This is a first in a series of articles from VP of Corporate Communications Dana Freker Doody.
“You must set aside your nostalgia to adjust to changes,” said Robert Safian, editor of Fast Company at IAEE Expo!Expo!’s opening keynote. Appropriately, this renowned keynote speaker’s words were reinforced in our trade show exhibit where the theme RETHINK Change was plastered across our 16-foot towers.
The Expo Group believes our industry is evolving and the remarkable people within it are doing amazing things through strategic changes in décor, programming and conscious decision-making to create a better experience at their exhibitions and events.
Safian says we are in Generation Flux — all of us, regardless of our age — and success will be determined by our ability to flexibly adapt. Events and media are facing rapid technological advancements and “high-velocity change” that distract the very people whose attention we seek. Smart leaders are creating a cadence of change to better allow their teams to not just respond to the chaos but also recognize it, Safian says. They are hiring FIOs — people who can Figure It Out. And figuring it out, he says, requires the following:
• Move and Switch– Playing total football (meaning total soccer here in the U.S.) means being agile and fluid. Teams learned sometimes you have to pass the ball backward and sideways to get it to the goal. So having tunnel vision and just moving business initiatives forward without the ability to change it up and be flexible, can be detrimental.
• Collaborate and Redefine — Everyone needs to know where the organization is going so they can break down the barriers and take ideas from everywhere. Titles and roles may get redefined, especially at the higher levels. Like in Total Football, sometimes the best attackers are your defenders.
• Edit and Amplify — Know what you are good at and do that, even if it means doing less rather than producing a bunch of diluted products and services. Quality over quantity.
As a company, The Expo Group asked you to RETHINK in 2014. This year, we are helping you take that next scary step and RETHINK Change. Be bold. Consider how you feel about making the changes need to be successful in Generation Flux — and know we are ready to help you accomplish great things with your events in 2015.