Unconventional Conventions

Raadia Mukadam takes you through four innovative trends that are fast emerging in contemporary global conferencing ...

In India, conferencing has traditionally been perceived as participants of an organisation deliberating around some pre-determined issues in enclosed chambers - not very exciting stuff. But with the corporate segment swelling up to global proportions, there has been a metamorphosis in the outlook of companies. As is happening in most spheres, even conferencing has witnessed dramatic transitions. Therefore the scene is changing from the classroom structure of bored executives soaking in corporate jargon to today’s times when cruises, casinos, beaches and ingenious themes are being used to make conferencing not only more productive, but also something the participants could look forward to. Broadly, then, the new trends of conferencing can be classified into four categories:

Theme Conferencing - To give you an idea of what we are talking about, let’s run through some of the recent corporate conferences. Global CRS provider Amadeus recently held a conference in Malaysia, wherein the whole conference was based on a James Bond theme. Each delegate had to assimilate clues in groups to ascend to the next stage. While on another occasion the company split the delegates into four groups each making a film complete with shooting, dubbing et al, all in a day.

Britannia for the launch of their Chai Biskoot commissioned Wizcraft who literally transported their distributors to the street - an environment where the biscuit would actually sell - and all this in the confines of a swanky five-star hotel. The event management company had the whole venue redone to look like an average street set within which was a small Kirana store, a footpath with a tea vendor and his pushcart, a post box, street lamp and even movie posters on the walls.

Another recent thematic conference based on a game show was organised by Standard Chartered. The entire set was a replication of the ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ game show, complete with an audience round, choice of answers etc. The audience was immersed in an interactive experience with the message being subtly communicated through questions and answers. Of course no corporate strategy comes about ‘just like that’. There is a great amount of research and analyses that has brought this concept of ‘innovative conferencing’ into being.

It has been found that besides boosting the morale of the conferencing group and influencing their psyche positively, such conferences infuse the group with a spirit of fun and adventure. When regular business agenda is given a holiday flavour, participants are in a far more receptive mode.

Britannia launch of their Chai Biskoot	Cruise conferencing

As Roshan Abbas, noted television host and managing director, Encompass Entertainment Solution Providers, points out, “Despite the dramatic change in concepts, logistics and costs still play a critical role in deciding the venue of a conference, which is why 80 per cent of the conferences get restricted to five-star banquet rooms necessitating innovation of new themes and concepts.”

Several corporates agree that innovative conferencing can play a significant role as a team bonding exercise. Explains Abbas, “Stress levels and hectic schedules permit little or no opportunity for employees in a company to interact and build a rapport with each other, leave aside bond. A relaxed, stress-free ambience promotes healthy camaraderie and often resolves differences between employees which are otherwise difficult to resolve in a business environment. In fact, the format of these innovative conferences is precisely structured to facilitate team bonding.” Abbas has organised several thematic conferences based on game shows, war themes and even the Bond formats. “Several corporates use TV comperes. I have done many conferences based on television shows like ‘Family Fortunes’ and ‘Public Demand’. A TV show adds value and allows for seated interaction without boring the audience. A Surf conference recently organised on the same format, had me interviewing each speaker, allowing for commercial breaks where each Surf commercial was run. We also zoomed into pre-recorded inputs from dealers in other regions telecasted on a screen intercepting with participants’ interaction. It was a huge success for Surf. This type of activity taps on every iota of team spirit that exists in the group, honing qualities of tolerance and leadership,” he says. Such concepts have received broad industry acclaim, based on the strength of their features and functionality, in addition to being recognised as an innovative component of conferencing.

The whole framework and perception of conferencing is changing, as corporates are now treating conferences as events and conducting them with jazz and panache. “Traditional mundane conferences are passe, the conferencing market, including both the event managers and the corporates, are waking to the need and significance of thematic conferences. Make it thematic, throw in celebrities and cut through the clutter,” states Atul Jham, CEO, Mumbai Bharti Cellular.

Mobile Conferencing - Another interesting concept gaining ground is mobile conferencing. These include primarily conferences held on cruise liners and trains. The ‘Pan Maharashtra’ luxury train - ‘The Deccan Odyssey’, which is soon to become operational, is being slotted as a perfect platform for a melange of business and pleasure. The eight day itinerary includes several exotic destinations covering the expanse of Maharashtra. The 21-coach luxury train is well appointed with state-of-the-art amenities including a business centre and a cyber cafe. The train will sport ten stately theme suites and facilities comprising two tastefully designed lounge and conference cars, well suited for corporate conferencing. In addition, there will be a conference coach with a capacity to accommodate 50 passengers. The most unique feature about the conference coach is that it is designed in a manner so as to be converted into a disco-cum-pub for evening entertainment.

Though the Deccan Odyssey is yet to take off, conferencing on cruises is already being patronised by corporates in India. Star Cruises says that leading corporate houses such as Videocon, Ceat Tyres, Nerolac Paints, Asian Paints, Ambuja Cement, Godrej and Mahindra & Mahindra are using cruising, usually to hold conferences on board, and sometimes to have product launches.

Train conferencing – The Deccan Odyssey	Brittania launch set up like a nukkad by Wizcraft

Says V N Dhoot, chairman, Videocon International Ltd and a fervent promoter of innovative conferencing, “Time, experience and extensive research by our HRD department proved that the most successful brainstorming sessions were those conducted in relaxed environments, bringing out the best in every participant. Conventional business environments are often not conducive to optimising the participants’ productivity. Cruise conferencing was introduced in our company in 1994-95 based on feedback received from participants who had tired of traditional conferences. As a result, we took about 1,200 dealers aboard Star Cruise in 2002.” Cruise liners have complete conference facilities and any special equipment required for a particular event can also be provided if a corporation charts out the specifications of the conference at the time of booking. One of the reasons for this fast developing trend is an all-inclusive cost factor. When a company takes its delegation to a land destination, be it a hotel or a resort, there will always be incidental expenses that were not budgeted for initially. That is not the case with cruise liners, where all costs are up front and included in the cruise price, whether they be expenses involving accommodation, meals, transportation or even entertainment and room service. Besides, conference rooms and facilities are offered for use at no surcharge. A conference on a cruise is also like giving your group two vacations in one: the first-class treatment and facilities of a luxury resort, combined with the excitement of travel to exotic destinations. It also has the merits of imaginative and flexible meeting facilities with full lighting and sound systems and the assistance of professional and experienced staff to facilitate the planning process. Additionally, many aspects of a corporation’s incentive or meeting programme can be customised. Several cruiselines have separate check-in counters for conferencing groups at their individual cruise centres.

Outdoor Conferencing - Outdoor conferencing could be held at the banks of the Ganges, where the participants reside in tents, at beaches or at casinos, far away from the cityscape - the options are limited only by imagination. As far as beach conference destinations are concerned, Mauritius is a case study of a frontrunner for the MICE market. The requirements that make for a good beach conference is connectivity, infrastructure within hotels, with provisions for conferences, meetings, incentives and exhibitions and cost-effectiveness. Unlike South East Asian destinations that come into the ‘already frequented’ category of MICE spots, Mauritius selects itself on the ‘wanted’ list of destinations. The peak Indian outbound season (May-July) corresponds with the low season for incoming tours into Mauritius, thereby facilitating availability and accessibility. Visa procedures are not painstaking and the documents can be easily procured. Australia is also big on outdoor conferencing. It is increasingly appealing to companies which have taken staff on domestic and Asian incentives and are now looking for something refreshing and new. The most visited destinations for Indian incentives are: Sydney, Gold Coast and Cairns.

Surf sales conference in a TV show format

Another example of outdoor conferencing is casino conferencing. Casino managements in the last decade have transformed their business into a complete hospitality operation, a classic example of which would be Sun City in South Africa. Opening up a new market, managements have built conferencing facilities into their operations along with hotels of various categories to support the new offering. With the introduction of new facilities like the conference hall and the hotel, these casinos that were once the outcasts of the entertainment and hospitality industry, have become major attractions for businesses that prefer to award their invitees with a little entertainment after the business meetings. On the Indian shores, Caravela casino off the shores of Goa, is India’s first high-limit live gambling casino which offers special conference-casino packages. On the international front South Africa and Nepal are attractive destinations. Nepal is also gearing up its infrastructure to support new conferencing facilities.

Safari conferencing is another concept that is fast gaining popularity. Popular destinations for this genre of conferencing are Kenya and South Africa. Says Sabena Choda, client services manager, Sarova Hotels, Kenya “We have already received incentives for a safari conference and expect to receive larger conference groups in the future. In fact we are in the completion stages of our conference facility at the Sarova Mara property in Masai Mara. The full board pre-paid package works well for larger groups and of course we do exotic dinners in the bush and many such activities for our corporate groups”.

(With inputs from Roshan Abbas, director, Encompass Entertainment Solution Provider and Sabas Joseph, director, Wizcraft)