Biodegradable socks, anyone?
This one's really corny, but ear me out: Japan is known for wild clothing trends, but the biodegradable socks, made from a fiber made from corn, that are soon to hit Tokyo are something else altogether.
November 9, 2005
Pandas in heat hear wedding bells
Or at least, officials hoped that a marriage by proxy on the 28th anniversary of a zoo in Thailand would kick off a steamy mating season between Chuang Chuang (the groom) and Lin Hui (the blushing bride). The pandas, appropriately dressed in black and white, didn't seem too impressed. From the Reuters item:
Link
- "Start making children soon. Don't let me down," Chinese Consul Peng Ren Dong told a couple dressed as pandas -- which are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity -- during a colorful tea ceremony which is part of Chinese wedding rites.
Link
June 17, 2005
Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.
August 6, 2004
The MeetingsNet blog has a new home!
While I'll keep this site up as an archive, the latest, up-to-the-minute postings are at our new home:
http://suepelletier.typepad.com/meetingsblog/
Bookmark it now! And please let me know what you think of our new site.
http://suepelletier.typepad.com/meetingsblog/
Bookmark it now! And please let me know what you think of our new site.
April 27, 2004
Customers behaving badly
So, when we go on the road, we eat too much, drink too much, sleep too little, and generally tend to misbehave, so the findings of this Orbitz Hotel Habits study should come as no surprise—we tend to trash our hotels rooms as well as our bodies.
So, what do we do? "52% of adult Americans who have stayed in a hotel for leisure do things in a hotel that they don't normally do at home, like throwing towels on the floor (25%), using more towels than necessary since they don't have to do the laundry (24%), eating in bed (19%) or leaving the television on when not in the room (13%)," says the press release.
But that’s nothing. While "61% of people nab the toiletries, almost 20% of respondents have or have considered taking the toiletries off the housekeeping cart when the housekeeper isn't looking. Seems as though males ages 18 - 35 confuse the housekeeping cart with the shopping cart, as 32% of this demographic - almost one in three - admitted to taking or considering taking toiletries off the housekeeping cart. Other "souvenirs" include towels (18%), ashtrays (14%), bathrobes (2%) and bathmats (2%).
"The survey also reveals what Americans have snuck into hotel rooms, including extra people (29%), cigarettes in a non-smoking room (12%) and pets (11%). How many people can you fit in one bed? Ask the 52% of 18 - 34 year olds who have snuck extra people into their hotel rooms. Some hotel guests are less likely to pull the sheets over the check-in desk's eyes - such as married people; only 19% of whom have snuck extra people in as compared to 48% of singles."
And hotels actually want us to come back? I wonder if people behave any better on business trips? Nah.
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So, what do we do? "52% of adult Americans who have stayed in a hotel for leisure do things in a hotel that they don't normally do at home, like throwing towels on the floor (25%), using more towels than necessary since they don't have to do the laundry (24%), eating in bed (19%) or leaving the television on when not in the room (13%)," says the press release.
But that’s nothing. While "61% of people nab the toiletries, almost 20% of respondents have or have considered taking the toiletries off the housekeeping cart when the housekeeper isn't looking. Seems as though males ages 18 - 35 confuse the housekeeping cart with the shopping cart, as 32% of this demographic - almost one in three - admitted to taking or considering taking toiletries off the housekeeping cart. Other "souvenirs" include towels (18%), ashtrays (14%), bathrobes (2%) and bathmats (2%).
"The survey also reveals what Americans have snuck into hotel rooms, including extra people (29%), cigarettes in a non-smoking room (12%) and pets (11%). How many people can you fit in one bed? Ask the 52% of 18 - 34 year olds who have snuck extra people into their hotel rooms. Some hotel guests are less likely to pull the sheets over the check-in desk's eyes - such as married people; only 19% of whom have snuck extra people in as compared to 48% of singles."
And hotels actually want us to come back? I wonder if people behave any better on business trips? Nah.
Comments?
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The Brazil beat
Despite a dip last year, the Latin America market is heating up, according to Latin American Travel Demand: Trends and Insights, a recent report from the Travel Industry Association of America. "Latin America's outbound travel market has grown 33 percent in the past decade," the report said. "With a 43 percent market share, the U.S. is by far the most-popular long-haul destination for travelers from Latin America. Although Latin American travel to the U.S. declined again in 2003, it is forecast to grow by 3 percent in 2004."
Especially hot, for Miami, anyway, is Brazil, according to Miami Today. The convention and visitors bureau's "Latin American effort this year includes a partnership with Brazil's TAM Airlines to bring a group of 18 travel and destination planners active in corporate meetings and incentive-travel business to Miami." The increased interest in coming to the U.S. is fueled by a growing Brazilian currency that had tourism to the U.S. growing by double digits in the fourth quarter last year.
Comments?
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Especially hot, for Miami, anyway, is Brazil, according to Miami Today. The convention and visitors bureau's "Latin American effort this year includes a partnership with Brazil's TAM Airlines to bring a group of 18 travel and destination planners active in corporate meetings and incentive-travel business to Miami." The increased interest in coming to the U.S. is fueled by a growing Brazilian currency that had tourism to the U.S. growing by double digits in the fourth quarter last year.
Comments?
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When all else fails, try an incentive
Meeting Professionals International recently announced an interesting twist in the attrition game: It’s offering a $50 non-transferable coupon attendees can use toward MPI purchases (except membership fees) if they book inside the block for its 2004 World Education Congress in July in Denver.
From the press release: "The coupon will be distributed after the 2004 WEC and is good toward future purchases in the MPI Bookstore, for international conference registration, or MPI's e-Learning Series, expiring August 30, 2005. New this year, MPI has integrated online registration and housing, which allows attendees to complete both tasks in one easy step via MPIWeb.
"MPI implemented the incentive to reinforce the importance of booking in the block, and to show its support of Convention Industry Council's (CIC) Project Attrition. The MPI Foundation made a contribution to the CIC to help launch Project Attrition, which addresses short- and long-term solutions to attrition and explores the potential impact on the meeting and convention and exhibition industry."
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From the press release: "The coupon will be distributed after the 2004 WEC and is good toward future purchases in the MPI Bookstore, for international conference registration, or MPI's e-Learning Series, expiring August 30, 2005. New this year, MPI has integrated online registration and housing, which allows attendees to complete both tasks in one easy step via MPIWeb.
"MPI implemented the incentive to reinforce the importance of booking in the block, and to show its support of Convention Industry Council's (CIC) Project Attrition. The MPI Foundation made a contribution to the CIC to help launch Project Attrition, which addresses short- and long-term solutions to attrition and explores the potential impact on the meeting and convention and exhibition industry."
Comments?
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April 26, 2004
Take the niceness challenge
There was an interesting discussion Friday on the MIMlist listserv about committing random acts of kindness and "paying it forward." One MIMlister had an interesting suggestion: Subtly suggest that participants spontaneously do something nice--no ulterior motives or rewards--to/for other attendees.
I wonder how that would work? Would people be suspicious if others started suddenly doing nice things? Would it be a kinder, gentler meeting, or would a competition on who could be nicest break out?
Comments?
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I wonder how that would work? Would people be suspicious if others started suddenly doing nice things? Would it be a kinder, gentler meeting, or would a competition on who could be nicest break out?
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
Are women more ethical than men?
Interesting column from the Twin Cities Pioneer Press: When columnist Dave Beal told the mostly female audience at the annual awards gala of the National Association of Women Business Owners' Minnesota chapter that "It's worth noting that generally, it's not the women who are showing up in the headlines and pictures of perp walks to and from the courtroom or the jail — it's the guys. 'More than ever, women have been emerging as leaders in matters of business ethics and values.'
"The group's cheers stunned me. Never in the course of scores of speaking engagements over the years have I managed to stir such a reaction."
What made them stand up and cheer? It’s not about male bashing or female moral superiority, he concludes, seeing as women slightly outnumber men on FBI stats on recent embezzlement charges. It’s all about values, he says. Anyway, it’s an interesting read on yet another rainy Monday morning.
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"The group's cheers stunned me. Never in the course of scores of speaking engagements over the years have I managed to stir such a reaction."
What made them stand up and cheer? It’s not about male bashing or female moral superiority, he concludes, seeing as women slightly outnumber men on FBI stats on recent embezzlement charges. It’s all about values, he says. Anyway, it’s an interesting read on yet another rainy Monday morning.
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
Aramark chefs go green
Let’s celebrate a late Earth Day with the chefs at Aramark Parks & Resorts, who recently competed amongst themselves to come up with sustainable cuisine items for the company's national park menus. The winning dish, the first of several to debut this season, will be introduced at Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park and Lake Quinault Lodge in Olympic National Forest on April 24 by its creator, Chef Brandon Shubert, executive chef of Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas.
"It's an easy decision to make - the food is fresher, the local community benefits from our business and, most importantly, we meet our guests' demands," said Doug Bradley, Director of Culinary Standards, Aramark, in a press release. "As part of Planet EVERgreen, our comprehensive greening program, we wanted to generate excitement among our executive chefs for the environmental and taste benefits of organic and sustainable cuisine through this competition."
The winning menu features organic greens and calabacitas salad in a crispy tortilla cup with margarita vinaigrette, crispy farm-raised striped bass atop ancho chili polenta and cilantro verde sauce, and mascarpone cinnamon crisp with fresh berries and mint.
Sounds like a winner to me.
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
"It's an easy decision to make - the food is fresher, the local community benefits from our business and, most importantly, we meet our guests' demands," said Doug Bradley, Director of Culinary Standards, Aramark, in a press release. "As part of Planet EVERgreen, our comprehensive greening program, we wanted to generate excitement among our executive chefs for the environmental and taste benefits of organic and sustainable cuisine through this competition."
The winning menu features organic greens and calabacitas salad in a crispy tortilla cup with margarita vinaigrette, crispy farm-raised striped bass atop ancho chili polenta and cilantro verde sauce, and mascarpone cinnamon crisp with fresh berries and mint.
Sounds like a winner to me.
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
Just phoning it in
I always liked that phrase—"s/he just phoned it in"—as it relates to people who don’t put much effort into doing something. But here’s a different take on it when it comes to government meetings from the Daytona Beach News.
With Daytona Beach City Commissioner Charles Cherry suffering from both cancer and heart problems, the city manager thought he could participate in meetings by dialing in." Ormond Beach City Commissioner Scott Selis, who suffers from intermittent migraines, has suggested that his city adopt an ordinance that would allow local officials to participate in meetings electronically. Commissioners discussed Selis' proposal at their meeting Tuesday night…The Florida Legislature has given authority to members of governing boards of state agencies to attend public meetings, and even vote at meetings, using media technology…But the state's attorney general has issued opinions saying the authority does not extend to local governments."
Aw, have a heart, guys.
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With Daytona Beach City Commissioner Charles Cherry suffering from both cancer and heart problems, the city manager thought he could participate in meetings by dialing in." Ormond Beach City Commissioner Scott Selis, who suffers from intermittent migraines, has suggested that his city adopt an ordinance that would allow local officials to participate in meetings electronically. Commissioners discussed Selis' proposal at their meeting Tuesday night…The Florida Legislature has given authority to members of governing boards of state agencies to attend public meetings, and even vote at meetings, using media technology…But the state's attorney general has issued opinions saying the authority does not extend to local governments."
Aw, have a heart, guys.
Comments?
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April 23, 2004
Not even remotely funny
According to this article on msnbc, watch out for the remote control in your hotel room—it’s likely to be the most germ-laden thing around. Having just stayed at a seriously budget hotel in New York that reeked of disinfectant, I wonder if they ever just dunk the things in a bucket of Lysol, or if they even swab it down once in a while. My guess is no.
Oh good, one more thing to worry about when on the road. Still, the worst was the episode of C.S.I. where the illicit lovers found the dead body under the bed in their hotel love nest. You can bet I bend down and look every time now, just in case…
Comments?
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Oh good, one more thing to worry about when on the road. Still, the worst was the episode of C.S.I. where the illicit lovers found the dead body under the bed in their hotel love nest. You can bet I bend down and look every time now, just in case…
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
Breaking up is hard to do
When show owners and sponsors split, the fallout can be tough. That’s the case with the National Hardware Show, which until recently was sponsored by the American Hardware Manufacturers Association and is owned by Reed Exhibitions.
According to this article in the Chicago Tribune, Reed is taking the show, which traditionally has been held in Chicago, to Las Vegas in May. The AHMA’s version of the show is going on now at Chicago’s McCormick Place, but it ain’t pretty. Attendance is estimated to have dropped by almost a third, and exhibitors are down from almost 2,000 last year to 700 at this week’s show. According to the article, Reed’s expecting more than 2,000 exhibitors at its Vegas show next month.
AHMA is singing the usual "it’s the quality, not the quantity, that counts" song, and we’ll have to wait to see if Reed’s high hopes prove out. It’s just a shame that it had to come to this after all these years.
Comments?
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According to this article in the Chicago Tribune, Reed is taking the show, which traditionally has been held in Chicago, to Las Vegas in May. The AHMA’s version of the show is going on now at Chicago’s McCormick Place, but it ain’t pretty. Attendance is estimated to have dropped by almost a third, and exhibitors are down from almost 2,000 last year to 700 at this week’s show. According to the article, Reed’s expecting more than 2,000 exhibitors at its Vegas show next month.
AHMA is singing the usual "it’s the quality, not the quantity, that counts" song, and we’ll have to wait to see if Reed’s high hopes prove out. It’s just a shame that it had to come to this after all these years.
Comments?
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Quick rant
After spending hours this morning deleting e-mail after my NYC trip...spammers, is my need for Cialis, Viagra, and refinancing so dire that you needed to tell me about it 472 times in a 36-hour period? Stop the madness!!
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
On the road again
Sorry to have been so quiet yesterday—I was down in New York City facilitating a focus group, and forgot to grab a laptop on the way out the door. Anyway, here are a few musings from my trip…
A tip from a talkative NYC cabdriver: If you have to make a mad dash to the airport, or anywhere else in New York, don’t count on getting a taxi between 3:30 and 4 p.m. That’s when drivers change shifts, he said, and no one wants a fare when they’re heading back to the garage.
Having finished up my business ahead of time, I headed back to Laguardia with several hours to spare before my 7 p.m. flight. As I tried to go standby on an earlier flight, I learned that my ticket was "time-price-sensitive," according to the ticket agent. That meant that instead of the standard $25 fee, it would have cost me $250! Might be worth checking into the standby possibilities of your ticket if you, like me, suspect your business could wrap up earlier than you expected. Oh well, it actually was kind of nice to have three hours to spend doing nothing more productive than gobbling up Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress--excellent airport reading—and a bananaberry smoothie.
One more lesson learned the hard way: Always check to see when it’s school vacation time before heading off to the airport. Massachusetts’ kids were out April 19-23, and they must be a traveling crew, because the parking lot at Logan airport was so jammed that they had to actually valet-park my car! I was a little worried about retrieving it—not to mention leaving my keys in the car at the airport—but it all went smoothly and my little Subaru was waiting with nary a nick, just where they said it would be, when I got back.
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
A tip from a talkative NYC cabdriver: If you have to make a mad dash to the airport, or anywhere else in New York, don’t count on getting a taxi between 3:30 and 4 p.m. That’s when drivers change shifts, he said, and no one wants a fare when they’re heading back to the garage.
Having finished up my business ahead of time, I headed back to Laguardia with several hours to spare before my 7 p.m. flight. As I tried to go standby on an earlier flight, I learned that my ticket was "time-price-sensitive," according to the ticket agent. That meant that instead of the standard $25 fee, it would have cost me $250! Might be worth checking into the standby possibilities of your ticket if you, like me, suspect your business could wrap up earlier than you expected. Oh well, it actually was kind of nice to have three hours to spend doing nothing more productive than gobbling up Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress--excellent airport reading—and a bananaberry smoothie.
One more lesson learned the hard way: Always check to see when it’s school vacation time before heading off to the airport. Massachusetts’ kids were out April 19-23, and they must be a traveling crew, because the parking lot at Logan airport was so jammed that they had to actually valet-park my car! I was a little worried about retrieving it—not to mention leaving my keys in the car at the airport—but it all went smoothly and my little Subaru was waiting with nary a nick, just where they said it would be, when I got back.
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
April 21, 2004
Hola, Internet!
According to the second annual America Online/RoperASW U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy, conducted among at-home U.S. Internet users and reported in Direct magazine, Hispanics are beginning to flock to the Web. While 20 percent of these Hispanics went online at home less than six months ago, (only 6 percent of the general at-home online population just came online this recently), 42 percent have gotten online within the past two years.
If your organization has a healthy Hispanic component, you may want to keep this trend in mind—and perhaps offer a Spanish option for your meeting’s Web site. According to the article, "Almost half of online Hispanic consumers who speak at least some Spanish (45%) also wish that more Web advertising were in Spanish, the survey found. One-third say they pay more attention to advertisements when they are in Spanish. And 23% say that advertising in Spanish makes them more likely to buy a given product (vs. 10% who say it makes them less likely to buy)."
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
If your organization has a healthy Hispanic component, you may want to keep this trend in mind—and perhaps offer a Spanish option for your meeting’s Web site. According to the article, "Almost half of online Hispanic consumers who speak at least some Spanish (45%) also wish that more Web advertising were in Spanish, the survey found. One-third say they pay more attention to advertisements when they are in Spanish. And 23% say that advertising in Spanish makes them more likely to buy a given product (vs. 10% who say it makes them less likely to buy)."
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
The next big thing: "ambient intelligence"
From an article by Sherry Chiger in CHIEF MARKETER e-newsletter: "Are you ready for the era of ‘ambient intelligence’? You'd better be, warned Andrew Zolli, lead partner at futurist firm Z+Partners, at a session at the recent National Conference on Operations and Fulfillment.
"Four converging tech trends are leading up to this era: cheap sensors, such as RFID tags; integration of physical and digital space; dynamic interactive materials; and advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
"What does all that sci-fi-sounding verbiage mean to marketers? We've already seen a shift from a commodity economy to a product economy to a service economy, Zolli said. Ambient intelligence will hasten the shift to an experience economy, with the use of design as differentiator. ‘What was yesterday's product is today's commodity," he explained. "What was yesterday's innovation is today's cost of entry.’"
My question to you is: What does it mean to meeting planners? How will you differentiate your event to accommodate the new "experience economy"?
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
"Four converging tech trends are leading up to this era: cheap sensors, such as RFID tags; integration of physical and digital space; dynamic interactive materials; and advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
"What does all that sci-fi-sounding verbiage mean to marketers? We've already seen a shift from a commodity economy to a product economy to a service economy, Zolli said. Ambient intelligence will hasten the shift to an experience economy, with the use of design as differentiator. ‘What was yesterday's product is today's commodity," he explained. "What was yesterday's innovation is today's cost of entry.’"
My question to you is: What does it mean to meeting planners? How will you differentiate your event to accommodate the new "experience economy"?
Comments?
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
