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The Association Executive Blog from the Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter of the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE).
Thursday, 2 June 2016
Friday, 26 February 2016
Friday, 18 December 2015
Friday, 2 October 2015
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
Career Development – What Mentoring Can Do For You
What we have found to-date with the Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter of CSAE’s mentor program is that mentors and mentees are learning from each other – while the mentee benefits from the experience and knowledge of their mentor; the mentor in turn is learning from the mentee just as much – in many cases about technology, new, “fresh” ideas for marketing and communications, and how an employee in a junior position at an association perceives an operational structure.
For the purposes of this article, we have interviewed a series of association executives; all who have participated in the local program in years past. Some have agreed to speak publically about their experience, others preferred to remain anonymous, but all provided feedback that could and should be shared with the chapter.
The interviews were conducted without specific questions in mind; it was a conversation with each individual to hear from them specifically what they felt was beneficial from participating in the program.
“Working in an association with a very small staff set, it was important to me that I found someone who was in a similar situation as I was, who either currently is, or has, ‘lived what I was living’. We could exchange ideas, operational experiences, and listen to each other’s ideas”, says Robin Jackson, Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of University Women.
“I must admit, I wasn’t sure it was going to work out with my match, and frankly, neither did she”, says Sangita Kamblé, Executive Director of the Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation. “We were too much alike, and frankly, we were not sure how we could benefit from this. But after meeting with my mentoring partner, we clicked. It is very much an equal exchange; we share concerns, ideas, etc.”
What are the benefits of mentoring?
There are many…too many to highlight in one article. But; some benefits include encouraging/enhancing business initiatives; professional development; breaks down the “silo” mentality between generations, industries, and job functions.
One anonymous supported said that “It moves you beyond your typical circle of professional relationships. With the chapter’s program, the ‘match-making’ is someone else’s responsibility; by using some questions to help determine the pairings (i.e. what you want out of this). Then they match you up with others who are looking to help with those areas. I cannot speak to everyone else’s experience, but I was paired with someone outside of my industry. I was new to my role, and with this program, I got to look at new approaches, which helped me grow in my position, and my organization.”
Mentors benefit by learning other areas of an organization; or an industry, gaining satisfaction in sharing expertise and experience with others, and in turn, having a new perspective that helps with their own professional and personal development.
“Looking back to when I was very new to associations (and to being an Executive Director); I really could have benefitted from a program like this. I certainly feel that I reasonably invested my time as a mentor”, says Duncan Grant, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Archivists.
Mentees benefit by learning specific skills and knowledge to help them advance their careers; gaining from the mentor’s expertise, and they have someone who will listen when they are frustrated; or wanting to share successes.
“I spent a lot of my time with my mentor focusing on articulating my core competencies and highlighting my unique skills. It’s not always easy to do this on your own, and the help my mentor provided was fantastic. I know that I can fall back on her for advice if needed.”, says Geraldine Hyland, Manager, Member Services at the Canadian Library Association.
About the Mentorship Program
The Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter of CSAE conducts assessments during the summer months, and then matches the pairings in September. From September-May; it is up to the mentor/mentee pairings to set up a schedule to meet, chat, etc. The Chapter volunteers circle back in January to check in and ensure that everyone is going OK. Our “official” involvement ends in May; and it is up to the pairings if they want to continue or not.
“My match and I have been at this for over 1.5 years; and it doesn’t show signs of stopping yet”; said Sangita Kamblé.
“I do not run in the same circles as my match.” said Geraldine Hyland. “I doubt we would have come across each other in an in-depth way as we have through this program.”
Another anonymous participant said, “We are still in touch monthly. It is largely in part of both of us recognizing that you have to put an effort into it to get anything out of it. We are both interested in keeping it going.”
“Members should really be taking full-advantage of this program – there is a wealth of knowledge available to you as a result – on both sides.”, says Duncan Grant.
Interested in participating in the program? Contact the Chapter Executive for further details.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Trade Show Management – Concept to Completion
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planning, organized execution, and countless hours. A Show Manager requires an extremely diverse skill set or a competent and skilled team, as they are working with various stakeholders, components
and a myriad of details.
There are four stages to the process: Planning, Coordinating, Execution and Evaluation.
The Planning phase consists of reviewing the current operations, setting goals and objectives, identifying stakeholders, choosing your team and creating a budget. Understanding who the stakeholders are, how important each group is and how valuable good relationships with all of them are is the key to a smooth running show. Whether it be your exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, suppliers, venue contacts, media, staff and volunteers, each group brings a unique perspective with different needs; many with expertise in their area you can draw from. Utilize their knowledge.
Planning your team is equally important – given the variety of areas implicated in a trade show including administration and finance, sales, communications and marketing, registration and event management you will undoubtedly encounter a wide range of skills and personalities and it is important to utilize their strengths and involve them in all the planning in order for them to buy in to your ideas.
Other components of the planning stage consist of:
- Budget - including venue, all site expenses, speakers, marketing etc.
- Regulations – labour, safety, disability, fire code, licensing, insurance, green practices, etc.
- Logistics – this is one of the largest areas in the planning phase. It encompasses requests for proposals, site selections and floor plans, contracts, venue and service providers, scheduling, features and entertainment, AV, catering and more.
It is important to note that having a well designed, logical floor plan can make or break your show. If it is not well thought out, if exhibitors are not happy with their space/locations, if attendees can’t find features, if there are dead aisles, or if you haven’t followed safety, fire, or electrical regulations, you could be setting yourself up for disaster. I reiterate the value of all stakeholders – it’s important to keep them happy and coming back. A word of advice – keep the inspectors happy – it makes your life a lot easier.
Sales and marketing are another big part of the planning process. The first step should be to complete a Situation Analysis or a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and from those responses look at market segmentation, ways to prospect and lead generation. Your marketing plan needs to be integrated, utilizing advertising, public relations, website, social and digital media. A marketing timeline should be created a year in advance and the different medians used depending on what stage of the plan you are in.
Creating a complete exhibitor prospectus which has all the pertinent information regarding the details of your show and the value of exhibiting is a must. Ensure everything the exhibitor needs to know is included: attendee demographics, logistics, floor plans and costs, conditions of contract, accommodations and travel tips, sponsorship opportunities and tips for exhibiting. The exhibitor guide should be equally as detailed with relevant information on setup, tear down, contractors, shipping, electrical, AV, security, material handling, storage, etc. The easier you make things for the exhibitors, the happier they are and more likely to return the next year.
The world of sponsorship has changed immensely. It is growing hugely and allows for much creativity. It is no longer signage and exposure; sponsors desire to be interactive and engaging. Constantly look for new opportunities to enhance your revenue. Research other shows and borrow their ideas.
The Planning, Coordination and Execution stages go hand in hand. As you are planning some stages you are also coordinating and executing others. The coordination phase consists of assigning tasks, timelines and personnel. How are things going to come together? It requires arranging tasks with all stakeholders, and takes the plan and prepares it for execution.
Executing is the coordination and managing of all logistics and the show as a whole. It is monitoring and controlling the sales process, ongoing tasks and the team while also identifying constraints and issues. The use of a project management plan and timelines is imperative to keep tasks on track and ensure completion of them.
The final stage which takes the least amount of time but is one of the most important is the
Evaluation.
Once you have completed the tasks, settled all contracts, completed all reports, collected exhibitor and attendee surveys, it is necessary to evaluate with all stakeholders, to get their feedback and recommendations and analyze all the information. This will assist you in making improvements for future success. It is important to note, one successful event does not make you an expert. Many different situations and new challenges can impact your event, often unpredicted, so being prepared and proactive, as well as understanding your market and its conditions, is extremely important.
The trade show business is a lot of hard work, but exciting and rewarding and most importantly unique - as nothing is as powerful as face-to-face marketing!
Nancy Milani, CEM, CMP, has produced and coordinated over 200 events in the past 20 years from a variety of charity fundraisers, to professional sporting events, corporate events, conferences, trade and consumer shows. Nancy facilitates Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) courses throughout Canada, US and Asia for the Canadian Association of Exhibition Management (CAEM) and International Association Events & Exhibitions (IAEE) and presents workshops and sessions in event management, sales and marketing for corporations and at conferences.
Image courtesy of emptyglass at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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