Olfactory Events?

Found myself listening to a Radio Four science programme tackling the complex subject of human odour and it struck a chord. The programme explored that scientists are training not just dogs, but bees, mice and electronic noses to sniff out security threats by odour alone.

Olfactory surveillance, that is, using the sense of smell to harness and mimic nature, has many implications when utilising this world of scents.

Certain smells can transport us back to our childhood. Our olfactory perceptions are increasingly being recognised by scientists as the foundation for many of our decisions and actions, from consumer loyalty to weight loss and age perception.

The use of smell in commercial environments is not new - think of the smell of baking bread as you walk past the bakery store or that oft-used phrase 'smell the coffee' and you can understand that smells in meetings could have interesting effects.

Some venues have already recognised the phenomenon and adapted their meeting space to create environments with different smells for different types of event. Whilst this may at present be mainly to do with setting the scene or mood, there may be more practical uses than at first imagined - positive applications of course are the preferred outcome but there is always the possibility of more sinister use of this medium.

If the scientists can detect the smell of fear perhaps they will help meetings organisers and planners to arrange events that help them to identify delegates' apprehension!....

Bring out the smelling salts!....

John Gallery

director, Great Potential.
www.greatpotential.co.uk
johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk

Rapid Future?

With Facebook going public recently it got me thinking what might be the 'next big thing' online. There seems to have been a flurry of social media and 'me too' versions of Facebook including business networking tools such as Linked In, Four Square, Pinterest and so on..  they all seem to me to be basically similar software and many of us are very comfortable with them. Nothing really new seems to have emerged in the last couple of years - perhaps it's due to the economic climate; the ideas-generators in silicon valley are cashing-in their past ideas or then again there is something currently under development that will leap-frog all of the more recent stuff and move on to the next level.

At IMEX Frankfurt I came across an interesting seminar by Rohit Talwar on this very subject - the future. It was a very well attended event and Rohit, a global futurist and the founder of Fast Future Research, (www.fastfuture.com) provided a comprehensive range (and some seemingly far-fetched) ideas of what the meetings industry might be like in the future.

Some of his suggestions are already taking shape and included items such as genetic apps that will identify the status of your health through samples of your saliva; new super-smart materials such as an algie that can be applied to glass surfaces so that cracks will self heal; the internet of the future that will provide more experiential options such as taste and smell; vertical farming which triples the output of crops using less land...

There were many more interesting items, too numerous to mention here, but very thought-provoking. The main message of the continuing future journey and that we are now in a new turbulant era bringing even greater changes and multiple business models that will happen rapidly.
Whatever is next, we can be certain that Facebook's rapid growth will probably be surpassed. Keeping up may be the biggest challenge....
(this blog also recently posted on 'The Bottom Line', Great Potential's online e-zine: http://bit.ly/KhARMq)

Social Media Polemic?

How many times do we hear that one celebrity or another has made a gaff on Twitter? Worse, people have now been jailed for their comments on the service. The temptation to blast off an opinion on social media is certainly akin to the pub debate but with the popularity of the medium so widespread it is a danger zone for the unwitting commentator.

Social media has provided easy access to our opinions and comments and they are easy platforms for comment. Just because it is easy to do, does not mean that anything goes and as in any medium, slander, blasphemy and down right rudeness are still frowned upon and some are illegal - or are they? There is a feeling amongst some that the use of social media in this way is symptomatic of a general 'dumbing down' in society. Ultimately the protagonists will be measured by their own actions and as those of us with somewhat longer experience in life know things can often come back to haunt.

The benefits of instant communication are being felt daily as the world tries to emerge from recession and avoid depression. The opportunity to inform and link to other online media, to create awareness of brands, explain about products, make offers, deals and extend customer service is excellent and with so few characters available it is the clever use of the medium that is allowing smaller businesses to punch above their weight in an ever increasing online 'noise'.

Too much promotion, too many dull comments will only serve to reduce this value and the over exposure may make some of us turn back to traditional media for better results.

Time will tell... until the next big thing arrives... must tweet this message...

New Year Business Resolution or Revolution?

New Year Revolution?

2011 is behind us but what lies ahead for tourism? Will 2012 fare better, worse, the same or have we now moved into a new paradigm that changes how we do business? The start of a new calendar is always a good time for considering the future and reviewing the values we hold about work and life in general. More fitness, putting family before work and work-life balance are the usual resolutions but how long does this good intent last?

2012 for hotels and venues will certainly be challenging and the start of the year might just be the time to think about the values we hold in business, perhaps to revue it, make a paradigm shift and change it for the better. Here are five thoughts to focus upon below:

1. Analyse each profit area of the business. Calculate how much effort and money is spent on each area; which is the most profitable; what will make it more profitable; what is most wasteful; if an area is not profitable what needs to happen to make it so or should it be dropped?

2. What are the REAL costs of each area? How can costs be reduced? Put a focus on something specific to determine the real cost and it is amazing how much costs can be reduced.

3. Think about a sales and marketing health check. The famous line 'half of my advertising works, I wish I knew which half' may no longer apply. There are more systems than before to measure the outcomes of sales and marketing activity. Google Analytics is just the start. Tracking systems for every area of the business can be employed including website and call tracking, conversion attribution, tactical targeted campaigns and so on...

4. Check training for sales and review cost control – are these included in the business plan? So many opportunities are lost when employees are not trained in sales, have poor attitudes and 'sales prevention' prevails. Similarly, the costs of a business rise because there is a lack of awareness of the cost of equipment, breakages, poor staff planning and so on....

5. Question each outcome. Is it luck, judgement or planning and setting goals in advance that make it work? More likely the latter.

Make the paradigm shift today - "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!"

Business Tourism - Good for Business?

New Year - New Blog

The New Year always seems to be a good time for starting new projects and for me this year it is getting back to the GreatPotentialBlog.

Business Tourism - Good for Business?
The government is at last talking business tourism and there are signs that 2012 could be a turning point for the industry which has been flat-lining for the last three years. The Tourism Alliance, Business Events Partnership and others have made a breakthrough with the endorsement of the events industry as good for British business by several government ministers including David Cameron, the prime minister, Jeremy Hunt, culture secretary and John Penrose, minister for tourism. Clearly recognition that the MICE sector is a business generator and indications that there is a new impetus to promote the events industry to domestic and overseas markets. Time will tell...

Happy New Year - Resolution for a Revolution?
The global financial turmoil of 2011 is behind us but what lies ahead for the hotel, venue and tourism world? Will 2012 be better, worse, the same or have we now moved into a new paradigm that changes how we do business? 
The festive break and the start of a new calendar is always a good time for considering the future and re-setting the values we hold about family, work and life in general. New Year resolutions, getting fitter, planning ahead and putting family before work come to mind but how long does this good intent last?

The New Year for hotels and venues will certainly be challenging and the start of 2012 might just be the time to think about the values we hold in business, to revolutionise it, to make that paradigm shift and change it for the better. Five thoughts to focus upon below:

1. Analyse each profit centre in the business. Calculate how much time, effort and money is spent on each area; which is the most profitable; what will make it more profitable; how can it be modified?; if an area is not profitable what needs to happen to make it so or should it be stopped altogether?

2. What are the REAL costs of each department? How can these costs be reduced? If a focus is put on something to determine the real cost it is amazing how costs can be reduced.

3. Undertake a sales and marketing health check. The famous comment 'half of my advertising works, I wish I knew which half' no longer applies. There are more methods than ever available to measure the outcomes of sales and marketing activity. Google Analytics is just the start. Tracking systems for all areas of business can be employed including website and call tracking, conversion attribution, tactical targeted campaigns and so on...

4. Is training for sales and cost control included in the business plan? So many opportunities are lost because employees are not trained to have a positive sales attitude and 'sales prevention' prevails. Similarly, the costs of a business slide upwards because there is a lack of awareness of the cost of equipment, breakages, poor staff planning and so on....

5. Question why each activity is producing the outcomes. Is it luck, judgement or planning and setting goals in advance that make it work? More likely the latter.

Make the paradigm shift today - "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!"

More info...

Accommodation Grading

The Tourism Society Yorkshire branch held its latest Pie & a Pint at the Black Swan in York on Tuesday evening (12^th April) and after renaming the event ‘Pie & a Point!’ there was much discussion about the National Grading Schemes as the ‘Point’ for the evening’s discussion.

With several accommodation providers in attendance we all shared thoughts and suggestions and it created a lively debate so here’s a summary of comments.

· The current system is a flawed business model and there should be a self-financing mandatory inspection system for the business to be ‘fit for purpose’ then allow business to decide which marketing organisation to use.

· Capability of running the business should also be part of this

· The public sector always lags behind what is happening in the market/online and so the industry should get its own act together to set the standard for grading

· The Trip Advisor system has dangers as there is no requirement for a stay before comments can be posted – other booking engines require a booking reference before allowing comments – there should be an industry-approved version of this that allows fair appraisals.

· Self-assessment of grading could be another option

· Social media could be harnessed to develop a system that rates service and quality

The Tourism society Yorkshire branch is setting up a LinkedIn forum for members and non-members to join.

TS Yorkshire Future Events

Tuesday 10^th May – Pie, a Point! – Black Swan York

Tuesday 17^th May – TMI Hot Topic – Sheffield Hallam University

Thursday 9th June 2011 – James Berresford – CEO of VisitEngland – “The Changing Landscape for English Tourism” – Bedern Hall York.

Monday & Tuesday 4^th & 5^th July – The Tourism Society Annual Conference - New Forest & Beaulieu National Motor Museum

Thursday 14^th July – York Voluntary Guides – guided walk

Keep checking for updates at: http://bit.ly/ecuT3G