The book: Meeting Achitecture

Thank you note

There are too many individuals I need to thank for their help and support.

First of all my father for his early vision and my mother for all the support she gave to get an 18 year old going. Dirk Reyn for helping me see the potential of meetings and conferences and all our clients for trusting us with innovation. The Abbit Team that allowed me to take the time to write this book. My wife Kristin for putting up with me during the process. MPI for its great community. Carole McKellar and the CMM team for helping me with the Meeting Support Institute business plan. Elling Hamso and Damien Hutt for putting me on the right track. Rob Davidson and Martin Lewis for being such big supporters. And then there are the many people who helped me with the content of this book, reviewing it and commenting in many helpful ways. Among the major contributors were: Sue Tinnish, Glen Ramsborg, Richard John, Tony Carey, Mary Boone and Ed Bernacki. And also, Joyce and Miranda, Carina and Dale, Ib, Lars and Lotte, Janet, Dorcy, Els and Kristel, Sam, Naunton, Paula and Ray, Robin, Ester, Gregg and Teun, Anna and Katherine. And finally Martin O’Connor for improving language and spelling, Sonia Trouvé for making it look good and Stephan Beyens for managing the whole printing process until just in time delivery.
Without you and many others, these words would make no sense.

Maarten

Maarten Vanneste,CMM                forword

BOOK SUMMARY

The meeting industry

Ano 2007, the meeting industry is a Multi billion dollar industry that exists around the outside  of meetings, the shell,  and not its inside. The destination and venue take all the space as a natural consequence of an industry that resides inside the tourism (and hospitality) industry. This is a fact, not a judgment. This is a great and well organized industry of large and multinational corporations that work very professionally and lay out the foundations on which  meetings take place.

For this side of the MICE industry there are large tradeshows, dozens of magazines, bachelor and even master degrees etc. The people that work on the client side are called meeting planners; the people that plan the meeting logistics in an increasingly complex world. The Contracts, The travel, the multicultural, the allergies, the knowledge about venues, quality, etc. More and more, these people hold a degree in let’s say conference management, or a designation like CMP.

On the other hand that is the little brother called meeting content, or meeting substance or meeting objectives. However you call it, it is the real reasons why a meeting owner organizes a meeting or conference, the objectives for his participants, spontaneous or by design.
For this core aim of meetings, there is no industry, no tradeshow, no magazine and no degree. The shell exists, but there is no substance.  Some fragments can be found left end right, spread out over the mice industry and the Marketing or communication industry. But for an industry that is in the Top 50 of the US’s GNP contributors, it is at least strange that there is no specialized profession in what everyone agrees is the most important part of meetings. There must be hundred of little companies and thousands of individuals working behind the scenes and hidden inside larger entities.  AV, production, facilitation, format designers, communication support etc.  All of them on their own with no professional or other association to connect them.

The industry is very goor at setting up wonderful  dinners and great shows, but has little knowledge about facilitating the valuable processes like learning, networking and motivation, that happen at meetings. A conference spending 200.00 on an opening show and with little or no support in the educational sessions is not an exception.

The Mice industry actually is under pressure from different angles: ROI, regulations, ethics, procurement. Etc. The industry is urged to show value to corporations and other  in many ways and has never done that before.  911 again showed the industries vulnerability which include another cry for  stability, in other words: demonstrated quality, measurable return and strategic value.

To elevate meetings and conference from it current cost position into a strategic asset,  the content side of meetings will need to be addressed. The tourism leg  of this industry is strong and healthy and can make this happen, inside the Mice industry: develop a second leg so the industry stands more sable and can start the sprint to its next level of accomplishment.

Meeting Content

Meeting Content is everything that happens at a conference and has an influence on the minds and hearts of the participants. We are not talking about the topical content: it is  not about the content of an experts presentation but about the total content, the substance the insides of the meeting.

Our taxonomy for content is threefold: learning, networking and Motivation. These three are action terrains on which a meeting organiser must focus his attention. The Meeting Content Matrix ®  is a document that lists all potential  objectives for meeting and provides a simple structure to get organised. The meeting owner is always a temporary professional and needs support from such a system to think and note in a focussed way.

 All potential objectives can be sorted and quantified in a blank version of this matrix and smart objectives can be distilled.
Learning can be approached as top-down, peer-to-peer and bottom up learning. Cognitive science, Marketing and communication, neurology, musicology etc. all have a say in how learning at conferences is influenced.

Networking has different approaches: social versus business or peer networking. Introverts vs extraverts react differently, sociology plays and many challenges need to be addresses to exploit the networking potential.

Motivation is another big topic in which psychology plays and many issues need to be addressed.
Here we are in the Investigation phase.

While the meeting planner has a full time job with the meeting logistics, who takes care about this investigative phase? A third person may be a solution, but would the work on the meeting objectives be a second full time job?

Meeting Content Support

Meeting content Support or Meeting Support is everything a meeting organiser can do before, during or after the meeting  to support  the learning, networking and motivation objectives at  meetings.
There are arround 1.500 different tools that can be deployed at meetings for which the taxonomy is called CHATTY: Five categories of tools are defined allong side of hundreds of knowledge items.
CHATTY stands for

Concepts like unconference, openspace, lego serious play, etc.
Human tools like facilitators, actors, speakers, etc.
Art tools like d’esign look and feel, videoclips, setdesign, etc
Technical like AV, stage, signage etc
TechnologY like hand helds, networking badges, on line brainstormng etc.

The Meeting Support Matrix ® lists a large amount of these tools and the blank version is the pre-structured note pad to list all the potential tools that fit the objectives.
Here we are in the Design Phase.
For good meeting support, one can choose to wiork with specialised Meeting Support technicians, Meeting support managers that lead the team, or even a specialised meeting Support companie.

The Meeting Support Institute was founded in 2006 with the goal to create a platform for all companies or individuals with one or more services and for meeting organisers to find ideas en uppliers. The goals is to be all inclusive and holistic in this aproach someeting organisers get the full list of options for each objective.

The meeting Architect

Looking at the enormous potential for meetings we feel there is the need for a professional that understands the potential of meetings and knows how to design it with good and wide knowledge of all tools and services that me be applied to meetings.  This profession is called meeting architecture. It stands besides the meeting planner and opens up a professional choice for  todays meeting planner.

A meeting architect is a professional that knows all there is to know to be able to assit the meeting owner in being successful on the content sied of the meeting.

Like with a normal architect, the Meeting architect goe’s through 4 phases: Investigation, Design, Execute, Assess: IDEA in short.

INVESTIGATE: An architect talks to thefamily about life styles, hobies, composition, coocking, dining habits etrc.
DESIGN: the architects makes drawings and shows big ideas that evolve into final plans with a budget.
EXECUTE : Thearchitect is present during construction to monitor and guide the construction workers.
ASSESS: the architect measures, and checks the quelity of the building: is everything according to plan?

 The architect goes through these phases aswell an so he needs to know some psychology, some cognitive science, sociology, neurology etc.

 The meeting architect  has dozens of books to read on Facilitation, AV, Production, Music, etc. and signs up for different magazines, tradeshows and assocoiations as the meeting logistics professional.

The meeting planner has his own style and can be an independent, part of a group or work in a corporation or association. The meeting architrect and the Meeting planner both form a complete team for a meeting owner.  Two people with different skills, different knowledge and backgraounds.
In any case, a meeting architrect provides the holistic, all inclusive approach whil investigates the objectives and designing, executing  and assessing  the meeting based on the objectives.

A master degree in Meeting Architecture

When analysing the goals for a meeting architect, it becomes clear there is a vast curiculum with potentially dozens of text books and op to 2 years of studying to graduate in Meeting Architecture.  The amount of knowledge needs to be developed separate degree bacaus it is impossible to add it to the existing degrees in meeting management that currently focuss for 95% on meeting logistics.

In otrder to make it happen, in a number of universities, existing faculties need to sit together and bring lots of existing knowledge together, partly translated for meeting use.

Obviiusly this will need a whole process and starting with a summer course I an good stepping stone

The students that may do this can come from the meeting management courses or from Marketing or communication courses  and they clearly will have a need for continuing education.

Once masters in meeting architecture apear in the market, they may have a increasing effect on the meetings industry and how meetings are organised. The influence they have on the industry as a whole can only be positive in the sense that they make the industry complete and will increase the perceived and real strategic value of meetings.

For participants they will make meetings more effective, for venues more integrated, for speakers more professional, for associations  higher sponsor return etc.

The meeting owner needs a meeting architect, the industry is ready for meeting architecture, and universities have the potential to make it happen: we just have sit down and do it.

Maarten Vanneste © 2007

WHAT KIND OF MEETINGS THIS BOOK ADDRESSES
This book focuses on conferences and meetings that are larger, longer, and more geographical spread that the classic, every day office meeting. For example a 2 day corporate meeting with 45 participants taking place in a Hotel, or a 3 day 950 participant association meeting taking place in a conference centre. We look at meetings and conferences like the annual, international sales meeting, the annual user group meeting, the annual global meeting of the international association of the newspaper printing industry etc.
If we would talk about the daily, small internal meetings in the office, where 5 people or even 10 meet in house, we would refer to this as an office meeting.
? Yes this is the kind of meetings I’m interested in

THE READERS
This is a book for corporate and association executive level, senior or VP procurement, meeting owners, meeting industry people, meeting profession educators, senior meeting planners and press.
All people involved with meetings and conferences: initiating them, paying the bill for them, measuring them, wanting to cut cost by redesigning them, believing much money is wasted in meetings or looking for a method to make them more turnout focussed.
? Yes I fit the above description

WHAT PART OF MEETINGS DO WE TALK ABOUT
This book focuses on what changes in the mind of the participants, what influences the participants, what supports the objectives of the meeting for things like learning, networking and motivation. This is the content side of meetings: What happens during the meeting that is important to the meeting owner, the meeting initiator.

This book does not look at the hospitality side of meetings nor do we talk about the travel side of meetings: we do not focus on flights, destination, venue, accommodation, catering, etc.
? Yes this is of interest to me

TAKEAWAYS
This book talks about a vision on Meeting Architecture as a new profession. It analyses the meeting industry from a certain perspective and comes up with long term ideas and options for the future. It has a few practical tips and tricks that one may start to use in meetings but more in an exemplary fashion, not as a comprehensive overview. This book is a roadmap to new or enhanced career paths, inclusion of new professionals and expansion and innovation towards a new industry future.
? Yes this is of interest to me

If you checked all of the above checkboxes, this book will be of interest to you.
If non of the above correspond with your professional activities, this book may be less of interest.

1. Introduction 11
2. About the Author 13
3. How it all started 15
Video killed the radio star ¦ 15
Jolly July ¦ 16
Tour de France ¦ 17
From AV to business focus ¦ 17
The Dirk Reyn meetings ¦ 18
Video on wheels ¦ 20
Serial Meetings ¦ 21
Let’s focus on meetings ¦ 21
The MPI effect ¦ 22

4. The meeting industry 25
What do we have ¦ 25
Magazines ¦ 26
Multi-billion dollar industry ¦ 26
The little brother ¦ 28
Degrees for this industry ¦ 28
The geographical connection ¦ 29
Complexity of meeting planning ¦ 31
Cables and buttons ¦ 32
Meeting owner is not a profession ¦ 33
Budgetary Balance Between Body & Brain ¦ 36
Best of both worlds ¦ 37
AV companies ¦ 38
Production companies ¦ 40
The WHY Question ¦ 41
Innovation ¦ 41
Trends supporting change in the industry ¦ 43
Procurement ¦ 44
Return on investment ¦ 45
ROI evaluation levels 45
ROI Evaluation Pyramid. 47
ROI all the way? 47
ROI driving improvement 48
From measuring to action 48
Technology ¦ 49
One level up ¦ 49
Strategic Meeting Management ¦ 52
Conclusion about the ¦
meetings industry 53

5. Meeting Content 55
Definition ¦ 55
Why meetings ¦ 56
Learning, Networking and Motivation ¦
connected to ROI methodology 58
Learning ¦ 59
Crowd sourcing 60
Full circle education 61
I don’t remember where I heard it ¦ 62
Levels of activity in learning ¦ 63
Networking ¦ 65
No E=MC² without conference networking ¦ 66
The middle position 67
Perfect Motivation ¦ 68
The perfect formula 69
Nobody asks to be motivated 71
The three terrain formula 71
Motivation in hospitality 74
Meeting Objectives Matrix ¦ ® 74
The holistic approach ¦ 75
CONCLUSION Meeting Content ¦ – meeting
objectives 78

6. Meeting ObjectivesSupport 81
Definition ¦ 81
Meeting Support Tools 3T model ¦ 82
Definition of Tool 82
Obsessed with technology? ¦ 82
Time ¦ 84
Get the basics right 84
Meeting Support Matrix ¦ ® 86
Meeting support tools ¦ 86
Simple or complex tools 87
Daily use tools or purpose-made tools 87
Tools with or without assistance 87
Tools with a high or low wow factor 87
Strategic or operational tools 88
Long or short preparation tools 88
Arty or techy tools 88
Specialty tools 89
Meeting Support Company ¦ 90
From AV company to meeting
support company 90
In-house AV 91
Meeting Support technician ¦ 92
Definition of meeting support technician 93
Meeting Support Manager ¦ 94
Definition of Meeting Support Manager 95
Focus on meetings 95
Meeting Support Knowledge 96
Long-term collaboration 96
When is a Meeting Support Manager used? 97
The Meeting Support Institute ¦ 98
Goals, Mission 98
Expanding limited knowledge and
limited choice 99
The holistic approach ¦ 101
CONCLUSION meeting support ¦ 101

7. The Meeting Architect 103
Definition of Meeting Architect ¦ 103
A new profession is about to be born ¦ 103
Other consultants ¦ 104
Marketing and communication consultant 104
PCO 104
Specialty service company 104
Facilitator 104
A product or format consultant 105
Meeting designer 105
Building that missing profession ¦ 105
Building a house without an architect ¦ 107
What’s in a name… ¦ 108
The four phases of a meeting’s annual lifecycle ¦
110
IDEA ¦ 111
Phase I: Identify Objectives 111
Phase II: Design 112
Phase III: Execute 115
Phase VI: Assessing results and reporting 116
Let’s get some science involved ¦ 118
Let’s get other industries involved ¦ 120
Marketing and communication 120
AV and production industry 121
Training industry 121
(Adult) education industry 121
Facilitation world 122
Virtual meetings industry 122
Drama 123
Books to read ¦ 123
Magazines to sign up for ¦ 124
Associations to join ¦ 124
Continuing education ¦ 124
The architect styles ¦ 125
The Meeting Architect’s ¦
professional choices 126
The meeting planner and the ¦
Meeting Architect 126
The marriage 127
The reverse case 127
A divorce? 128
The gender balance 128
The holistic approach ¦ 129
The meeting owner, meeting planner and ¦
meeting Architect 130
Ménage à trois? ¦ 131
Conclusions on Meeting Architecture ¦ 133

8. A degree in Meeting Architecture 135
Why? ¦ 135
¦ Getting other faculties on board 135
¦ The Curriculum 136
Degrees & certification ¦ 140
The Students ¦ 141
Continuing education - staying up to date 142
The job market 143
CONCLUSION a degree in ¦
Meeting Architecture: 143

9. Meeting Architecture and
the industry 145
The effect on organisations ¦ 145
Corporations 145
Associations 146
Agencies 146
The production companies 146
Companies with meeting support tools 147
The effect on individuals ¦ 147
Meeting owners 147
Meeting planners 147
The effect on industries ¦ 148
Tourism industry 148
Travel industry 148
Hospitality industry 148
The meeting industry associations 149
The meeting industry trade shows 150
The media 150
Meeting management education 151

10. Conclusions 152

11. Bibliography 154
Books to be written ¦ 155
Thank you note 157

Logbook:

April 17
The first print is delivered one day ahead of schedule.

April 16 2008

The first 5 copies arrive and will be used at the CMM redesign meeting on the 17th at MPI's EMEC in London.

End March 2008

Lots of work is done on the editing and layout. The printing is planned on schedule for launch at IMEX 2008.

March 2008

The MSI board accepts to publish the book.

Final work is doen and lauch is planned for IMEX frankfurt, April 2008

Februari 2008

CONFEX london is another platform wher some critical readers are receiving a digitaly printed copy. The proofreaderlist is now almost 50.

Januari 2008
The book is digitally printed in 50 copies and used at the MPI Conference in Houston. Some friends took a copy for pre reading and comments.

Januari 2008

Copy writer Martin OConner ahs worked on it and did about 2000 little language corrections.

December 2007

Presntation for ATLAS in Lahti Finland.
The content of the book was published and well received by the academics present. The few pre edit copies of the book were 'sold out' in minutes.

September 8 2007
I spoke to Canadian Mitchell Beer, a renowned editor and dear fiend I met at MPI conferences.. He gave me some good advice on working with an editor, publishing etc. Really valuable advise.
Thanks Mitchell

September 3 2007
The Book is now written. It now needs correction, proofreading, research, checks, editing. It looks like the book will end around 200 pages. Writing the book made me develop parts of the methodology. New lists, acronyms, catchy titles were created under the pressure of writing.
The writing was easy, almost 20 pages a day.
The editing is hard work: I hope to find some help

Friday June 1st 2007
Today I have started to write my first book. It went well even though it is in my second language. I wrote almost 8.000 words or 25 pages. If I can keep that tempo The book will be ready at the end of the Summer. I enjoyed the work: totally relaxed at home to concentrate on just one thing.