File - Site Southeast USA

 Open Spaces: Idea Exchange
A Learning Experience Designed for
the Site Southeast Chapter
by:
Midori Connolly, Chief AVGirl
http://sitesoutheast.weebly.com/index.html
For more information on how you can
create this type of social, collective learning
experience for your group,
contact Midori Connolly at
[email protected]
619.517.5916
Prepare to be Disrupted: Group Discussions
Activity Overview
At the 2013 Site Southeast Open Spaces, Open Minds event, we challenged to room to answer
the following question:
If you mapped out the attendee experience in 2018, what would it be? What technology
would they use? Why? What needs would it fill?
Working in small groups, they came up with answers and ideas based on mapping that
experience in terms of:
Technology, communication, engagement, the pre/post/onsite timeframe, educational
formatting, F&B (allergies, dietary needs, health, wellness), creative space usage, can
consultative selling for the hotelier exist in an eRFP world, does sharing content make sense.
Even as basic as the name badge…
Here is what they entered into a collaborative Google Doc, in their own voices, and in
real time. The blue type is additional notes by facilitator/session designer, Midori
Connolly, captured from the ensuing large group conversations. Also included are
resources and more information on various topics.
We collect a ton of user/participant data and then get to busy to use it. We need further
technology help to mine/use the data before too much time passes after the “event” ­Team
Canada
Attendee yield quality is more important than the number of attendees ­­ less just might be more.
(Perhaps attendees/customers will be assigned a KLOUT score to measure their credibility and
business value in a designated community that becomes part of their attendee profile.) This was
a hot button concept...no­shows were a major concern that was discussed.
Being a "remote" attendee communicating virtually.
A collaborative “association” or online forum (not iMeet necessarily) that supplements the various
industry associations, is low cost, real time and could be used for quick communications. ­Team
Canada
Hey, are we beating hosted buyer/speed dating to death? How will we add more value to the
process? ­Team Canada
Hosted buyer is a bandaid/next step in the evolution of connecting buyers and sellers
Technology will become cheaper
Nothing has changed, always has, always will. ­Team Canada
Is it possible to prepare to be disrupted?
Yes. You need to open your mind to new ideas and hang­out with people outside your comfort
zone and outside your current community connections. Check out other industry brands
organizations.
GREAT point. One idea was shared about exhibiting at tradeshows that are completely outside
of the industry, but fit the demographic of our buyers. Such as Pursell Farms exhibiting at an
aviation show because the attendee profile fit their demographic. She was the only venue/hotel
amongst thousands of people.
Think about some of the technologies and/or new sets of norms...what ideas were
sparked?
No more RFPs ­ book direct into hotel pms system
Meetings go hyper­virtual. F2F without being F2F
RFID badges for travellers to bypass all of security
Can quickly adjust to issues that arise because of interactions with technology. Feedback helps
personalize and improve experiences.
<Personalization trend: attendees are used to having a specific pillow at their hotel and listening
to radio that is customized just for them (ie Pandora). Have even been able to designate a
seating choice pre­event for sessions at some events.>
Technology we may not be able to wrap our heads around now will be commonplace.
Won’t even need devices to tap into the technology.
Everybody will have Google glass.
Communication (ie email) goes away and is replaced with ???
Amy Johnson shared an insightful story about her 20 year old niece who worked with her this
summer in her first professional role. She thought email was for notifications, and didn’t realize
you actually were supposed to respond to them. This is a highly intelligent, articulate college
student who has never used email to interact or collaborate with peers, teachers or
family/friends. She was as efficient as any other employee, if not more, and was an excellent
communicator in all ways.
We'll all have 3­D printers on site to assist us.
Here are examples of 3­D printers: http://www.makerbot.com/ and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aghzpO_UZE
They’ve even been able to print a gun!
There may be new modes of travel available
Single world currency ­ BITCOIN
Cyber crime will have new implications for security at meetings
Hotels will gain an advantage by employing a technology concierge/"tech doctor"/ Technology
Services Manager dedicated to each meeting
Sessions created on the fly ­ concentric circles of interest layer on top of each other to form the
session topic. Move to the next room, and a new topic would be created.
Vacations without connecting will be considered “luxury”.
Hotels will employ a nutritionist on staff to work with chefs to design menus; can address
"brain­friendly" foods and special needs
If the planning process was streamlined and technology made it easier to book & plan a meeting
­ maybe it would increase the number of meetings. Everything from the planner booking their
meeting directly into the property to kiosks for checking in.
TSA screenings the exception rather than the rule.
And because we all know this group likes to laugh, here are a couple of the random
thoughts posted:
We are participating through Avatars, we are actually at the pool with Pina Coladas
Zoltan the Magnificent has now entered the discussion ­be afraid ... Very afraid!
Collect guns, get a place in the mountains...www.wisefoodstorage.com
They’ll discover that bacon is good for you.
After the tables engaged in small group discussions
and captured their notes in a single Google Doc, we
shared ideas and observations from these talks as a
larger group. This conversation and expansion on
those ideas was captured in the following Prezi as it
was presented.