JamesRooney Executive Director MassachusettsConvention CenterAuthority
Constant client communication an essential habit
What valuable lessons or good habits with respect to the meetings business have you learned over the past two years? Constant communication with our clients at all levels—meet- ing planners, exhibitors, and attendees—has become a habit within our organization.To be effective, we need to know what our clients like and dislike before, during, and after an event. Client communication is so important to us that we formed a Customer Advisory Group, comprised of leaders of some of our largest and most important events. The group was asked some tough questions about our facilities and our performance, and we in turn received some tough answers.
What are you doing to help planners meet their goals for sustainability and corporate social responsibility? This is a partnership business, and we know that when meeting planners choose Boston, they want to feel comfortable that they are partnering with a socially responsible organization. Among the programs we are most proud of is our Conventions C.A.R.E. program, which partners with our clients and general-service contractors to collect at the end of a show exhibitor products that might otherwise be discarded, and redistribute them to local charities. Through this program, we’ve donated tons of food to the Greater Boston Food Bank, pens and school supplies to after-school programs, and clothes to local homeless shelters. It’s a way for events to simultaneously give back to Boston and be socially responsible and green.
If you could turn back time, would you choose to go back to the dominant way of doing business in and the general business environment of 2007? If one looks at the performance metrics of 2007 versus more recent years, the easy answer is “yes”; eventswere larger,more exhibitors were buying bigger booths, more attendees were stay- ing longer, and there was greater local spending, etc. On the
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other hand, economic crises have forced us all to re-examine the way we do business, creating more focus on efficiency and the future. Despite the hardships, I believe the industry will come out of this period even stronger.
How are younger CVB and meeting professionals changing the industry? Clearly, the most significant impact is younger professionals’ comfort level with technology and social media.We are all con- stantly trying to figure outhowtechnology will affect the meet- ings industry in the long term; these younger professionals will help us define those changes.The current generation of young professionals also seems a bit impatient with the pace of career devel- opment; they want to lead now. This is a challenge for senior managers.
What innovations in the realm of social media/networking and technology in general will you be pursuing in 2011 and going forward? With smartphone sales outpacing laptop sales in the past year, we developed the industry’s first iPhone, Android, and
BlackBerry apps that are easy to use, incorporate social media, and make our visitors feel like locals.We’renowmoving beyond smartphones to examine the usefulness of the iPad and other tablet devices. In 2011, we plan to pilot the use of iPads during shows, from event managers showing clients room layouts to food-service orders.We will also be bringing in4Gwireless cov- erage to our buildings, and we will unveil one of the nation’s most advanced marquees and video walls in 2011; both will have the ability to interact with and inform attendees through mobile technology.
RE-EXAMINATION: James Rooney said that the economic crisis has forced the industry to “re-examine the way we do business.”