My butt was in a chair in a hotel ball room waiting for the program to begin. I was questioning why I woke up early to attend. The agenda was 7:00 AM registration followed by 7:30 welcome and sponsor recognition. The speaker would go from 7:40 until 8:30, and then the race to get out of the parking garage would begin. The vibe of the room was stale. Some might argue the early hour was the cause for the "blah" feeling, but it was more than the need for coffee.
As soon as people arrived they were ushered into a room and immediately sat at tables. There was not really any networking taking place, even though it was on the schedule. It was dull, and there had been no thought by the hosts to do anything to encourage an atmosphere connections. The room was awkward. The two men next to me, who worked for the same bank, never spoke to anyone but each other. I tried once to engage them, but they were talking intently about something or other.
Once the program started the host spent too much time praising the sponsors and making them stand. The two bank employees to my right did not even smile when they did a half stand and wave. Why had their company spent money to sponsor? These two gentlemen had no clue. Well, their name was said from the stage, but I am not sure most people could remember who the sponsors were.
Another sponsor was allowed to come to the microphone to say a few words. She went on for ten minutes reading prepared and boring remarks (AKA: a commercial for her organization that resonated with nobody) while the MC stood about three feet away unable to make it stop.
Then the speaker was introduced. She started with a canned joke followed by 15 minutes about herself, her career, and all the famous people she has met. It must be nice to have shared the stage with Colin Powell, but I am pretty sure that his bio does not mention her when he speaks!
She later remarked using 1/3 of her time to tell her personal story was building "rapport", but it was really a one-woman show. She had the stage presence to do Broadway, and told jokes like a comedian, but her style was very much like Zig Ziglar circa 1991. While it is not a good idea to move straight to the content, she was very "old-school" in her presentation style (this has nothing to do with age, as Brian Tracy is in his 70s and is a perfect example of engaging "with" an audience, not speaking "to" an audience).
The whole program was a time warp. The stage set up with the risers, podium and flags could have been at any meeting in the last 100 years. There were stacks of brochures from the sponsors on every chair. The hotel served a plated breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs and hash-browned potatoes (oh yes, I saw the horror in the servers eye when I asked for a vegan option). There was no part of the experience that would could not have been delivered in 1984 (except for the part about putting your cell phones away. FYI- my belief is that if a speaker cannot keep the audience engaged, then people should be free to text and tweet all day long).
The speaker's twenty-one nuggets of information were useful, but by the time she hit number sixteen I just wanted them all to be over. She had a flip chart with her name written in black Marks-a-Lot on the stage, but other than reminding the audience of her name for an hour, it brought no value (actually I was glad she did not start flipping paper pages!). Even her topic had not been updated to address the changes in technology. Her message held strong, but it appeared she had never attempted to incorporate all the tools we use in today's business world.
All this being said, the audience liked her a lot. They laughed at her jokes, seemed to understand the meat in the message, and nobody could miss her strong energy levels. However it is my belief that she allowed her "Shtick" to dominate over content. I write a lot about the need for style and experience for a speaker (not just content), there must be balance.
Organizing a meeting is like art and architecture. The appreciation one has for the event is subjective and over time the popular styles change. Where one person sees a great work of art or a beautiful building, somebody else sees an eye sore. This does not mean that yesterday's styles are bad, or cannot be used and enjoyed in the modern world. It is just that if someone builds an Art Deco building in 2011 they need to acknowledge the retro style.... and include modern amenities
Closing with an old canned joke was what put it over the top for me. I felt like when she hit the punch-line there was going to be a drumroll/rimshot and a voice proclaiming "Ba-Da-Bing... She is here all week!".
I know, I know. I am too critical. If the audience liked the event, then that should be enough. Or is it? In a world with so many choices on where to invest our time, a meeting that just stepped out of Dr. Emmett Brown's DeLorean cannot compete.
The best meeting planners are asking "why?" to everything they do with their meetings. They are also asking "why not?" to every new idea. These people are challenging the powers that be that fear change. Simply doing things "same old/same old" is no longer acceptable. Rethinking how to engage an audience long before the keynote speaker takes the stage is paramount to success. Where you place the stage matters. The food served has an impact. Who introduces the speaker and what is said sets the tone. Good technical scores is not enough. What is the overall vibe? It is hard to pin down, as most people say "wow" after a speech, even if they mean "it was okay" (as a speaker I am cautious of believing too much of what I hear about my own program!). The post event survey never tells the whole story.
Some who have seen me speak who do not enjoy my style either, so I know that one who lives in a glass house should not throw rocks (note, I did not name the speaker or the organization that hosted the event). But all of us in and around the Meetings Industry should always be reviewing, questioning and brainstorming how to shake things up (in a good way). I try to review more than just the superficial parts of meetings, and seek out the ones where I can really have an experience that lasts past the parking lot exit gates
For companies that demand a dedicated and reliably fast telecommunication facility, a leased line can be tapped for the required service. This service is designed for demanding applications typically involved in corporate communications such as videoconferencing, application hosting, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) as well as large data transfers.
Compared with other telecommunications line
This type of dedicated service is contrasted to a standard digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable Internet in which communication infrastructures are shared. Hence, during peak hours, bandwidth is divided among the simultaneous users resulting to significantly slower communication speed than promised. On the other hand, a leased line allows customers to access the entire bandwidth as stipulated in their contract with the service provider. For instance, a typical transmission speed is 1.5 megabit per second (Mbit/s) along a T-1 channel and this speed is guaranteed at any time of the day.
Current use of leased line services
Also known as a private circuit or data line, it does not bear a telephone number. Thus, two points communicating using the line are permanently connected to each other. The same system for transmission can be used for data and Internet communications as well as telephony system.
Businesses with distant offices are among the largest groups of clients that take advantage of this service. Business outlets operating on geographically distant branches communicate more effectively and efficiently without disruption through this dedicated line. To enjoy this service, clients enter into a contract with the leased line provider who laid out the physical infrastructures. In exchange for using the infrastructures, clients pay a fixed monthly rate to the provider.
Rates for a leased line
Unlike DSL connections in which monthly rates play between £10 and £20 for every subscriber, leased lines are significantly more expensive. For a single client, it can be at least twice as expensive and increases several folds as the subscribed bandwidth is expanded. Rates also greatly vary depending on the actual length of the communication line required to connect the client to the data centre. Hence, business offices located farther apart will have to pay significantly more.
Network design applications
Aside from the typical site to site connectivity used in connecting two business offices for data communications, a site to private branch exchange (PBX) connectivity is also common as it replaces the conventional telephony system based on slow dial-up technology. A great advantage of this connectivity is that it allows customers to manage a customized telephone numbering plan resulting to shorter number extensions.
Another network design realized through a leased line is site to network connectivity. Through this, a more advanced network based on packet switching can be designed over the infrastructure.
Availability in the UK
Leased lines in the UK are provided at rates between 64 kbit/s and 2.048 Mbit/s through an E1 link. Via the E3 tail circuit, speeds can range between 2.048 Mbit/s and 34.368 Mbit/s. Incredible speed interfaces are even achieved through 10baseT and other advanced networking technologies.
Although significantly expensive, heavy usage and frequent access through the leased line will offset the costs involved. Furthermore, it offers unprecedented reliability and efficiency crucial for demanding applications.
When there are large contracts between companies, a PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) is used. In situations like this, the capabilities of the organisations are checked, such as whether they can sustain the project, if they have enough skills including technical background staff and whether they have enough experience to do the project. After these questions are answered, the shortlisting of companies can begin to take place. The document is also a useful way for contracting local authorities to control the cost of the tender process. The questions that are included in a PQQ include financial statements for submission of the tender, questions related to health and safety, an environmental questionnaire, supplementary questions, technical and quality check questions, and additional questions that are related to the background of the contractor.
The PQQ is submitted by the contractor before the invitation to tender is sent. It is an effective way of marketing, and sufficient time is required to assess the necessary resources required so that one can complete the necessary submissions. Often when we talk about PQQ, time is of the essence and great competition between the different contractors requires it to be finished on time. Any corporation that has capabilities to work for the supplier should send the proper PQQ before the deadline so that contracting authorities can hold a meeting with them and settle important issues before time.
Various online services exist which serve to help contractors with their last minute questions and answers. These types of services have made the decision for contractors and suppliers relatively easy and everything can be settled in a professional manner. For the tender notification, the company details are usually maintained in one central place. This information requires sufficient space and resources and some costs are associated with it to maintain it properly. Every bid made by the contractors must be submitted in accordance with the requirement of the contracting authorities and the PQQ must be relevant to it. This enables online service providers to view the contract details and answer any relevant queries in accordance with this centralised information.
The responses to the questions can be quite varied; for example, a construction company requires two contracts and it requires bidding for two projects. The efficiency of the work that the contractor can provide is the same for all projects, including technical skills, experience and environmental conditions. However, the work that is required for both projects is different, and the responses to the questions of the company must be such that it can handle both projects. But the issue of concern is that the contractor has to fill out two separate forms for the bid, and on each PQQ form the questions must be asked in accordance with the projects. However, if the company fills out only one form, then the response must be such that it ensures both the correct answers and makes the user think in depth about the difference in the projects.
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