I SAY, I SAY BY PETER GRAY
SO MUCH FOR THE GREENIES
AIME has come and gone and this year was no exception in that it was the opportunity most tourism bureaux took to launch their new ‘conference and event planning guide’. In fact I have received several emails from bureaux advising me that I can now order their planner on-line. Not so the Northern Territory bureau which has taken the decision not to print a planner and instead make the whole thing available on the Web. Leaders always take risks but I overwhelmingly applaud this step!
In these days of reasonably high speed broadband (unless you live in one of those areas deemed by Telstra as unworthy to receive anything but a 28kbps – or less – connection) why are bureaux wasting money on a printed planner when most if not all conference and event managers use the Web as the rule rather than the exception to find out about a destination, hotel, venue or service? And while a printed planning guide can’t be updated an on-line web-based guide can.
The cost of producing the planning guide, the number of trees that are needed to be sacrificed and the volume of greenhouse gases that are expended in the printing process (not to mention the cost of distribution and the various non-ecologically-sound ways in which distribution is achieved) must be huge and I’m sure that a convention bureau could more usefully use these funds in other ways.
Tourism bureaux all over the world are urging conference and incentive managers to be ecologically responsible, become ‘green’ and ensure their clients do so too. So why don’t they take a leaf from their own book and scrap printed planning guides?
And while I’m on the subject of tourism bureaux, a conversation I had within another AIME visitor comes to mind and that is the usefulness of a bureau which only promotes the services of its members.
If I’m looking for a venue or anything else within the area covered by a tourism bureau I want to know everything that’s available not just those facilities, companies or organisation that are prepared to pay for bureau membership. In fact, although I would hate to see the consequences of political interference in the operation of any bureau, surely it is to everyone’s advantage that promotion of a state, region, city or town should be complete rather than piecemeal which is the consequence of the membership system.
As for funding…the Federal Government is continually extolling the virtues of tourism and business tourism in particular so let them dig deep. The tourism industry is one of Australia’s biggest exporters (if not the biggest) but because it’s made up of millions of relatively small operators both state and federal governments (of any political persuasion) starve it of the funds it needs to develop. It is the least considered or consulted when it comes to plans or legislation changes which affect it and so every year tourism operators close their doors because they can no longer survive in the changing environment.
Another piece of good news I heard at AIME was that Shangri-La Hotels has apparently made a policy decision that wireless broadband will be provided FREE in all their hotels in future. Other hoteliers please note.
I have railed in this column before about the absurd charges that hotels make for a service which is becoming easier and cheaper to obtain just about everywhere else. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all have plans which make wireless broadband accessible for a monthly fee which most hotels charge for use of their service for just 24 hours (or just 10 minutes if that’s all you want)! The list of hotels (and other businesses) that provide free wireless broadband is increasing and, in these times when clients are watching their conference or incentive dollars, $30+ for 24-hour broadband access can lose a hotel business if a rival offers this without charge.
My company recently managed a 4-day event at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre for some 2,100 delegates including an exhibition of 150 booths. We persuaded the client to provide free high-speed wireless broadband throughout the exhibition halls rather than providing a dozen-or-so desktop computers arranged as an ‘Internet Café. It was a great success. And at a very reasonable cost which we recouped from a sponsor.
AIME take note for 2009.
Peter Gray is the Managing Partner of Motivating People
peter.gray@motivatingpeople.net
www.motivatingpeople.net
Peter Gray is the Managing Partner of Motivating People www.motivatingpeople.net
For Speaking availability, Quotes and information email peter.gray@motivatingpeople.netcopyright Peter J Gray Motivating People 2009
