Making Trends Meet
Author: Zach Chouteau
June 2008
Trend Watch
In an effort to be as “trendy” as possible, we’re focusing on not one but four different industry trends this issue.
From team-building fun and incentive trips to a trade-show tidbit and peek at the future, here’s a look at some waves in the meeting world.Teams Just Wanna Have Fun
Jeff Backal, MBA, CEO of Team Builders Plus, reports a shift toward fun in the world of team building. “What we’ve been seeing is more and more groups wanting to do fun team-building activities as opposed to those that are entirely focused on team-building development,” he says. “Groups are looking more and more for an enjoyable and memorable experience, something less developmental. These groups aren’t trying to approach deep issues but to experience camaraderie.”
One activity that fits this bill, Backal says, is a treasure hunt where participating teams track down hidden items using GPS technology—aka “geocaching.” TBP has the ability to create these treasure hunts—and many other activities—at specific venues, so your treasure-seeking doesn’t have to be relegated to the company back-lot. Instead, picture your organization’s teams racing against the clock at an iconic locale like the San Diego Zoo or the Las Vegas Strip.
Another similar “fun” team-building activity takes place in the kitchen. “One hot thing is cooking,” Backal says, adding that attendees can either work together as one group or break into factions for some friendly competition. “That’s been a growing trend—groups creating and preparing meals with the help of a chef and making real gourmet foods.”
The focus on fun is a necessary one these days, he says. “With [companies] downsizing and people working harder, groups feel like they need that release.”
What’s the Incentive?
Industry experts Joyce Landry and Jo Kling, who specialize in cruise and event travel, believe incentive travel programs are also on the rise, as revenue generation becomes more crucial than ever in the face of a challenging economy. After all, they point out, what could be more important to a company during tough financial times than motivating the sales force? Thus, incentives will become more and more indispensable, as they contribute directly to increased sales and the bottom line.
Many Happy “Returns”
Trade shows and conventions used to be all about the bottom-line ROI—return on investment—that groups achieved through their sales and marketing presence. While keeping in the black and out of the red will never go out of style, “Booth Mom” Candy Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMM, CMP, an experienced trade-show consultant, believes that other “Return Ons” are gaining credence throughout the industry.
At first it was all ROI, “then came companies who only wanted to speak with their current customers at shows, so the next ‘R’ was Return on Relationship,” Adams says. “Then I started hearing ROE after [James H.] Gilmore wrote The Experience Economy. Return on Experience is all about the attendees’ experience and what they got out of the show or event.”
ROO—Return on Objective—has been around a bit longer, she says, and has grown into a trendy term as well, focusing on marketers targeting very defined objectives at a show in terms of communication tactics and strategies.
According to Adams, going beyond mere ROI spurs companies to re-examine their definition of success. “In a perfect world we’d go into meetings knowing exactly what we want out of them, but it isn’t a perfect world,” she says. “Maybe I didn’t get as many ‘A’ leads as I would have liked, but got great press and a number of branding opportunities with business partners. Does that make it a bad show because I didn’t get what I planned, but got something else equally good?”
Looking Ahead
Richard Laermer, author of 2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade, believes that an upcoming trend will be the end of a current one—the extensive complaints from travelers about the industry, particularly with airlines.
“All the complaining that has seemed to reach a crescendo of late—the air pollution of travel complaints—will go away,” Laermer says. “People are going to realize it’s not going to help the situation, and the fallout will be good: travelers will finally ask ‘what can we do to help the situation?’”
Laermer has a positive outlook in the grander scheme of things as well. “This nation goes through periods of feeling good about things and then bad. We’re about to start feeling good again.”
Now that’s a trend we’d all love to start spotting!
Resources
Team Builders Plus
teambuildersplus.com
Landry & Kling
landryandkling.com
Candy Adams
boothmom.com
Richard Laermer
rlmpr.com
