Greenfield Named Data Gathering Partner for Meetings Industry Economic Impact Study

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Foundation announced the undertaking of the study of the economic impact of the meetings industry in Canada, having commissioned a team headed by Maritz Research (Canada) and assisted by Greenfield Services, the Canadian Tourism Human Resources Council and The Conference Board of Canada.

(L to R) Scott Meis, CTHRC; Allison Simpson, Amanda Chan &
Rachel Cameron, Maritz Research; Hélène Moberg, & Rita
Plaskett, MPI Foundation Canada; Doreen Ashton Wagner,
Greenfield Services Inc. Not pictured, Greg Hermus,
Conference Board of Canada.

Greenfield will be the data gathering partner, focusing on community outreach and communication with Canadian and international meeting professionals as well as meeting facilities across Canada.  

This will be the second time Greenfield collaborates with this research team.  The first time was in 2006 when the original Canadian Economic Impact Study (CEIS) of the meetings industry was commissioned by MPI.   It found that:

• Canada’s meeting sector organized 671,000 meetings in 2006,
• Welcomed 70.2 million participants,
• Created the equivalent of 235,500 full-year jobs,
• And accounted for $32.2 billion in direct spending ($23.3 billion by meeting participants and $8.9 billion by non-participant sponsors and stakeholders).

The study was updated in 2008 and showed a 2.5% spending growth from 2006 to 2007, but a 0.1% decline the following year.  No data is available for subsequent years, so this endeavour will fill a much needed void.

Since the original Canadian study the meetings industry’s economic impact has been assessed in other countries including the USA, Mexico and soon to be released in the U.K.  All other studies benefitted from the survey approach originally developed by the Canadian team, according to UNWTO guidelines.

This study, dubbed “CEIS 3.0” will continue providing key economic benchmarks as well as extend the research to regional and municipal levels. The results will be more actionable at the local level, as well as addressing the share of GDP, employment, salaries/wages, and taxes at local, regional and provincial levels.  Results also will support the development of a meetings-specific, regional economic contribution model, the first in the world.

Social Media During a Crisis - Tips for Hotels and CVBs

The terrorist attacks in Boston brought home both the power and the peril of social media.

On the one hand the Twitterverse quickly got the news out,along with photos and information that could help locate a loved one. 

The downside was the contrast of tweets streaming across my screen from people who had obviously no ideaof the tragedy that had occurred.

Most of us who use social media in our business tend torely on tools like HootSuite, TweetDeck or other social media management softwareto schedule posts ahead of time.  When tragedy strikes some of those pre-scheduled posts can come across astrite, irrelevant, or downright insensitive.

Pity the hapless social media coordinator at a Bostonhotel who might have pre-scheduled tweets around a happy Boston marathonoutcome...  When terror strikes and people turnto Twitter or Facebook for updates they might not understand these pre-scheduled tweets.

We'd all prefer not to think of being in such asituation, but it's all too real for Boston hoteliers right now. Andit doesn't have to be related to a terror attack. What if a large convention isat your hotel and there is a surprise protest outside your doors (like there was last year in Montreal)?  That's when your social media activities quickly turn into crisis management.

Here's what you need to think about when putting togetheryour social media plan and your backup in case of an emergency:

1) Create access to your social media managementtools through your mobile device or smart phone so that if somethingcatastrophic happens you can access your pre-scheduled posts quickly.

2) Ensure more than one person has access to these socialmedia management tools. This way if someone is otherwise occupied, anotherperson can take over.

3) Consider putting your social media updates on hold if something big isgoing on. It's no use coming across as uninformed. 

4) If you choose to engage your followers, treadcautiously. Focus on being helpful and safety-oriented.  Do not engage in re-posting graphic ordisturbing imagery. Don't speculate about perpetrators or the number ofvictims.

5) Beware your sources. In the crisis yesterday one source was quoted as saying that a bomb hadgone off at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. As Fairmont Hotels & Resortsis one of our clients, I was perturbed to hear the news. But I double checkedother news sources, and saw that the Fairmont Copley Plaza had tweeted about update on their Facebook page. They confirmed no bomb had gone off atthe hotel. That was a huge relief, and double-checking prevented me fromspreading incorrect information.

6) Have your social media crisis plan in place and review it regularly.  For help onhow to draft a social media crisis plan check out the following:

• Social Strategies: Creating Your Social Media Crisis Management Plan by Jenise Fryatt
• Don’t Be Scared Be Prepared – How to Manage a Social Media Crisis by Jay Baer 
• Handling a Crisis on Social Media by Didi Lutz

I hope you never have to manage a crisis at your hotel or in your city.  But if you do, you'll be glad you had a plan!

Caesars Windsor’s Meeting Planner Symposium

Greenfield Services is proud to be working with Caesars Windsor in staging their first Meeting Planner Symposium and Familiarization event, April 10-12, 2013.

Our collaboration began earlier this year as we surveyed over 3,000 Ontario-based meeting and event planners, sampling views on their most critical business needs.  Planners told us they are stretching to do more with less, and in less time. They were interested in learning about client and member retention, promoting events through social media, and fulfilling attendees’ ever-changing expectations.

Survey results were used to formulate the Symposium’s education program, which will be facilitated by Doreen Ashton Wagner, Greenfield’s Chief Strategist. 

The event is free for qualified planners who have organized business events at Ontario hotels in the last year, and who are able to consider Windsor for an upcoming meeting. 

Meals, accommodation and education are courtesy of Caesars Windsor. Transportation to and from Windsor is provided on a complimentary basis by Caesars Windsor, in conjunction with program partners, VIA Rail and Porter Airlines.

15 Lessons Learned in 15 Years of Self-Employment

Today marks the 15^th anniversary of Greenfield Services Inc., the company that my husband Heinz and I initially founded as ourticket to leave the corporate rat race.  It was just the two of us back in 1998, but today our company employs 15 people (who get the day off today because of Easter Monday!).  

We have worked with wonderful clients, employees, and partners, learning 15 precious lessons along the way:

1. Entrepreneurship IS the Ultimate Freedom: Whenever I hear about corporate politics from some of my hotel friends I am so thankful that I chose the entrepreneurial route. Being an entrepreneur is hard work and there are rules to follow, but ultimately it is my choice if take a day off, invest in new software or hire more people.
2. Turning Down Business is OK: Entrepreneurial freedom also means saying NO. Because the work isn’t the right fit, the time isn’t right or the relationship doesn’t feel good. It took me several years to learn this lesson because in the early days I was so afraid to run out of work! But I know now to stick to my strengths and follow my gut.
3. Always be Prospecting: To be able to say no, you have to have enough business in your funnel. And that means consistently looking for new opportunities and developing relationships.
4. Develop Confidence with a Positive Focus: Several years ago I took a program which I affectionately refer to as an “MBA for Entrepreneurs.” With The Strategic Coach I learned the concept of Positive Focus, which helps one focus on “wins” to build confidence. Now at every morning briefing all Greenfield team members share something positive so that they begin their day feeling happy and confident. 
5. Keeping an Attitude of Gratitude: This is different from the positive focus. Being grateful also entails being thankful for the tough situations and the bad days. Because that’s when lessons are learned…
6. Do What You Love (and are usually best at) & Delegate the Rest: Another lesson I learned with The Strategic Coach – the Unique Ability concept. And probably the single biggest reason why Heinz and I have a successful business and are still happily married… He’s good at what I’m not (like accounting) and vice-versa! 
7. People Move On, and That’s OK: In the hotel sales world where I come from, when someone resigns they instantly become persona non grata… and often are walked out the door! I had to learn not to take a resignation personally. Someone who leaves an organization can be a wealth of information to help improve the operation. 
8. No One Is Irreplaceable, Not Even You: As devastating as it may be if a key team player leaves, no one is indispensable. Not even the owner! Even if it’s just to cover for vacation time, have individual development plans and give the opportunity for people to step up. 
9. Take Care Of Yourself First: A lesson I have been taught over and over again (yes, I’m a slow learner). If you’re not healthy, you’re useless to your business. Make sure you take time for YOU.
10. Know Your Why: It’s one thing to be in business for yourself, but do you really know WHY, beyond just earning a living? The book Start With Why by Simon Sinek helped define my personal purpose and by default, my company’s purpose: To help our clients, our employees and our community GROW and PROSPER.
11. Be Clear On What You Want: One of the most valuable lessons my friend and personal coach Betty Healey taught me was to listen to my own complaint (what I didn’t want) and FLIP IT to focus on what I wanted to attract. Because the Law of Strategic Attraction says you attract what you focus on…
12. We All Have Blind Spots: Some of us are extroverts, others introverts; some feeling-based, others fact-based. We all process information and communicate differently. Being an effective leader means acknowledging shortcomings and ensuring proper team communication makes up for blind spots. My two favourite self-learning tools are: Kolbe and Lumina.
13. Laugh: My personal nature is to joke around and be demonstrative. But I used to be afraid to be playful because I thought business leaders had to be serious. Wrong. Life is too short. Besides, laughter is a great stress-buster!
14. There Is No Magic Bullet, But You Can FEEL Better: Owning and growing a business is very similar to gardening, one of my personal passions. And just like growing plants take time, there is no magic bullet, no magic fertilizer that will make everything instantly better. Except perhaps with how you choose to feel about things. 
15. Change Is The Only Constant: Just when you think “OK, we’re all set,” something changes. Your key contact at an account is let go, budgets are cut, a supplier goes out of business. Change is the only constant, said Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, and that was over 2,500 years ago!

To all our clients and employees, present, past and future, THANK YOU.  It’s been a great journey so far.

Creating Content for Inbound Marketing: 10 Tips

When considering a shift to inbound marketing, meetings industry suppliers at times question me on the content creation demands that such an approach will create.  Hoteliers, DMOs and other service providers wonder if they have enough material to sustain a blog or other resources, how they will find time to generate material regularly, and who is going to write the required content.

As a small company that publishes two blogs (with at least one post each per week), two monthly e-newsletters and the odd white paper, I completely understand the concern.  Creating content for your inbound marketing program can seem like a full-time job!  When things get “crazy busy,” content creation is an easy task to put on the back-burner.

As with any business strategy, there is no silver bullet, but here are some practices that have worked for us:

Finding the Material

• Start with the easy stories: what new services, facilities or partnerships can you write a short announcement about?  Resist the temptation to sound too promotional; instead, show how these new developments will help meeting planners. 
• Put the limelight on one of your clients (with their permission of course). Demonstrate how working with your hotel or destination the group was able to achieve specific goals.
• Comment on an industry issue, event or trend. This could show your understanding of issues, or that you are "in the know" about news. 
• Use the calendar to your advantage.  Offer advice for theming events (from Valentines Day to Christmas), seasonal menu offerings, ideas for team building. 

Finding the Time

• Start by making a commitment you can live with. When I started blogging three years ago I posted once per month; now I'm up to once per week. 
• Stick with a schedule. If you commit to posting every Monday, for instance, it'll become easier to create that habit. 
• Write a few filler pieces for those busy periods when you just can't find the time. 

Finding the Writer(s)

• Just because you're the Director of Sales & Marketing, it doesn't mean YOU should be the main blogger.  Look for a person who likes to write.  Hint: Often these are people with the longest emails... 
• Ask your staff, suppliers and even outside partners or other bloggers to write an occasional post. At Greenfield we encourage team members to contribute by giving four hours of paid time off for every blog that gets published (click here for our latest post by one of our Client Care Specialists). As for outside contributors, the added exposure, especially the inbound links to their own site, often is incentive enough.
• I happen to like writing, but sometimes I have no time.  That's when I do one of two things: dictate my thoughts into my iPhone and ask someone to edit, OR I turn to my good friend and business collaborator, Mitchell Beer.  I'm at the point now where I can talk with Mitchell for thirty minutes about three different topics, and he'll produce three blogs for me!

Creating content for your inbound marketing program isn't rocket science.  But having a sound strategy will ensure that your efforts don't stall along the way. 

An Apology to OG-CSAE Meetings Industry Exhibitors

To my fellow suppliers at the Ottawa-Gatineau CSAE Chapter Tête-à-Tête (TAT) Show: please accept my sincerest apologies.  What I did was misguided and hurtful.

Following the January 31 TAT tradeshow, I posted a blog lamenting the extent to which some of the exhibitors had gone to attract traffic to their booth.   My purpose had been to raise the issue and "elevate the conversation."  Instead my post created an outcry.

I pushed too far by naming names and displaying pictures.  I regret pressing the "publish" button because it unfairly singled out certain suppliers.  The post has since been deleted.

As suppliers I still believe that we need to consider the impact of our promotions and how they may be viewed as too lavish or outlandish, but I know now that posting such an aggressive post was not the way to bring about change.

After reaching out to my colleagues and hearing their forgiveness, I am hopeful that we can move on and focus on creating better value-based and business-focused experiences for both planners and suppliers.

#Eventprofs: 6 Tips to Leverage Inbound Marketing

In the last few posts we have been discussing the trends that are leading meetings industry suppliers to shift the way they market their hotels, destinations and other services to meeting planners (see Understanding the NEW Sales Process and Inbound Marketing for Meetings Industry Suppliers).

This post will outline how successful salespeople leverage their company’s inbound marketing efforts. For this I need to look no further than Greenfield Services’ own Director of Client Solutions, Meagan Rockett.

Meagan started as one of our Client Care Specialists in 2005 and quickly rose through our ranks to become our Director of Client Solutions two years ago.  Many of our clients and industry colleagues have said to me how they “see Meagan everywhere.”  In a short time she has established herself as a trusted – and highly visible – supplier and partner.  This makes me proud because Meagan’s only executive sales experience has been the last two years in her current position with us.  She is a natural but I believe the key to her success also has been her ability to leverage our inbound marketing model.

These are the best practices she exhibits and what you should look to do with your team:

1. Be a keen learner:  Meagan is an avid consumer of research reports, white papers and blogs about associations. She has made it her mission to understand her clients’ pain points from our work with them at Greenfield but also from what she observes with other solution providers.  This positions her as the helpful adviser, not as a stereotypical salesperson.
2. Be a thought leader:  With her appetite for information Meagan is able to connect the dots.  And while she appears to be very proficient at documenting outcomes in her blogs and monthly enewsletters, the truth is that she works with a writer/editor to do that (and he is terrific – click here to learn about Mitchell Beer and SmarterShift).  And this is the crux of inbound marketing (a.k.a. content marketing in some circles): you need to know your stuff but if writing is not your thing,get someone to help you.
3. Be willing to share:  Social media is the third pillar of inbound marketing.  Meagan shares the resources that she creates with her social media followers, carefully to striking a balance between posting Greenfield content, sharing industry news or other consultants’ association management advice and engaging followers in relevant conversations.
4. Expand your reach:  This is where the inbound marketing model begins to take a life of its own.  Meagan began blogging in 2011, and she steadily has grown her circle of influence with followers on Twitter, and several groups on LinkedIn.  Not a huge followership, but a quality one.  And recently her social media activity led to guest blogging invitations on Cvent, Socious, MeredithLow.com and XYZ University.  Her influence is being leveraged by other inbound marketers eager to associate their brands with thought leaders like her!  
5. Don’t Sell – Create Conversations: With the steady stream of content Meagan is never at a loss for opportunities to open dialogue with clients, prospects and other interested parties.  She participates in groups and answers questions on LinkedIn.  When appropriate, she asks online contacts to chat by phone or meet in person.  With our marketing automation platform, she knows when someone downloads a tips sheet or our Pulse Report, and she’ll reach out by email or phone to see what they thought of the material.  The point is that she never has to feel like she inconveniencing someone with a sales pitch.
6. Give Value, Not Swag:  As the owner of the company, one of my favourite secrets to inbound marketing success is that we choose to give valuable resources at tradeshows and other industry events, not trinkets.  Promotional products have a place in the marketing mix, but they can also attract the wrong kind of prospect if used just to draw traffic at a show.  For the last two years at the CSAE National and Ottawa Tête-à-Tête Shows, Meagan has sent emails inviting association executives to pick up a copy of a research report, a tips sheet, or other resource that would help them in their work.  We didn’t have throngs of people lining up to grab the latest electronic gadget or squishy toy – we had serious, interested buyers.

And there you have it: our own Greenfield “insider tips” to helping your sales team successfully leverage inbound marketing efforts. 

Could this work for your organization? We invite you to leave us a comment or ask us a question!