Asia Says Goodbye

Today is officially the last day of my internship as a Marketing Communications Coordinator at Meetingmax- It will be so strange to leave!

As I reflect back on the last few months here at Meetingmax I can’t help but smile when I think of all the wonderful experiences I have had, and the amazing people I have had the chance to work with.

At the beginning of the internship process, I experienced a lot of anticipation about leaving the safety net of BCIT, and stepping foot into the real world of business and marketing. At Meetingmax, however, I instantly felt at home. I was immersed into a fast growing company, and given the opportunity to learn invaluable insights into the business world of smart entrepreneurship and organizational culture. Throughout the process the hands-on experience helped me grow both personally and professionally.

One of the main take-aways I took from my internship was the heavy importance placed on the company’s core values. Although many companies claim to have them, Meetingmax makes a conscious effort to incorporate them into every aspect of their company. It’s because of this everyone is happy, and employee and customer relationships are strong.

My favorite core values displayed at Meetingmax are “Make It Fun” and “Continually Grow.” I feel that these are important, because at the end of the month  (through the Meetingmax book club, or our choice of personal and professional development courses), we all learn something new and have fun while we are doing it.

Overall I had a crazy good time at my internship. I wore my Four Seasons slippers every day, handed over my ipod upon request to play on the loud speakers, and completed my “frogs” (most important task) every day.

I am very thankful for the opportunity I have had to be a part of such a great company, to learn, and to take part in the amazing 2012 Meetingmax Unconvention. I recommend that everyone attend it next year in 2013- because it keeps getting better!

As I sit here with my final LIV Martini (It's Liquor Cart Friday! -View blog post below for the recipe) I say goodbye!

 Kelly, Sureena and I at the 2012 Unconvention!

2012 Meetingmax Unconvention

The 2012 Meetingmax Unconvention was a great success! It wouldn’t have been possible without all of the wonderful guests that attended this year.  

Guests from across North America attended the annual event which took place from April 25-27 this year, providing our clients with insightful workshops and learning sessions about online housing as well as an unforgettable Vancouver experience.

What made our event so unconventional?

The Unconvention is a 3-day event that consists of hands-on learning, peer to peer networking, original dining and fun entertainment outings that take place in various unconventional locations in Vancouver, BC.

This year’s theme was “The Perfect Blend,” focusing on the art and science of online housing. This theme was consistent throughout every aspect of the Unconvention, which resulted in an unforgettable event for all.

Here are some of our favorite highlights from the Unconvention:

The Welcome Reception at the Meetingmax office included an Absolut Vodka Mixology event. Jacob Sweetapple from Absolut showed us how to mix the perfect martini:

 Everyone was put into teams to compete for the title of the Meetingmax Martini of the Year! Here is the winning recipe:

Dinner at Sanafir, a Morrocan tapas style restaurant where we could lounge in our slippers!

Everyone who attended the Unconvention stayed at the Beautiful Pan Pacific Hotel, where every room has a view of the ocean:

After breakfast meetings at the Fairmont Hotel, lunch meetings at The Terminal City Club and an exceptional Walking tour led by the Vancouver Tour Guys, we went for dinner at C Restaurant- a contemporary fish restaurant on the False Creek Waterfront:

On the last day of the Unconvention, lunch meetings were held at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel in North Vancouver. This gave guests the opportunity to walk around the market and enjoy the views before our bus tour of Stanley Park:

 

Thank you again to all of our attendees that came to the Meetingmax Unconvention! We had a blast.

Did you attend the Unconvention? If so, what was the highlight of your trip? Let us know by visiting our Facebook Page. 

If you would like to see more highlights from the 2012 Unconvention you can visit our Pinterest Page.

If you are interesting in attending the 2013 Meetingmax Unconvention to learn more about online housing, keep in touch with us through Facebook or email.

We look forward to seeing you next April!

Meetingmax at the simpleview Summit 2012

Jeff Duncan and Dave Clark from Meetingmax had the opportunity to attend the simpleview Summit that took place from May 6-8 in Tucson, Arizona this week. 

The 3 day event had approximately 300 guests in attendance, and was packed full of insightful training and planning sessions for Destination Management Organizations (DMO) at every level. The sessions gave everyone the opportunity to learn about emerging technologies and industry best practices as well as a chance to share experiences with other DMO's.

A few highlights that Jeff and Dave enjoyed from the Summit was the ability they had to discuss in person the future of housing integration with CRM to discover unique capabilities that would be helpful to users of both systems.

Michael Barber, Direct of Digital Strategy at COHN Marketing, kicked off the closing keynote presentation with an engaging session on how to mobilize your firm for a "Smart Phone World." Barber highlighted the importance of SoLoMo- staying Social, Local, and Mobile! You can view his presentation here.


“Overall, the simpleview Summit was a clear and resounding success this year with record attendance and excellent education. I really enjoyed having so many of the industry’s best minds all under one roof”. – Jeff Duncan, President of Meetingmax

Below: Cara Frank- Director of Marketing & Communications at simpleview, lights up the event!

 To Learn more about simpleview and your chance to catch the next Summit visit their website here.

Book Review: Exceeding Customer Expectations By Kirk Kazanjian

Meetingmax’s April book of the month was Exceeding Customer Expectations by Kirk Kazanjian.

Since staying close to our core values at Meetingmax is such an important aspect of our company’s culture, this book was chosen to delve deeper into how to improve our customer service and grow two of our similar core values: Exceed Expectations and Nurture All Relationships.

This book recommends steps and strategies for companies to “wow “their customers and maintain a loyal and dedicated workforce in any business or industry. This was demonstrated through example by Enterprise, the nations #1 car rental company. The Meetingmax staff also enjoyed learning more about the importance of cultivating a fun environment in the workplace, where teamwork can thrive- this fits with another of our core values “Make it Fun.”

The following are a few highlights the Meetingmax staff got from the book:

• It is important for companies to remain customer driven, especially in the travel industry.  A positive experience for the customer can go a long way.
• Taking a genuine interest in your customers and taking care of them first will help develop strong, long-term loyalty.
• Strong partnerships and the ability to empower employees are invaluable to a company.

Overall Meetingmax gave this book a rating of 6.85/10 on a scale where 1 equals a book with little value one would not wish to read again, and 10 equals a fantastic book with the ability to grow an individual personally, professionally or both.

Exceeding Customer Expectations was a very touching book, and through audio is was convenient to listen to, however, we would recommend buying the book in a hard copy to get more from the book and be able to look back and reference different key points.

If you are interested in buying this audio book you can do so here.

If you are interested in buying a hard copy of this book you can do so here.