Globetrotting
Volume 3.1st Quarter 2005
| WELCOME Graeme Dowie SITE CHAPTER COUNCIL Council Welcomes 3 New Members GET TO KNOW YOUR SITE LEADERS Interviews with New Chapter Council Members NEWS FutureSITE CHAPTER EVENTS & HIGHLIGHTS Recent & Upcoming WEB Directions to Get Online and Chat MEDIA CONTACTS Your Assistance Needed MARKETING Six Ways to Improve Marketing ROI VOLUNTEERS Recruiting Volunteers |
WELCOME
Dear Chapter Leader, Can you believe it is March already? This year has already been busy for all the Council Members with our first conference call being followed up with contacting individual chapters for their current leadership details & calendar of events for 2005. That information is still flowing in and is available to you all online - so the next time you are travelling, why not check out if the local chapter is holding an event and go along & join them? Also available online is a forum to exchange positive experiences of speakers that chapters have used, as well as any other topics you wish to discuss. The Council itself is benefiting from technology on the new SITE Web site with our own forum to keep in touch. An absolute necessity when you realise that our conference call covers a 23-hour time difference! We are currently reviewing the Chapter of the Year Awards and hope to launch a new format, which encourages more chapters to participate and enjoy the rewards. This year we are working closely with the Membership Committee on many issues that have come directly from the chapters themselves. They hope to develop:
My thanks to you for serving as a leader in your chapter and to the Council Members who continue to keep the channels of communication open. Finally, I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day! Graeme
SITE is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to the SITE Chapter Council for 2005. Gillian Taylor , Tim Robson and David Sand will join Graeme Dowie (Chair), Carolyn Dow (Past Chair) and Karen Gordon. Lex Granaada will serve as the Board liaison. Remember, the Chapter Council was created to assist your chapter! The Council members consist of experienced chapter leaders that are assigned specific chapters to work with. The Council will listen, support and serve as the link between your chapter, other chapters and the Board of Directors. Building a strong relationship with your Council leader will strengthen your chapter. Gillian Taylor is the General Manager of The Australian Incentive Travel Company in Sydney and has been a SITE member since 1990. She will cover Australia / New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. Tim Robson is Vice President of Business Development for Active International Travel Services. His business is based in New York and he became a SITE member in 2004. His chapters include New York, Chicago, Costa Rica , Florida and Mexico. David Sand is from South Africa and is CEO of Uwin Iwin Incentives in South Africa . He serves on the Board for SITE South Africa . In addition, he has been a member since 2000, and his new responsibilities include East Africa and South Africa. Carolyn Dow is the Past Chair of the Council. She is President of the Dow Consultancy and a past SITE President. A member since 1987, she will cover Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Scotland, Spain and Turkey. Karen Gordon is President of a successful DMC business, Activity Planners, based in Las Vegas . She has been a SITE member since 1993 and will cover Arizona, Northern California, Southern California, Canada and Texas. Finally , Graeme Dowie is a Production Director with Tony Graham & Associates in Dublin, Ireland will lead this year's Chapter Council. He has been a SITE member for more than 7 years and also serves as President for SITE Ireland. His duties will cover Ireland, Belgium / Luxembourg, Italy, Malta, Netherlands and Portugal. GET TO KNOW YOUR SITE CHAPTER LEADERS TIM ROBSONSaddle River, NJ USA Chapter Responsibilities: Chicago, Costa Rica, Florida, Mexico, New York Who introduced you to SITE? How and why did you get involved in chapter leadership? What do you like most about your job / career? If money were no object, where in the world would you go for a vacation? What are you usually found doing on a Sunday? Uwin Iwin Incentives Rivonia, Republic of South Africa Chapter Responsibilities: East Africa & South Africa Who introduced you to SITE? How and why did you get involved in chapter leadership? What do you like most about your job / career? If money were no object, where in the world would you go for a vacation? What are you usually found doing on a Sunday? The Australian Incentive Travel Company Sydney, Australia Chapter Responsibilities: Australia / New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong Who introduced you to SITE? - I was talking to a potential client at lunch and next met up with her in a mud bath at our Spa Treatment - not the easiest thing to do business when naked! How and why did you get involved in chapter leadership? What do you like most about your job/career? ... and I love creating a programme and see it right through from the beginning to the end! If money were no object, where in the world would you go for a vacation? What are you usually found doing on a Sunday? At last year's SITE International Conference in Merida, Mexico, SITE's President Elect Bill Boyd announced FutureSITE. This exciting $3 million (USD) fund raising campaign was developed to build SITE's revenue base in order to create an educational program endowment and fund new projects. The FutureSITE program will provide for:
What does this mean for chapters? As you see in the program initiatives, chapter education is a main focus of FutureSITE. The chapters will benefit directly from the FutureSITE endowment. Currently, the contributions are being secured. The goal is to complete the fundraising efforts by September of this year. Once the contributions are finalized, chapter leaders will be called upon to work with current and past SITE leadership to develop and create the educational programs that are most beneficial to your chapter. FutureSITE is the first campaign of its kind in SITE's 30-year history. Your support is appreciated as SITE grows, improves and continues to meet the needs of its members and chapters. RECENT CHAPTER EVENTSThe SITE Canada Chapter and the SITE International Conference Host Committee hosted members of the Toronto meetings and incentive community on 27 January at the local kick-off event designed to celebrate the city's selection as its host for the SITE International Conference 2005. The event was hosted by the Sheraton Centre Toronto, the host hotel for this year's SITE International Conference. SITE Chicago held its annual auction on 20 January at the new Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago. All profits benefited SITE Chicago to help fund their upcoming events and programs. The evening was successful with many trips and items auctioned off. Highlights of the event are online at www.site-intl.org/press/chicago_auction.cfm or www.sitechicago.org . The SITE Finland Chapter (in-formation) has started its business year with participation in an educational event and workshop organized by Finnish Tourist Board (FTB) held 7-9 February. It was third MICE Training Event, where the Finnish SITE-members advise and consult the FTB regarding setting up an interesting program for the event. Some 70 Incentive buyers from 14 European countries and 40 Finnish incentive experts convened for three days in Kuusamo, Finland. The educational program included participation in various incentive elements typical for winter season in Finland. In addition the Finnish Tourist Board arranged a Mini-Workshop where the guests could discuss future co-operation and marketing of MICE programs. SITE Florida held its Installation Luncheon Presentation on 15 February at the Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove. SITE Florida Board members, other members and supporters were on hand to discuss upcoming events and explain how to become more involved with the chapter. SITE Florida 's events can be accessed at www.siteflorida.org The SITE Mexico Chapter celebrates 15 years of excellence in Mexico during 2005. The Mexico Chapter was the very first chapter in Latin America and has since grown to 100 members, as well as actively contributing to nationwide education in conjunction with the Mexican Government. SITE Mexico has joined forces with other important associations (MPI, HSMAI, AMPROFEC; ANDOC) to organize educational seminars in over 14 cities in Mexico. The educational seminars will be launched in the second half of 2005 in conjunction with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism. The SITE New York Chapter held their quarterly meeting at Providence a new venue in the midtown area on 15 February. The topic was International Incentives which featured a panel of experts from several international tourism boards to discuss the state of the industry for the incentive market. The panel was moderated by Dianne DiMaggio from Incentive Magazine with panelists: Cynthia Hoddeson (Monaco Government Tourist Office); Bruce Kanfer (Japan National Tourist Organization); Erin Tierney (Wonderful Copenhagen CVB); and Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa (South Africa Tourism). The panelists not only raised stimulating issues but also some inventive solutions. All in attendance commented that this was truly one of our best meetings held by the SITE New York Chapter with our focus on international incentive, which might explain the increase in attendees including several clients from the New York City metro region. The SITE Scotland Chapter are moving from strength to strength in their 4th year with currently 30 members representing the best of what Scotland has to offer the incentive market. Visit their web site for the full member listing at www.site-scotland.org. Bill Thomson, President of the Scotland Chapter is making a bid to increase the membership and working closely with their partners in the corporate and travel industry in Scotland to encourage their support with SITE Scotland. Their calendar of events for the year includes networking events based around themes Special Ingredients for Incentives the best of Scottish Cuisine, Creating Award Winning Events, Crystal Awards and are looking forward to a visit to SITE Ireland later in the year. SITE Southern California held a luncheon titled, The New Year – What's in Your Future? on 10 February. Guest speaker Karen Rauch Carter, best selling author, de-mystified feng shui into easy, do-it-yourself fixes to make life more effortless and easy. To help celebrate Chinese New Year, the event was held at Mission 261, a Chinese restaurant known for contemporary cuisine. Information for past and upcoming SITE So Cal events is online at www.site-socal.com. IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS FOR CHAPTERS WEB A special online discussion board has been created for chapters. This exciting member benefit allows your chapter and its members to post questions, share best practices and discuss important issues with other chapter members. Remember, it requires your participation to be successful. To post a comment or question, please login to the SITE Web site to gain access to the Member Center tab and visit the Member Bulletin Board. Accessing the board is simple:
Your assistance is needed! SITE is building its media list and we want your input. Help us contact the right publications to share the latest news on SITE, your chapter and the industry. A successful marketing campaign depends on the contacting the correct parties. Please supply any media contacts (name, publication, e-mail) to Christie Pruyn at Christie_Pruyn@site-intl.org by Friday 15 April. Your support and participation are greatly appreciated. SIX WAYS TO INCREASE MARKETING ROI by Marcia Jedd Growing companies need to concentrate on what they do best - which, often, isn't marketing. Worse yet, paid advertising, direct mail, publicity and event sponsorships are only a few of the channels vying for your marketing dollar. Today's information explosion and proliferation of media outlets add to the squeeze on marketing budgets. Taking cues from consumer marketing and tested marketing strategies, consider these six ways to increasing your marketing return on investment (ROI): 1. Planning. To reap marketing ROI, the cost of entry is a good marketing plan. The plan needs to incorporate your company's mission and sales and marketing objectives. It profiles your markets and target audiences and identifies your marketing tactics. Marketing tactics are the individual marketing channels and types of advertising, as well as publicity and marketing initiatives, that will best convey your messages to your markets, achieve sales goals and maintain brand awareness. Remember, the dog wags the tail: affirm marketing and sales objectives, plan strategy, then select marketing tactics. It's an ongoing cycle. 2. Making a market. What new markets can you create for your brand, product or service? Sometimes new products or services happen spontaneously. There are few rules in making markets. Leading-edge market makers are tomorrow's cash cows. 3. Snooping. Are you missing market openings and marketing opportunities by failing to snoop on your competitors or fish for trends? Use of competitive intelligence (CI) is on the rise, according to CI firm Fuld & Co. Consider the minimal time investment it takes to monitor your markets and scour databases and industry news sources for trends that influence your markets. The key is trolling for CI regularly and acting appropriately on the information. Study the competition by investigating the personalities and background of its management. You can then be prepared for and anticipate its next move. 4. Tooting your own horn. Ten years ago, who would have thought that bathroom stalls gas pumps or the sides of trucks would be hot advertising spaces? What traditional and non-traditional media outlets can you leverage to reach your audiences? Smart use of PR and alternative marketing methods - no longer just paid advertising - maximize your marketing budget to build your brand and market your product or service. A growing range of consumer products are marketed via word-of-mouth marketing, viral marketing or what's known as buzz marketing. You will increase your chances of placement in print and broadcast media when you grease its wheels: provide broad industry information or statistics that the media can use. 5. Web marketing. How robust is your Web site and Web marketing plan? Opt-in email newsletters, blogging and other Web marketing initiatives can overtly or covertly sell your product or service on the Web. The good news is that the cost of Web development has come down. Dynamic Web sites with predictive features, or an e-commerce Web site with data-capture capability, aren't only for large companies with big budgets. Web-based marketing techniques such as embedded HTML tracking in emails and newsletters show what happens to your messages. You are only as good as today's Google search, where holders of the top non-paid keyword placement can change by the minute. Make sure to feature content on your site that accurately reflects your business. 6. Measuring. Are you measuring your marketing programs? Can you determine the percentage increase of sales from a direct-mail campaign or the number of leads generated by a specific marketing program? The ability to track and measure your results matters to your bottom line and the success of your marketing efforts. This counts for failures, too. If you marketed to 5,000 and you only received one sale, why? Low-quality lists, poorly developed Web sites and other haphazard marketing communications efforts achieve great results only for the lucky. Top marketing vehicles for measurement include Web sites, lead generation programs, events/tradeshows/seminars and print advertising. What's in your marketing game plan? When you use these six strategies, you stand to maximize marketing return on investment. Marcia Jedd is president of MJ & Associates ( www.marciajedd.com ). Finding members to volunteer and keeping the volunteers you already can be difficult tasks. Before going out and recruiting volunteers you should consider the following:
Your Board of Directors' positions and descriptions should be defined in your bylaws; however, many chapters find they need additional volunteers for program planning, newsletter writing, membership recruitment, or supplier relations. For these positions, the more clearly defined the role for the potential volunteer, the better. You will need to include what work is expected, the amount of time required for this position and the length of the term. It is very important to determine the needs of your chapter. Exciting new volunteer opportunities can emerge from informal conversations with fellow members, volunteers, and colleagues. Create a diverse portfolio of volunteer opportunities. Different pieces of work or types of service attract different types of people. Some volunteers are looking for positions that tap their creativity, present a challenge, or provide the opportunity to learn new skills. Other individuals may want to support the chapter, but need a break from the demands of their regular job. By identifying a range of positions requiring different skills, abilities, inclinations, backgrounds, and levels of commitment, you can appeal to a wider range of potential volunteers. When writing volunteer position descriptions, you might want to include:
Be honest with your volunteers. Just as any job has good and bad aspects, so does volunteering for a chapter. You need to convey the complete picture to potential volunteers. The last thing you want is to get a rush of volunteers who resign within two months because the whole picture was not presented to them. Of course, as a representative of SITE we hope that you can always find a positive and upbeat approach to even the down side of volunteering. Possible Benefits of Volunteering for SITE:
Possible Costs of Volunteering for SITE:
A. There is a lot you should know about your chapter and SITE before you are ready to begin the recruitment process. Understand SITE and your chapter's history, culture and cause. Questions to ask:
B. Your chapter's culture greatly influences the type of volunteer positions you will develop, the type of individuals you recruit and the way volunteer supervision will be handled. If your chapter is hierarchical, you will want to recruit individuals who are comfortable following policies and procedures. If your chapter is loosely organized, you will want to recruit individuals who are self-starters and comfortable working with less structure and supervision. Prepare your current volunteers for new involvement.A checklist to keep in mind:
4. Always be Recruiting Volunteer recruitment requires you to analyze the position and define, as clearly as possible, the type of person you are seeking and the type of message that will motivate them to serve. Have a plan to keep your organization's name and your need for volunteers always in the public eye. Cultivate friends and keep a finger on the pulse of your region. Network, and keep written materials about your volunteer needs up-to-date and visible. While someone might not be ready to volunteer the first time they see material, they may remember your region when they are ready to volunteer. Lastly, build a diverse volunteer base including peoples with various job types, education levels, and personalities. |
