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Meetings: What the Other Half
by Jason Tostevin
Editor-in-Chief, Developments Magazine (former)
American Resort Development Association
You know, it's a funny thing about meetings in our industry. People generally are in attendance because they want to be, because they like being there.
Maybe that's not right-off funny to you. Pardon me, but that's because you've forgotten that "meetings are fun" is not the consensus in other corners of the business world—in fact, it's quite the contrary. In starched-collar corporations and office buildings everywhere, request a meeting and you do so at your own risk. Security's nowhere to be seen and your coworkers get that torch-and-pitchfork glint in their eyes. Seriously: for most of button-up America, announcing any workday gathering with more than two people (and not involving lunch) ranks right up there with drawing the short straw to buy the Boss' Day gift. Eyes roll and people sigh at the first sign of a conference room get-together, and even before an agenda's been drafted, attendees are checking their watches.
Other people hate to congregate. Maybe part of that feeling comes from the brain-drain of meetings overload—too many, too long and none for a particularly good reason. Part of it also may be the fact that bad coffee and an hour of staring at one of those eye-zapping striped ties from across table isn't the most stomach-soothing combination.
But there's something more than just boredom behind this anti-assembly movement. Maybe it sounds a little flip, but I think the folks who hate meetings so much hate them because, no matter how many they attend, they're not getting any better at what they do.
Let's be honest: if there were a specific question to ask, a phone call would do the trick. A process to be created? The Big Kahuna's going to decide that, anyway. And meeting to plan the holiday party? Do we really need to be in the same room to assign who's bringing Jell-O and who's got the paper hats?
No. Though we may have forgotten it, we don't need—or particularly like—meetings where the to-do list is "come up with another name for budget segment F." We need time with other pros, informal and formal time, sessions and chit-chat, so we can learn.
That's why industry meetings, where HOA officers and resort managers get together, are the very best way to stay focused and up-to-speed throughout the year. It's about growing both your network and your ability. It's also about having fun. Here are four reasons to keep your registration sheets completed, year-round.
Real, Practical Advice
It's OK for some sessions at a conference to discuss big industry hot points and for the presenters to pontificate on solutions. But you want answers to personnel issues, plumbing muck-ups and your day-to-day worries on the job. After a seminar, you want to leave with an answer you can take back to the ranch and plug right into a nasty problem: some resort-snag headache powder.
There's plenty of that, say attendees. Lori Entwistle, RRP, of the Scottsdale Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, knew comment cards were important, but wasn't sure how to use the information to motivate her staff until a speaker at an event suggested sharing responses in a very specific way.
"We had been 'discussing' the results [of our surveys], but not really getting anywhere. Now we enlarge the report to poster-size and share the information at all staff meetings and board meetings," Entwistle says.
Little things like that payoff in the long run. They're also cumulative: one here, one there, and—bam!—before you know it, you're ready to right the book on hints and tips for resort managers.
Look Good and Your Boss Will, Too
Sure, professional development can make all the difference in a career. Update sessions keep us on the cutting edge. Meeting with experts can make us better managers, bookkeepers or special-event planners. And becoming part of a professional organization, like an ARDA committee, gives us a higher profile and can help our properties get noticed.
As an exercise, it can be very satisfying to improve yourself. We all know that, but sometimes we wonder if there's a payday in all those mental gymnastics.
There is if you remember this: the number one way to get that credit (and, hopefully, cash) you feel you deserve as a good, hardworking employee is not only to be great at your job, but to make your boss look great while you're doing it. You're speaking on behalf of the resort next month at a regional seminar? Big points. You're presenting at the ARDA Convention in Orlando—and Joe's Resort and Spa is getting a reputation as a leader in staff training because of your article in M&O and your contributions to the resort management committee? Big, big points. Did all that and made it seem like your boss' idea? Raise-o-rama.
Who Said Inner Circles Have to be Small?
Building up your network is like investing in a conference that never ends. By getting to know them—and getting them to know you—the people you come across at industry events become your counselors and friends around the industry. They can be counted on to pass along all kinds of information, from the best practices that saved them money to the big mistakes that cost them more. You'll always be plugged in to the best vendor for this or that, and you'll know the prices going in.
New to timeshare resorts? Scottsdale Camelback's Entwistle says conference benefit vets and greenhorns. "The benefits of networking are tremendous," she says. "The regional seminars are intimate and provide an excellent opportunity for networking, especially for new attendees and those new to the industry."
But maybe the best kind of networking you'll do at an industry event is with the very people you see every day. According to Lynn Weas, RRP, managing director of the Christie Lodge in Avon, Colorado, you may find yourself building an even better web back at the property.
"Meetings create an atmosphere of intimacy," Weas suggests. "For management staff, the ability to join with peers provides a great sense of comfort. They share common concerns and face similar challenges," which makes them better-oriented and more comfortable at work, says Weas. "They don't feel alone out there," he says.
Okay, So There's Fun, Too
It's not always the element that will get your registration paid (though offering an employee some R & R by sending them to an educational opportunity sounds like good team building to me), but you can't deny the restorative powers of time spent with people who understand your work—but who are ready to stop talking about it once the sessions end.
That's because there are always things scheduled, receptions and soirées and the like, all around timeshare conferences. Good food and good friends, new and old—that's the start of something great.
Build yourself, build your career, build community: attending a local or national conference helps you do all three. Says Jay Morin, RRP, of Tricom Management: "As someone who has made a point of attending at least one regional management seminar per year, I have to say it's about the people. It's great to see old friends and meet new ones. Plus, it's just helpful to discuss the day-to-day challenges you are facing, and hear how others are dealing with, or just surviving, the same issues."
Sounds like a lesson the office-building types might benefit from. But, tell you what: let's keep this one between us. After all, they have their striped ties. And they'd only bring the bad coffee, anyway.