No matter how much technology is out there – people still want to interact with people. The gathering of people, for whatever the purpose, has developed into a highly sophisticated industry. With information overload, it takes great skill to retain the message through ensuring the right input is there in the first place. The input being the manner in which the simple yet creative message retention techniques are incorporated into a programme.
The concept World Café method has been around for some time with the basic premise to allow a café environment of round tables with no more than four per table together with a facilitator at each table. Usually the process begins with the first of three or more twenty minute rounds of conversation for the small group seated around a table. At the end of the twenty minutes, each member of the group moves to a different new table. They may or may not choose to leave one person as the “table host” for the next round, who welcomes the next group and briefly fills them in on what happened in the previous round.
Its a simple process with clearly defined objectives and precise methods of outcomes
So it was with interest that The MICE Academy note a similar concept in ‘conversations’ of round tables with a different topic per table and an expert leader at each table hosted by Classic FM at Summer Place in Illovo.
It appears Classic FM had the following arrangement for the two hours. About ten tables with exceptionally differing topics per table from: Cancer Treatments, SA Football Powerhous Why not?, Business & the Arts, Event Marketing, Government Implementation, Starting a Wine Estate etc. The announcement was made on the Monday for the Tuesday although the short notice promo was for listeners not on Classic FM’s data-base who appear to have received the gratis invitation some time back with the real incentive of luncheon-on-the-house. The invitation timelines were 12h30 to 14h30.
As the Academy were too late to register, as one day’s notice just does not work for this listener, we are interested in finding the answers to some of the Academy’s pressing questions.
- What were the overall objectives for this hosted undertaking?
- Were attendees advised to be prompt in arriving- as procedure details were paramount?
- Was there an overall explanation to the attendees?
- What was the provision for one or no attendees at a particular table?
- How were the outcomes recorded?
- Besides meeting some of your audience for the first time – what were the outcomes?
- Has there been a learning-curve going forward?
‘Conversations’ of this nature are bold and indeed brave in organising – as the opposite of success may require some repair-work going forward.
The Academy will be emailing these questions to Classic FM for their response The reasons are merely to improve gatherings in this format for the constructive benefit of a wider readership.
