Trafcom News

Highlights from the IABC International Conference in New York

When I heard that the IABC International Conference would be in New York this year, I registered immediately, because I never pass up a reason to visit my home town. I really do like living in the Toronto area, but I’ll always love New York (as this sculpture on Sixth Avenue says).

Over four days, I met hundreds of people, attended some great sessions, spent time with friends outside the conference, and walked miles around Manhattan. Yes, I felt like a tourist gaping at the Empire State Building, meandering through the cool greenness of Central Park and wearing out my MasterCard at Bloomingdale’s.

Here are some of my impressions:

• Two years ago, at the IABC International Conference in Vancouver, social media was seen as a sort of odd duck. Blogs and podcasts were  new and different, and communicators weren’t quite sure what to make of them. Now, presenters would mention an employee blog or podcast as an integral part of a relaunched intranet without blinking an eye. We’ve come a long way, baby.
• If Bill Marriott can find the time to blog, so can your CEO. In his speech accepting the IABC’s EXCEL Award for Excellence in Communication Leadership, Marriott said that he dictates his blog content into a recorder, and someone on his communications team actually writes it up. Visiting 300 hotel properties per year, he’s a busy guy, yet  he invests the time to tell stories using this medium. That’s because he values storytelling as a way to engage employees and reach out to the public. He also acknowledged that his blog has generated millions of dollars in hotel bookings via a link on the home page.
• Seth Godin never disappoints. His high-energy closing keynote was sure to fire up some of the savvy communicators in the room and frighten the pants off those who don’t appreciate the way marketing has changed in the last few years. If you can’t be remarkable, then get out of the way.
• The conference parties will be hard to top at future IABC events. Kudos to Deloitte for the gorgeous food and drink at the opening reception at the Rainbow Room, and to CNW Group for the fantastic Canadian party at the Pegasus Suite.

And on a more personal note:

• Do Tokyo department stores not have nice washrooms? I ran into a gaggle of giggling Japanese girls photographing the ladies’ lounge at Bloomies. I guess I should have taken their picture.
• Speaking of stores, the level of service in New York is extraordinary – from the waiters in restaurants, clerks in retail establishments, even the woman selling subway tickets (who let me purchase a single ride, even though it’s against the rules).

Were you at the IABC conference? What did you think?

A restaurant of a different color

No, I’m not turning Trafcom News into a restaurant review blog. I’m hardly qualified to write about gastronomy. However, we discovered a fabulous restaurant in New York last night, a place with an interesting story and marvelous food, and I wanted to share it with you.

Colors, at 417 Lafayette Street, is said to be Manhattan's first restaurant cooperatively owned by former workers from Windows on The World at the World Trade Center. Six of us last night enjoyed the global menu at Colors – fried calamari, avocado salad, shrimp, skirt steak, salmon and pork – all served with creative combinations of veggies and sauces. Service was impeccable and the ambience was warm and inviting, as you can see from my lousy photo.

If you’re in NY, perhaps for the IABC International Conference, check out Colors and let me know what you think.

Six Communication Truths

Takeaways from the IABC International Conference in Vancouver

Whether or not you’re an IABC member, you’ll be interested in these truisms about communications – the glories of print, the joys of beautiful writing, what it’s like to be chuffed, and the best companions with whom to be trapped in an elevator. You can read the full shownotes and download the audio file at the Trafcom News Podcast page.

Tell me a story

After thinking about the sessions I attended at the IABC International Conference in Vancouver this week, it occurs to me that I never want to attend another speech delivered by someone who can’t tell a story. The best speakers were those who shared stories to illustrate, to teach and to persuade. Days later, despite late nights and jet lag, I can remember the specific examples they used, because they painted pictures for us as they brought their material to life. They made us laugh and they forced us to think. Really, their sessions are burnished into our brains. (If I close my eyes and visualize Tod Maffin, for example, I laugh out loud and I REMEMBER what he said.)

Meanwhile, some of the other speakers (you know the ones – they read their PowerPoint slides) have faded from my consciousness. What were their names? What did they talk about? They’re already a dim memory.

Attention speakers: If you want to be remembered, tell me a story,

Stephen Lewis’s challenge

One of the highlights of the IABC International Conference was the impassioned speech by Canadian humanitarian Stephen Lewis, who has been working tirelessly to direct the First World’s attention to the devastating AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa. First, he reminded us that the best communications consists of strong research data and honesty backed by human stories. Using this very technique, he then made a powerful case for the rich nations of the world to support the UN Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Our eyes welled with tears as Lewis shared stories of whole villages decimated by the plague, of orphaned children, of grandmothers taking on parenting roles again after watching their own children die. He told us of the women in one small village who proudly raise cabbages as a nutritious food and a cash crop. “What do you buy with the money?” Lewis asked them. “Coffins, of course,” they replied.

At the end of his presentation, Mr. Lewis issued a challenge to all of us: To go back to our organizations and make the case for supporting the Global Fund. He also asked IABC to get involved with researching the communications aspect of the pandemic.

Why indeed isn’t this epidemic in the headlines? We are fretting over avian flu, which may or may not be a genuine threat. Meanwhile, people are perishing, families are being shattered and villages are disappearing.

Random thoughts on the IABC International Conference

No, I am not live-blogging the conference. First of all, I’m not motivated enough to do that (I prefer to sit and listen, not type). Secondly, the wireless connection seems spotty. I admire those who continue to work full-time AND blog while attending the conference. As for me, well, I like to think about things, roll them around in my mind, and then blog. Different strokes.

Some random observations:

Shel Holtz, Neville Hobson and Allan Jenkins did an admirable job of talking about social media at a session yesterday. I was amazed that about half the people in the room of 100+ communicators did not know what RSS was. Those of us who know and love social media MUST be careful about the assumptions we make about up-take and understanding. Anyway, the guys were very effective at explaining the technology and its application. Bravo. ( Joseph Thornley, bless his soul, blogged the session.)

As an aside, I had the opportunity to meet Shel, Neville and Allan at the networking reception at the Vancouver Aquarium last night, then to dine with them and others at the Café de Paris. What a surreal feeling to meet people with whom you’ve had an online relationship for more than a year. I truly felt as though I were having dinner with old friends. Nice.

Raj Subramaniam of FedEx was terrifically inspiring as this year’s Excel Award winner. He is a shining example of a senior leader who truly believes in the value of communications. His speech was uplifting and genuine.

My podcasting/radio hero Tod Maffin never disappoints. He was our Lunch and Learn speaker today at a sold-out session. Chatting with my tablemates before lunch, I mentioned that I’d met Tod before (and have spent a day with him at a seminar) and said we were in for a treat. Everyone nodded politely. A few minutes later, they were crying with laughter and nodding their heads in recognition of the communication truths spoken by Tod. I would not be surprised if he were voted Top Speaker of the Conference, if there is such an honour. Anyone who is interested in public speaking should watch Tod and learn from a master. His sense of timing and his story-telling abilities are awesome. (Again, check Joseph's ProPR blog for details. Thanks, Joseph!)

Well, jet lag is taking its toll – as is the 15 minutes I spent trapped in a packed elevator today (it felt like an hour), so I will leave further comments for another day. Kindly excuse any typos, eh?

Mark Burnett as a survivor

When I first read that Mark Burnett of reality-TV fame was a featured speaker at the IABC International Conference, I scratched my head. Huh? What would HE have to say to communicators?

As it turns out, a lot. First of all, as you can imagine, Burnett is a master storyteller who pulled the audience into the palm of his hand pretty darn quickly. He regaled us with hysterically funny (although politically incorrect) tales of his first days in America – as a nanny, of all things – after leaving the British Army.

Toward the end of his speech, Burnett made one comment that struck me – and some others I spoke with later – as a brilliant insight. You see, the show he is developing now (in partnership with AOL.com) is something called Gold Rush, which will allow Americans to go online to find clues leading to buried treasure (real treasure). Here’s the comment: Burnett believes that 9 to 5 will become the new prime time for TV. Think about how that will change communications and the world we live and work in. Nine to 5 as the new prime time. You heard it here first! ;-)

IABC International Conference in Vancouver: First impressions

The organizers were kind enough to order up some rare Vancouver sunshine yesterday. Today the skies are more typical of the “wet coast.” Many of us experienced a whirlwind of travel and time-zone changes yesterday, flying in from all over the world. (I met people from London, Sydney, Connecticut, Tennessee, Atlanta and nearby Calgary.) In some cases, the trip from the airport to downtown seemed almost as long as a cross-country flight (note to self: Never take the Airporter bus again!).

The IABC team has planned some excellent sessions in a beautiful setting. I hope the rain subsides so we can fully enjoy the Vancouver Aquarium tonight.

As a first-time visitor to Vancouver, I couldn’t help but notice:

• Unlike in Ontario, where signage is in English and French, here you see English and Chinese (even on the treadmill at the Hyatt’s gym).
  
• Buildings constructed in 1908 are considered old.
  
• On the main street from the airport to downtown, many homes are fronted by huge cedar hedges (I’m talking 15 feet and higher), some of which are trimmed as neatly as a gentleman’s beard.
  
• Downtown Vancouver is a shoppers’ Mecca; shoe fanatics could do major damage to their credit-card balances.
  
• Tim Hortons is the same wherever I’ve been in Canada – from Moncton to Montreal to Toronto to Vancouver. (I visited a brand-new outlet in Canandaigua, New York a few weeks ago and it was a little too fancy to be a real Tim’s!)

If you’re here in Vancouver, please say hello.

A chat with Ned Lundquist about positive yet unanticipated consequences of networking

I've just uploaded the last in my series of pre-IABC International Conference podcasts. You'll find the full details at the Trafcom News Podcast blog. There you can download the MP3 file and subscribe to receive future shows if you wish.

In this 19-minute show, Ned Lundquist and I discuss the unanticipated and positive benefits that can grow out of connecting with other human beings.

Let me know if you're going to be at the conference in Vancouver next month -- so we can connect!

More Mitch

A few weeks ago I interviewed Mitch Joel of Twist Image for my one of my pre-IABC International Conference podcasts. Later, listeners told me they really enjoyed hearing Mitch's insights into branding and marketing. If you want more Mitch, check out the latest edition of Across the Sound. Mitch co-hosted the show with Joseph Jaffe.

Nice work, guys!