embrace and support it...or they don't. If they doembrace it, move on to Question #3. If they don't, they havethree possible courses of action...

1. They can engage you in respectful debate to try to get youto change your mind if they believe that the specific commit-ment, value or standard is not right for the business.

2. They can "get on side" and wholeheartedly commit to andsupport the item being discussed...or,

3. They can resign and move on to another company thathas standards, values and performance commitments that theycan embrace.

Question #3: Finally, ask, "Can youimplement this specific standard, value orperformance commitment? Can you make ithappen...and by when can we agree that thiswill be done?"

Depending on the circumstances, a sub-question under this Question #3: could be, "Isanything preventing you from implementingthis standard, value or performance commit-ment?" What information, resources, policyor process changes or cooperation from oth-ers do you need to implement this?

If the change that you're looking forrequires a number of steps, activities orchanges in process, it would also be prudent

to ask, "When can I see a Plan outlining specifically who willdo what, by when, to make this happen?" Then, always docu-ment the time commitment and follow up each step of the way.That's a big part of your job.

So, for each and every thing that isn't going the way you'dlike, be it large or small, asking the person or group in chargethese three key questions will make a huge difference in theeffectiveness of your management process...and the success ofyour business. This simple process will also make it clear...

1. Who is and who is not in sync with the culture and com-mitments of the business.

2. Who can and will perform...and who can't, or won't.There they are...simple questions that will create clarity of

purpose and deal with non-performers. I'll be interested to hearfrom you as to how this has helped you to come to grips withthe specific issues that need to be dealt with in your business.

Donald Cooper is respected by clients in over 40 industries as both a“thought leader” and a passionate visionary in the areas of marketing,service and business excellence.

You can contact Donald at www.donaldcooper.com, via email [email protected] or contact him by telephone in Toronto at:(416) 252-3704.

help you becomea world-class manager

So

star

t a

nswering them now!

Simple questions

create clarity of purpose

BY LEO GERVAIS

Perhaps one of the hardest things inbusiness is doing exhibit market-ing effectively. There are a lot of

variables to consider and it tends to besomething you learn from experience.

The bad part of experience is that thelesson is learned after the experience,which can sometimes be detrimental toone’s education and on occasion one’scareer.

Barry Siskind takes a lot of the guess-work out of being an exhibit manager inhis new book, Powerful ExhibitMarketing. In it Siskind breaks down asometimes seemingly Sysyphian taskdown to the essentials—what he calls thehardware and the software.

Consider this book a step-by-stepguide that will, as barry writes, “helpyou get the results you deserve.”

Siskind’s approach is very methodi-cal, and begins in Part 1, Chapter 1 withExhibiting Objectives. In it, he discussesthe three levels of objectives, how toquantify them and how to remainfocussed on those objectives. In thatchapter he also gives “100 Reasons forExhibiting,” an exhaustive list that willenlighten the most hardened supplier ortradeshow veteran. This list alone isworth the price of the book as it galva-nizes the reader into action by clearlydefining why the hell it is worth doing inthe first place by crystalizing truths we all know emotionally but rarely verbalize.

The book is divided into three distinctparts: Managing the Fiscal Resources,Managing the Physical Aspects andManaging the Human Resources for a totalof 16 chapters. The book covers all basesand Siskind delivers the information in asimple, straightforward fashion that is easyto understand, like when he talks abouthospitality in Chapter 6: “Hospitality canrange from a plate of cookies or a bowl ofjellybeans to lavish dinners with entertain-ment at exotic locations.”

If exhibit marketing is a science, thenBarry Siskind is the exhibiting Einstein.Book: Powerful Exhibit MarketingAuthor: Barry SiskindPublisher: John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd.ISBN: 0-470-83469-2Price: $20.99 on www.chapters.ca

BOOK REVIEWPowerful Exhibit Marketing

by Barry Siskind

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 7

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 8

Sudoku is a coolJapanese import

Sudoku (which loosely means “single number” inJapanese) is a deceptively simple yet addictive game oflogic that consists of a nine-by-nine square grid, broke intothree-by-three square cells. The object: fill each square witha number from 1 to 9 so that every number appears onlyonce in each row, column and cell. Long popular in Japan,sudoku is based on 18th century mathematician LeonardEuler’s Latin Square, and first appeared in U.S. puzzlebooks as the cleverly-named Number Puzzle. The currentWestern craze began when a New Zealander used theJapanese name to pitch his puzzle-generating program tothe London Times. Sudoku has been picked up by nearly60 newspapers in North America. And here we thoughtsudoku was just another kind of sushi or sashimi... :)

Level: Easy

�Industry TrendsAnswer on Page 27.

Did you know...The Eiffel Tower, France’s 1,063-foot high“Iron Lady,” draws 6.3 million people ayear and is expected to hit 7 million in2007, according to the semi-private SocietéNouvelle de la Tour Eiffel.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 9

Worst airports for delays

The worst airports in the U.S. for the delays so far this yearare: Fort Lauderdale, Fla., New York’s La Guardia andNewark, N.J.

Fort Lauderdale, has become a competitive spot for airlines,and a favoured destination of the growing flock of private jets.Take offs and landings this year through May were up morethan 20 per cent over the same period in 2003. US AirwaysGroup Inc. is trying to build a small hub there just as Delta AirLines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlinesare expanding.

Through May, more than 30 per cent of flights to FortLauderdale have been late by at least 15 minutes – the depart-ment of Transportation’s definition of “late.” March was theworst month, with close to half of all flights being late.

US Airways Flight 706 from Fort Lauderdale to Newark waslate 30 of 31 days in March, with an average delay of 83 min-utes. AMR Corp.’s American Airlines Flight 1468 averaged onehour and 40 minutes of delay in December of 142 minutes.

In Fort Lauderdale, delays experienced have run up to twoand three hours according to Patrick Dempsey, SouthwestAirlines manager of air-traffic systems.

A notice has been sent to the local officials in June that isintended to start using two other runways. These runwayshave been idle due to an “informal” agreement signed a

decade ago by the Federal Aviation Administration with thelocal community to minimize neighbourhood noise.

County Commissioner John Rodstrom, who opposes theuse of these runways, says, people just have to accept that theairport is at its capacity today.

Getting the bump rap

If you like taking advantage of getting bumped from flightsfor free travel, you may want to reconsider the practice.

Getting bumped for profit may be a thing of the past. Whileit seems there are plenty of vouchers to go around, fliers mayhave trouble redeeming them. While airlines won’t disclose theredemption rate of its vouchers, a US Airways spokeswomansays vouchers are part of the same inventory as mileage-reward tickets and complimentary seats, so voucher holderscompete with frequent fliers for seats from the moment theypick up their coupons.

If it seems like planes are getting more crowded, you’reright. In June, the American “mainline” airlines—whichincluded American, Delta, Northwest, Continental and USAirways—filled a record 82.8 per cent of their seats, toppinglast June’s record high of 81.4 per cent, according to an aviationanalyst from Back Aviation Solutions. So those flight couponswith dollar values may now be a better value than vouchersbecause they will be easier to redeem.

� Industry Trends

How a meeting planner usedcommon sense and research to become a first-rate supplierBY LEO GERVAIS

When you shake hands with Nick Topitzes, the founder ofWisconsin-based pc/nametag, you get a sense that this is someone

who has shaken a lot of hands and most probably after closing a lot of deals.After becoming a CMP in the 1980s (#320 or thereabouts, he says) heformed pc/nametag, the world’s largest distributor of meeting and regis-tration supplies. He stills plans his company’s corporate meetings andsays his background gives him unique insight into his customers’ needs.I sat down and spoke with him recently about his company and the eventplanning industry.

The Planner: How did pc/nametag originate?Nick Topitzes: I was doing a tradeshow in the 1980s when oneof my exhibitors came up and said that we had unreadablenametags. A that point —1983 or ‘84—we were using a state ofthe art IBM Selectric (occasionally known as the IBM Golfballtypewriter). In 1985, when the IBM PC came out, I developed asoftware to generate large, readable nametags that could beprinted on a dot matrix printer. We then started selling nametagstock, and did both software and stock for a few years. We thenstarted adding a lot of items that I needed, and it seemed otherpeople needed them too. Ribbons used to drive me crazy—thevertical ribbon—so I invented the horizontal ribbon. The casesto transport the badges is another example. People would tellme their problems and I’d say “I know how to solve that prob-lem.” It was market research and development.

TP: What is your company mantra?NT: To provide quality products at competitive prices to meet-ing planners, with a high degree of service so they can relax andrun their own meetings. One of the things we tell our employ-ees is that they are all important whether it’s a billing person ora shipping person. If a meeting planner has an event at the

Ritz-Carlton or the Four Seasons and hasordered the finest cuisine, top entertainmentand speakers but the nametags aren’t therewhen the meeting starts, they will lose theirjob. So we work really hard to make surethat when somebody entrusts us with theirbusiness we give them a quality product on time.

TP: What are the crucial elements to a good nametag?NT: I have what is called Nick’s 10-foot Rule: The most seniorperson of your organization—let’s say the president— has to beable to read the nametag from 10 feet away, at least the firstname. That’s because one of the most important things for thepeople there is to be recognized by that senior person. And sheor he needs to be able to quickly identify who you are. We allwalk through an event and we see people that we know andwe’re trying to filter, file, and sort it and come up with it butwe’re all working a Pentium load with a 486 processor so it’s alittle slow and we just need that little hint. I tell people not touse less than a 36-point font for the first name and 24-points forthe next two lines of important information which might betheir full name, their organization, or it might be the city orprovince that they’re from, depending on the type of meeting.

TP: I read a great quote in your letter in the pc/nametag cata-log. Here’s the quote: “ If we let you down, call me and let meknow. My direct number is 1-800-206-4804 ext. 139.” Do people actually call you?NT: I get about four calls a year. If the person isn’t happy withwhat their representative says, they can talk to the manager andto the chief operating officer but they can go right to me. I willlisten, I will find out, and I will generally go back and tell theperson what happened. I’m on the road a lot and so I can’t callthem back that minute but I’ll resolve the problem. The otherpowerful thing we say is that we take products back if it’s notimprinted (unless we screwed up the printing, of course). When9/11 came we felt that was even more important because meet-ing planners didn’t know what was going to happen: they didn’tknow if they were going to have 200, 400 or 600 people.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 10

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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 11

pc/nametag tops in the bizSo our philosophy was if you call us by 4 o’clock, it’ll go outthat day. So if you order 600 and 300 people show up and youhaven’t opened the box, send it back. It’s a comfort level—wewant you to relax and know we’re going to treat you right. Oneof the most embarrassing things is when I’m at a tradeshowand giving my pitch to someone and another person standingthere looking at the products says, “Oh, they’re the best.” Itlooks like they’re a shill but they’re not.

TP: What are the most dramatic changes you’ve seen in theevent planning industry in the past 20 years?NT: As a planner it’s changed so much. The legal responsibili-ties, technology: the web, online registration, web sites—Imean we used to have these catalogs from hotels with a prop-erty’s information and now we can go to their website and seewhat they have, what their meeting space is like, etc. We usedto have to wait a week for a brochure from a hotel if we didn’thave it. The ability to have multi-tiered pricing (until June 30this is the price, until July 31 there is another price), webcast-ing, etc. So the web is a huge timesaver. The ability to do desk-top publishing. The CMP really helped standardize things:everyone knows room set-ups, terminology, etc. From the hotelside, if you know a person is a CMP, you at least know gratu-ity will be added to the cost vs. some administrative assistantor volunteer who doesn’t know. From the supplier side, I’d sayweb marketing is the biggest change. Also, we see people usingmore RFI (Radio Frequency Interface) electronic nametagsalthough most meetings can’t afford it—we sense interest, notdemand for it. The Internet will continue to grow and will helpfoster familiarity. I believe barring some unforeseen event likeSARS the industry will continue to grow.

On the web: www.pcnametag.com• • •

Ed. Note: This is the first in a two-part series on professionalism.

Who is a professional and who is not? The question is confusing.Professionalism means several different things . The only certaintyabout it is that it cannot be conferred by others. Professionalism mustcome from within...

The current use of the word "professional" in reference tobusiness attitudes is ironic in view of its traditional meaning.For centuries in western societies, a professional was preciselywhat a business person was not, It was commonly assumedthat there was a higher purpose toprofessional activities than merelymaking a living. This put profession-al people on a higher social level thanthose "in trade," who in turn wereassumed to have only money in mindwhen doing their work.

The idea that a profession had amoral dimension denied to morestraightforward commercial pursuitscould be traced to the origin of theword in the Middle Ages. Then, aprofessional was someone who hadvowed or "professed" to devote his orher life to the service of God. It didnot take long for certain secular workers to point out that theytoo had taken vows to serve mankind in the same selfless spir-it. Thus teachers (or "professors"), physicians and lawyers com-bined with the clergy to form the professional class.

In theory, professional people put ethics ahead of money-making or other personal interests. In practice, the reverse wasoften the case as professional codes were wantonly honouredin the breach. Sleazy lawyers figure prominently in the litera-ture of Elizabethan times, demonstrating that today's profes-sional scandals draw on a long and dishonourable tradition.But since the majority of professionals over the ages provedhonourable enough to retain public respect, the establishedprofessions enjoyed a degree of social esteem that was the envyof similar occupational groups.

These strove to gain greater prestige by claiming profession-al status. By the beginning of this century, dentists, account-ants, engineers, architects and others had been formally addedto the list of professions. From then on, the meaning of the

word expanded informally to include other workers who haduniversity degrees or the equivalent, and did not dirty theirhands in their jobs.

Dictionaries took to defining a profession broadly as a "call-ing involving some branch of learning." These days, yuppies(young urban professionals) constitute a type rather than asocial class. They are identified more by how much moneythey make and how they spend it than by their specific careers.

Money has always had a good deal to do with the publicperception of the professions, since doctors, lawyers and therest are known for their relatively high incomes. At the same

time, though, it has been understoodthat there are some acts forbidden byethical codes which no amount ofmoney can entice a scrupulous pro-fessional to commit.

Indeed, professionalism in itspurest form calls for a dedicationwhich transcends pecuniary or anyother private considerations. One ofthe most telling illustrations of whatbeing a professional is all aboutcame in an anecdote told by a WorldWar II correspondent who onceencountered a nursing nun tendingto some horribly wounded and dis-

eased Japanese prisoners."I wouldn't do that for a million dollars," said the newspa-

perman."Neither," said the nun, "would I."But professionalism has a second meaning which collides

directly with the spirit of the first. In the second sense of theword, a professional will do absolutely anything for money.One could be a " professional" torturer if the price were right.

Being a professional in this sense also means doing for paywhat others do for nothing. It is the opposite of being an ama-teur, although in its application to sports, the distinctionbetween the two designations has become blurred.

The mixing of amateur and professional values in sportshas raised moral as well semantic confusion. The amateursportsman or sportswoman plays a game for its own sake, and

Professionalism: What exactly is it?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

Loyalty is connected with

maturity

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 12

theoretically puts a higher value on sportsmanship than onwinning. A professional in the second meaning of the wordtheoretically plays above all for profit; if something unsports-manlike must be done for the sake of making that profit, thenby definition it will be done.

The interaction between professional prideand standards of workmanship

Being a professional further means doing full-time whatothers do part-time or occasionally. A professional photogra-pher, for example , takes pictures not just on vacation, but dayin and day out. If a professional musician does not performevery day, he or she practices every day to maintain profes-sional standards of performance. The mark of a professional isbeing ready to perform whether one feels like it or not.

The saying that "the show must go on" might not be takenseriously in an amateur theatrical company, but it is an articleof faith among professional troupers. Amateur athletes mightskip a game because their muscles ache or they have personalbusiness to attend to. Pro athletes "come to play" despitesprains or bruises or whatever psychological troubles might beweighing on their minds.

Once on the field, they throw themselves body and soulinto the game , putting their personal feelings and preoccupa-tions behind them. So the "real pro" at any activity can be reliedupon consistently to do his or her best.

In most cases, that "best" will be better than an amateur's.Here we come to another perception of professionalism, whichis that professionals are very good at their work.

Hence the expression "a really professional job," whichcould just as easily apply to the serving of a meal or the instal-lation of a window as to a surgical operation or a set of archi-tectural drawings . In this instance, performing professionallymeans doing a job that is well worth the price being charged.

Professional pride interacts with professional standards ofworkmanship. One is proud to be able to do an outstandingjob; one will not do less than an outstanding job because one isproud.

In many cases, professional pride may be mingled with theanimal joy a person finds in the exercise of a natural ability.Those with a strong talent for a particular line of work may feelthat this is what they were born for. Young people with thisconviction have a sense of professional dedication before theyever take up their specialties.

"He was in love with his work, and he felt an enthusiasmfor it which nothing but the work we can do well inspires inus," the American man of letters William Dean Howells wroteof a colleague. Here he touched on three attributes of a greatprofessional in any field: a sense of vocation, enthusiasm, andthe special inspiration which is generated from within.

But, as Jean de la Bruyere remarked about authorship, it "requires more than mere genius" to perform up to professional

standards of proficiency. If a professional will normally sur-pass a gifted amateur at most activities, that is because the pro-fessional has applied the mortar of technique to the bricks ofnatural ability.

There are little tricks of any trade which become secondnature if one practices them constantly. These lend an uncon-scious professional touch to the expert practitioner's everyworking move.

As the American biographer Bernard de Voto wrote, "theskilful man is, within the function of his skill, a different inte-gration, a different nervous and muscular and psychologicalorganization .... A tennis player or a watchmaker or an airlinepilot is an automatism but he is also criticism and wisdom."

The criticism referred to is more likely to be of oneself thanof others. What has been said of a true scholar may be said ofany true professional - that he or she is constantly seeking andfinding his or her own mistakes.

The polish that makes a professional piece of work shine isusually the result of copious sweat and perhaps even tears offrustration. The more agonizingly one toils at it, the finer theproduct. As Daniel Webster wrote about his own sometimeprofession, "If he would be a great lawyer, he must first consentto be a great drudge ."

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

Visit their website: www.royalbank.com

Professionals can be relied upon consistentlyCONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 13

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 14

Miami Beach: Out and about

And who can blame them? With an average temperature of76 degrees Fahrenheit, there is little wonder the climate beck-ons any and all who despise the cold of winter. I would like topoint out, however, that the week I was there in July, tempera-tures reached 90+ with humidity of 90 per cent or more. Sufficeto say that when William Carrier was inventing air condition-ing in 1902, his inspiration may well have been the swelteringheat of Miami in July.

The transformation of South Beach from a downtroddenslum into a pastel wonderland of painstakingly renovated

architectural treasures has brought global fame for the histori-cally protected Art Deco District and its glorious beaches andfabled nightlife. This popular visitor destination is home to awondrous mix of luxury resorts, chic, boutique hotels, inex-pensive hostels and moderately priced national chain hotelsand is an international symbol for Miami. One hotel that left anindelible impression was the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, thesite of the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) OpeningNight Networking Reception, which featured an incrediblearray of colourful performers, great food, impressive multi-media presentations and even a butterfly enclosure right in themiddle of the Americana ballroom.

The Loews has 65,00 square feet of flexible meeting spaceand all the amenities you’d expect at a luxury hotel, but twothings make it stand out: world-renowned chef EmerilLagasse’s restaurant (which serves an outstanding menu, espe-cially the seafood) on the lobby level and the cascading waterfeature/pool/beach area. The also have several luxury suitesfrequented by celebrities from around the world and, amazing-ly, pets are welcome. In conclusion, I would highly recommendthis hotel to any planner doing an event or visiting the Miamior Southern Florida area.

Ocean DriveOcean Drive is known worldwide for its see-and-be-seen

cafes, bikini-clad in-line skaters and beaches packed with beau-tiful young sun seekers, while trendy Lincoln Road hasemerged as a magnet for culture, entertainment, retail businessand community activity, crowned by the new Ritz-CarltonSouth Beach, the latest luxury boutique hotel. A great feature:Several restaurants had what I call mist-makers, small tubingventing cool mist for hot and sweaty people who walk by.Restaurants and chic boutiques line the ocean to bay prome-nade, which is also home to the Lincoln and Colony Theatersand Art Center South Florida, a 60,000 square foot campus ofartists’ studios and exhibition spaces.

Lincoln Road is a destination for shoppers in Miami Beach.

CONTINUED FROM MIAMI BEACH PAGE 1

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Ph

oto

by

Leo

Ger

vais

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 15

Grand hotels dot the landscapeHotels that put Miami Beach on the map

during the swinging ‘60s, including theEden Roc and Fontainebleau Hilton (whichhosted the very impressive “Visions ofBleu” closing gala for MPI) are still goingstrong, while neighbourhoods like funkySurfside and a revitalized North Beach drawmany with unpretentious charms, greatlocal restaurants and easy beach access.

Two places I visited and highly rec-ommend are the famous Joe’s Stone CrabRestaurant and the Crobar. Joe’s is onWashington Avenue and features someof the very best seafood I’ve ever eaten.How good is this place? They do notaccept reservations and even celebritieslike Derek Jeter apparently wait in linelike everyone else during the busy win-ter season. Yes, that Derek Jeter ofYankees fame. Rumour has it that Joe’s isthe most profitable restaurant inAmerica after Tavern on the Green inCentral Park. Meanwhile, Crobar is ahopping nightclub also located onWashington, and if you’re looking fornightlife, this is a great place to start

although the whole area is full of greatplaces to party at. Crobar, in my opinion,is a notch above the rest.

Ranked the Healthiest City inAmerica by Natural Health Magazine in2002, Miami caters to action-orientedvisitors from around the globe withsome of the world's top golf, tennis andsporting facilities. So pack the suntanlotion, head south and enjoy this famousdestination to the max.

For more information, visit:Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureauwww.miamiandbeaches.com1-800-955-3646 (U.S./Canada)

Loews Hotelwww.loewshotels.com

Crobarwww.crobar.com

Joe’s Stone Crabww.joesstonecrab.com

—BY LEO GERVAIS

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 16

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

The 205-foot pool at the NationalHotel, home-base for media andsite of the outstanding PreferredHotel Group Red Carpet RendezVous; a beautiful Latina model on stilts during the OpeningNight Networking Reception atthe Loews Hotel; the trade showat the Miami Beach ConventionCentre featuring more than 600suppliers; some happy meetingplanners celebrating the openingof the Miami WEC; and the ever-popular Cyber Café where planners could log on and checktheir email and surf the web.

MPI’s WEC in Miami

Photos by Leo Gervais

Wait or Weight

This summer I did a fair bit of trav-elling and had the opportunity oftrying a few airlines which I had

never flown before. One was Westjet, and although I wasn't

crazy about being called by my firstname and the casual jean shirt look (callme old-fashioned but I still like to thinkI'm a customer not a long lost friend) Ihave to say that their sense of humourwas refreshing. The service and comfortwere excellent as was the price, I woulddefinitely fly Westjet again.

The other airline I had the opportuni-ty of flying was Air Transat. Now, I'm oftwo minds here; the price was definitelyexcellent, but I had heard that their on-time record was not the best in theindustry and my flight from Toronto wasan example as it was delayed by fivehours, which forced my first day inBritain to be totally rescheduled.

So I saved a few dollars on the flightbut lost a day. That being said, their per-sonnel was most efficient and friendly(without resorting to my first name) andthe seats were very comfortable,although a bit close. The food would notwin any awards, but at 3 a.m. who cares?

The other point which really got mewas the baggage limits. I know—as aplanner I should have checked but who

has ever heard of a one-bag limit at 20kilos (44 lbs.)? I had one bag at 26 kilos(57.2 lbs.) and it cost me an extra $50. So would I fly Air Transat again?Although the price is right I would haveto say NO, not until they improve theiron-time schedule in a consistent fashion.Speaking of luggage, I decided to spoilmyself because, as L’Oréal would say,“I’m worth it.” So at the beginning ofthe summer I purchased a small digitalcamera. I don’t know much about thesetoys but this little Canon sure is neat,but more about that in another article ata later date. You take pics of anythingand everything knowing you can erasethem at will, at no expense. And it’s sosmall I carry it next to my Blackberry onmy belt. As I was waiting in line at theairport I got the idea of taking a pictureof my luggage—the point of this littletale—so if it got lost I would have a pic-ture worth a 1,000 words.

It’s timeAs I waited for the Air Transat flight

to take off I decided to explore theSheraton hotel in the Pearson Airport.Now here is a hotel that has a greatopportunity but is not capitalizing onit—to have flexible hours. Travellers arechecking in and out at all hours. Theycould literally charge per hour with sayan eight-hour minimum for the roomsand probably make substantially more

money while filling a real need. Peoplearriving late at night and having anearly morning flight out or those arriv-ing early in the morning and flying outin the afternoon or evening would bene-fit and the hotel could rent the sameroom twice and in some cases threetimes in a 24-hour period: a win-win situation for all concerned.

Hooray for haggis!Having been in Scotland for the

British Open, I have to say what a greatcountry it is. From Edinburgh to St.Andrews, it's just wonderful and ifyou've never planned an event thereyou should seriously consider it. Thefood is excellent the scenery is breath-taking and the Scots would give theirright arm to please. There is so much todo, see and learn that two weeks isbarely enough to scratch the surface. I would say the best months to visit areMay through September. Golf, malt, history, nature and the weather in thelow to mid 70s were all fantastic.Everyone seems to have a little Scottishin them, so I strongly suggest you take a group and explore your roots.

• •A CLOSING NOTE: Jyl AshtonCunningham, CMP, of TO is an experton Britain so contact her at her websitewww.jaacevents.com if you are planning an event across the pond.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 17

Auctor à propos ��� COMMENTCOMMENTARARYY

BY MIKE AUCTOR

Our introductory column provides a few “on-site survival tips”that really work for us. We’re sure you too have some tips that

really work for you. Email us with your survival tips, and any othertopics you would like to comment about. We look forward to yourquestions too!

A few on-site survival tips ...

Make a list. You’re unpacking and realize you’ve forgottenyour face cream and the belt that goes with the pants youbrought. These are not items easily replaceable at the hotel giftshop. A list can save you time and money in the long run!

Look better, feel better. Before we leave for a NationalBusiness Meeting, we always make time for pre-meetinggrooming. We want to look fresh and feel good during theentire event. Find out what the attire is for the day/evening.In most cases business casual is safe. Anything more or lessmight make you look (and feel) out of place. However, if you'remaking a presentation, manning a booth, or attending a galaevent, something more formal may be called for. Bring clothesthat travel well. You never know if an iron will be available.Comfortable shoes are a must ... even though those brand newshoes felt great in the store ... putting 12-hours on them in thefirst day may cause inexpressible pain.

Look after yourself. When pulled away from your day today routine, it can be difficult to keep your health in check.Remember to drink plenty of water, carry healthy snacks withyou and wash your hands frequently. Travel wipes and handsanitizer are a necessity for us! When eating at the hotel orlocal restaurant, be very nice to your server ... they can con-vince the chef to steam those veggies you want that willreplace the fries.

Sleep deficit. Sleep or rest whenever you can! There’s noth-ing like slipping into bed after 17-hours of intense rehearsals ina dark meeting room. Denise and I always share a room, and

we wouldn’t have it any other way. We take this time to reflecton how the meeting is taking shape and how we can efficient-ly carry-out the rest of our responsibilities before hitting thepillow for a much-needed 4 hours. Needless, to say, to makethe most of those 4 hours, I couldn’t do it without my trustyeye mask and ear plugs, especially when my roommate has atendency to snore ... and gets up before me. Also, open thewindow, fresh air helps you sleep. If it’s dry in your room, fillup the bath tub with water. It really helps!

Getting to know you. Take the opportunity to do a pre-con-ference meeting. This is a great way to make sure key staff is onyour side, and want to help you in any way possible during theMeeting.

Be sure to get invited to the client’s evening functions andeven their hospitality suite. Use this informal setting to buildrelationships that will help to make future projects with every-one involved more efficient, more effective and fun!

Look for your comments and answers to your questions inthe October issue of The Planner.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 18

For the first time, researchers haveput a number on how fit a female shouldbe. Writing in the New England Journalof Medicine, the researchers found intheir study of 5,700 women over the ageof 35 that those who couldn’t reach 85 percent of their exercise capacity in a treadmilltest were twice as likely to die within eight

years as their fitter peers.

Survival of the fittest!

Riders of the stormEd. Note: This is a follow-up article to “Baton down the hatches”which appeared in the June-July 2005 Planner.

BY LEO GERVAIS

Iwas very apprehensive the morning of July 10 as I flew to Miami Beach for MPI’s2005 World Education Congress. Hurricane Dennis was in full swing,

a Category Four storm that threatened all of Florida. When my colleague and Iarrived in Miami Beach, the wind was gusting about 40-50 mph—enough to makethe van we were in to sway noticeably when Dennis let loose with a gust of air.

The scene on the beach was disconcerting: 10-15 foot waves making boatingimpossible. I was amazed to learn that we were only getting the tail end of thehurricane—they really are a force of nature.

Researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationrecently raised their forecast for the number of Atlantic tropical storms expected bythe end of the hurricane season to as many as 14, of which nine are likely to be hur-ricanes. For 2005, they now expect about 21 storms. In response, Expedia.com haslaunched a “hassle-free Hurricane Promise.” offering customers who book withExpedia around-the-clock help with travel changes, including a waiver of cancella-tion fees normally charged by Expedia, when there are hurricane-related problems.Some hotels are offering a replacement stay at the resort for up to one year after acancellation for travelers who have to call off a holiday because of a hurricane.

Club Med has begun offering a hurricane protection program in mid-June thatprovides guests with a future travel certificate in the event of a hurricane.

Hotels like the Reef Resort in Grand Cayman offer replacement-stay guarantees,while the Sans Souci Resort in Jamaica gives refunds in the form of vouchers.

For travellers, the surest financial protection is to buy travel insurance. Butmake sure you buy the insurance BEFORE your trip—once a hurricane warninghas been issued it is too late as insurers cover clients against “unforeseeable” sit-uations—not those already declared.

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

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 19

For more information call:Anne Stevens, Director of Sales

902.423.8887 [email protected]

Where else but White Point Beach Resort can you play nine holes before breakfast,

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;

traffic, hurry and elevator.

HERE, “HANG TEN” IS A BUSINESS TERM.

Finding your exhibit zone can help

Athletes call it the“zone.” Actors

refer to it as the“moment.” For therest of us by work-ing and living in thehere and now, our

entire focus is on the job at hand.Show exhibitors experience this phe-

nomenon when the show is busy. Alloutside interferences disappear and theirfocus is taking care of visitors. It’s whenthe show slows down that problemsoccur and booth staff display behaviorsthat are counter-productive.

The athlete or actor, through years oftraining, can harness their internal resourcesand find the zone on their own. Theexhibitor, however, seems to need that exter-nal force (lots of traffic) to find their zone.

These exhibitors can tear a page out ofthe athlete’s and actor’s note books andlearn some valuable lessons.

Here are some simple strategies tohelp you find your exhibit zone.

1. Find the FlowEvery show has its natural rhythm.

There will be busy times and slow times.The savvy exhibitor knows that whenthe traffic diminishes, there are stillopportunities. Slow traffic times are justa quiet respite before the next storm.These exhibitors focus on the signs thatthe storm will, once again, start to blowrather than on their tired feet and over-worked smiles.

2. Define your momentWe all have a choice. We can spend

time assuming that the show is a wasteor know that opportunities are lurkingeverywhere. Our attitudinal choice ismade long before the show begins.Assume that the show is going to be awinner and half your battle is alreadywon. Assume that it’s going to be a wasteof time and you might as well pack upand go home early. A careful examina-tion of the attendee profiles is one step toidentify the show’s potential and changenegative attitudes.

3. Refocus your doubtsThere are times when even the best of

attitudes is challenged. That’s whenyour doubts appear. Doubts creep intoyour conscious mind slowly and beforeyou know it, they can hamper the best ofintentions.

A better approach is to use thesedoubts as signs that what you are doing,and not necessarily the show itself, isnot working.

Now is the time to find new strate-gies to stimulate business, such as look-ing for opportunities away from yourbooth, rather than wallowing in yourdoubts and letting your negative ener-gies overtake your whole effort. Watchwhere exhibitors and attendees congre-gate and look for networking opportuni-ties there.

The exhibitor’s or buyer’s lounges,media conferences, hospitality events ofjust walking around the show floor canuncover many of these opportunities.

4. Small acts produce bigresults

Everything you do when you areworking at your booth, no matter howsmall, will have an effect on your organ-ization. When things are slow, take thetime to gather intelligence that yourcompany can use to further itself.Competitive intelligence is more thanspying. It’s collecting information thatwill help guide your corporation’s deci-sion making, such as which shows toattend, the new products and trends onthe market, the new players and themost recent industry buzz.

5. Think with clarityIt’s been said that organizing and exe-

cuting a show is a multi-taskers dream.There is a tendency to try and fill the daywith too many activities. Knowing whatyou are trying to accomplish and withwhom is a constant reminder that willkeep you on track and focused.

So, what do the athlete, the actor andthe exhibitor have in common? They allwant to win. But rather than focusing onthe destination, a more productiveapproach is to focus on the journey—onestep at a time.

• • •Reprinted with kind permission from theauthor. Barry Siskind is North America’sforemost trade and consumer show expert,president of International Training andManagement Company, and the author ofseveral books. Visit him at: www.siskindtrain-ing.com or e-mail him at: [email protected].

BY BARRY SISKIND

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 20

Beijing International Travel andTourism Markethttp://www.bittm.com

China Travel Guidehttp://www.chinaplanner.com/

World Leisure Expowww.worldleisure.org/expo2006/innovationprize.html

Ever felt like your knowledge ofChina is basically that it is the mostpopulous country on earth and hometo Jackie Chan and cool-lookingPanda bears? Well, it’s probably timeto learn a lot more fast, as this coun-try could well be THE country of the21st century with an enormousindustrial and cultural revolutionoccurring as you read this. Thesesites offer good info and statistics onwhat is happening in China, so if youare tired of being an Occidentaltourist, “Go east young woman.”Incidentally, the World LeisureEXPO is scheduled for April 22 toOctober 22, 2006 in Hangzhou,China.

Travel warningswww.voyage.gc.caThe Canadian Foreign AffairsDepartment has changed the termi-nology it uses to communicate offi-cial warnings to Canadians.Situations and events can triggertravel warnings, so consult this website when traveling abroad.

Do you have a website you want to sharewith other planners?

Email us at: info @theplanner.ca

Websiteso f

interestUpcoming Events

SEPTEMBER 7-8Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, AffordableMeetings National, Washington (D.C.) Convention Center. www.affordable-meetings.org, (914) 421-3200;

SEPTEMBER 27-29Incentive Travel & Meeting Executives, The Motivation Show, McCormickPlace, Chicago. www.motivationshow.com, (630) 434-7779.

OCTOBER 11Professional Convention Management Association, LegalAdvantage: A CloserLook at Vendor Contracts Intellectual Property, Westin Peachtree Plaza,Atlanta. www.pcma.org, (312) 423-7264.

OCTOBER 20-21M&C and BiZBash, Meeting and Event Style Show, Pier 94, New York City.www.bizbash.com/eventstyleshow, (201) 902-1829.

OCTOBER 26-30National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, Fall Conference, AtlantisResort, Paradise Island, Bahamas. www.ncbmp.com, (202) 628-3952.

DATEBOOK

Holiday Applies to Date

Labour Day September 5

Thanksgiving Day October 10

Remembrance Day All except Quebec November 11

Christmas Day December 25

Jargon BusterTechno babble demystified

sponsored by Avtec Professional A/V Services!RRAAMM:: Pronounced ramm, acronym for Random Access Memory, atype of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is,any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preced-ing bytes. RAM is the most common type of memory found incomputers and other devices, such as printers.

What is RAM?

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 21

If you’ve ever managed a productionline, then you would be well

acquainted with the concept of a ‘bot-tleneck’. For those that haven’t, here’sthe concept in a nutshell; Assumeprocess ‘A’ creates items for process ‘B’,and process ‘B’ can only handle five

items per hour. There is no point in increasing the produc-tivity level of process ‘A’ past five items per hour. Process‘B’ is the bottleneck.

With that example in mind, let’s examine this thingcalled ‘Creativity’. I’d like to suggest the problem is not in alack of new ideas, but an overly effective set of stage ‘B’ bot-tlenecks, that allow very little to escape from your mind andinto the light of day.

Proof of that statement is as close as this evening’sdreams. All day we search for new ideas and come up dry…and yet the very instant we fall asleep and cease the mentalstruggle, our dreams are flooded with the fantastical. Ourchallenge is to find a way to tap into that Creativity withour eyes wide open.

Be conscious of your noseNope, not the nose in the middle of your face, but the‘NO’s that arise every time you see, hear or read

something different. As an example? Rather than numberingthese points, I thought I’d use clock images. Why? I honestlydon’t know… the idea was there and I thought I’d act on it.

Now that I have used the clocks it makes some sense. Tobe ‘conscious’ means to be aware of what’s going on aroundyou, including the passage of time. If you’re saying to your-self… ‘using clocks is silly/stupid/(insert your favouritederogatory adjective here)’ then you’re not allowing a newidea a chance to grow.

Make your intuition visibleA very simple technique. Next time you cannot log-ically, rationally, choose between two alternatives A

and B… Flip a coin… heads it’s A, tails it’s B… and then at

the very instant when you see the result… are you pleasedor disappointed with the outcome?

By focusing your attention to that split second of discov-ery, you’ll learn which choice you ‘prefer’… I’m not sug-gesting you follow that knowledge blindly… but at leastyou’ll have additional information with which to decide.

Put ‘Freudian’ slips to good useWe make slips, mistakes and typos all the time. Asimple method of forcing yourself to think along a

different track is to ask the question, “What would I havemeant, if I’d meant to say that?”

I awoke one morning and reached out to get a ‘toothpick’… and the words that echoed in my mind was ‘TruthPick’… What if ‘Truth Pick’ was what I had meant to say?...’I came up with this… A short, pointed commentarydesigned to extract the ‘Truth” from a quote… you candownload the results of that idle thought from www.truth-picks.com

Look to the flipsideThis is the old, yet still useful, chestnut of turningLemons into Lemonade. It’s not really a bad strate-

gy; it’s what’s used to keep bridges from falling down. Takethe most powerful force working against you at themoment, gravity in the case of bridges, and get it workingin your favour. Bridges don’t fall down, because we’velearned to harness gravity and make it work for us to keepthe bridge standing.

Admittedly the concept is simple enough, but making ithappen takes determination and a significant amount ofskill. But, when it works? Situations that once created prob-lems - suddenly create profit.

Ask the child’s question… Why?And keep asking it until there aren’t anymoreanswers. Of all the ‘Why?’ questions, the most pow-

erful one you can bring to bear on your organization is“Why are we doing it this way?” Ask it until people runwhen you approach and scream at the sound of it, and thenkeep asking it. Unless there’s a good answer to that ques-tion, and “Because I said so!” is a terrible answer, then youshouldn’t be doing what you’re doing.

The amount of creativity you can bring to bear on a task,is more a function of the courage to work with the ideas youhave, than it is of coming up with new ideas. The bottleneckis idea acceptance, not idea generation.

(®) 2004 Peter de Jager. A mutterer of words (speaker) and advisorto those who look at others while they do all the work (ManagementConsultant). To contact him, or for information on his seminars, visitwww.technobility.com

BY PETER DE JAGER

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 22

Five moments intime to increaseyour creativity

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FIVE-MINUTE LIFE COACH

BY THOMAS CHALMERS

Have you been getting enough funlately? If you need to think about it

then maybe you haven’t.Injecting fun and humour into your

everyday life is like carrying the sunaround in your pocket all day long.People who find fun are fun to be with.They look on the bright side. They aresocial magnets. They keep the partygoing. They make light work of heavyworkloads.

Laughter is a great medicine andwhen you laugh, the whole world laughswith you.

The tantrum throwing tennis playerJohn McEnroe wasn’t joking when hecoined the phrase, “You cannot be seri-ous”. I enjoyed watching McEnroe playand I now enjoy his commentary evenmore. He combines intelligent observa-tion with a great sense of humour.

Indeed, you cannot afford to be tooserious all the time. When you find your-self taking life too seriously, laughterlightens the load.

Take a moment to ask yourself thisquestion:

On a scale of 1 – 10 where 1 = heavyand 10 = light, where do you fall?

This is a very personal exercise. Youwill be familiar with your own definition

of heavy and light and what they meanfor you.

No matter where you find yourselfon the scale what will it take to move youcloser to 10? What action do you need totake to leave the heaviness behind andmake light.

(If you gave yourself a 10 at the out-set - well done – you must be joking . . .if you know what I mean!)

When you find fun, you are less like-ly to find fault. When you find fun, theoppressiveness of heavy pessimism dis-sipates and you breathe in the clear air oflight optimism. As Winston Churchillonce said, “a pessimist finds danger inevery opportunity. An optimist findsopportunity in every danger”.

We all make mistakes. Don’t be afraidto laugh at yourself. In doing so, you willmove forward, faster.

Fun is infectious and you need notgo as far as playing the clown or makinga fool of yourself. Quite simply, whenyou seek opportunities to have fun inyour life you will brighten up the day,not just for yourself, but for those aroundyou. It is like having something to lookforward to every day of your life. In factDale Carnegie, author of How to WinFriends and Influence People, observedthat “people rarely succeed unless theyhave fun in what they are doing.”

So, don’t wait on fun finding you.

On the contrary, make up your mind tofind fun and you will feel s-miles better.

You cannot be serious! It is importantto carry on laughing.

Website: www.idealife.co.uk

The importance of being(not too) earnest!

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 24

You can hear me, but are you listening?

Listening is one oflife’s basic neces-

sities. Whetheryou’re learningabout a new productor service, speakingto a vendor at a trade

show or planning an event—if youstruggle with active listening, chancesare you’re missing opportunities that aidin advancing your career. We’re not talk-ing about hearing but actively listeningto the “why” behind words. Throughoutthe normal course of a day, we listennearly twice as much as we speak andfour to five times as much as we readand write. The challenge is being 100percent present throughout the daywhen it matters the most to capture keypoints and ideas as a result of listening.

To test your own listening efficiency,think about how often you ask someoneto repeat information, or how manytimes someone has said to you, “You'renot listening to me.” This happens morethan you might think because most peo-ple only listen for the first three to fourseconds of a conversation. After that,they’re formulating a response.

Active listening takes time and prac-tice. To stay focused on listening, heresome points to consider:1. Make solid eye contact. This showsyour listener you're listening to themand helps you stay focused on what’sbeing communicated.

2. Pay attention to your listener’s bodylanguage. Are they looking at or awayfrom you? If they’re looking at you ver-sus away from you, there’s a greaterchance they’re interested in what youhave to say therefore will hear your mes-sage and are more open to the informa-tion. When your listener is more open tothe information discussed; you increasethe probability they’ll take the actionyou’ve set out to achieve. 3. Are they walking away from you orcrossing their arms? Both of these behav-iors are closed and communicate yourlistener is unapproachable or in dis-agreement with your message.

In this scenario get your listenerinvolved in the conversation by askingthem an open-ended question. This willcommunicate you’re sincere and wish toinvolve them in the conversation.

4. Pause before answering. A pauseoften encourages your listener to provideyou with additional information andgives you an opportunity to "think onyour feet."

5. Listen for changes in your listener’stone of voice, inflection, or volume. Iftheir voice has more inflection, they’recommunicating a positive response toyour message. If your listener’s voice

increases in volume or with a harsh tone,it’s time to listen to what they have to sayand then answer with a softer volumeand tone. This will allow them to calmdown so that they can understand whatyou’re saying.

6. Listen for key ideas and facts. Peopletend to ramble, so stay focused on thecore of the message.

7. When your listener touches on some-thing you want to know more about,simply repeat the statement as a question.

8. Summarize and paraphrase key pointsperiodically to guarantee you're hearingand understanding your listener’swords. Say, "If I understand you correct-ly...," or "So what I hear you saying is... ."

9. Ask open-ended questions—ques-tions requiring more than a one-wordanswer—to clarify what your listener issaying.

10. Be patient when listening to what isbeing said and avoid interrupting, eventhough you may believe what your lis-tener is saying is wrong or irrelevant.Indicate simple acceptance, not necessar-ily agreement, by nodding or perhapsinjecting an occasional "I see."

11. Briefly and accurately acknowledgeyour listeners concerns, frustrations, andchallenges. Without acknowledgement,they’ll continue to focus on the emotionversus the issue being discussed. Say, "Ican imagine you must feel...,' or "I get theimpression you're unhappy about... ."

12. Don't get emotionally involved.Avoid expressing your own personalviews because they may influence orinhibit what your listener says. Try sim-ply to understand their concerns firstand defer evaluation until later.

13. Encourage your listener to provideadditional information with phrasessuch as, "Tell me more,” or "As I under-stand it, what you're saying is... ."

14. Make your response brief and con-cise. Show your listener you're listeningby letting them speak 80% of the time.

15. Listen for what isn't said. They maybe giving you a clue to bothersome factsthey wish weren't true. For example;your listener may say, “This solution isnot negotiable, how will I afford it?”Your response may be, “So you’re con-cerned about how much this will costyou. Let me share with you someoptions that will benefit your budget.”

The next time you find yourself think-ing ahead of the conversation or drifting,bring yourself back to the topic at hand.In fact, if active listening was so easy,think about how many individualswould have greater knowledge andbuild stronger relationships.

• • •

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:[email protected]

BY STACEY HANKE

Pay attention to your listener’s

body language

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 25

Toronto bests rivals to host major Shrinersconvention in 2010Estimated economic impact to exceed $31 million

Tourism Toronto, Toronto’s Convention and VisitorsAssociation, today announced July 15 the successful conclusionof its bid to host the Shriners 136th Imperial Council Session inToronto from June 25–July 9, 2010.

“This is another major convention win for Greater Toronto,and demonstrates the growing recognition of our destination asone of the premier meeting and convention destinations in theworld,” said Bruce MacMillan, President and CEO of TourismToronto, the industry-led association that has been aggressivelypursuing this opportunity for the last several months.

Approximately 20,000 Shriners and their families willattend the session, to be held from June 25–July 9th, 2010. Atotal of 24,000 hotel room nights will be booked as a result ofthis decision. The overall economic impact of their stay is esti-mated to be well over $31 million.

“We’re pleased to be hosting this important gathering of ourmembers in Toronto” said George Mitchell, the ShrinersImperial Officer. “

Shriners will get to see Toronto’s CN Tower and more in 2010. Following the recent G8 summit, travel industry associa-tions are continuing their united opposition to a pro-

posed new aviation tax to fund development in poor coun-tries. The group says aid for developing countries is laud-able, but funding it through a new tax on aviation is mis-guided and counterproductive.

Airports Council International, the Asia Pacific Travel RetailAssociation, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, the DutyFree World Council, the International Air TransportAssociation, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, and the TaxFree World Association jointly denounce the taxation proposal.

The group says any additional tax would decrease airline effi-ciencies and reduce demand for travel and tourism, which is amajor driver of economic development in many poor countries.

The travel industry also believes the proposal would putan unnecessary burden on the travel sector, in particular air-lines, which have sustained billion-dollar losses over thepast four years and must now absorb record- breaking oilprices.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Chairman MrNobutaka Ishikure (who is also Japan Airlines Chief indus-try Affairs Officer), said: "We must remind governments thatairlines are not under-taxed, but are over-charged. Airlinesplay a critical role as a catalyst for economic development.Development is a serious issue in need of a serious solution.More tax on air travel is not the way forward."

New aviation tax drawing ireof travel industry

Need to change your address?

[email protected]

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 26

APEX offers some great toolsBY SANDY BIBACK, CMP CMM

Toronto recently held a City Discussion Group for all thoseinvolved in the meetings/conferences/events/hospitality

industry. Over 40 people attended this very important meetingto discuss, specifically, the draft industry review of thePreliminary Report of the APEX Contracts Panel, a projectmanaged by the Convention Industry Council. (www.conven-tionindustry.org)

What is APEX?

It is an industry wide initiative that will enhance efficienciesand streamline processes. The seven core areas are:

• Terminology• History/Post Event Reports• Resumes & Work Orders• RFPs• Housing & Registration• Meeting & Site Profiles• Contracts

By going to the website, you can download theHistory/Post Event Report and the Event Specifications Guide(formerly Resumes & Work Orders). These are now completeand FREE to be used within the industry. To reach the glossary,go to http://glossary.conventionindustry.org/

APEX is 100 per cent funded by the industry and has devel-oped and is developing more tools to help the industryincrease professionalism, improve efficiencies and streamlineprocesses between all parties. There are more than 350 volun-teers all over North America.

As each panel gets closer to a final product, the work of thepanel is reviewed in City Discussion Groups. Toronto has host-ed three City Discussion Groups, the Contracts review beingthe last.

The Draft Contract includes various clauses that can be usedby planners/hoteliers alike in the following areas:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements• Attrition (Guest Rooms)• Cancellation• Dispute Resolution• Food & Beverage Attrition• Function Space• Guest Room Accommodations• Indemnification (Hold Harmless)• Preamble• Termination & Excuse of Performance• Additional Potential Contract Clauses

CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 27

Planners need to use the tools

The Toronto City Discussion Group was made up of planners (corpo-rate, association, independent); hoteliers; AV companies and general con-tractors. All the major associations were invited and were represented,including some people, while in the industry, are not members of theassociation. This cross section of representation leads to a stronger over-all finished product.

Mary Power, CAE, President & CEO of Convention Industry Councilwas on hand to explain the APEX Project.

“If you look at two of the most significant changes in our industry inthe last few years they are the drastic reduction in lead time and thereduction of training on both the supplier and planner side. APEX pro-vides workable solutions to both problems,” said Power.

“The checklists, templates and best practices provide tools that willenhance effectiveness and help ensure that accurate and timely informa-tion is transferred on the first try. The first of the APEX tools have beenreleased and there is much more to come in the next few months.

“The more planners that use the tools and request that their suppliersuse them, the more effective we as an industry will become,” she con-cluded.

Around the tables, the largest discussion centred on the ADA clauses.ADA is not the required law in Canada, or other countries. It was suggest-ed that a clause be worded to indicate that the accessibility laws of theland (where conference being held) would prevail. All comments weresubmitted and the Contracts Panel will now begin round 2 of their draft

If you would like to make comments on this, or any other outstandingpanels, follow the directions in the website (send to [email protected]). Your feedback is so valuable. I was co-chair of the Resumes& Work Orders Panel and our first draft received over 700 comments!

It’s your industry; help improve it by using APEX tools.I’d like to thank the following sponsors for their co-sponsorship of the

Toronto City Discussion Group:

IMPAC (www.impaccanada.com)Tourism Toronto (www.tourismtoronto.com)Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre (www.mtccc.comAVW TELAV (www.avwtelav.com)

Sandy Biback, CMP CMM is the founder of Imagination+ Meeting PlannersInc., the APEX Toronto City Discussion Group Leader and the APEX Resumes &Work Orders Panel Co-chair.

She can be reached at: [email protected]

• • •

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

SUDOKU ANSWER FROM PUZZLE ON PAGE 8

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 28

Hotel News from around the world

Inexpensive high-end hospitalityAt the Hotel Rialto in Warsaw, Poland—for just CDN $120

at 1.32 to the euro—you are treated to the height of chic hospi-tality surrounded by impeccable Art Deco furniture, gleamingchrome lamps, a flat-screened TV, a marble bathroom tiled inglittering turquoise and copper.

Hotel Rialto is just one of the properties that now providesa high level of service and amenities at distinctively low prices.

The demand for these options is growing as young con-sumers who crave design-oriented hotels at a less-than-exclu-sive price take a bigger share of the hospitality market. Thedollar’s fall in value is another factor as North Americans trav-eling abroad search for cheaper alternatives.

Four Seasons remains #1Four Seasons Hotels Inc. moved up to a $19 million profit,

the hotel owner and manager said recently, as improvementsin luxury travel traffic remained stable.

Luxury travel demand trends continue the strength shownover the past few quarters in virtually all of our markets,”chief financial officer Douglas Ludwig said in a release. The chain has again emerged at the top of the luxury cate-gory in this year’s survey of US hotel guest satisfaction bymarket research company JD Power. Ritz Carlton and JWMarriott received the second- and third-highest scoresrespectively among the 11 groups covered.

What’s in a name?As a traveler, it’s important to double-check the physical

address of your hotel before booking or reserving a room. More hotels appear to be frequently stretching the truth

about their location and the reasons range from changes in theway people book to a shortage of land on which to build.

You can use various online agencies like Expedia, Orbitzand Travelocity, which allow guests to pinpoint a hotel’s loca-tion on a map before they finish booking.

If you book your hotel online, where you make your

decisions based on keyword searches that include the name ofthe city or attraction you want to visit, you may not be gettingvery accurate information regarding a hotel’s location.

Why? Hotel managers want their properties to pop up first,and they are becoming increasingly aggressive about theirnames. This is very true of new hotels.

According to industry experts, in densely urban areaswhere there is no land left to build, hotels are being forced tointo the suburbs, and managers don’t necessarily want theirnames to reflect that.

Hilton and RafflesHilton Hotels Corp. said it sold 11 hotels to outside

investors over the past three months as part of an effort tofocus more on hotel management and less on real estate own-ership. Net proceeds after taxes and other costs totalled aboutUS $335 million. The company didn’t identify the buyers.Raffles Holdings, the Singapore Hotel Group recentlyannounced the sale of Raffles and 40 other hotels it owns oroperates for US $1.02-billion to Colony Capital, . The 118-year-old Raffles hotel was declared a national heritage site in 1987.

Starwood’s room rates hike, but profits decline

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.’s profit declinedsix percent in the second quarter, though room rates were higher.

The White Plains, N.Y., company’s net income was $145 mil-lion, or 65 cents a share, in the second quarter, down from $154million, or 72 cents a share, a year earlier. Starwood has about750 properties in more than 80 countries.

Hotel operating profit margins in North America increased2.3 percentage points in the second quarter, and Starwoodexpects them to improve 2.5 to 3.0 percentage points throughthe rest of the year.

On the web: www.starwoodhotels.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Nice an easyHotel does it The first easyHotel,where rooms start at CDN $42, opened

recently at 14 Lexham Gardens in London. It has 34 doublerooms, three of which come with windows—and rent for a pre-mium. The Observer newspaper drily commented in a pre-opening review that “the glaringly orange rooms come insmall, smaller, or tiny.” No kidding: the rooms are 80, 70 or 60square feet and come with a double bed, a small bathroom andlittle else. European airline EasyJet is jumping into the hostel-ry game and will own and operate this hotel and one sched-uled to open soon in Basel, Switzerland.

Armani signs deal to open 10 hotelsFashionmeister Giorgio Armani has signed a deal to open at

least 10 hotels and resorts bearing his name.Armani will be in charge of the design and style of the hotels,

which will be full of his homewear and furniture, fashion andbeauty products.

The first hotel is scheduled to open in early 2008 in EMAAR’sBurj Dubai Tower, due to be the world’s tallest residential andcommercial building. Milan, London and New York are also onthe list to welcome the new Armani hotels.

Several top tier retailers are gambling fashionistas and luxurylovers will extend their brand loyalty from their wardrobes totheir choice of hotels. Armani says it is a logical extension of hisbrand started 30 years ago with his fashion line.

“Fashion has expanded to encompass our way of life, not justhow we dress but where we live, which restaurants we eat at,which car we drive, where we go on holiday and which hotels westay in,” he said.

New luxury-hotel chain to launchVeteran hotelier Horst Schulze and his closely held lodging

company, West Paces Hotel Group LLC, plan to launch a chainto capture the upper end of the hotel market.

The new chain, called Solis Hotels & Resorts, has identifiedsix initial properties. West Paces will manage solis-brandedhotels, but others will own the real estate.

Schulze, the 64-year-old former president of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., says the brand will target, “upmarket indi-viduals and the corporate meeting sector” and will competedirectly with top industry names including Four SeasonsHotels & Resorts, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

Schulze says the upper reaches of the hotel industry are ripefor another entrant that combines luxury touches—includingspas, boutique shopping and world-class restaurants—withimpeccable service.

The first resort, to be called Montelucia, is slated to open in sub-urban Phoenix in early 2007. Properties are also planned forAlpharetta, Ga.; Chicago; Orlando, Fla.; San Antonio; and Frankfurt.

Independent we like Demand for independent hotels from corporate travel

agents is increasing says the global reservations giantAmadeus. The Madrid-based company says it is aiming tomake more modestly priced properties in business cities book-able through its system. Independent hotels made up morethan 25 per cent of the 1,600 properties it added to its invento-ry in the second quarter of the year. And in the year to June, itintroduced 700 such hotels in 18 European, Latin Americanand African countries.

Ritz-Carlton targets young travelersThe Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is on a mission to attract a more

youthful clientele, with an emphasis on experiences, not desti-nations. A print ad campaign designed for this purpose hasbeen launched since May.

The move is a cautious attempt to create a wide and inclu-sive customer base to the Ritz-Carlton brand without alienat-ing the older, established regulars. The hotel chain alreadyfaces huge competition in its traditional arena from rivals likeFour Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Peninsula Hotels.

Ritz-Carlton has missed out on a younger set of wealthytravelers who now patronize a plethora of other upscale hotels.

The hotelier is placing the new campaign in venues it hasn’tused before, including magazines like Vanity Fair, W andWallpaper. The biggest campaign push will be in Asia,Mainland China, where Ritz-Carlton has five hotels in variousstages of development.

On the web: www.ritzcarlton.com

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 29

Hotel News

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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 30

SQUARE IS THE HOT SHAPE FOR 2005

D on’t be a square they used to say. Well, four sides is in now...Incorporating this new trend, Event Fusion has designed squarewalking tables. The new convenient 4 ft. square table is easier

to maneuver through crowds than the standard 60-inch round tables usually found in the industry.

Custom designed walking tables are great for special events, trade showsor business meeting coffee breaks. Gliding through the room, the table host-ess interacts with guests while offering appetizers, treats, samples or give-aways from atop of her decorative table top. She entertains guests whileenhancing the theme, adding an element of whimsical fun.

“Eye Candy” is one of Event Fusion’s sweet new designs. A walkingcandy buffet offers a variety of sweet treats. Guests select their candy andserve themselves, just like at a candy store, carrying away their treats in little candy bags or in ice cream cones—this is a proven crowd pleaser!

SQUARE IS IN!Las Vegas churches aplenty

There are more churches in Las Vegasthan casinos. During Sunday services, atthe offertory, some worshippers con-tribute Casino Chips, as opposed tocash. Some are sharing their winnings -some are hoping to win. Since there areso many Casinos, the Catholic churchessend all the chips into one of the the sev-eral monasteries of the diocese for sort-ing. Once sorted for the respective casi-no the chips belong to, one junior priesttakes the chips and makes the rounds ofthe casinos, turning chips into cash. Andhe is known as... Are you ready? You'regoing to love this: The CHIP-MONK!

How to stay young Remember: there is no way you can

look as bad as that person on your driv-ers license...

1. Keep only cheerful friends. Thegrouches pull you down.

2. Laugh often, long and loud. Laughuntil you gasp for breath.

3. The tears happen. Endure, grieve,and move on. Be ALIVE while you arealive.

4. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip tothe mall, to the next county, to a foreigncountry, but NOT to where the guilt is.

5. Don't sweat the petty things anddon't pet the sweaty things.

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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2005 31

Beaches Turks & Caicos is set apart from the world on a 12-mile stretch of unspoiled white-sand beach and ishome to the Caribbean's best scuba diving. Offering thesame impeccable service standards as Sandals, this pristine resort is home to clear waters in a hundred different shades of turquoise. Step into a true FrenchVillage and dine at a Parisian cafe or choose from one of the other nine gourmet restaurants on property. Indulge in a world-class spa.

Enjoy state-of-the art meeting facilities with all the latesttechnology – over 5,500 square feet of meeting space is available. Three rooms divisible by air walls with each roomaccommodating over 150 persons theatre-style. Each room also features 42” Plasma screens, cordless micro-phones, drop-down screens and internet access.

Discover Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa … The Last of The True Exotics.

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