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Fast-forwarding to 2005

Fast Company magazine, which I continue to have a love-hate relationship with, recently published its list of 100 trends for '05. Unlike Rich at TSMR, who didn't find much of interest, I thought a few of the trends bode, well, something, for the meetings biz. Take #2, for example:

This says that instead of going for the traditional MBA, managers might take a six-week management development course. "The real test is whether this approach can meaningfully cover business complexities so that this short-term primer will have a long-term impact." Wouldn't it be interesting if, instead of one "MBA lite," instead managers looked at their continuing education the same way that doctors do, and the company required them to attend a certain amount of continuing ed courses on business topics each year. After all, any degree gets dated, whether it's a short or long version, but CE ensures that knowledge is updated continually--which is what should be most important to both the boss and the bottom line. Coincidentally, it could be a great boon for meeting planners.

And #3, which says that the hot new talent pools and entreprenurial efforts will be focused more on distant shores than in the U.S. Where the talent and business goes, thus follows the meetings and trade shows. We're already seeing this with medical conferences, where U.S. stalwarts are starting to be challenged by conventions in Europe and elsewhere.

Anyway, it's a great read with, I believe, a lot of application to the meetings business. Definitely worth a download for any downtime you might get this weekend.

To comment on this post, click on "comments" below. To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

Fast Company magazine, which I continue to have a love-hate relationship with, recently published its list of 100 trends for '05. Unlike Rich at TSMR, who didn't find much of interest, I thought a few of the trends bode, well, something, for the meetings biz. Take #2, for example:

This says that instead of going for the traditional MBA, managers might take a six-week management development course. "The real test is whether this approach can meaningfully cover business complexities so that this short-term primer will have a long-term impact." Wouldn't it be interesting if, instead of one "MBA lite," instead managers looked at their continuing education the same way that doctors do, and the company required them to attend a certain amount of continuing ed courses on business topics each year. After all, any degree gets dated, whether it's a short or long version, but CE ensures that knowledge is updated continually--which is what should be most important to both the boss and the bottom line. Coincidentally, it could be a great boon for meeting planners.

And #3, which says that the hot new talent pools and entreprenurial efforts will be focused more on distant shores than in the U.S. Where the talent and business goes, thus follows the meetings and trade shows. We're already seeing this with medical conferences, where U.S. stalwarts are starting to be challenged by conventions in Europe and elsewhere.

Anyway, it's a great read with, I believe, a lot of application to the meetings business. Definitely worth a download for any downtime you might get this weekend.

To comment on this post, click on "comments" below. To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

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