Posts Tagged philippines
Friday, October 1st, 2010
If you call Cleveland or the Philippines home, I may be seeing you in November. I’ve got a couple of really cool events on the books and I hope I see you there…
November 10, 2010 – Cleveland, OH – The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association
I was delighted when Rick Turner, President of HSMAI’s Cleveland chapter, reached out to see if I’d be interested in being a part of a panel to discuss: “If I Could Go Back – What I’ve Learned and What I’d Do Differently”. I love the idea of sharing the good, the bad and the ugly. I really think that we can learn far more from the times we fall down and the moments we struggle than when everything is on the up and up. Michael Cerbelli will be a co-panelist along with a very successful local restaurateur.
November 23-25, 2010 – Manila, Philippines – Full Day Workshops
November 27, 2010 – Boracay, Philippines – Full Day Workshop
On the heels of a fantastic webinar last week with Philippines-based ad agencies, publishing, banking, CPG and pharmaceutical conglomerates, I will be returning to Manila to deliver my full-day Social Media Strategy workshop. The Philippines is officially one of my favorite places on earth – so I can’t wait to be back to enjoy the warm people, hot air, beautiful beaches and to-die-for shakes.
Will you be there?
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Just today the U.S. State Department issued an advisory against travel to Toronto. Really? Are we Canadians that scary? I mean we have a reputation for apologizing, for heaven’s sake. The advisory comes with the approach of the G8 Summit in Toronto. Warnings of protests that can “become violent and unpredictable” may just scare away the very tourists that make our city so great in the Summer.
As many of you know, I traveled to the Philippines last month. Before going about the only thing I knew was that it was located somewhere in Asia. Ignorant was an understatement. But moments after sharing with friends, family and blog readers that I would be heading down to deliver seminars on Social Media I was barraged with concerned emails. I was told of kidnappings, beheadings and crime against Westerners. In fact, the Canadian government issued warnings against travel in certain regions of the county. I was shaking in my proverbial boots. I emailed the organizer of the conference no less than 3 separate times stating my concerns. With great patience, the organizer ensured me that there wouldn’t be any problems.
I spent 3 of the most incredible weeks of my life in the Philippines (just check out the video I put together). 3 weeks that I would have missed out on had I listened to the fear mongering. There was no fighting, there were no crimes that I saw – it was the opposite of what I let myself believe. The Philippines was brimming with some of the warmest and most accommodating people I have ever met in all my travels.
Many places have undeserved reputations. Top of my list would be Jamaica, Trinidad and (of course) the Philippines. They have not done a good job branding their countries outside of their country. Small and isolated incidences have over-ridden the realities of their greatness. This is sad to me.
I hope, at the very least, this post will encourage event planners, destination planners, corporate incentive planners, etc to consider countries they’ve heard not-so-good-things about. Just maybe you’ll receive the gift of an incredible experience that many choose to bypass. If anyone wants to learn more about the countries I’ve mentioned, I’m happy to speak about them or put your hand in the hand of a local who can help you. And heck, come to Toronto while you’re at it.
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We are faced with a constant pressure to make things more efficient – faster, cheaper, new & improved.
This lesson was never more evident than when I was working with a well-known confectionary brand for my agency many years ago. Our task was to redesign their chocolate bar label – and part of the brief was to totally change the packaging itself. The main reason? The client felt the existing packaging was too expensive to produce. My immediate gut reaction was, ‘No way!’. The packaging stood out – amongst a sea of boxes and wrappers, it was a beacon. And, being an avid consumer myself, I knew the wrapping was a part of the experience of enjoying the product.
After much debate with the client, we convinced them to invest first in understanding how consumers felt about their existing packaging. We sat down with consumers, talked to them and watched how they consumed the product – we quickly learned that the ritual of enjoying the chocolate began well before it was first tasted. We discovered that the package was where the experience of the product first began as well as ended. The ritual of unwrapping the package created the same anticipation as opening a gift, the package felt decadent…just like the chocolate, the package allowed them to rewrap what they didn’t get around to eating, the package was how consumers recognized the brand on shelf, and the package was the same one they grew up using. We heard their message loud and clear: “Don’t mess with my package”. They didn’t – and to this day, although the design of the wrapper has changed, the chocolate bar remains in the same packaging and has maintained its position as one of the top selling bars.
Fast forward to 3 weeks ago. I attended the closing ceremonies for Events Asia 2010 on beautiful private beach in Boracay, Philippines. After a few hours of the most amazing live entertainment I’ve ever experienced, a heap of white canvas appeared at my feet. Next thing I knew the announcer was telling us to get on our feet and bring the canvas lanterns with us to the outdoor stage by the sea. The air seemed electrified with excitement and anticipation as we listened to our instructions (which, quite frankly, seemed to go on and on). Lighting them was not going to be easy. People banded together to help each other light their wicks. It was a long process of hoping your wick would burn and waiting for your lantern to fill with hot air. I felt like a kid when I watched my husband’s lantern leave his hands and rise through the night’s sky to join the others rapidly rising above our heads. People cheered as they floated away. It was a perfect representation of the end of a great conference.
There are plenty of experiences that are faster, cheaper and newer than lighting lanterns. But after spending 2 days sitting in a conference centre, this ritualistic experience was in one word: magical. It will be something, I can say with conviction, that I will never forget. And it’s an experience that united everyone who participated.
So what rituals are you building into your events? How are you incorporating your guests into the event experience? How are you foregoing faster, cheaper, newer for powerful, meaningful and unique?
(video courtesy of Brian Slawin from Busy Events)
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While in the Philippines we were invited to visit the über luxurious Shangri la Boracay. It was a jaw dropping property boasting one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. But I digress. The reason I mention this resort is not because of the stunning rooms or views (I’ll talk about this another day), but instead it’s for their amazing attention to detail. Specifically…what they did with sand.
I stumbled upon two great ideas that would be so easy to steal for an event. The first was a sand-topped table display with a pretty border hand traced into the sand. I thought this would be so beautiful as an inexpensive tabletop idea (but if you’re thinking of also eating off of these tables, you’ll want to add a glass top…to avoid gritty chicken ;).
The second idea sat inconspicuously outside of the hotel elevators. Imprinted in the sand of an ashtray was the resort’s logo. Simple, simple, simple – yet really smart.
The last idea I came across wasn’t from Shangri la. It was something I found on the Ellerslie Four Play blog and shows a standard illuminated table decorated with a sand design. It’s a really creative (and inexpensive) way of converting a basic rental item into something quite extraordinary.
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I got home a couple of days ago after spending 3 magical weeks in the Philippines for Events Asia 2010. I have some amazing stories and can’t wait to share them with you. In the mean time I put together this video to showcase a smidgen of what Michael and I experienced in our short stay in Paradise.
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If I had a bucket list, I’m sure that being carried up on stage in a swing by some handsome Philippino men would be somewhere in the top 10.
As you know, I’m at Events Asia 2010 presenting on Social Media. I showed up this morning to do a run-through with the other speakers and learned that I would be arriving on stage in grand style! Three very strong men carried me across the conference room floor using a bamboo rod and a rattan swing. I tried my best to look demure and like I’ve done this many times before…although I’m not sure I pulled that off very well.
So, do you think I should add this to my rider? ;)
I can’t wait to share more photos and videos from the conference…
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Join me at Events Asia 2010 in Boracay, Philippines, April 28-30th!
I’m very excited to be a part of this great event. I’ll be joining some fantastic speakers including Max Lenderman, author of Experience the Message. The event will be held at the beautiful Boracay Ecovillage Resort & Convention Center (you may recognize the name from the Miss Earth 2009 competition). For more information, visit the official event website. I hope to see you there!
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