One + March/April 2011 - (Page 12)

IMPRESSIONS Make a Commitment [Re: “The Joy of Work,” February 2011] Great article. Good quotes, good food for thought; this could be a regular column—ideas about how to make a workplace more fun so that your employees relate better to both their work and each other. It’s truly important to have a team that works well together and likes what they do. While we would hope that this would happen organically, I think statistics prove that it is actually a commitment made by the companies themselves to foster this type of environment. —Heather, commenting on MPIWeb.org EDITOR’S NOTE: We appreciate the feedback on MPI and your magazine, One+. Your ideas and thoughts are important to us. Let us know what you think. E-mail the editorial team at editor@mpiweb.org. You Tell Us How have you improved teamwork at your company? Tell us about it. Send an e-mail to editor@mpiweb.org. 12 one+ 03 / 0 4.1 1 >> Generational Roadblock [Re: “Staying on Top of Tech,” February 2011] We are a 2,000-employee global company with offices in some 30 countries and do trade shows and meetings in Europe, Asia, South America and India. I’ve been trying to get my upper management to understand and see the light of at least “putting our toe in the technology waters.” Right now, social media is “pooh-poohed” and technology such as interactive devices are said to be irrelevant to our customers, as many of them run or work in metal producing factories. I disagree: I know this is changing, especially as younger people enter the workforce. I’d be interested in knowing how other event managers are dealing with this generation gap. Most of our global general managers are in their mid-60s and should be retired, but they continue to hold on—and thus there’s little room for creativity and introducing new ideas. —Terrence Young Social Media’s Effects [Re: “That’s Enough Facebook,” February 2011] Whether we would like to accept it or not, online communities have a large affect on our lives and businesses. Although the same cultural principles and personal developmental growth stages may be the same, they are being expressed virtually. I would be interested in hearing your take on: How do generational differences play a role in the cultural phenomenon that is social media? As a young adult, I personally enjoy certain aspects of social media, so I use it. The use is less about obligation and more about being interested. I would venture to guess that for younger people and future members of the events industry, this will become truer since they have never known a world without SNS. If that is the case, then don’t older generations have a responsibility to venture into the world of SNS to understand their consumer/client? —Andrea H. Douglas Rushkoff responds: To start, try watching the Digital Nation documentary I made. It’s on the PBS Frontline website. Or my very short book, Program or Be Programmed, discusses a lot of this. Or check out the articles about this topic on Rushkoff.com. In very brief, I think younger people tend to accept Facebook as a given circumstance. I don’t think they see it as a thing made by people. It just is, so they take for granted that it’s the way to make friends. Turn Fail Into Win [Re: “Failure as a Badge of Honor,” online exclusive, February 2011] Thanks for this refreshing and inspirational article. As someone who is risk-averse, this opened my eyes to the benefits that come from not being afraid to fail. Also, two quick suggestions about engaging with attendees to build an online community. Have key stakeholders commit to promoting discussion through Twitter, LinkedIn and other appropriate channels. Or hold a contest for free conference registration, enticing attendees to submit session topic ideas, related articles or referring other attendees, etc. Small incentives go a long way, and if seeded from the very beginning, momentum can build quickly. —Michele R. http://www.MPIWeb.org http://www.Rushkoff.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + March/April 2011

One + March/april 2011
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Ultimate Fail
Overheard
Agenda
Ask the Experts
Thoughts+Leaders
Wonders, Man
Business Is Back
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
Fail vs. Fail
Long Distance Sportsmanship
The Conference Is Not About You
Eat, Play, Love
Fantastic Fit
Where Tomorrow Happens
Middle Kingdom Come
All Together Now
Economic Impact Study
The Truth of Tech
The Social Networker
Applified
Super Wi-Fi Is Coming
The Kitchen Sink
@ Your Service
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again
MPI's 2011 Meeting Guide to Colorado

One + March/April 2011