![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Digital-Surface-Interaction-B-290896450.jpg\")
With this in mind, we addressed event organizers of companies and hotels in our region and conducted a survey, to draw parallels in events \u201cpast and present\u201d. Professional event organizers in the region for the most part (83,3%) believe today\u2019s events are more innovative than 10 years ago. Changes are most evident in the technological level (according to 75% of survey participants). Organizers also point to changes in event marketing and promotion, and many believe the annual number of events has grown (nearly 60% indicated both trends of change). Furthermore, the form of events has undergone significant changes in the past ten years. Results also indicate a rise in the number of event participants (33%), prompting changes in event budgets which have grown compared to those of ten years ago, and boosting the number of people involved in the preparation of events (33,3%). The choice of event venues has likewise changed. Growing environmental awareness has also triggered changes in that aspect of event organization (Chart 1).
\nTechnological changes in event organization
\nEvent organizers agree on the growing use of technology in their activity and of individual innovative solutions. From the technical perspective, today\u2019s events are more complex, with organizers often looking for new or custom made solutions to achieve the wow effect and a brand new experience, giving greater significance to the creative approach to production. Quick and easy access to information is a MUST, as is making the information available on social networks. Needless to say, internet access is as much a given as being served cutlery with lunch. So there is no need to bring your own equipment to a lecture venue, things are simply done \u2013 online. Preparations, invitations, lectures (video conferences, conference calls, presentations…) and payment. There is greater demand today for state-of-the-art equipment and audio and visual effects at the event venue. We are also witnesses to the growing use of modern technology, such as virtual reality, holograms, etc. Special technologies are used for production and logistics, and others for management and marketing. Interaction between people is easier thanks to social networks and mobile applications, facilitating business contacts and mutual trust.
\n
What are the preferred venues?
\nHotels offering suitable congress and conference facilities, rooms and halls are, evidently, a favorite choice, however, there is also a growing demand for unusual venues. When the aim is to create an event for a specific target group, circumstances allowing, there is demand for informal, avant-garde venues, facilities otherwise used for other purposes, museums, historical buildings, theaters and new, atypical places and locations which have rarely or never been used.
\nEvent form
\nDue to the event form, there are more panels, workshops, trainings and educational seminars. There is a greater number of foreign guests at panels than ten years ago and the lecturers are (or try to be) more innovative, with a view to improving the experience. Another trend is organizing business breakfasts instead of morning meetings. People work in smaller groups, with gigantic events becoming less popular. The greatest change in terms of form, however, is not really about form, or setup or size of the event. There is a growing tendency towards casual gatherings, involving imaginative details, and original and creative concepts. Here is an example \u2013 ten years ago it would never have occurred to event organizers to place lazy bags in a lecture hall. Today an innovative idea would be if you listened to a lecture perched on a crane (the so-called \u201edinner in the sky\u02ba in London, Dubai, etc.) or hanging from a rope. These are extreme examples obviously, but event organizers definitely have to work harder to come up with innovative concepts than they did ten years ago.
\nEnvironmental feasibility in event organization?
\nThe basis of the ecological approach to event organization is environmental awareness. Unfortunately, this awareness has not changed much in the past decade but we can say it has experienced a nudge in the right direction. One of the easiest steps to take, which does not require the introduction of any standards or complex procedures, is simply to refrain from printing. This varies from company to company but we find that most companies, particularly \u201cyounger\u201d ones that have grown online, prefer electronic forms of communication and business operation. What does this mean in terms of event organization? Invitations, agendas, lecturer schedules, additional information, networking, everything is ma de available online or by mobile applications for an event which is accessed from computers or smart devices. Registration can also be done simply by scanning barcodes from mobile devices or bracelets with a chip \u2013 RFID. Surveys at lectures, either on the spot or through feedback after the event, are also conducted and processed in electronic form. In addition to avoiding printing of materials for events and making information available online, recycling paper cups and plates is another option \u2013 using paper straws instead of plastic ones, cups made from recycled material at coffee breaks, serving water in pitchers instead of small bottles, using biodegradable materials for decoration, choosing corporate gifts made of recycled material or made by local societies for protection of socially or medically vulnerable groups. Companies practicing ecological awareness look for Eco-\u00adfriendly venues, whose business operation, activities, and offer incorporate all of these things and much more.\u00a0
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Recycling-Green-Recycle-Eco-S-255519772.jpg\")
Event marketing and promotion
\nEvent professionals agree the greatest change in this area was brought on by the use of social media and the internet. Information is mostly communicated by these means, while events are announced and promoted through social networks Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. and through online marketing, depending on target groups, while best results are achieved by a careful, well-planned combination of all these means. Event promotion by digital means, using appropriate channels of communications, reaches audiences or potential participants through links they use to arrive at webpages where they can register for events. E-mails clearly also play an important part in this, especially in the case of events less open in character. Opinion is divided about market segmentation, with some organizers believing use of social media and the internet have led to weaker segmentation and mass communication with the public, while others think this has made marketing more personalized. Campaigns and the entire communication directed toward the user are not only about selling something, the user\u2019s sense of satisfaction and his opinion is also important. I would add that all these tools en able market segmentation, by age group, gender, geographic origin, profession, etc., the question is only whether they are used in creating the campaign but what remains debatable in this way of reaching a target group is its relevance. First, whether certain users and/or profiles are even realistic, do they involve actual people or are false and, second, technology has enabled segmentation based on available data but it cannot access emotions and social status, so this brings up the question whether a target group arrived at in this way is relevant. Because what really matters in the end are the actual participants, who paid the registration/participation/ reservation fee (if any) and their physical presence at the event.\u00a0
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Notebook-with-text-MARKETING-o-181401925.jpg\")
What is an event organization MUST today as oppose to ten years ago?
\nThe answer seems logical after everything said above (Chart 2), technical equipment and use of IT at events produces the best result and that was not the case ten years ago. The need to create the so-called \u201eUser Experience\u201c or UX, is something every event organizer has to keep in mind today, and we have dedicated the entire last edition of SEEbtm magazine to this topic. In this regard, much more attention is now paid to encouraging interaction between participants. Respecting the event time schedule and addressing the question of parking has grown in importance, because time has become a valuable asset, even considered a luxury by many.
\n![\"Chart](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-2.jpg\")
I would say that socially responsible activities and ecological awareness in event organization are still not a MUST but these important questions are certainly given more attention now than ten years ago, and it is something the participants in this survey have confirmed. Event decoration and branding are also given more thought now, and for many companies they are a vital component and account for a large part of the budget.
\nMiona Milic
\nThe post Innovative Events at Unusual Locations Are the Trend appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "As you are holding the special 10th year edition of SEEbtm magazine, we find it might be interesting and useful to point out the changes that have marked event organization in the past decade.\nWith this in mind, we addressed event organizers of companies and hotels in our region and conducted a survey, to draw parallels in events \u201cpast and present\u201d. Professional event organizers in the region for the most part (83,3%) believe today\u2019s events are more innovative than 10 years ago. Changes are most evident in the technological level (according to 75% of survey participants). Organizers also point to changes in event marketing and promotion, and many believe the annual number of events has grown (nearly 60% indicated both trends of change). Furthermore, the form of events has undergone significant changes in the past ten years. Results also indicate a rise in the number of event participants (33%), prompting changes in event budgets which have grown compared to those of ten years ago, and boosting the number of people involved in the preparation of events (33,3%). The choice of event venues has likewise changed. Growing environmental awareness has also triggered changes in that aspect of event organization (Chart 1).\nTechnological changes in event organization \nEvent organizers agree on the growing use of technology in their activity and of individual innovative solutions. From the technical perspective, today\u2019s events are more complex, with organizers often looking for new or custom made solutions to achieve the wow effect and a brand new experience, giving greater significance to the creative approach to production. Quick and easy access to information is a MUST, as is making the information available on social networks. Needless to say, internet access is as much a given as being served cutlery with lunch. So there is no need to bring your own equipment to a lecture venue, things are simply done \u2013 online. Preparations, invitations, lectures (video conferences, conference calls, presentations…) and payment. There is greater demand today for state-of-the-art equipment and audio and visual effects at the event venue. We are also witnesses to the growing use of modern technology, such as virtual reality, holograms, etc. Special technologies are used for production and logistics, and others for management and marketing. Interaction between people is easier thanks to social networks and mobile applications, facilitating business contacts and mutual trust.\n\nWhat are the preferred venues? \nHotels offering suitable congress and conference facilities, rooms and halls are, evidently, a favorite choice, however, there is also a growing demand for unusual venues. When the aim is to create an event for a specific target group, circumstances allowing, there is demand for informal, avant-garde venues, facilities otherwise used for other purposes, museums, historical buildings, theaters and new, atypical places and locations which have rarely or never been used.\nEvent form \nDue to the event form, there are more panels, workshops, trainings and educational seminars. There is a greater number of foreign guests at panels than ten years ago and the lecturers are (or try to be) more innovative, with a view to improving the experience. Another trend is organizing business breakfasts instead of morning meetings. People work in smaller groups, with gigantic events becoming less popular. The greatest change in terms of form, however, is not really about form, or setup or size of the event. There is a growing tendency towards casual gatherings, involving imaginative details, and original and creative concepts. Here is an example \u2013 ten years ago it would never have occurred to event organizers to place lazy bags in a lecture hall. Today an innovative idea would be if you listened to a lecture perched on a crane (the so-called \u201edinner in the sky\u02ba in London, Dubai, etc.) or hanging from a rope. These are extreme examples obviously, but event organizers definitely have to work harder to come up with innovative concepts than they did ten years ago.\nEnvironmental feasibility in event organization? \nThe basis of the ecological approach to event organization is environmental awareness. Unfortunately, this awareness has not changed much in the past decade but we can say it has experienced a nudge in the right direction. One of the easiest steps to take, which does not require the introduction of any standards or complex procedures, is simply to refrain from printing. This varies from company to company but we find that most companies, particularly \u201cyounger\u201d ones that have grown online, prefer electronic forms of communication and business operation. What does this mean in terms of event organization? Invitations, agendas, lecturer schedules, additional information, networking, everything is ma de available online or by mobile applications for an event which is accessed from computers or smart devices. Registration can also be done simply by scanning barcodes from mobile devices or bracelets with a chip \u2013 RFID. Surveys at lectures, either on the spot or through feedback after the event, are also conducted and processed in electronic form. In addition to avoiding printing of materials for events and making information available online, recycling paper cups and plates is another option \u2013 using paper straws instead of plastic ones, cups made from recycled material at coffee breaks, serving water in pitchers instead of small bottles, using biodegradable materials for decoration, choosing corporate gifts made of recycled material or made by local societies for protection of socially or medically vulnerable groups. Companies practicing ecological awareness look for Eco-\u00adfriendly venues, whose business operation, activities, and offer incorporate all of these things and much more.\u00a0\n\nEvent marketing and promotion \nEvent professionals agree the greatest change in this area was brought on by the use of social media and the internet. Information is mostly communicated by these means, while events are announced and promoted through social networks Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. and through online marketing, depending on target groups, while best results are achieved by a careful, well-planned combination of all these means. Event promotion by digital means, using appropriate channels of communications, reaches audiences or potential participants through links they use to arrive at webpages where they can register for events. E-mails clearly also play an important part in this, especially in the case of events less open in character. Opinion is divided about market segmentation, with some organizers believing use of social media and the internet have led to weaker segmentation and mass communication with the public, while others think this has made marketing more personalized. Campaigns and the entire communication directed toward the user are not only about selling something, the user\u2019s sense of satisfaction and his opinion is also important. I would add that all these tools en able market segmentation, by age group, gender, geographic origin, profession, etc., the question is only whether they are used in creating the campaign but what remains debatable in this way of reaching a target group is its relevance. First, whether certain users and/or profiles are even realistic, do they involve actual people or are false and, second, technology has enabled segmentation based on available data but it cannot access emotions and social status, so this brings up the question whether a target group arrived at in this way is relevant. Because what really matters in the end are the actual participants, who paid the registration/participation/ reservation fee (if any) and their physical presence at the event.\u00a0\n\nWhat is an event organization MUST today as oppose to ten years ago? \nThe answer seems logical after everything said above (Chart 2), technical equipment and use of IT at events produces the best result and that was not the case ten years ago. The need to create the so-called \u201eUser Experience\u201c or UX, is something every event organizer has to keep in mind today, and we have dedicated the entire last edition of SEEbtm magazine to this topic. In this regard, much more attention is now paid to encouraging interaction between participants. Respecting the event time schedule and addressing the question of parking has grown in importance, because time has become a valuable asset, even considered a luxury by many.\nChart 2\nI would say that socially responsible activities and ecological awareness in event organization are still not a MUST but these important questions are certainly given more attention now than ten years ago, and it is something the participants in this survey have confirmed. Event decoration and branding are also given more thought now, and for many companies they are a vital component and account for a large part of the budget.\nMiona Milic\nThe post Innovative Events at Unusual Locations Are the Trend appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2019-12-11T14:19:53+01:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-11T14:24:23+01:00", "author": { "name": "Mirjana Novitovic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/officebs/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/slika-.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-122.jpg", "tags": [ "buyers", "changes", "event organization", "events", "innovations", "research", "EVENT ORGANIZATION", "Hot topics", "MUST READ", "RESEARCH", "Statistics" ], "summary": "As you are holding the special 10th year edition of SEEbtm magazine, we find it might be interesting and useful to point out the changes that have marked event organization in the past decade." }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/how-much-are-hotels-in-region-working-on-creating-experience/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/how-much-are-hotels-in-region-working-on-creating-experience/", "title": "How Much Are Hotels in Region Working on Creating Experience?", "content_html": "The overall conclusion is that everyone wants to create a positive and unusual experience for their guests. However, for now only a small percentage takes a systematic, methodical approach to the objective. As a result, creating the guest experience is largely left to luck and good weather, when it\u2019s there.
\nEvery hotel brand and venue that took part in the survey underlined that they indeed work to create the guest/customer experience. They do this mostly (60%) by implementing unusual amenities and events on their premises \u2013 performances, themed events, exhibitions, and similar. In addition, they often use special concepts and design for this purpose, as they do information technology. Hotels also frequently rely on their own staff and their interaction with guests in creating memorable experiences (Chart 1).
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/chart-1-2.png\")
Hotels in the SEE region still mainly (60%) get feedback from guests regarding their needs, ![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/chart-2-2.png\")
impressions, and experiences by having them fill out a questionnaire when checking out at the front desk or upon arrival in the room. 20% of them collect feedback through online questionnaires, and another 20% through reviews. We can say that the region\u2019s hotels collect 60% of comments and impressions by direct survey at hotel (Chart 2).
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/pitanje-1-i-2-srp.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/chart-3-1.png\")
Considering that the website of the hotel, hotel brand, or venue is quite often the first point of contact for the guest and that it also affects the guest\u2019s experience in in interacting with a particular brand, 60% of the survey participants note that a UX designer was involved in creating their website (Chart 3).
The same share of respondents said that the percentage of users\u2019 satisfaction with their website exceeds 50%. No respondents reported users\u2019 satisfaction with their website as high \u2014 greater than 80%. On the other hand, quite a lot of them, as many as 40%, reported users\u2019 satisfaction with the hotel website as less than 30% (Chart 4).
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/chart-4-and-5.png\")
This information decidedly indicates that these failed to take enough care of user experience and website structure and design (read more about UX design by clicking here). In this regard, 80% of the survey participants said that their hotel and hotel brand had no mobile app that their guests could use during their stay and that could improve interaction with the brand and the overall experience, but that they would soon have it (Chart 5).
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/anketa-1-fotka-koja-fali.jpg\")
All this suggests that the awareness of the need to plan the guest experience is underdeveloped in our region, but we believe that, as with everything else, the hotel industry leaders will approach this issue in the future with more commitment and resources. This will make good experiences less a result of ad hoc outcomes and happy circumstances and more a result of well-thought-out tactics and invested effort.
\nThe post How Much Are Hotels in Region Working on Creating Experience? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "In mid\u00ad-2019, SEEbtm conducted a survey on how much effort hotels and hotel brands in the region put in creating experiences for their guests.\nThe overall conclusion is that everyone wants to create a positive and unusual experience for their guests. However, for now only a small percentage takes a systematic, methodical approach to the objective. As a result, creating the guest experience is largely left to luck and good weather, when it\u2019s there.\nEvery hotel brand and venue that took part in the survey underlined that they indeed work to create the guest/customer experience. They do this mostly (60%) by implementing unusual amenities and events on their premises \u2013 performances, themed events, exhibitions, and similar. In addition, they often use special concepts and design for this purpose, as they do information technology. Hotels also frequently rely on their own staff and their interaction with guests in creating memorable experiences (Chart 1).\n\nHotels in the SEE region still mainly (60%) get feedback from guests regarding their needs, impressions, and experiences by having them fill out a questionnaire when checking out at the front desk or upon arrival in the room. 20% of them collect feedback through online questionnaires, and another 20% through reviews. We can say that the region\u2019s hotels collect 60% of comments and impressions by direct survey at hotel (Chart 2).\n\nConsidering that the website of the hotel, hotel brand, or venue is quite often the first point of contact for the guest and that it also affects the guest\u2019s experience in in interacting with a particular brand, 60% of the survey participants note that a UX designer was involved in creating their website (Chart 3).\nThe same share of respondents said that the percentage of users\u2019 satisfaction with their website exceeds 50%. No respondents reported users\u2019 satisfaction with their website as high \u2014 greater than 80%. On the other hand, quite a lot of them, as many as 40%, reported users\u2019 satisfaction with the hotel website as less than 30% (Chart 4).\nThis information decidedly indicates that these failed to take enough care of user experience and website structure and design (read more about UX design by clicking here). In this regard, 80% of the survey participants said that their hotel and hotel brand had no mobile app that their guests could use during their stay and that could improve interaction with the brand and the overall experience, but that they would soon have it (Chart 5).\n\nAll this suggests that the awareness of the need to plan the guest experience is underdeveloped in our region, but we believe that, as with everything else, the hotel industry leaders will approach this issue in the future with more commitment and resources. This will make good experiences less a result of ad hoc outcomes and happy circumstances and more a result of well-thought-out tactics and invested effort.\nThe post How Much Are Hotels in Region Working on Creating Experience? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2019-09-09T11:38:33+02:00", "date_modified": "2019-09-09T11:38:33+02:00", "author": { "name": "Mirjana Novitovic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/officebs/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/slika-.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-srp-4.jpg", "tags": [ "creating experience", "hotel brands", "hotels", "research", "survey", "Experts opinions", "MUST READ", "RESEARCH", "Statistics" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/trends-in-event-planning-from-the-supplier-s-perspective/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/trends-in-event-planning-from-the-supplier-s-perspective/", "title": "Trends in Event Planning from the Supplier\u2019s Perspective", "content_html": "A separate survey was done on the trends in event planning for event planners and suppliers was made, with a view to drawing a parallel on this topic. According to hotels, their clients mostly come from the automotive industry, pharmaceutical industry, medicine, IT and telecommunications, and beauty industry (Chart 1).
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-1.png\")
These are very similar to the data we obtained from event planners. Corporate clients are in ![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-2.png\")
61.5% of cases from the country where the hotel is located, which means that clients are mainly local. Clients from the region\u2019s countries are named in 16% cases, and those from all over Europe (Chart 2) are cutting it close (15.4%). Here the difference is noticed the most with regional clients. To be precise, event planners say that they are mainly \u2013 in 37.5% cases \u2013 organizing their 2019 events in the region, which is at odds compared with 16% that hotels said they have among regional clients. This information tells us that companies are definitely aiming to increase the number of regional events in 2019.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-3.png\")
In addition, the disproportion in these data can also be a result of hotels\u2019 client records, most with companies with head offices in the region\u2019s countries, in which case they record them as local clients. Fifty corporate events are organized every year in most of the hotels that took part in the survey \u2013 53.8% of them. Between 50 and 100 events annually took place in 15.4% of the hotels, while 30.8% of the hotels can say they had more than 200 organized events per year (Chart 3).
The hotel managers are optimistic about 2019 when it comes to the number of events. In ![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-4.png\")
fact, 61.5% of them expect more events than last year, others expect the number to stay the same, while nobody expects the number of events to drop in 2019 \u2014 Chart 4.
Conventions or conferences, trainings, team buildings, and product launches are the types of events that the hotels see most often, same as the event planners reported in the poll. Two-day events are organized in 46.2% of cases, while corporate events of more than three days are the least frequent \u2014 7.7%. Corporate events organized at hotels are mostly
\nmedium-sized, for 50 or 100 participants. Somewhat bigger events for up to 150 people are
\norganized in 15.4% of cases, while large events for up to 300 participants are organized in 23% of cases.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-5.png\")
Mobile apps, live streaming, and 360 camera filming are the technologies that are most commonly used at hotels (Chart 8). Company budgets for events \u2013 according to hotel managers (which corresponds to responses by event planners) \u2013 usually amount to up to EUR 50,000.00 (41.7%), and up to EUR 10,000.00 in 33.3% of cases.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-8.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Chart-9.png\")
A budget of up to EUR 100,000.00 is spent by 16.7% of corporate clients, while 8.3% spends more than EUR 100,000.00 (Chart 9). Most hotel managers \u2014 close to 60% \u2014 believe that these budgets will remain the same for 2019, while 41.7% of them are very optimistic and believe that budgets will actually grow.
\nThe post Trends in Event Planning from the Supplier\u2019s Perspective appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "At the start of 2019, suppliers in the MICE industry \u2013 primarily hotels \u2013 also took part in the survey conducted by SEEbtm.\nA separate survey was done on the trends in event planning for event planners and suppliers was made, with a view to drawing a parallel on this topic. According to hotels, their clients mostly come from the automotive industry, pharmaceutical industry, medicine, IT and telecommunications, and beauty industry (Chart 1).\n\nThese are very similar to the data we obtained from event planners. Corporate clients are in 61.5% of cases from the country where the hotel is located, which means that clients are mainly local. Clients from the region\u2019s countries are named in 16% cases, and those from all over Europe (Chart 2) are cutting it close (15.4%). Here the difference is noticed the most with regional clients. To be precise, event planners say that they are mainly \u2013 in 37.5% cases \u2013 organizing their 2019 events in the region, which is at odds compared with 16% that hotels said they have among regional clients. This information tells us that companies are definitely aiming to increase the number of regional events in 2019.\nIn addition, the disproportion in these data can also be a result of hotels\u2019 client records, most with companies with head offices in the region\u2019s countries, in which case they record them as local clients. Fifty corporate events are organized every year in most of the hotels that took part in the survey \u2013 53.8% of them. Between 50 and 100 events annually took place in 15.4% of the hotels, while 30.8% of the hotels can say they had more than 200 organized events per year (Chart 3).\nThe hotel managers are optimistic about 2019 when it comes to the number of events. In fact, 61.5% of them expect more events than last year, others expect the number to stay the same, while nobody expects the number of events to drop in 2019 \u2014 Chart 4.\nConventions or conferences, trainings, team buildings, and product launches are the types of events that the hotels see most often, same as the event planners reported in the poll. Two-day events are organized in 46.2% of cases, while corporate events of more than three days are the least frequent \u2014 7.7%. Corporate events organized at hotels are mostly\nmedium-sized, for 50 or 100 participants. Somewhat bigger events for up to 150 people are\norganized in 15.4% of cases, while large events for up to 300 participants are organized in 23% of cases.\n\nMobile apps, live streaming, and 360 camera filming are the technologies that are most commonly used at hotels (Chart 8). Company budgets for events \u2013 according to hotel managers (which corresponds to responses by event planners) \u2013 usually amount to up to EUR 50,000.00 (41.7%), and up to EUR 10,000.00 in 33.3% of cases.\n\nA budget of up to EUR 100,000.00 is spent by 16.7% of corporate clients, while 8.3% spends more than EUR 100,000.00 (Chart 9). Most hotel managers \u2014 close to 60% \u2014 believe that these budgets will remain the same for 2019, while 41.7% of them are very optimistic and believe that budgets will actually grow.\nThe post Trends in Event Planning from the Supplier\u2019s Perspective appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2019-05-09T14:32:42+02:00", "date_modified": "2019-05-09T14:32:42+02:00", "author": { "name": "Miona Milic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/miona/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG-20240224-WA0003-e1728981138373.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-84.jpg", "tags": [ "event organization", "hotels", "MICE", "research", "suppliers", "survay", "TRENDS", "VENUES", "Hot topics", "MUST READ", "RESEARCH" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/benefits-and-drawbacks-of-personalized-events/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/benefits-and-drawbacks-of-personalized-events/", "title": "Benefits and Drawbacks of Personalized Events", "content_html": "More than half of the surveyed event planners in SEE reported that they had hosted events with elements of personaliza\u0004tion.
\nThis refers mainly to events that are tailored to attendees\u2019 wishes, where a\bttendees can influence the event\u2019s course by voti\u0004ng (or otherwise), and that apply personalized approach \u2013 whether through personally addressing a\bttendees, custom-made gi\u0006fts, personalized branding, and the like.
\nA somewhat higher percentage \u2013 around 64% of the respondents \u2013 personally a ended an event of this kind.
\nThe examples that the region\u2019s event planners gave almost en\u0004tirely \u2013 as much as 90% of them \u2013 involved personalized gifts (corporate and birthday), personalized invites and messages (85%), and to a lesser degree personalized menus (25%), followed by grouping a\bttendees together depending on personal interests and other criteria, event evaluati\u0004on that also includes a\bttendees\u2019 personal a\fttiudes, and the like.![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-218016187.jpg\")
Event planners believe that in most cases (81.8%), modern technologies (typically mobile apps) are the best tools for planning a personalized event.
\nIn addi\u0004tion, means to these ends in around 73% cases included personalized gifts and personalized branding and interior decorati\u0005on, as well as involving attendees in the event planning and development process, although to a lesser degree \u2013 27.3%.
\nWhen it comes to benefits and drawbacks of personalized events, event planners are unanimous.
\nThey agree that it\u2019s something new, something different, and that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s needed in marke\u0004ting.
\nThey agree that this way clients are bound to better remember both the event and the host, every a\bttendee feels like the host and that their opinion is appreciated.
\nConnecting with att\bendees is easier \u2013 the connection is an emoti\u0004onal one \u2013 and as a result, their loyalty grows.
\nOne drawback is the reduced ability to anti\u0005cipate the event\u2019s course: Once external factors are allowed to influence the planning, unexpected issues might arise.![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Customer-Loyalty-Drawn-On-Bric-235417219.jpg\")
Another commonly reported drawback is that personalized events take much more effort, \u0005me, and hard work (as well as financial means).
\nThere\u2019s also the issue of logisti\u0005cs and the poten\u0005tial limitati\u0005ons of other resources when taking into considerati\u0004on the myriad wishes and personal opinions that might surface.
\nEvent planners believe that event personaliza\u0005tion is poised to become standard in event planning (54.5% respondents), and some believe that it already has (27.3%).
\nAround 9% think that the answer to this ques\u0005tion depends mainly on companies\u2019 or target groups\u2019 industries, while also 9% believe that this trend won\u2019t last long nor become standard in the future.
\nThe post Benefits and Drawbacks of Personalized Events appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "Personalization has emerged as a global trend and indeed a must in event planning over the past few years, as well as one that is expected to come to the fore even more in the future. We set out to investigate how common personalized events are in our region and how much focus event planning puts on individual approach to every attendee and on customizing the event itself according to attendees\u2019 wishes and opinions, as well as what they mean to both attendees and companies that host them.\nMore than half of the surveyed event planners in SEE reported that they had hosted events with elements of personaliza\u0004tion.\nThis refers mainly to events that are tailored to attendees\u2019 wishes, where a\bttendees can influence the event\u2019s course by voti\u0004ng (or otherwise), and that apply personalized approach \u2013 whether through personally addressing a\bttendees, custom-made gi\u0006fts, personalized branding, and the like.\nA somewhat higher percentage \u2013 around 64% of the respondents \u2013 personally a ended an event of this kind.\nThe examples that the region\u2019s event planners gave almost en\u0004tirely \u2013 as much as 90% of them \u2013 involved personalized gifts (corporate and birthday), personalized invites and messages (85%), and to a lesser degree personalized menus (25%), followed by grouping a\bttendees together depending on personal interests and other criteria, event evaluati\u0004on that also includes a\bttendees\u2019 personal a\fttiudes, and the like.\nEvent planners believe that in most cases (81.8%), modern technologies (typically mobile apps) are the best tools for planning a personalized event.\nIn addi\u0004tion, means to these ends in around 73% cases included personalized gifts and personalized branding and interior decorati\u0005on, as well as involving attendees in the event planning and development process, although to a lesser degree \u2013 27.3%.\nWhen it comes to benefits and drawbacks of personalized events, event planners are unanimous.\nThey agree that it\u2019s something new, something different, and that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s needed in marke\u0004ting.\nThey agree that this way clients are bound to better remember both the event and the host, every a\bttendee feels like the host and that their opinion is appreciated.\nConnecting with att\bendees is easier \u2013 the connection is an emoti\u0004onal one \u2013 and as a result, their loyalty grows.\nOne drawback is the reduced ability to anti\u0005cipate the event\u2019s course: Once external factors are allowed to influence the planning, unexpected issues might arise.\nAnother commonly reported drawback is that personalized events take much more effort, \u0005me, and hard work (as well as financial means).\nThere\u2019s also the issue of logisti\u0005cs and the poten\u0005tial limitati\u0005ons of other resources when taking into considerati\u0004on the myriad wishes and personal opinions that might surface.\nEvent planners believe that event personaliza\u0005tion is poised to become standard in event planning (54.5% respondents), and some believe that it already has (27.3%).\nAround 9% think that the answer to this ques\u0005tion depends mainly on companies\u2019 or target groups\u2019 industries, while also 9% believe that this trend won\u2019t last long nor become standard in the future.\nThe post Benefits and Drawbacks of Personalized Events appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2018-07-30T12:00:33+02:00", "date_modified": "2018-07-30T12:00:33+02:00", "author": { "name": "Miona Milic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/miona/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG-20240224-WA0003-e1728981138373.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-A-Satisfied-Customer-Is-The-Be-171477011.jpg", "tags": [ "Personalized Events", "research", "RESEARCH" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/congress-tourism-improves-the-international-reputation-of-serbia/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/congress-tourism-improves-the-international-reputation-of-serbia/", "title": "Congress Tourism Improves the International Reputation of Serbia", "content_html": "![\"Dusan](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/DusanBorovcanin.jpg\" "\\"Dusan")
Simply said, branding a country is far more complex than branding a certain product or a service. This already complex task is additionally complicated if a country has suffered from some of the very well \u2013 known crises which affect overall tourism activities. Crises can appear in many different forms \u2013 the question is, how to rebuild the reputation of a country
\nthat has suffered from crises? Some countries have tried to build their international image as a perfect place for foreign investments such as the UAE or Qatar. However, unlike other crises that affect country\u2019s image, it is civil conflicts that tend to have long-term consequences for the national brand. The real question is how we can rebuild its image and improve the perception of foreign visitors.
However, a study recently done by Dr Rob Davidson, one of the most distinguished professors and consultants in MICE industry who recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at IBTM in Barcelona, and our young academic Dusan Borovcanin from Singidunum
\nUniversity reveals that congress tourism can be part of the solution for improving the image of Belgrade and Serbia as tourism destination. The study involved people who visited Serbia for the first time, and whose primary motivation was to take part in a business event. As it is well-known, business travelers are not the ones who decide which destination they will visit. Usually, it is the organizers of the event that do so.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/grafik-3.jpg\")
For that very reason, the authors of this study were interested in learning what was the perception of participants at business events before they came to Serbia for the first time and comparing it with their perceptions after attending their congress and experiencing
\nthe destination for themselves. The results of the study presented at the annual conference of ATLAS (Association for Tourism and Leisure Education) reveal that the image of Serbia as a conflict destination still exists to some extent. The main source of this perception are mass media such as TV, newspapers and internet.
However, what is encouraging is that the perception of foreign travelers has changed dramatically from the moment they visit the country for the first time. The most dominant factor that affects their perception are \u201cpeople\u201d as they claim, i.e. local population whose friendliness and warmth breaks down the myths of Serbia as a warlike nation. Although \u201cpeople\u201d are on top of the list, they are closely followed by factors such as \u201cgastronomy\u201d and \u201cnice climate\u201d,
\nas well as price competitiveness.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/grafik-4.jpg\")
One of the significant findings is that business travelers, after they had visited the country for business purposes, showed a significant intent to visit Serbia again, only this time for leisure purposes. This research demonstrates the image-changing power of the congress industry. Besides direct and indirect economic impacts it leaves on the country\u2019s economy, the congress industry significantly contributes to the improvement of the international perception of Serbia as a nation. The conclusion from this research is perfectly aligned with the actual trend of business tourism in Serbia. Belgrade jumped from 120th to 51st position on the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) list from 2008 \u2013 2016 and Serbia as a country moved from 55th to 48th place internationally, as well.
\nThis shows that Belgrade and Serbia are rising on the international market as a new, interesting and inspirational destination that can meet the needs of highly demanding business travelers. Finally, it is evident that, as a country, we are earning significantly from congress
\ntourism, but can we use congress industry as one of the key factors for positively branding our country? The authors of this study are certain we can.
Dusan Borovcanin,
\nMaster of Economy,
\nTeaching Assistant at Singidunum University
Dr Rob Davidson,
\nManaging Director at MICE Knowledge
The post Congress Tourism Improves the International Reputation of Serbia appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "Country and destination branding is the topic that has been attracting interest from tourism professionals for years. Nevertheless, after much research written on this matter we can conclude that there is no universal formula that could be applied in all cases.\nDusan Borovcanin, Master of Economy, Teaching Assistant at Singidunum University\nSimply said, branding a country is far more complex than branding a certain product or a service. This already complex task is additionally complicated if a country has suffered from some of the very well \u2013 known crises which affect overall tourism activities. Crises can appear in many different forms \u2013 the question is, how to rebuild the reputation of a country\nthat has suffered from crises? Some countries have tried to build their international image as a perfect place for foreign investments such as the UAE or Qatar. However, unlike other crises that affect country\u2019s image, it is civil conflicts that tend to have long-term consequences for the national brand. The real question is how we can rebuild its image and improve the perception of foreign visitors. \nHowever, a study recently done by Dr Rob Davidson, one of the most distinguished professors and consultants in MICE industry who recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at IBTM in Barcelona, and our young academic Dusan Borovcanin from Singidunum\nUniversity reveals that congress tourism can be part of the solution for improving the image of Belgrade and Serbia as tourism destination. The study involved people who visited Serbia for the first time, and whose primary motivation was to take part in a business event. As it is well-known, business travelers are not the ones who decide which destination they will visit. Usually, it is the organizers of the event that do so.\n\nFor that very reason, the authors of this study were interested in learning what was the perception of participants at business events before they came to Serbia for the first time and comparing it with their perceptions after attending their congress and experiencing\nthe destination for themselves. The results of the study presented at the annual conference of ATLAS (Association for Tourism and Leisure Education) reveal that the image of Serbia as a conflict destination still exists to some extent. The main source of this perception are mass media such as TV, newspapers and internet.\nHowever, what is encouraging is that the perception of foreign travelers has changed dramatically from the moment they visit the country for the first time. The most dominant factor that affects their perception are \u201cpeople\u201d as they claim, i.e. local population whose friendliness and warmth breaks down the myths of Serbia as a warlike nation. Although \u201cpeople\u201d are on top of the list, they are closely followed by factors such as \u201cgastronomy\u201d and \u201cnice climate\u201d,\nas well as price competitiveness.\n\nOne of the significant findings is that business travelers, after they had visited the country for business purposes, showed a significant intent to visit Serbia again, only this time for leisure purposes. This research demonstrates the image-changing power of the congress industry. Besides direct and indirect economic impacts it leaves on the country\u2019s economy, the congress industry significantly contributes to the improvement of the international perception of Serbia as a nation. The conclusion from this research is perfectly aligned with the actual trend of business tourism in Serbia. Belgrade jumped from 120th to 51st position on the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) list from 2008 \u2013 2016 and Serbia as a country moved from 55th to 48th place internationally, as well.\nThis shows that Belgrade and Serbia are rising on the international market as a new, interesting and inspirational destination that can meet the needs of highly demanding business travelers. Finally, it is evident that, as a country, we are earning significantly from congress\ntourism, but can we use congress industry as one of the key factors for positively branding our country? The authors of this study are certain we can.\nDusan Borovcanin,\nMaster of Economy,\nTeaching Assistant at Singidunum University\nDr Rob Davidson,\nManaging Director at MICE Knowledge\nThe post Congress Tourism Improves the International Reputation of Serbia appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2018-05-15T16:14:53+02:00", "date_modified": "2018-05-15T16:14:53+02:00", "author": { "name": "Milica Novak", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/milicanovak/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Milica-Novak.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Borovcanin-2.jpg", "tags": [ "congress tourism", "research", "rob davidson", "serbia", "study", "RESEARCH" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/play-for-greater-satisfaction-and-productivity/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/play-for-greater-satisfaction-and-productivity/", "title": "Play for Greater Satisfaction and Productivity", "content_html": "In addition to this, we conducted a survey on how much adult people (employees) play and whether playing tabletop games can contribute to productivity and job satisfaction. Gamification is a recently coined term that is often used in the context of implementing games in strategies for engaging participants at events or resolving situations and increasing productivity and focus among employees. Games that are used for this can be of different nature, from video games and simulations to various tabletop games and solving physical and logical obstacles that mostly fall under team building activities.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/slika2-3.jpg\")
A very broad spectrum of existing games can be used for this purpose, as well as for developing new games that are custom-made for a particular company or event, or for special occasions and specific goals. The game chosen depends, above all, on the desired
\nobjectives, target audience, and viability.
This issue of SEEbtm and our survey focus primarily on tabletop games and their application, presence, and viability in practice, based on the experiences and opinions of regional event planning professionals. Most of the survey respondents (86 %) play tabletop games at home. The most popular ones are Sorry! and Yahtzee (52.6 %), which are followed by Monopoly and Fun Geography. Pictionary and Risk are also quite common, as are various
\ncard games. Around 10 % play chess at home, but draughts, Battleship, Clue, and other games are also far from forgotten (Charts 1 and 2).
\u00b7 86 % play tabletop games at home
\n\u00b7 44 % played games at work
\n\u00b7 40 % played games at events
\n\u00b7 87 % think that playing games can make meetings and employees more productive
\n\u00b7 91 % think that playing games can increase satisfaction at work or events
A significant number of respondents (43.5 %) used games at work, most often icebreakers \u2013 35 % and tabletop games mentioned above among games played at home . Brain teasers at work were played by 20 %, while other games such as Solitaire, Minsk and the like were played by 15 % (Charts 3 and 4). Nearly 40 % of the respondents played games at events, most of them being brain teasers (88.9 %) and icebreakers (44.4 %) \u2013 Charts 5 and 6.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/dijagram_1_engleski.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/dijagram_2_engleski.jpg\")
Overall, based on the survey and the respondents\u2019 responses, a large percentage of people play tabletop games at home \u2013 almost 90 %, while around 40 % use games at work and events. Icebreakers are mostly used for increasing productivity at meetings and at work, while brain teasers are the most frequently used games at events.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/dijagram_3_engleski.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/dijagram_4_engleski.jpg\")
DID YOU KNOW?
\nThere is a cafe in Moscow \u2013 \u201eDidu\u2019\u2019 where guests can play with dough while waiting for their order, or a friend, to arrive. Therefore, walls, ceiling and parts of furniture are decorated
\nwith more than 140,000 figures, small unique pieces made out of dough. The most notable is Mona Lisa, made out of 120 kg of dough that even made it into Guinness World Records
\nbook. This is definitely an original and efficient way to connect with guests through playing, have them involved and leaving their personal mark.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/slika1-2.jpg\")
If you\u2019ve never done it before, we suggest that you seriously consider introducing games at work and events, first and foremost because 87 % of the respondents think that playing games increases productivity at meetings and among employees, while a staggering 91 % believe that this most definitely increases satisfaction among employees and participants at events. If you\u2019re looking for ways to motivate your employees, increase their loyalty, and optimize your team, as well as ensure your event participants\u2019 satisfaction, the solution is obvious: Let them play games.
\nTIP
\nIf you want to move your meeting out of the standard office surrounding and, at the same time, play and be physically active, you should visit a Snap bar in Belgragde\u2019s Francuska street. There, you can play a round of table tennis while having drinks or eating. Organize a mini tournament, have some fun, and maybe you\u2019ll come up with a solution to a problem that has been bothering you for a while.
\nThe post Play for Greater Satisfaction and Productivity appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "This issue of SEEbtm examines the importance of play for intellectual, social and psychological development and to what extent are early-age play and success in learning \u2013 and later on in work \u2013 related.\nIn addition to this, we conducted a survey on how much adult people (employees) play and whether playing tabletop games can contribute to productivity and job satisfaction. Gamification is a recently coined term that is often used in the context of implementing games in strategies for engaging participants at events or resolving situations and increasing productivity and focus among employees. Games that are used for this can be of different nature, from video games and simulations to various tabletop games and solving physical and logical obstacles that mostly fall under team building activities.\n\nA very broad spectrum of existing games can be used for this purpose, as well as for developing new games that are custom-made for a particular company or event, or for special occasions and specific goals. The game chosen depends, above all, on the desired\nobjectives, target audience, and viability.\nThis issue of SEEbtm and our survey focus primarily on tabletop games and their application, presence, and viability in practice, based on the experiences and opinions of regional event planning professionals. Most of the survey respondents (86 %) play tabletop games at home. The most popular ones are Sorry! and Yahtzee (52.6 %), which are followed by Monopoly and Fun Geography. Pictionary and Risk are also quite common, as are various\ncard games. Around 10 % play chess at home, but draughts, Battleship, Clue, and other games are also far from forgotten (Charts 1 and 2).\n\u00b7 86 % play tabletop games at home\n\u00b7 44 % played games at work\n\u00b7 40 % played games at events\n\u00b7 87 % think that playing games can make meetings and employees more productive\n\u00b7 91 % think that playing games can increase satisfaction at work or events\n\nA significant number of respondents (43.5 %) used games at work, most often icebreakers \u2013 35 % and tabletop games mentioned above among games played at home . Brain teasers at work were played by 20 %, while other games such as Solitaire, Minsk and the like were played by 15 % (Charts 3 and 4). Nearly 40 % of the respondents played games at events, most of them being brain teasers (88.9 %) and icebreakers (44.4 %) \u2013 Charts 5 and 6.\n\n\n\n\nOverall, based on the survey and the respondents\u2019 responses, a large percentage of people play tabletop games at home \u2013 almost 90 %, while around 40 % use games at work and events. Icebreakers are mostly used for increasing productivity at meetings and at work, while brain teasers are the most frequently used games at events. \n\n\n\nDID YOU KNOW?\nThere is a cafe in Moscow \u2013 \u201eDidu\u2019\u2019 where guests can play with dough while waiting for their order, or a friend, to arrive. Therefore, walls, ceiling and parts of furniture are decorated\nwith more than 140,000 figures, small unique pieces made out of dough. The most notable is Mona Lisa, made out of 120 kg of dough that even made it into Guinness World Records\nbook. This is definitely an original and efficient way to connect with guests through playing, have them involved and leaving their personal mark.\n\nIf you\u2019ve never done it before, we suggest that you seriously consider introducing games at work and events, first and foremost because 87 % of the respondents think that playing games increases productivity at meetings and among employees, while a staggering 91 % believe that this most definitely increases satisfaction among employees and participants at events. If you\u2019re looking for ways to motivate your employees, increase their loyalty, and optimize your team, as well as ensure your event participants\u2019 satisfaction, the solution is obvious: Let them play games.\nTIP\nIf you want to move your meeting out of the standard office surrounding and, at the same time, play and be physically active, you should visit a Snap bar in Belgragde\u2019s Francuska street. There, you can play a round of table tennis while having drinks or eating. Organize a mini tournament, have some fun, and maybe you\u2019ll come up with a solution to a problem that has been bothering you for a while.\nThe post Play for Greater Satisfaction and Productivity appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2018-03-21T13:18:05+01:00", "date_modified": "2018-04-30T13:48:40+02:00", "author": { "name": "Milica Novak", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/milicanovak/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Milica-Novak.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-31.jpg", "tags": [ "games", "meetings", "play", "play on meeting", "productivity", "research", "satisfaction", "survey", "tabletop games", "RESEARCH" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/naps-make-us-smarter-healthier-creative/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/naps-make-us-smarter-healthier-creative/", "title": "Naps Make Us Smarter, Healthier, and More Creative", "content_html": "In addition, napping for an hour helps to reinvigorate short-term memory and gives boost to our remembering things after waking up. Alertness considerably increases, as does creativity. And what\u2019s more, the study recommends that we take a nap before making decisions. Alongside all these benefits of napping, the study also showed the most important one\u2014afternoon naps reduce the chances of heart disease by as much as 37%!
\nThe post Naps Make Us Smarter, Healthier, and More Creative appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "Dr. Matthew Walker of the University of California conducted a study showing that an hour long nap re-energizes the part of the brain that is responsible for creating memories\u2014the hippocampus.\nIn addition, napping for an hour helps to reinvigorate short-term memory and gives boost to our remembering things after waking up. Alertness considerably increases, as does creativity. And what\u2019s more, the study recommends that we take a nap before making decisions. Alongside all these benefits of napping, the study also showed the most important one\u2014afternoon naps reduce the chances of heart disease by as much as 37%!\nThe post Naps Make Us Smarter, Healthier, and More Creative appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2017-06-19T13:31:00+02:00", "date_modified": "2017-06-19T13:31:00+02:00", "author": { "name": "Milica Novak", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/milicanovak/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Milica-Novak.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/dremka-1.jpg", "tags": [ "nap", "napping", "research", "OMG... Really?!" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/how-to-be-a-successful-event-planner/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/how-to-be-a-successful-event-planner/", "title": "How to Be a Successful Event Planner?", "content_html": "How to avoid common mistakes? And if those occur, how to solve them? What advice to give to young colleagues? We asked these questions the experienced regional event professionals from companies, hotels and agencies.
\nIf you are wondering what features you need to be successful in the business of event organizing, most importantly, for a start, is that you are kind and patient. Sociability, understanding of needs, attentiveness and a skill of establishing good relations with people
\nare, in general, important in all aspects of event management. Participants in the survey emphasize the passion, enthusiasm and energy in this business. Without these qualities, it can happen that you quickly \u201cburn out\u201d. Almost equally important is that you are reliable, consistent and self-confident, confident in your abilities and your performance, which will further help you to be able to make decisions quickly, which is one of the skills that the participants in this survey indicated as a priority.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-where-when-who-what-why-h-66887335.jpg\")
If you work in a company and you are responsible for the event organization, it is necessary to handle all the information related to the event, to know its goal, to understand it \u2013 so as to make sure of what you are doing and requiring further in the chain of the organization processes. Also, if you work in a hotel or some other venue, it is necessary to know the premises themselves as \u201cyour pocket\u201d, their surface, capacities, possibilities of adaptation and the like. The more detailed, the better.
The next issue of importance is that you are flexible to the requirements and adaptive to the current or newly emerging situations, which further has to do with empathy and needs understanding, but also patience, as mentioned at the beginning. In order to be engaged in this work, you certainly need to be creative as well, which you will often need for the purpose of creating something unique, or perhaps for solving some problems, or to offset the budget deficit. Precision, accuracy, being organized and skilled are some of the qualities without which you will not stay long in the business of event planners.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/istrazivanje-2.jpg\")
As for the skills, the highest position belongs to the communication skill, listening to speakers and accurate transmission of information. The next important one is the resourcefulness, as well as the ability to set and then achieve the goals. Without organizational skills, those would be difficult to achieve. Negotiating skills are also important in this business, as well as the ability to take all parts of the business as a whole, or, in sport terms, it is necessary to have a good overview of the game, but also to be a team player.
When planning the event, which usually lasts longer than its realization, the event professionals who participated the survey believe that the most important is to well
\ndesign and set up a goal, and, accordingly, create the content, make a strategy and plan, as well as well choose the associates, then clearly define the offers, service and conditions. Timely agree on and confirm the venue as well as the list of participants, and always have a plan B. A detailed plan and the overview of all activities with precisely defined deadlines for each phase of planning the event, but, at the same time, one should take into account not to miss to keep the track of the general picture.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/istrazivanje-5.jpg\")
The most common errors of the event plannersAs stated by the event professionals who participated in this survey, the most common mistakes result from a poor communication, failure to envisage a risk, insufficient
\nelaboration of the event or necessary details and timely manner. Therefore, the most common mistakes are the following:
\u00b7 Lack of understanding with the client \u2013 the client thinks of and considers included some of the services or conditions, while the planner does not check those or is not sufficiently clear during the bidding (verbal and/or written)
\n\u00b7 Failure to envisage a crisis situation or risk
\n\u00b7 An unknown number of people attending the event
\n\u00b7 Lack of knowledge about the target groups
\n\u00b7 Inattention to details
\n\u00b7 The information not being forwarded in due time
\n\u00b7 Do things at the last minute
\n\u00b7 Managing the activities orally, without a plan
Unforeseen situations in practice, even with the detailed planning, yet occur from time to time. In such a case, resourcefulness, calmness and flexibility comes into play, and we convey to you a couple of examples from personal experience of event professionals from a hotel.
\nVesna Vlatkovic, Marketing & PR Manager, A Hoteli
\nI was a guest speaker at a meeting where the technique \u201cfailed\u201d, and, instead of a planned PP presentation, I said to the listeners: \u201cAs I know that, when communicating with the customers, you have nothing but yourself, I will turn off the computer now and show you that I can convince you with only the words\u201d. It was one of my best speeches because my adrenalin phase \u201cforced\u201d me to give my best.
\nBojana Kuzmanovic, Manager of the Sector for Congresses and Meetings, MK Resort
\nProblems are solved by a quick reaction and finding an alternative solution. For example, when a video screen in a hall broke, guests were invited to a cocktail while the other hall was set up, in order to continue the smooth running of the program.
\nRanka Gismondi, Event Manager, Milenij Hotels
\nIn the midst of a great outdoor event, it unexpectedly began to downpour and a heavy rain; with a very professional and capable team of colleagues who were involved in the event, I quickly reacted, and the event was moved into the interior, and, within 10 minutes, I agreed an alternative (plan B) with the performers in order to get the whole thing done the best possible in almost the worst possible circumstances at the moment.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-174172933.jpg\")
Tips for young colleaguesIt is said, for a reason, that a good advice is gold worth. Experienced event professionals who participated in this study were kind enough to share with us the tips they have for young colleagues. We bring you some of those.
\n\u00b7 Patience ![\"\u263a\"](\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/263a.png\")
\n\u00b7 Continuously improve your listening skill. Not just to find out what the client is saying, but what he wants as well.
\n\u00b7 There is no second chance.
\n\u00b7 It can never happen to have them ALL satisfied.
\n\u00b7 Patience and knowing that people are different.
\n\u00b7 Take great care of details and make sure that a lot of things are not meant to be accompanying the event.
\n\u00b7 It is important that, in addition to a good event, one should know whom it is intended for; how to get to the target group, and in which manner to measure the effects of the event.
\n\u00b7 Make sure you are well informed before you start the project realization and be persistent with your strong attitudes, but certainly do not let your ego and inflexibility slow down your personal and professional development.
\n\u00b7 Consistency and fairness to people you work with will maybe be of use for you ever more than the budget you have.
\n\u00b7 This is a very stressful job (and to find out how to fight the stress, read the article How to Deal With Stress in the Event Planning Industry) and people often do not understand that, and take the business of an event manager as a kind of \u201centertainment\u201d. This is a job where you are satisfied only after the event on which all other have a good \u201cfun\u201d, as a result of your work.
\n\u00b7 Every mistake should be taken as a lesson learned. You should not let mistakes discourage you, but you should take those as a lesson to learn from.
The post How to Be a Successful Event Planner? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "Every business is characterized by the key attributes and skills that one need to possess and improve in order to perform such a business successfully. This edition will be focused on our research of which attributes and skills make a successful event organizer.\nHow to avoid common mistakes? And if those occur, how to solve them? What advice to give to young colleagues? We asked these questions the experienced regional event professionals from companies, hotels and agencies.\nIf you are wondering what features you need to be successful in the business of event organizing, most importantly, for a start, is that you are kind and patient. Sociability, understanding of needs, attentiveness and a skill of establishing good relations with people\nare, in general, important in all aspects of event management. Participants in the survey emphasize the passion, enthusiasm and energy in this business. Without these qualities, it can happen that you quickly \u201cburn out\u201d. Almost equally important is that you are reliable, consistent and self-confident, confident in your abilities and your performance, which will further help you to be able to make decisions quickly, which is one of the skills that the participants in this survey indicated as a priority.\nIf you work in a company and you are responsible for the event organization, it is necessary to handle all the information related to the event, to know its goal, to understand it \u2013 so as to make sure of what you are doing and requiring further in the chain of the organization processes. Also, if you work in a hotel or some other venue, it is necessary to know the premises themselves as \u201cyour pocket\u201d, their surface, capacities, possibilities of adaptation and the like. The more detailed, the better.\nThe next issue of importance is that you are flexible to the requirements and adaptive to the current or newly emerging situations, which further has to do with empathy and needs understanding, but also patience, as mentioned at the beginning. In order to be engaged in this work, you certainly need to be creative as well, which you will often need for the purpose of creating something unique, or perhaps for solving some problems, or to offset the budget deficit. Precision, accuracy, being organized and skilled are some of the qualities without which you will not stay long in the business of event planners.\nAs for the skills, the highest position belongs to the communication skill, listening to speakers and accurate transmission of information. The next important one is the resourcefulness, as well as the ability to set and then achieve the goals. Without organizational skills, those would be difficult to achieve. Negotiating skills are also important in this business, as well as the ability to take all parts of the business as a whole, or, in sport terms, it is necessary to have a good overview of the game, but also to be a team player.\nWhen planning the event, which usually lasts longer than its realization, the event professionals who participated the survey believe that the most important is to well\ndesign and set up a goal, and, accordingly, create the content, make a strategy and plan, as well as well choose the associates, then clearly define the offers, service and conditions. Timely agree on and confirm the venue as well as the list of participants, and always have a plan B. A detailed plan and the overview of all activities with precisely defined deadlines for each phase of planning the event, but, at the same time, one should take into account not to miss to keep the track of the general picture.\nThe most common errors of the event planners\nAs stated by the event professionals who participated in this survey, the most common mistakes result from a poor communication, failure to envisage a risk, insufficient\nelaboration of the event or necessary details and timely manner. Therefore, the most common mistakes are the following:\n\u00b7 Lack of understanding with the client \u2013 the client thinks of and considers included some of the services or conditions, while the planner does not check those or is not sufficiently clear during the bidding (verbal and/or written)\n\u00b7 Failure to envisage a crisis situation or risk\n\u00b7 An unknown number of people attending the event\n\u00b7 Lack of knowledge about the target groups\n\u00b7 Inattention to details\n\u00b7 The information not being forwarded in due time\n\u00b7 Do things at the last minute\n\u00b7 Managing the activities orally, without a plan\nUnforeseen situations in practice, even with the detailed planning, yet occur from time to time. In such a case, resourcefulness, calmness and flexibility comes into play, and we convey to you a couple of examples from personal experience of event professionals from a hotel.\nVesna Vlatkovic, Marketing & PR Manager, A Hoteli\nI was a guest speaker at a meeting where the technique \u201cfailed\u201d, and, instead of a planned PP presentation, I said to the listeners: \u201cAs I know that, when communicating with the customers, you have nothing but yourself, I will turn off the computer now and show you that I can convince you with only the words\u201d. It was one of my best speeches because my adrenalin phase \u201cforced\u201d me to give my best.\nBojana Kuzmanovic, Manager of the Sector for Congresses and Meetings, MK Resort\nProblems are solved by a quick reaction and finding an alternative solution. For example, when a video screen in a hall broke, guests were invited to a cocktail while the other hall was set up, in order to continue the smooth running of the program.\nRanka Gismondi, Event Manager, Milenij Hotels\nIn the midst of a great outdoor event, it unexpectedly began to downpour and a heavy rain; with a very professional and capable team of colleagues who were involved in the event, I quickly reacted, and the event was moved into the interior, and, within 10 minutes, I agreed an alternative (plan B) with the performers in order to get the whole thing done the best possible in almost the worst possible circumstances at the moment.\nTips for young colleagues\nIt is said, for a reason, that a good advice is gold worth. Experienced event professionals who participated in this study were kind enough to share with us the tips they have for young colleagues. We bring you some of those.\n\u00b7 Patience \n\u00b7 Continuously improve your listening skill. Not just to find out what the client is saying, but what he wants as well.\n\u00b7 There is no second chance.\n\u00b7 It can never happen to have them ALL satisfied.\n\u00b7 Patience and knowing that people are different.\n\u00b7 Take great care of details and make sure that a lot of things are not meant to be accompanying the event.\n\u00b7 It is important that, in addition to a good event, one should know whom it is intended for; how to get to the target group, and in which manner to measure the effects of the event.\n\u00b7 Make sure you are well informed before you start the project realization and be persistent with your strong attitudes, but certainly do not let your ego and inflexibility slow down your personal and professional development.\n\u00b7 Consistency and fairness to people you work with will maybe be of use for you ever more than the budget you have.\n\u00b7 This is a very stressful job (and to find out how to fight the stress, read the article How to Deal With Stress in the Event Planning Industry) and people often do not understand that, and take the business of an event manager as a kind of \u201centertainment\u201d. This is a job where you are satisfied only after the event on which all other have a good \u201cfun\u201d, as a result of your work.\n\u00b7 Every mistake should be taken as a lesson learned. You should not let mistakes discourage you, but you should take those as a lesson to learn from.\nThe post How to Be a Successful Event Planner? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2017-06-15T11:56:03+02:00", "date_modified": "2017-06-16T15:57:17+02:00", "author": { "name": "Miona Milic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/miona/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG-20240224-WA0003-e1728981138373.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-7.jpg", "tags": [ "CHARACTERISTICS AND SKILLS", "event", "event manager", "EVENT ORGANIZER", "event planner", "research", "RESEARCH", "Statistics" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/use-and-value-of-face-to-face/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/use-and-value-of-face-to-face/", "title": "USE AND VALUE OF FACE-TO-FACE", "content_html": "![\"Face](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Face-to-face-busines-smeeting.jpg\" "\\"Face")
The Use and Value of Face-to-Face report provides an overview of attendee and exhibitor perceptions and perspectives of face-to-face interactions in which they engage in during the normal business practices, including business-to-business exhibitions and other face-to-face interaction settings.
Among the findings, both audiences rank exhibitions highest in terms of the value of face-to-face interactions from a list of 10 possible options including sales calls, exhibits, conventions, annual meetings, educational conferences with or without an exhibit component, hosted buyer events, sales calls, to name a few. For attendees, the exhibition setting is the top rated, with 48 ![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/ceir_chart.jpg\" "\\"ceir_chart\\"")
percent, ranking it first over all other listed options. Personal sales calls are far behind in second place with 26 percent.
“The results of this study, last conducted in 2002, validate the enduring value of face-to-face marketing and use of business-to-business exhibitions in particular. The economy has impacted exhibitions; however, study results point to a positive outlook moving forward.” \u2013 said CEIR Research Director Nancy Drapeau, PRC.
\nThe study was made possible by a grant from the Exhibition Industry Foundation and is available at www.ceir.org.
\nAbout CEIR
\n\n
CEIR serves to advance the growth, awareness and value of exhibitions and other face-to-face marketing events by producing and delivering knowledge-based research tools that enable stakeholder organizations to enhance their ability to meet current and emerging customer needs, improve their business performance and strengthen their competitive position. For additional information, visit www.ceir.org.
\nThe post USE AND VALUE OF FACE-TO-FACE appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "The Use and Value of Face-to-Face report provides an overview of attendee and exhibitor perceptions and perspectives of face-to-face interactions in which they engage in during the normal business practices, including business-to-business exhibitions and other face-to-face interaction settings.\nAmong the findings, both audiences rank exhibitions highest in terms of the value of face-to-face interactions from a list of 10 possible options including sales calls, exhibits, conventions, annual meetings, educational conferences with or without an exhibit component, hosted buyer events, sales calls, to name a few. For attendees, the exhibition setting is the top rated, with 48 percent, ranking it first over all other listed options. Personal sales calls are far behind in second place with 26 percent.\n“The results of this study, last conducted in 2002, validate the enduring value of face-to-face marketing and use of business-to-business exhibitions in particular. The economy has impacted exhibitions; however, study results point to a positive outlook moving forward.” \u2013 said CEIR Research Director Nancy Drapeau, PRC.\nThe study was made possible by a grant from the Exhibition Industry Foundation and is available at www.ceir.org.\nAbout CEIR\n\nCEIR serves to advance the growth, awareness and value of exhibitions and other face-to-face marketing events by producing and delivering knowledge-based research tools that enable stakeholder organizations to enhance their ability to meet current and emerging customer needs, improve their business performance and strengthen their competitive position. For additional information, visit www.ceir.org.\nThe post USE AND VALUE OF FACE-TO-FACE appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2013-04-03T09:11:14+02:00", "date_modified": "2015-04-03T10:08:30+02:00", "author": { "name": "koleginica", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/koleginica/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b3c6d7cb70cb062fded94d714e3bdf50?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Face-to-face-busines-smeeting.jpg", "tags": [ "ceir", "face to face", "research", "Statistics" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/survey-how-frequently-are-virtual-meetings-used-in-the-region-of-the-southeast-europe/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/survey-how-frequently-are-virtual-meetings-used-in-the-region-of-the-southeast-europe/", "title": "Survey: How frequently are virtual meetings used in the region of the Southeast Europe", "content_html": "The events with participants from many various parts of the world or at least cities are a trouble. To coordinate the participants in time aspect is a pretty difficult task, not to mention transportation and accommodation costs.
\nIn the beginning of 2011, a survey was conducted among companies, banks, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, ministries in the region, and similar.
\nAsked how much they use virtual technologies in the events organized by them and whether they organize or attend virtual meetings and web conferences, 37 per cent of them answered affirmatively, meaning that they attend virtual meetings, and mostly teleconferences, when they hold meetings with representatives of their companies from other countries. For the companies using video conferences as a method of bringing together their managers from different cities, as is the case with certain banks, web conferences and virtual meetings become a part of everyday life.
\nFor all those using virtual technologies, whether a venue/hotel in which they organise their event has support/equipment for application of these technologies is a very important criterion.
\n![\"Koliko](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Koliko-su-zastupljeni-virtuelni-sastanci-2.jpg\" "\\"Koliko")
95 per cent of participants of the survey responded that in future they plan to include virtual technologies more into their business and education of their own and their employees, comparing to the proposed options that their seminars and events should be completely focused on virtual meetings and educations or that they are not interested in, nor trust virtual meetings and conferences.
The opinions of the participants in the survey vary, but they all agree that face-to-face meetings do not have any replacement, but that virtual meetings undoubtedly save time and money and represent a future in business in the widely dispersed members of Managing Boards, Administration Board, key stakeholders, and similar.
\nA positive experience with web conferences and virtual meetings is mostly related to smaller groups (4-6 people), when technical matters and possible interruptions are solved, and a possibility for two-way communication, for consultations, clarification of some doubts and similar is much bigger in smaller groups than in wider audience, when virtual technologies are mostly suitable only for listening and watching of lectures without any further intercommunication, as emphasises by the people in the Computer Centre of the Belgrade University.
\nThe Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Srpska has a positive opinion on holding virtual meetings/web conferences. Use of virtual technologies at holding web meetings/conferences/presentations save resources in every aspect, considering that the participants directly enter the web meeting from their workplace, or from some place near it.
\nDirect savings can be seen through the economic aspect of organisation and physical effort of participants, and especially through the saved time which would otherwise be spent in travelling to a remote location of the meeting.
\nThe PR service of the company Beiersdorf d.o.o. emphasises: \u201eWeb conferences are very useful when it comes to the meetings with partners or colleagues from the region whose physical presence is not always possible. Holding of trainings and seminars via web conferences becomes more frequent, and the possibilities for development of such manner of operation are immense.
\nConferences and meetings organized \u2018\u2019face to face\u2019\u2019, on the other hand, have multiple benefits of live dialogue where exchange of opinions and proposals is far more coordinated and thus more efficie![\"Koliko](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Koliko-su-zastupljeni-virtuelni-sastanci-1.jpg\" "\\"Koliko")
nt. Also, one should not neglect a security aspect at holding web meetings, where the possibility for endangering safety of information is significantly bigger. Bad experiences are mostly related to technical matters, possible interruptions of connection, noise and murmurs in communication.
Also, the participants in the survey emphasise a\u00a0 higher degree of concentration required in this type of meetings, \u00a0as well as the fact that, as Dragana Aleksic-Matic from the company Webb Dowse says, web conferences can often be monotonous sue to impossibility for feedback. They are interesting and can be efficacious and efficient only if they are very short and packed with content.
\n\u2018\u2019If the coach does not involve participants by asking questions, virtual meetings usually end with participants answering the mails and performing other activities. On the other hand, savings are really big\u201c, says Sonja Jovanovic from the company Ernst & Young. She also emphasises that the positive experiences come from the meetings where the coaches ask participants questions or the on-line surveys are organized, so that the attention is kept from the beginning to the end.
\nThe post Survey: How frequently are virtual meetings used in the region of the Southeast Europe appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "The events with participants from many various parts of the world or at least cities are a trouble. To coordinate the participants in time aspect is a pretty difficult task, not to mention transportation and accommodation costs.\nA modern way of solving such problems, when time is one of the most important resources, and a financial aspect is always present, especially when the term ”economic crisis” is almost in our daily vocabulary, is a possibility for holding virtual meetings and web conferences.\nIn the beginning of 2011, a survey was conducted among companies, banks, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, ministries in the region, and similar.\nAsked how much they use virtual technologies in the events organized by them and whether they organize or attend virtual meetings and web conferences, 37 per cent of them answered affirmatively, meaning that they attend virtual meetings, and mostly teleconferences, when they hold meetings with representatives of their companies from other countries. For the companies using video conferences as a method of bringing together their managers from different cities, as is the case with certain banks, web conferences and virtual meetings become a part of everyday life.\nFor all those using virtual technologies, whether a venue/hotel in which they organise their event has support/equipment for application of these technologies is a very important criterion.\n95 per cent of participants of the survey responded that in future they plan to include virtual technologies more into their business and education of their own and their employees, comparing to the proposed options that their seminars and events should be completely focused on virtual meetings and educations or that they are not interested in, nor trust virtual meetings and conferences. \nThe opinions of the participants in the survey vary, but they all agree that face-to-face meetings do not have any replacement, but that virtual meetings undoubtedly save time and money and represent a future in business in the widely dispersed members of Managing Boards, Administration Board, key stakeholders, and similar.\nA positive experience with web conferences and virtual meetings is mostly related to smaller groups (4-6 people), when technical matters and possible interruptions are solved, and a possibility for two-way communication, for consultations, clarification of some doubts and similar is much bigger in smaller groups than in wider audience, when virtual technologies are mostly suitable only for listening and watching of lectures without any further intercommunication, as emphasises by the people in the Computer Centre of the Belgrade University.\nThe Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Srpska has a positive opinion on holding virtual meetings/web conferences. Use of virtual technologies at holding web meetings/conferences/presentations save resources in every aspect, considering that the participants directly enter the web meeting from their workplace, or from some place near it.\nDirect savings can be seen through the economic aspect of organisation and physical effort of participants, and especially through the saved time which would otherwise be spent in travelling to a remote location of the meeting.\nThe PR service of the company Beiersdorf d.o.o. emphasises: \u201eWeb conferences are very useful when it comes to the meetings with partners or colleagues from the region whose physical presence is not always possible. Holding of trainings and seminars via web conferences becomes more frequent, and the possibilities for development of such manner of operation are immense. \nConferences and meetings organized \u2018\u2019face to face\u2019\u2019, on the other hand, have multiple benefits of live dialogue where exchange of opinions and proposals is far more coordinated and thus more efficient. Also, one should not neglect a security aspect at holding web meetings, where the possibility for endangering safety of information is significantly bigger. Bad experiences are mostly related to technical matters, possible interruptions of connection, noise and murmurs in communication.\nAlso, the participants in the survey emphasise a\u00a0 higher degree of concentration required in this type of meetings, \u00a0as well as the fact that, as Dragana Aleksic-Matic from the company Webb Dowse says, web conferences can often be monotonous sue to impossibility for feedback. They are interesting and can be efficacious and efficient only if they are very short and packed with content.\n\u2018\u2019If the coach does not involve participants by asking questions, virtual meetings usually end with participants answering the mails and performing other activities. On the other hand, savings are really big\u201c, says Sonja Jovanovic from the company Ernst & Young. She also emphasises that the positive experiences come from the meetings where the coaches ask participants questions or the on-line surveys are organized, so that the attention is kept from the beginning to the end.\nThe post Survey: How frequently are virtual meetings used in the region of the Southeast Europe appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2011-07-06T11:34:34+02:00", "date_modified": "2016-12-08T11:29:07+01:00", "author": { "name": "Miona Milic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/miona/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG-20240224-WA0003-e1728981138373.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Koliko-su-zastupljeni-virtuelni-sastanci-3.jpg", "tags": [ "research", "virtual meetings", "Hot topics", "Statistics" ] } ] }