Disclose Early and Often!
President's Message
By Brian Stevens
In the summer of 1981, I made a mistake and still relive the memory from time to time. I was on staff at a major convention hotel in a large US city and we were approaching a July 1 deadline for a major labor contract. I kept asking my general manager what we should be telling the customers, and he said that the unions had already informed all the customers about the potentiality of a strike. I was 26 at the time, fairly young in my hotel career, and had never been through a labor dispute.
Sure enough, management and the union hit an impasse and we bravely tried to operate the hotel for a few days and then determined it was best for us to close the hotel. Of course this was a mess for anyone who had a group in the hotel. Some moved cities, others postponed, and still others moved to other operating hotels in the city.
What I didn't factor into the mix were customers coming for a site inspection. My customer had chosen the July 4 weekend to inspect our hotel and had combined his family vacation with his site visit. I called him on July 2 – the day before his family’s departure – to tell him that the hotel was on strike and could close while he was here. To put it mildly, he was not pleased.
The lesson learned? I should have fully disclosed the labor contract up for renewal and had him come before it expired or perhaps after it renewed. On both the supply-side and the planner side we have potential risks that, if realized, will impact performance. It’s been a 25-year lesson to me that we need to disclose circumstances, potential dangers, and risky situations as far in advance as we can. On the planner side, if we get word that perhaps a meeting has a potential of shrinking, expanding, or canceling it is always (always, always) wise to advise the hotel so they can capture potential business they might have turned away or even help you get increased or reduced space. (Elsewhere in this issue, find thoughts by Mitchell Perry, who speaks to these same issues as a hallmark of integrity.)
Remember my not-pleased customer? Ironically, he went on to become the quite visible and active CEO of an association. Whenever I see him, I am reminded of that situation so many years ago and the lesson to pursue more disclosure, not less, is reinforced.
LEARNING: IndustryInsights Customer Seminars 2007
They’re one-day educational seminars designed for ConferenceDirect customers – tackling issues such as increasing attendance, saving money on meetings, and learning from key trends within the meetings industry – and they’re coming to a major market near you. Locations and dates are as follows:
Chicago, September 27 – Hyatt Regency O’Hare
Dallas, October 2 – Fairmont Dallas
Denver, October 30 – Marriott Denver Tech Center
Atlanta, November 29 – Hilton Atlanta
To learn more about attending or participating, please contact your ConferenceDirect Associate.
Share Your Strength of Character
By Dr. J. Mitchell Perry
Every morning when you wake up and look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Are you pleased or embarrassed? Proud or ashamed? Impressed or depressed? Excited or bored? Energetic or listless? Engaged or isolated? Powerful or weak? Do you feel meaningful or meaningless?
Every morning, whether you like it or not, you wake up inside your own skin – which means you have to live with yourself, your feelings, your choices, and your behavior. And, just like compounded interest in a bank account, there are long-term effects to those choices and behaviors.
At the end of the day, the measure of your life is inevitably determined by your CHARACTER and all its strengths and weaknesses. So, what is the condition of your character? What are your basic governing values? What are the moral principles by which you want to live?
The essential qualities for Strength of Character include:
- Integrity: Honesty, legitimacy, the straight stuff, the full disclosure. The willingness to be unpopular at times, by telling the truth. The absence of lying, tap-dancing, pretending, spinning, stalling, distracting and avoiding.
- Responsibility: Your life is completely your responsibility. If life is going well for you, you probably made it happen. If life is going poorly, you did that too. The cards dealt to you are yours to play with; good or bad. So take accountability, make your choices, take your lumps and get on with it. The energy spent on whining, complaining, and problem describing will be so much better spent on problem solving.
- Generosity of Spirit: This part of your Strength of Character is about giving more than taking, contributing more than consuming, caring more than expecting, investing more than expensing. This part of you is where you are comfortable inside your own skin because you can find your faith, live in the light, derive meaning, and hear the quiet. "You get more than you give when you give more than you get." (Hmm... random acts of kindness.)
Establish a higher standard for yourself and your life. Commit to Integrity, Responsibility and Generosity of Spirit… and then share your values and spread them around. You are quite a role model!
Dr. J. Mitchell Perry is a human performance expert, executive coach, trainer, speaker and author. Visit his website at www.jmperry.com.
Stevens to Receive Highest "Industry Partner" Honor
By Catherine Brown
Exemplar, role model, one-of-a-kind – these are synonyms for the word "Leader". When consulting with my good friend, Webster, I found the true definition of lead. There are several phrases used to define the word Lead (lçd),
to show the way
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to guide in direction
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to serve to bring a person to a place
All of these phrases describe the life of ConferenceDirect’s President & CEO, Brian Stevens. On Monday, August 13, 2007, ASAE & The Center of Association Leadership will present its Academy of Leaders award to Brian. The Academy of Leaders award is given to an individual industry partner who has made especially outstanding contributions to the advancement of the association profession and is ASAE & The Center’s highest honor for persons not engaged in the practice of association management. Past recipients have demonstrated exemplary support to the organization and the association community.
To show the way: How many of us have been mentored by Brian Stevens in our professional or personal lives?
To guide in direction: How to develop a relationship with a client or vendor, how to craft a contract, or even how to buy a house? Many of us have sought this kind of advice from Brian.
To serve to bring a person to a place: Career advice, helping with personal journeys, how many of us have called Brian with a problem or challenge?
Every step of the way, Brian has been there for the association management profession and for the hospitality industry. Throughout his career, he has not only personally given back, but encouraged all of us to do so.
Exemplar: Obviously, recognized by many individuals and organizations.
Role Model: Proven time and time again by association executives, meeting managers and hospitality industry executives. One-of-a-Kind – well, he certainly qualifies by my definition!
Congratulations, Brian, from your friends and colleagues in the association community – it’s an honor richly deserved.
Catherine Brown (who has known Brian for 25 years) is President of the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation and has served previously on the ConferenceDirect Advisory Board.
ON OUR RADAR
Upcoming Industry Events
ASAE Annual Conference
Chicago, IL
August 12-14, 2007
Visit ConferenceDirect at ASAE Chicago – Booth 901
The Motivation Show / IT & ME
Chicago, IL
September 25-27, 2007
