The Turkey Who Lived

On previous occasions I've blogged about the importance of ceremonial events and what makes for good Political Kabuki Theater -- two things that came together at the White House this morning when President Obama pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey. This is an annual occurrence, usually conducted with a sense of tongue-in-cheek officiousness, as a joke everyone is in on. It's both ceremonial and Kabuki, which probably means it has some sort of relevance for meeting professionals that I'd be more inclined to plumb if it weren't 4:30 p.m. on the day before Thanksgiving.

But mainly, the pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey is fun, and helps get everyone in the holiday spirit. Including you and yours, I hope. Happy Thanksgiving!

Flower Power

Tipping our hand a bit, the cover story in the July issue of Convene -- mailing this week, with the digital edition following close behind online -- is about the many intangible factors that make calculating a meeting's true ROI more than just an exercise in accounting. Among the things that Senior Editor Barbara Palmer explores in the article is how aesthetics and production design affect how attendees experience an event -- something that Laura Dowling, the White House's new chief floral designer, has to think about every day. (The lavender bouquet pictured at left is from her website.) A recent profile in The Washington Post discusses Dowling's (and Michelle Obama's) penchant for "official flowers in a 'looser' garden style" -- and suggests what a presidential administration's notion of beauty can say about the administration itself:

Flowers from previous administrations can look dated in years to come, just as first ladies' dresses often do. An Eisenhower-era state-dinner photo shows rows of stiff pyramids of that 1950s favorite, the pink carnation. Jackie Kennedy brought more relaxed arrangements in a decidedly French style. The Nixons are pictured at an informal family dinner (ties for the men, headband for Tricia) with a big ball of daisies and yellow mums in the center; it looks like an old FTD special.

Do you use flowers at your meetings -- as centerpieces or stage dressing, or in some other capacity? Do you see them as an integral part of the message you're trying to communicate? Or are they just something pretty to look at? Then again, as this month's cover story suggests, there may not be any such thing.

Substance and Style

One of the things that make meetings and conferences so interesting to write about is their multifaceted nature -- combining elements of education, performance, governance, hospitality, travel, commerce, and so on into one event. The Washington Post agrees with me. Or, at least, that's my interpretation of a recent package of articles in which the Post's fashion, pop-music, dance, theater, and classical-music critics offered advice to Julianna Smoot, the White House's new social secretary. Why? Because, like meetings and conferences, presidential events (including last November's state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, pictured above) are a sophisticated blend of substance and style, their character and content shaped not just by who attends and what they talk about, but also by the clothes they wear and dozens of other verbal, visual, and subliminal cues.

In a thoughtful essay on what Smoot might learn from the fashion industry, the Post's Robin Givhan wrote:

What if White House staffers swore off tuxedos at the next dinner? What if they wore something more surprising? Or more casual?

If the White House is charged with celebrating the best of American culture, why not use designers' skills to ensure that every detail of an event speaks to our contemporary style?

That's a question for meeting professionals, too. Do you consciously use dress codes, music, production design, etc. to communicate a specific message about your organization and your event? Or are those things simply about making sure that everyone has a good time?

PHOTO: Lawrence Jackson / The White House

As the White House Turns

Meeting professionals are used to being invisible at their own events -- and most of the ones I've met and worked with seem to prefer it that way. So it's not surprising to learn that, after White House social secretary Desiree Rogers drew criticism for seeming too comfortable in the spotlight, the woman who is replacing her -- Julianna Smoot -- has a reputation for maintaining a lower profile. From today's Washington Post:

Perhaps the most obvious superficial difference between the outgoing and incoming social secretaries is one of culture and style: Where Rogers was high-profile and glamorous, Smoot is low-key and a more conventional political operative. A 2007 Washington Post profile described her as having "a blend of Southern charm and brash straight talk." And where Rogers appreciated the power of the limelight, Smoot has a better understanding of the no-drama Obama ethos, several Democratic officials said.

It makes me wonder if there's ever a public role for meeting professionals to play at their events. Or is meeting and event planning strictly a backstage job?