Cheeseburgers and Other Open Secrets

When a meeting is working really well, it makes attendees feel like they're part of an exclusive club -- like they all share a secret that no one else in the industry knows. A little insider knowledge goes a long way, making a person feel special, privileged, accomplished. Or, sometimes, just cool, which is how I felt when I had dinner at Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien hotel after the author appearance I attended in New York City last week. (Hat tip to my colleague Hunter Slaton for the recommendation.) Burger Joint is a deliberately low-rent, uh, burger joint that's hidden in plain sight behind a red curtain in a corner of the hotel's elegant lobby -- a cramped dive with scarred wooden tables, a cash-only policy, and a handwritten menu that's limited to burgers, fries, shakes, and Sam Adams. You pretty much have to be looking for it to find it, which of course didn't stop the line of customers -- split pretty evenly between Manhattan scenesters and tourists -- from snaking out the door last Thursday night at 9.

So with Burger Joint, Le Parker Meridien has done two things: (1) stuck to the basics, offering killer burgers and fries, and nothing else); and (2) involved customers in its conspiracy of silence, making them accomplices and, ultimately, proselytizers. It's (2) that particularly interests me when it comes to meetings. How do you make attendees feel like your entire event exists behind a velvet rope? When they leave, do they feel like the rest of their industry needs to catch up with them -- and it's their duty to share what they've learned? 

Rolling on the Floor, Meeting

If any more proof were needed that technology can lead to the creation of events, ROFLCon seems tailor-made to provide it. The conference, which was first held in 2008 and was reprised this spring on the MIT campus to a sold-out audience, is named after the acronym,"rolling on the floor, laughing" -- Internet-speak for "That was really, really funny."

The idea spun out from a tweetup of Harvard undergraduates who founded the conference as a way to meet their online heroes, such as the viral phenomenon known as The Tron Guy. Attendees seemed to have had a good time -- who wouldn't get a kick of out of meeting the creator of Clippy? -- while tackling serious subjects, like how the Internet is changing cultural notions of celebrity, and race and the Internet.

What really struck me is how durable the concept of meeting face-to-face is proving to be. For ROLFCon's attendees, who are utterly at home in cyberspace, meeting face-to-face still is something to get excited about -- even when the subject is cyberspace.

Convene Reads: Last Call

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, by Daniel Okrent, is one of those great books that's about so much more than its ostensible subject. In telling the story of the Eighteenth Amendment -- which from 1920 until it was repealed in 1933 made it illegal for alcoholic beverages to be manufactured, transported, or sold within the United States -- Okrent also tells the story of women's suffrage, the federal income tax, international trade, organized crime, the Ku Klux Klan, immigration, Democrats and Republicans, men and women, sacramental wine, Welch's Grape Juice, and cigarette boats. And, of course, meetings and conventions, which over the course of decades is where Prohibition was discussed, debated, extolled, condemned, enacted, and repealed. Indeed, more pages than not in Last Call seem to mention a meeting of some kind, somewhere.

Here are just a few examples, beginning some 70 years before America went dry:

"[Susan B.] Anthony had given her first public speech in 1849, to a group called the Daughters of Temperance. ... In 1852 she was not allowed to address an Albany meeting of the Sons of Temperance specifically because she was a woman. "The sisters," said the group's chairman, were there not to speak but "to listen and learn." The same year, at a New York State Temperance Society meeting in Syracuse, the same result. It happened again, at a World Temperance Society convention in New York City.... Finally Anthony cast her lot with [Elizabeth Cady] Stanton (who had declared alcohol "The Unclean Thing") and proceeded to give half a century's labors to the cause of suffrage."

Around the turn of the century, as the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) gained ground:

"Thomas Gilmore, [United States Brewers' Association Secretary Hugh] Fox's counterpart over at the liquor distillers office, told his employers at their 1908 convention in Louisville that the ASL was 'the most remarkable movement that this country has ever known.'"

During World War I, when Prohibition forces attacked the German-American-dominated U.S. Brewers' Association:

"'Does anyone doubt,' [ASL Superintendent Purley A.] Baker asked an ASL conference in Columbus, 'in the light of the immediate past, that if there had not been a strong, virile Prohibition movement to combat the propaganda of this disloyal but well-financed organization, that American would have been sufficiently Germanized to have kept her out of the war?'"

In 1924, four years into Prohibition, when the Democratic National Convention was held in New York City:

"Official 'reception committees' could direct the visiting delegate to Manhattan's five thousand speakeasies; unofficial hosts -- hotel bellmen, cabbies, prostitutes -- knew where to get a bottle a delegate could enjoy in his room. 'Good rye is hardly obtainable,' Variety had said in one of its regular market reports, so Democrats had to make do with lesser merchandise. Wet operatives kept dry leaders entertained at endless social events, almost as if trying to seduce them with the wonders of Sodom."

And in February 1933, when the Twenty-First Amendment, which repealed Prohibition, was ratified:

"The remaining two clauses outlawed the transportation of intoxicating liquors into states that chose to forbid it and stipulated a ratification process requiring approval not by state legislatures but by state conventions called for this specific purpose."

Today, of course, the relationship between intoxicating liquors and meetings is better, shall we say, understood.

Extra, Extra!: Convene Newsstand

It's Monday, and that means extra (Extra, Extra!) news from around the meetings industry.

Bass Pro Shops has signed a 20-year lease to redevelop the ill-fated Memphis Pyramid, turning it into a $100 million "outdoors superstore." According to a hotel consultant, "If Bass Pro goes forward, there will be a fair amount of redevelopment ... and some of that will be hotels." The Memphis Business Journal also reports that Bass Pro taking over the Pyramid could prompt an expansion or replacement of the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Could these developments, with buzz from the new Memphis Beat TV series, kick off a renaissance for groups in Memphis?

"White Tea" it wasn't: At the Palms hotel and casino in Las Vegas, an experiment at perfuming the property with a "teakwood" scent recently came to a screeching halt, after visitors pretty much roundly panned the aroma. The Las Vegas Sun reports that one online commenter wrote, "The place literally stinks. I'd almost rather smell the smoke."

According to USA Today, a number of Gulf Coast hotels — as well as big hotel companies including InterContinental, Marriott, and Hilton — are offering "oil-free beach guarantees." The story doesn't say whether this guarantee applies to groups, but it's worth asking, for any planner who is considering booking a meeting at a property possibly affected by the oil spill. (Of course, the point of the guarantee is that, in large part, the beaches are just fine.)

Used to, you could only talk to your seatmate. But now, reports the New York Times, with Twitter and other social networking programs, you can talk to anyone at the gate or on the plane. This recently happened to Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do?, who found himself trading tweets before a flight with another passenger who knew him from his writing.

And last but not least, the quote of the week award goes to this story from United Press International, about Toronto hosting the International Medical Marijuana Expo last week:

"We're not trying to promote, 'Come down to the convention center and get stoned.'"

Still, it's not a half-bad tagline.

Convene On Site: Vienna

In his last post, Chris Durso asked, "Have you ever heard of an event that began as a labor of love, a passion project created and staffed by a single dedicated volunteer, that has made the leap to professional stage, with paid staff members, sponsorships, and so on?"

Well, yes, Chris, I attended just such an event last night — the 18th Annual Life Ball, one of the most glittering and spectacular charity events in Europe. I'm here in Vienna as a guest of the Vienna Convention Bureau and Vienna Tourist Board, representing the North American meetings industry trade press, along with meetings industry media from the U.K. (Martin Lewis of CAT publications), Italy (Marco Biamonti of EDIMAN Srl.), Germany (Kerstin Hoffman of T&M Media), and Belgium (Marcel Vissers of Meeting Media Company).

The Life Ball — designed to "fight AIDS and celebrate life" — was organized and founded by one individual, Gery Keszler. His vision was to make the charity event part of the Viennese ball tradition, with a modern twist. What began as a small event from the gay community — the first Life Ball took place in 1993 with only two sponsors, and raised under 80,000 euros for the non-profit organization AIDS LIFE — last year raised more than 1.6 million euros, and has been embraced by worldwide celebrities and dignitaries alike. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose Clinton Foundation Access Programs are dedicated to expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS in the developing world, has become a regular at the event. (That's him in a photo I snapped on my BlackBerry last night.)

The spectacular ball takes place at Vienna's glittering City Hall and includes a red-carpet, two-hour open-air celebration, which, unfortunately, was cut short by a thunderstorm last night. When the rain first started, thousands of guests threw on festive pink plastic ponchos donated by T-Mobile, happy to sit out the rain. But when lightening threatened, the festivities were cut short and guests made a beeline for the City Hall. (Takeaway for planners: pocket-sized plastic ponchos are a great idea and smart sponsorship opportunity for outdoor events when there is a threat of inclement weather.)

At the ball, we circulated throughout the beautiful Gothic building among throngs of wildly costumed attendees (this year's theme was Earth). The Life Ball was even more spectacular this time around, serving as the kick-off to the 2010 International AIDS Conference, held for the first time here in Vienna and starting today. It will be the first time that I attend an international conference of this size — 25,000 attendees — and I'm looking forward to learning all I can about how this event moves the world forward in the fight against AIDS.

From Self-Publishing to Self-Meeting

I'm in New York City today and tomorrow to help close the August issue of Convene. After I left our design studio tonight, I went off to a reading by David Carnoy, who has just published his first book, a thriller called Knife Music. (By day, Carnoy is executive editor for CBS Interactive, where he works with a good friend of mine, which is how I ended up at his reading.) I haven't read it yet, but the story behind the story is a thriller in its own right: Before the Overlook Press released Knife Music in hardcover this month, Carnoy published it himself -- as a print-on-demand title and a free iPhone app. His marketing savvy (and the quality of the book itself) attracted enough attention that he landed a two-book deal with Overlook.

At his reading tonight, Carnoy was lighthearted and self-deprecating. More than anything, he seemed tickled that so many people had shown up as Barnes & Noble on Broadway and 66th to see a first-time novelist. But he had a serious message for wannabe authors: self-publish. He's even written a 25-tip column on the topic for his day job. Because, Carnoy wonders, what do you have to lose?

It makes me wonder if the self-publishing model is in any way applicable to the meetings industry. Have you ever heard of an event that began as a labor of love, a passion project created and staffed by a single dedicated volunteer, that has made the leap to the professional stage, with paid staff members, sponsorships, and so on? Even if you haven't, I think there are things that meeting professionals can take away from Carnoy's 25 tips, starting with the first one one: "Self-publishing is easy" -- thanks to a variety of online applications that walk you through the process. So, too, are videoconferencing and virtual meetings. What are you doing to compete with -- and co-opt -- them?

Name That Tune!

One of the sources that I talked to for the July cover story "More Than a Feeling" -- about how appealing to meeting attendees' senses can not just improve their experience, but help them retain knowledge -- was Chris Brewer, an expert on using music in learning environments. Chris and I talked about how useful music can be in regulating mood at meetings, and also about how important it is to think about your audience and your objective when selecting which tunes to play. Be careful not to get stuck in the groove of the music your own generation or cultural background, she advised.

I asked Brewer if there is one song or piece of music that seems to transcend all boundaries, that everybody likes to hear. And she said, "Yes, there is."

And, that's all I am going to say about it. For now.

In the coming week, you're invited to drop by and nominate the song that you think Brewer suggested as the sure-fire crowdpleaser. Add videos, if you like, and maybe even tell us about the time you used the song successfully.

We'll unveil Brewer's pick in an upcoming blog post.

And here's one hint: It's not "More Than a Feeling."

One Final Lesson From the Voice of God

A few different associations that I've worked for have used the same term to describe the unseen announcer at their meetings who asks attendees to take their seats and then introduces the first speaker: the Voice of God. It's as good a name as any for someone who is authoritative, omnipresent, and unseen. The name was also given to Bob Sheppard, the longtime, legendary public-address announcer for the New York Yankees, who died on Sunday at age 99. (It's been a tough week for the Yankees. The team's equally legendary if not quite so longtime owner, George Steinbrenner, died yesterday.)

In its obituary, The New York Times describes Mr. Sheppard's "precise, resonant, even Olympian elocution," and if you ever watched a ballgame at Yankee Stadium between 1951 and 2007, when Mr. Sheppard was on the job, you know what they mean. His delivery was distinct and memorable, with a sort of low-key grandeur. (Click on the video above to listen to him recreate the starting lineups for Game 6 of the 1951 World Series.) But Mr. Sheppard also knew enough to stay out of his own way:

"A public-address announce should be clear, concise, correct," he said. "He should not be colorful, cute, or comic."

Meeting professionals probably know what he means, since their jobs tend to be about setting the stage and then receding into the background. Because when you're the Voice of God, you don't need to take a bow.

July 2010 Issue: Live!

The digital edition of our July 2010 issue is now live -- and front and center is a terrific cover story by Senior Editor Barbara Palmer that takes ROI to another level: "Return on Intangibles." Other highlights:

Update -- Crisis Response: Checking in with the 2010 Offshore Technology Conference, which by sheer chance convened in Houston a week and a half after the oil-rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

"State of the Unions": A feature article that uses McCormick Place's recent labor overhaul as a jumping-off point to explore union issues throughout the exhibitions industry.

E-panel -- "Trade Shows: Today and Tomorrow": Convene readers weigh in on our latest e-panel survey, with questions about their shows today and five years down the road

"4 Questions Trade Show Organizers Need to Ask Themselves": An exclusive excerpt from a white paper prepared for the 2010 Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF).

One on One With: Ron DiLeo, the new executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).

Leading by Example: A profile of Vivian Schiller, who became president and CEO of NPR a year and a half ago -- just in time to inherit both a huge deficit and soaring listener numbers.

One on One With: Vernice Armour, the first female African-American combat pilot in U.S. military history, who will be making a keynote presentation sponsored by Convene at the DMAI Annual Convention next week.

Working Smarter: What Foursquare and other location-based applications could mean for meetings.

Innovative Meetings: Behind the scenes at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons 2010 Annual Meeting -- where every attendee got their own iPod Touch, pre-loaded with the conference's entire programming.

Backchannel: What is the best way to allocate space in an exhibit hall? Four meeting professionals weigh in.

Other Duties as Assigned: The American Camp Association, New York's Scott Rothschild on that time a SWAT team burst into his exhibit hall. And the Fonz was there.

Look for the text-only version of the July issue on our homepage within the next few days.

Haiti: A Moment for Hope

Today marks six months and one day after a violent earthquake devastated Haiti -- and exactly six months after the non-profit organization Healing Hands for Haiti (HHH) -- which provides rehabilitation clinical services and education in Haiti -- began rebuilding its own heavily damaged operations.

Convene traveled to Port-au-Prince in March, with PCMA member Jean Tracy, a HHH former board member and volunteer, to chronicle the organization's work. HHH volunteer doctors, physical therapists, and others worked long, physically and emotionally draining days as they divided their time between providing clinical care to earthquake victims and Haitian orphans, and to getting Healing Hands back on its feet.

At the six-month mark, there is no shortage of stories in the media measuring how far recovery efforts have -- and haven't -- come. There are far too many people suffering in Haiti today, and much work to be done. But there is also reason to feel hopeful, including about Healing Hands' progress. From its directors:

The process of redeveloping Healing Hands for Haiti began the day after the earthquake of January 12 of this year. Five months later, we are almost back to full service. A new prosthetic fabrication and physical therapy facility at rented quarters in Port au Prince, developed in partnership with Handicap International, has fitted and cared for hundreds of pre- and post- earthquake amputees and disabled patients. Demolition of destroyed buildings at our main campus is almost finished. Our emergency and rehab medicine tent clinic at the main site has been closed in anticipation of the opening of a new, rented facility to house a modern clinic, physical and occupational therapy rooms, classrooms and offices. We have increased our deployment of rehabilitation medical teams on a weekly rotation basis to hospitals, clinics and orphanages throughout Haiti. Among our special charges are the 150 spinal cord-injured, who suffered among the most devastating injuries in the earthquake.

The photograph above is courtesy of Handicap International, copyright: © William Daniels for Handicap International