Today I had the pleasure to participate in a so called Signal Session on Sustainable events. The introduction to the topic was given by Guy Bigwood, who has been part of several greening processes of the tourism industry. It was facinating to realize that he was repeating the same stories that have been discussed already for a long time in different connections, especially in relation to sustainable development in the cities. There was nothing new and also his tips were just pinpointing that we should move from words into action. The video conference had gathered participants from 5 different locations in Finland and the after discussions showcased that within the industry in Finland, we all approach the topic from very different perspectives and it will take a while before we can truly be competitive in the sustainable event sector. It is evident that the Solutions conference will bring its share to the development.
All this discussion made me realize, that the efforts done on one field, that is in relation to integrated management systems, could easily be transferred to the event manager field. Local authorities, in some cases, are actually forerunners when we are talking about integrated approach on sustainability and this should also be highlighted for the business sector. With minimal resources, vital transformations have been carried out in cities in order to facilitate the entire market to become greener. The opportunities that exist demand you to seize the moment for innovations to appear!
Networking and the exchange of good and worse practices are beneficial in this respect. The visionary skills and communication capabilities are needed like air nowadays. We all have to face the challenge of safeguarding the value and this is not an easy task. Over hundred participants have already now registered for the Solutions conference - hopefully you are one of them, as that is the place to be when we talk on showcasing how things could be done in the event sector!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Challenges of participation
The past weeks have showcased, in many different ways, how we all face the same challenges whether we discuss about decision-makers, employees or citizens. One of the biggest challenge of our time is how to activate, involve and motivate our stakeholders or target groups, even colleagues, to participate in different processes, actions or events. It is not an easy task, as the tempo of our life is hectic, and many are not able to be in the moment anymore. Even in meetings, many are having a second discussion through channels of social media and claim to be present in both. Possible or not, that is the trend nowadays.
Will it then be possible to create an event that really involves people - not just their bodies, but also their minds? Event that is so interesting that participants do not even want to open their mobiles for e-mail check-ups, but are taken by the moment? All the possible ingredients for having this are in our hands and with partners we are able to create even something bigger. Some claim that only the change is permanent so is the Solutions -conference able to create a change for sustainability?
The early-birds are registering at the moment and many more will follow, so why not you too?
Will it then be possible to create an event that really involves people - not just their bodies, but also their minds? Event that is so interesting that participants do not even want to open their mobiles for e-mail check-ups, but are taken by the moment? All the possible ingredients for having this are in our hands and with partners we are able to create even something bigger. Some claim that only the change is permanent so is the Solutions -conference able to create a change for sustainability?
The early-birds are registering at the moment and many more will follow, so why not you too?
Friday, October 15, 2010
Social networks
Lucas is trying to find suitable networks and services for marketing his eco-idea and future products. He has heard a lot about social networks but has only been involved in them as a private person. The main thing he knew is that one thing in social media, such as link or hint, can lead to totally different topic. This way it is very time consuming.
Thanks to his good friend in the IT business, he got an introduction to what social networks are, the difference between some of them and are how they can be utilized for marketing purposes. He found out that on most networks, the creation of a presence is easy, as all you need to do is register yourself. But getting people to know and find you is not an easy thing. You need to know the tools, how they work, what their purpose is and what kind of messages you can get out there using them.
Getting your own message heard in the noise is not easy and that is why he was recommended to use a combination of services to get his own message out to public. Lucas wondered should the main focus be on social media or would it just steal his time and energy. All the big gurus nowadays are speaking highly of it, so maybe it is worth to try.
Thanks to his good friend in the IT business, he got an introduction to what social networks are, the difference between some of them and are how they can be utilized for marketing purposes. He found out that on most networks, the creation of a presence is easy, as all you need to do is register yourself. But getting people to know and find you is not an easy thing. You need to know the tools, how they work, what their purpose is and what kind of messages you can get out there using them.
Getting your own message heard in the noise is not easy and that is why he was recommended to use a combination of services to get his own message out to public. Lucas wondered should the main focus be on social media or would it just steal his time and energy. All the big gurus nowadays are speaking highly of it, so maybe it is worth to try.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Setting the trend!
Yesterday, the annual Best in the city of Turku -party was arranged to celebrate a wide range of initiatives/people/happenings awarded in 2010 by the regional City-paper. The Local food initiative, that was started by the Solutions local, together -conference was awarded as the best Food initiative of the year in the city of Turku! This makes the work carried out even more valuable, as the so called trend-setters in the city have noticed the work done. The fact that we have not yet even marketed the initiative with full volume raises the value of the award even more.
In the same event, the Campaign, that also has originated from the conference preparations, used the surrounding of a pub to raise awareness on how everyone´s own actions can really make a difference. Although at first one would think that the surroundings were wrong it turned out to be a success. Several young people were reading the Campaign information from the walls, discussed the issues and no one could avoid hearing what was said by the commentator. It felt very natural, as that´s where the young people are - so why not bring there also the campaigning on sustainable development?
We really need to approach things from outside our normal ways of thinking - whether these are organizational, mental or socials. Bring different people together, be enthusiastic and bold! Without a big vision and enthusiasm, no big things will happen. More trend-setters are needed to bring the message across!
In the same event, the Campaign, that also has originated from the conference preparations, used the surrounding of a pub to raise awareness on how everyone´s own actions can really make a difference. Although at first one would think that the surroundings were wrong it turned out to be a success. Several young people were reading the Campaign information from the walls, discussed the issues and no one could avoid hearing what was said by the commentator. It felt very natural, as that´s where the young people are - so why not bring there also the campaigning on sustainable development?
We really need to approach things from outside our normal ways of thinking - whether these are organizational, mental or socials. Bring different people together, be enthusiastic and bold! Without a big vision and enthusiasm, no big things will happen. More trend-setters are needed to bring the message across!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Looking for networks
Lucas was thinking how to get started with his business plan. He had realized that in order to make himself and his idea known, he would need to be linked with potential customers. He would also make his marketing in person. This is not as easy as one might first think.
At first, one needs to have the business idea and the target audience clearly defined. Many good ideas fail to do this. Lucas felt strongly that his plans were focused correctly. The second step was to find key events that would bring the marketing to the right audience, but this couldn't be too expensive. The reality is that many marketing opportunities are too expensive for starting small business to join, although one could cooperate with like-minded.
In order to find the like-minded people, Lucas asked his friends to assist and started in Facebook and Linkedln. Let's see what happens.
At first, one needs to have the business idea and the target audience clearly defined. Many good ideas fail to do this. Lucas felt strongly that his plans were focused correctly. The second step was to find key events that would bring the marketing to the right audience, but this couldn't be too expensive. The reality is that many marketing opportunities are too expensive for starting small business to join, although one could cooperate with like-minded.
In order to find the like-minded people, Lucas asked his friends to assist and started in Facebook and Linkedln. Let's see what happens.
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