Another bad sign for the Meeting Biz

I was speaking to a local newspaper executive yesterday. I was telling him about the challenges that destinations face in attracting meetings and conventions in the current economy. As a person in charge of personnel and budgets he said, "The first thing to get cut in tough economic times is travel. The second is professional development." This is the big double-whammy for the industry. The meetings are not going away because they represent one of the biggest revenue source for associations. But having the meetings doesn't guarantee high or even subpar attendance. This hurts not only the industry groups but the destinations as they are primarily funded by the taxes on hotels visitors consume. Another big loser is the potential attendee as well as they are denied the chance to learn new tools to help them perform their jobs more effectively.

Branding vital in poor economy

I had a chance to hear a leading Greater Cincinnati branding expert this morning talk about its importance. Wendy Vonderhaar, President of Intrinzic Marketing, was speaking to the Non-Profits Shared Interest Group of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Marketing Association. Wendy said that in branding it's vital to make an emotional connection with your audience/customers and justify that connection with facts. It occured to me in these tough economic times that customers are less willing to take chances. Wendy put it this way: Each thing you do needs to work for you more. To me it begins with how we understand the brands of our organizations. What is our promise? How are we relevant? How are we different? If we can't answer these questions how can we help our clients or potential clients? A better question might be, Why should they use us?

Start Spreading the News

My 18-year-old daughter Hilary and I visited the University of Kentucky campus last week as she investigates a career in magazine writing. I had heard UK had a good journalism school but was very suprised at its most recent accomplishments. While visiting I learned that the school was bidding for the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize among college newspapers, the Pace Maker Award. If UK wins the honor it would come for the second time in three years. I was impressed with our campus tour guide Angela who is in the broadcast journalism program and with the professors and their commitment to helping the students secure internships and permanent positions upon graduating. The school rose to the top of my daughter's list.

Cincinnati AMA among best chapters in N America

The Cincinnati Chapter of the American Marketing Association found out recently it has been judged to be the third best chapter in North America for 2007-2008 by a national AMA judging panel in Chicago. Cincinnati finished third behind Houston and Nashville. This is the best showing by the Cincinnati chapter in six years. Judges cited the chapter's membership growth (more than 100 professionals in the past year to an all-time high of 576 members), the growth of its luncheon programs (averaging 125 each month) and the boost in volunteers by more than 65 percent to over 100. Hopefully, information such as this will help position Cincinnati as a hub for marketers and branders.

Going Out With a Purpose Driven Brand

Jim Stengel, Global Marketing Officer for Procter and Gamble, officially retires from the company after a 25-year ride on October 31st. He treated more than 200 attendees of the first ever University of Cincinnati College of Business Marketing Summit to the tricks of creating what he called a purpose-driven brand. No tricks really. He defined a brand as

the collective intent of people behind it (a product, idea or service) manifested in actions they take.

I particularly like the example he used of Goldfish. He said it's not simply a snack but is described by creator Peppridge Farms as existing to instill optimism in children. When I think about how excited my nine-year old used to get about buying and eating goldfish (notice I said used to--adolescence is creeping lower and lower as the years pass by), I can begin to appreciate this take. Imagine how a statement like that would motivate your employees who seek a nobler purpose than just collecting a paycheck.

I'll leave it to the mainstream local media to dissect the rest of Stengels's comments.
http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/10/06/daily58.html

I was very impressed with UC's faculty at today's event. Although in talking with organizers they are already worrying about how to top this year's successful launch. A number of teachers/administrators made the effort to walk around to the different tables making guests feel welcome. I also learned more about the schools's Masters in Marketing Capstone program, a two-quarter experience where students diagnose a business challenge, then solve it using the head knowledge gained in the classroom. One example outlined in UC's literature was the development of a comprehensive marketing plan for the American Sign Museum which moved from Walnut Hills to larger quarters in Camp Washington. The program which can utilize a maximum of 400 student hours, runs from January to June. A one- to two-page proposal can be submitted by for-profits and non-profits. Deadline is November 14. All they ask is a description of your entity, the issues you are facing and a rundown of how students would benefit from helping you. Details: andrea.dixon@uc.edu.

Another sign of an aging population

While not every senior citizen I know is technology-challenged, here's more evidence that would seem to support older Americans are behind the times.
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YOU'VE GOT MAIL! NOT!
While many people check their Blackberrys seemingly every five minutes for new emails, roughly one-fifth of all U.S. heads-of-household have never sent or used an e-mail. According to National Technology Scan, a forthcoming study from Parks Associates, 20 million U.S. households are still without Internet access and approximately 18% of all households don’t use email.
The research indicates that 21% of heads of households have never sent or received an email and another 21 percent were found to have never looked up a website or browsed for information online. “Nearly one out of three household heads has never used a computer to create a document,” said John Barrett, director, research, Parks Associates. “These data underscore the significant digital divide between the connected majority and the homes in the unconnected minority that rarely, if ever, uses a computer.”
Age and education are factors in this divide. One-half of those who have never used e-mail are over 65, and 56 percent had no schooling beyond high school.
The survey also found just seven percent of the 20 million “disconnected” homes plan to subscribe to an Internet service within the next 12 months. Still, the study reports a steady decline in the number of disconnected households when comparing findings with previous years. National Technology Scan reported at year-end 2006 that 29% of all U.S. households (31 million homes) did not have Internet access, citing low perceived value of the Internet.

"Dave Trippin Through NKY"

Northern Kentucky is among the areas featured in a day tripper's guide through Appalachia by Huntington Herald Dispatch Reporter Dave Lavender and his wife Toril. In addition to Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio are featured.

In the section, highlighted as NEWPORT, Lavender spends 11 pages talking about a variety of attractions throughout Northern Kentucky including Newport on the Levee and nearby stops in historic Newport, Mainstrasse Village and some of the more rural highlights of the area (Rabbit Hash and its General Store and Big Bone Lick State Park).

Dave also highlights places to stay such as the Radisson Riverfront the Wildwood Inn. As an aside, Dave has an affinity for this area serving as a summer intern journalist in his more formative years.

I highly recommend the book especially as you may be pinching pennies this summer and not wanting to venture too far from home. You can order it online at www.davetrippin.com or www.jsfbooks. You can also get it through Amazon.