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Professional Development
  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 12/01/2011 • 0 Comments

    EIBTM: GIBTM, Cyprus and Vancouver News

    The following is a dispatch from Rob Cotter, a frequent One+ contributor, who is attending EIBTM in Barcelona, Spain.

    Here are some quick news updates from EIBTM.

    GIBTM to Act(e) on Business Travel

    Next year’s Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM)—to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center from 26-28 March— is energized because it will be collaborating with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) in its drive to deliver the quality services and meetings solutions that business travelers demand. To make sure the event is an intense affair, the show format has been altered for 2012, becoming a two-and-a-half day affair rather than the three days of previous years. 

    Cyprus Raises its Meetings Profile

    Not to be overshadowed by Malta’s emergence on the meetings industry scene with their new CVB announced at this year’s EIBTM, Cyprus has also launched its own Cyprus Convention Bureau as part of the Cyprus Tourist Organization. With a lot to offer on this westerly Mediterranean isle and a lot of benefits to be had for private business, the venture is to be managed by a CTO-chaired steering committee that will involve private sector stakeholders in its decision making. Looks like a Homeric Odyssey of meeting industry competition on the Mediterranean horizon.

    Vancouver’s Digital Excellence

    When you brand yourself as an "Inspiration Center," there has to be the walk behind the talk. So it is with the Vancouver Convention Center (VCC), which in an inspired move has developed two ads of their digital advertising campaign that transform user comments into a promotional drive. Benefitting from the wealth of material available in cyberspace, the VCC tapped into the stream of tweets on the venue to build their first ad, called "Tweetamonials." The second ad gives you a range of interactive online doors, behind which you’ll find images of the center’s meeting rooms and the great views they offer. This one works under the banner "There’s an inspiring space behind every door." 

    The reward for all this inspiration? Gold Prize at this year’s Meeting Industry Marketing Awards. Definitely inspired.

    —Rob Cotter



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 07/30/2010 • 2 Comments

    WEC: The Japadog Experience

    For my final WEC-related blog entry, I present Editor-in-Chief David Basler experiencing the Vancouver-famous Japadog. 



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 07/24/2010 • 1 Comments

    RISE 2010 & David Rich Podcast

    Gold star status is a level that professionals reach for, no matter the industry. It can be a plaque, an incentive like vacation time, cake (my personal favorite) or season tickets. More often than not, it’s about being surrounded by like-minded individuals and receiving recognition for your efforts to elevate practices. It just so happens, by proxy, that you’re awesome.

    This about sums up our Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Award winners, received their awards on June 24 at the Marriott Vancouver Hotel. For the overview of how we approached the award program, check out this previous post. The winners are listed here, along with the description of their achievements. Congrats to all the winners!

    Kristen K. did a great interview with David Rich, one of 2010’s winners, and you can check it out here. Kristen said of her experience:

    “Coming to you LIVE from my cubicle, I would like to present a podcast featuring David Rich, recipient of a RISE Award. Albeit, this podcast took an arm and a leg to put together - yes, I'm not always perfect - David was an absolute joy to record and I hope you are able to download this podcast and listen to it on your flight.”



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 07/24/2010 • 0 Comments

    TGIF in Vancouver

    Yesterday was TGIF, especially in Vancouver. The weather is fantastic, the views are great and the set up is moving right along. As Theresa said, it feels a bit like MPI Family Reunion. The exhibitors are talking up their booths on Twitter and Pathable and all attendees are excited about sessions.

    For those who aren’t able to attend, MPI is offering online access to WEC 2010 Highlighted Sessions, which include both General Sessions (Sunday and Tuesday). The Sessions, which feature John Furlong, Jeremy Gutsche and Emmanuel Gobillot, are available to members and non-members. You can also keep up-to-date via the #WEC10 Twitter feed and Flickr photo stream. 



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 07/24/2010 • 0 Comments

    WEC: Almost.at/#wec10

    I just discovered a new Web application thanks to Midori Connolly, and I feel like a kid getting a surprise present. It's called Almost.at, and it allows users to follow events in real time across multiple platforms such as Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Foursquare and blogs.  

    It's now my go-to application for following all things WEC related, along with another cool application, Paper.li, a newspaper rundown of what's happening at WEC via Twitter, videos, etc. Check them both out and stay in the loop!  



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 07/24/2010 • 0 Comments

    WEC: Guilt and Company

    Finding unique bars is one of my favorite activities whenever I visit a city. Most of the time, I rely on friends that live in some place to show me their locals and haunts. But the most exciting finds are those just stumbled across out of the blue. 

    Co-editor Michael and I were walking last night in Vancouver's Gastown looking for a bar to experience. We were about to enter one when Michael saw a sign pointing to a nearby basement bar. Well now, what do we have here, we thought. What we have, we discovered, was greatness. 

    The place is Guilt and Company. The vibe is welcoming and fun. The staff all wear suspenders and hats. The music is jazzy (at least last night it was).  

    "Our stage is an experiment. We bring artists (who may never have even met before) together to improvise on stage. It is a format that is entirely new to Vancouver…and it is exciting! Every performance is one of a kind," said the venue's website. Our kitchen is an experiment. We make pickles and antipastos from scratch. We make our own mustards and potato chips. You can buy a chunk of cheese off the wheel behind the bar. Our bar is an experiment. We infuse alcohols. We make all of our own bitters, tinctures and garnishes. Some of our drinks have aphrodisiac qualities. Others come with Polaroid pictures. We encourage collaboration, socialization, mingling and playing one or more of our 14 board games…preferably with people you’ve never met before."

    Encouraging collaboration, socialization and mingling with people you've never met before sounds exactly like one of the many goals of WEC, of actually the whole meeting industry. In fact, let's just expand that and say that's what life is about. 

    Guilt and Company features a comedy night on Wednesdays and live music Thursday through Saturday. I'll be going back there tonight after the Welcome Reception. Perhaps you'll join me?



  • Posted by Jessie States at
    12:00AM 07/23/2010 • 0 Comments

    WEC: Pan Pacific Vancouver

    Here are a few initial musings about the lovely Pan Pacific Vancouver:

         1. The carpets in the elevators are embroidered with the day, so whether you are staying for business or pleasure, at least you always know what day it is... If you don't know the month or the year, you're sort of out of luck.

         2. Clothes lines are built into the walls just behind the shower curtains in the Pan Pacific's bathrooms, so you don't have to dry your skivvies on the towel rack, and the water doesn't drip onto the bathroom floor and toilet bowl.

         3. Waste baskets in the rooms are separated into two parts by a wire partition. Recycling goes on one side and waste products on the other. Ingenious. 



  • Posted by David Basler at
    12:00AM 07/23/2010 • 3 Comments

    Views of Vancouver from a Morning Run

    For those of you who don't know already, I am in the midst of marathon training in preparation for the White Rock Half Marathon in Dallas in November. That said, I decided to run from the VCC this morning out through Stanley Park to get some views of Vancouver from across the water. It was a great 4.25 mile (6.8 km) run on a very nice path. 

    The photo above was one of the first stops I made along the way. It's a sculpture outside the Westin. As an art lover it caught my eye, but upon closer review I noticed it was aptly named "Meeting." Thought it was a good start to my run.

    At around 6 a.m. the sun was just coming up over the water, the first float planes were taking off, the Canada geese were calling out to each other, and the views were of course breathtaking. I thought I'd share with you some more of what I saw along the way. I have uploaded a slideshow to Flickr of what I saw along the way and some history too. Enjoy and maybe I'll see you on the path in the mornings.

    P.S. Vancouver is rich in history . . . the path out to Stanley Park is filled with historical markers that tell you about the area's heritage in fishing, boating, forestry, agriculture, shipping, cruising, naval training, etc. It's a fascinating look at the community we will call home for the next week at WEC 2010! Thanks Vancouver!



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 07/22/2010 • 4 Comments

    WEC: Blueberry Cobbler

    Vancouver International Airport smells like blueberry cobbler. To me it did, as I started the long walk to customs (seriously, why does every airport put the customs gate as far away as possible from where you deplane?). And since I love blueberry cobbler, the smell, I hope, is a sign that my WEC experience is starting off on the right foot. 

    Last night, though, things didn't quite go as well as I'd like them to. My phone's SIM card died too late in the evening for me to buy a replacement. Then on the way to the airport this morning, there were wrecks and traffic jams and all kinds of crazy car business. I felt the stress trickling down my back like a bead of sweat. 

    That's all behind me, though. Co-editor Jessie and I had a pleasant lunch at a Japanese restaurant named Komi Sushi (Melville St. location). The flowers are in full bloom around the city. And my hotel room overlooks the convention center's grass roof and Coal Harbor. Now, if only I can get served blueberry cobbler for dessert tonight...

    Random Items

    Quote of the Day: "That's ice hockey, and that just gets weird."

    Plane reading material: I am Thinking of My Darling (Michael), The Savage Detectives (Jessie), and The Vancouver Stories (me).