THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING SERIES CREATIVITY AND MARKETING

THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING SERIES CREATIVITY AND MARKETING

Patricia Reid • Extensive experience working in a multifaceted tourism and hotel industry (over 30 years) • International experience gained working on hospitality and tourism projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and USA • Wide experience of training and education in relation to tourism and hospitality industry • Consultant to various government ministries and international institutions (EC/World Bank/UN) • (BA Honours Degree in Hotel & Catering Management and Msc Honours Degree in International Hospitality Management)

Course Etiquette q No interruptions - allow your colleagues to finish q Switch off mobile phones q Be on time! q No smoking!

Schedule 08. 30 – 10. 30 1 st Session 10. 30 – 10. 50 Morning Break (20 mins) 10. 50 – 12. 25 2 nd Session 12. 30 – 1. 15 Lunch 1. 30 – 2. 45 3 rd Session 2. 45 – 3. 00 Afternoon Break (15 mins) 3. 00 – 4. 15 4 th Session

CREATIVITY and MARKETING

EXERCISE: Are People Born Creative or Can Creativity be Trained? q Draw a cartoon-style picture of your hotel to appeal to a 5 year old child q Whose is: a) the most creative/ imaginative for the target audience b) the best executed in artistic terms?

Creativity: Learning Outcomes At the end of this module, you will q Have a good understanding of the concept of ‘creativity’ q Know how to apply the ‘creativity’ concept in your job q Be aware of both the strengths and limitations of different approaches to developing creativity in the hotel industry

TODAY’S LEARNING q DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF CREATIVITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY q THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY q IDENTIFYING CREATIVITY q FOSTERING CREATIVITY q CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES AND METHODS

EXERCISE 1. Think of TWO creative things you have done – one in your working life and one in your personal life 2. What made them “creative” in your eyes? 3. Share your creative acts with your neighbour 4. How does your creativity differ from his/ hers? 5. Share your outcomes with the whole group

What comes to mind when you are thinking of creativity? q Did you think in terms of people being imaginative, inventive, taking risks and challenging convention? q Did you think about originality and the value of what people produce? q Perhaps you decided that you can only be creative if you are artistic? q Did your thinking about work-related creativity differ from that in your personal life?

DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF CREATIVITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Defining Creativity …. . the tendency to generate or recognise ideas, alternatives or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others

What is creativity? 1. It always involves thinking or behaving imaginatively 2. Overall this imaginative activity is purposeful, that is, it is directed to achieving an objective 3. These processes must generate something original 4. The outcome must be of value in relation to what you are trying to achieve

So creativity must be … • Imaginative • Purposeful • Original • Valuable

Imaginative Purposeful Original Valuable Can you see any problems with any of these elements? Do we all see each of them in exactly the same way? Probably not…. . Would they mean the same thing in our working as in our personal lives? Probably not ….

Being creative is seeing the same thing as everyone else, but thinking of something different…. . . q Creates new uses (industrial to leisure and retail; liners to cruise ships) q Offers new solutions (i. Phone; local restaurants as hotel room service) q Adds value (cruise ships as conference venues) q Allows new use for facilities (in-room wireless = decline of the business centre) q Creates new demand

“Hoteliers have woken up to the fact that they need to offer a creative and dedicated service if they want a slice of the Conference & Incentive Travel cake. ” “This year, we have become the first international hotel chain to offer free broadband access in our European Radisson properties - we think that this is something delegates will soon expect as standard. ” Olivier Jacquin is senior vice president of sales for Rezidor SAS, parent company for Radisson, Park Inn, Regent Hotels and Country Inn

EXERCISE Think of examples of products, services and behaviours in the hotel industry that are novel, appropriate and of value to both guests and the business?

The Upside-down Room The Propeller Island Hotel

The Vampire Room

The ‘Break Out’ Room

The Symbol Room

The Art Hotel, Berlin

EXERCISE: Are there limits to the creativity we want in the hotel industry? In small groups (5 -6 per group) discuss a) Do we always want to encourage creativity in our hotels? b) In what situations we might wish to limit creativity in hotels? c) How does creativity fit in with product consistency, branding/ hotel standardisation? d) How can we put in place systems and management procedures to ensure “managed creativity”?

Possible Responses a) Do we always want to encourage creativity in our hotels? Probably not in most hotels – customers do not want experiences that are constantly unpredictable b) In what situations we might wish to limit creativity in hotels? When it is not appropriate or of value to the guests When it might create future problems/ expectations for the hotel and the hotel brand

Possible Responses c) How does creativity fit in with product consistency, branding/ hotel standardisation? Depending on the brand, not very comfortably. The higher the hotel grade, the more open to forms of creativity guests might be. Guests choose branded products because of consistency and familiarity d) How can we put in place systems and management procedures to ensure “managed creativity”? Clear and unambiguous guidelines

High-performing Hotels q Engage in competitive behaviour q Continuous search to find and exploit new products and market prospects q Forward thinking in the pursuit of market opportunities q Constantly acting in anticipation of future needs or changes q Being first to find and introduce new products and technologies

High-performing Hotels …… are actively involved in shaping their own destinies rather than reacting to events in their environments

Low-performing Hotels q Stick with the status-quo q Fail to stay ahead of competition q Less likely (than their competitors) to seek to improve products and services q More likely to “imitate rather than innovate”

Mirage Resorts

Mirage Resorts “Everything we do is about being receptive to change, learning new ways to do things, and developing good ideas” www. mirage. com

Kimpton Group “We constantly challenge ourselves to keep improving, to learn from each project and not to copy past successes” www. kimptonhotels. com

Examples of Kimpton Hotel Initiatives 1. § 2. § 3. § 4. § Kimpton Intouch guest loyalty programme Women Intouch special program for women guests Kimpton Cares corporate social responsibility programme Kimpton Earthcare environmental programme

All of Kimpton's boutique hotels welcome dogs, cats, and lots of pets - with no fees or special deposits; no weight or size limits.

Kimpton 1 st Human Resources May 2008: Launches I Am Kimpton, an interactive Web site, to feature the first-hand experiences of employees who work at Kimpton hotels and restaurants. This new site provides potential job candidates with an authentic perspective on Kimpton as an employer and connects Kimpton employees with one another.

Kimpton 1 st Marketing May 2008 Introduction of Kimpton. Kids, a program with special services and amenities for families, at more than 40 hotels nationwide. April 2008 Launches "We Got Your Bag" promotion, the first hospitality company to offset increases in airline baggage fees.

Kimpton 1 st Marketing + Social Responsibility January 2008 Initiates the Great Meetings, Great Causes program, offering eco- and sociallyresponsible meeting incentives for clients and guests. The program includes opportunities to make charitable donations and to incorporate green practices into daily life.

Kimpton 1 st Marketing + Meetings March 2006 Launches Signature Meetings, a program designed to enhance meetings with creative and personalized amenities, pioneering a new trend in event planning.

Kimpton 1 st Marketing + July 2005 Launches the "Mind. Body. Spa. " wellness program, which includes in-room yoga, Pilates, meditation and spa services.

Kimpton 1 st Marketing the Kimpton Brand November 2004 Launches national brand campaign, focusing on the original idea that "Every Hotel Tells A Story. " The Kimpton brand is based on five signature elements that support all of Kimpton's new programs and essentially all that Kimpton stands for: Care, Comfort, Style, Flavor and Fun.

Kimpton 1 st Marketing ++ July 2003 …. . the first hotel company to offer complimentary yoga baskets for all guests January 2003 …. . the first hotel company to offer complimentary high speed Internet access in all rooms

Kimpton 1 st Marketing ++ July 1993 …. first hotel company to introduce ‘Tall Rooms’ September 1993 …. first hotel company offer rowing or bike machines for guests in rooms

Why do we need creativity in hotels? q Fast changing external environment: § consumer demands and expectations § competition § legislative § environmental § economic § political q Creativity and innovation – necessary for survival

Without creative thinking and action • Hotels fail to meet customer needs and expectations • Hotels fail to keep up with the competition • Hotels see a gradual or rapid decline in REVPAR • Hotels loose market share • Hotels loose major tour operator contacts

Tangible Outcomes q Product innovations q Continuous improvement q Enhanced customer services

The Creative Process You must produce operational ideas……

………and not dreams!

Brain Storming q Implies a group of persons § usually colleagues and external stakeholders q To stimulate and inspire each other to create ideas § the more ideas, the better q No one can criticize to any of the ideas that are proposed q Ideas are selected, improved, combined and the group agree

Mind Mapping Mind maps is a tool to access natural creativity and use that creativity for Problem Solving

Mind Mapping q It's like a brainstorming but with only one person, yourself! q Take a piece of paper and write the subject of your research in the centre. q Start to think in at random in an inhibited style and you write all the ideas that come around the main subject. q For each specific idea do the same and you write around all the ideas connected with.

Mind Map

The map is expected to reflect the real mechanism of the brain. It means that when you add an idea, you expand in the brain the connections between the cells and open new spaces of creativity.

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats The hats represent different ways of looking at problems and issues and can lead to varying ideas (development of products and services within a hotel).

q Is a powerful technique - look at important decisions from a number of different perspectives. q Make better decisions - move outside your habitual ways of thinking. q It helps you understand the full complexity of a decision q Spot issues and opportunities which you might otherwise notice.

Facts and Information covers facts, figures, information needs and gaps. "I think we need some white hat thinking at this point. . . " means Let's drop the arguments and proposals, and look at the data base. "

You analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data. q Focus on the data available q Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it q Look for gaps in your knowledge q Either try to fill them or take account of them

Information q. What information do I have? q. What are the facts? q. What information do I need? q. What do I want to KNOW?

Feelings and Emotions The allows the thinker to put forward an intuition or ‘a gut reaction’ to an issue under discussion without any need to justify it. "Putting on my red hat, I think this is a terrible proposal. “

q Look at the decision using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. q Try to think how other people will react emotionally. q Try to understand the intuitive responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.

Feelings q. How do I feel about this? q. What do I like about the idea? q. What don’t I like about this?

Critical Judgement The is used to point out why a suggestion does not fit the facts, the available experience, the system in use, or the policy that is being followed. This is critical thinking.

q Look at things pessimistically, cautiously and defensively q Try to see why ideas and approaches might not work (important as it highlights weak points) q Allows you to eliminate them, alter your approach, or prepare contingency plans to counter problems that arise

Judgement q. What is wrong with this? q. Will this work? q. Is it safe? q. Can it be done?

Positive Judgement The logical positive identify benefits associated with an idea and why it will work. It can be used in looking forward to the results of some proposed action, but can also be used to find something of value in what has already happened.

• Is the optimistic viewpoint • Helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it • Spot the opportunities that arise from it. Helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult

Benefits q. What are the good points? q. Why can this be done? q. Why is this a good thing

Alternatives and Learning This is the of thinking new thoughts. It is about creativity, alternatives, proposals, what is interesting, provocations and changes.

q This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem q It is a freewheeling way of thinking q There is little criticism of ideas

Creativity q. What new ideas are possible? q. What is my suggestion? q. Can I create something new?

The Big Picture The overview or process control hat. It looks not at the subject itself but at the 'thinking' about the subject. "Putting on my blue hat, I feel we should do some more green hat thinking at this point. "

q Worn by people chairing meetings q When running into difficulties (ideas are running dry) they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking q When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, and so on

Thinking about Thinking q. What thinking is needed? q. Where are we now? q. What is the next step?

EXERCISE: When do you wear your different coloured hats? Think about your managerial role and about the times you wear each of these hats white, red, black, yellow, green and blue q How and when do you use your green hat? q What do you achieve when you wear your green hat? q How do you feel when a colleague or staff member comes into your office wearing a green hat?

Key Points q A good technique for looking at the effects of a decision from a number of different points of view. q It allows necessary emotion and scepticism to be brought into what would otherwise be purely rational decisions. q It opens up the opportunity for creativity within Decision Making.

Key Points q It also helps, for example, persistently pessimistic people to be positive and creative. q Plans developed using the '6 Thinking Hats' technique are sounder and more resilient than would otherwise be the case. q Helps spot good reasons not to follow a course of action, before you have committed to it.

IDENTIFYING CREATIVITY

EXERCISE: So you want to encourage creativity in your hotel…. . First task is to find it!! The Beautiful Hotels resort in Hurghada has recently closed its 50 -seater fine dining French Restaurant. The GM is looking for suggestions for the “creative” use of the restaurant space, located just off the Main Lobby. In small groups, propose a CREATIVE use of this space and prepare a presentation to “sell” the idea to us.

Identifying Creativity q Test for it – creativity tests (mainly for children, art school entry etc. ) exercises such as the one we have just done q Performance assessment/ management – look for evidence of creative behaviour (but some roles do not allow for creativity) q Foster it – in individuals, teams (ensure a supportive management culture)

Self-reporting Creativity!! I’m creative

Recognising Creative Organizations q Change what they do and the way they do things before they absolutely have to q Are the market leaders with new products and services q Encourage and test new ideas and ways of doing things q Reward creativity q Invest in the development of creative thinking q Recruit with creativity as a core requirement

EXERCISE: Celebrating Creativity Beautiful Hotels have introduced an incentive scheme to encourage creative behaviour at departmental level in its hotels. The only limitation on the scope of the creativity is that it must not compromise brand standards. In pairs, identify 2 examples of creative behaviour for each of the following departments: • • Housekeeping Front Desk Banqueting Kitchen Engineering Spa and Leisure Sales and Marketing

FOSTERING CREATIVITY

Everyone is creative. Most people do not know how to bring their creative talents to the forefront. If you think you are not creative you have not yet learned how to unlock your creative potential.

Creativity can and should be the focus of training

EXERCISE: Are people born creative or can creativity be trained? q Draw a cartoon-style picture of your hotel to appeal to a 5 year old child q Whose is: a) the most creative/ imaginative for the target audience b) the best executed in artistic terms?

Creativity and artistic skills are not necessarily the same thing! q Drawing a technically perfect cartoon might not require creative skill or imagination. It could be copied! q Visioning what might appeal to a 5 year old does require creative imagination, even though you may not have the technical skills to produce the perfect cartoon. q Creative acts need to be suitable (appropriate) for the situation or context. q Aspects of recognising suitability and context can be learnt with experience.

Fostering business creativity in a hotel requires …. . q The recruitment of talented people q Investment in talented people q The licence to explore and experiment q Clearly defined rules and parameters q A “no-blame” culture of things don’t quite work out q Managerial support q A forum for testing creative ideas q Reward and recognition for successful creative acts q Encouragement and constructive feedback to individuals and teams whose creative ideas don’t work

CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES AND METHODS

EXERCISE: What techniques can we use to encourage and develop creativity? q In small groups, list techniques that you have used or could be used to encourage creative behaviour in your hotel q Identify what management needs to do to make sure the techniques can work

Possible Ideas q Creative teams q Brainstorming q Improvisation q Goldfish bowls or incubators q Trial and error q Empowerment

GRAIPES • • Give time Review outcomes Acknowledge achievement Inspire by example Provide space Encourage imagination Shun blame… or EPGIRSA in its correct sequence!

EPGIRSA Encouraging the imagination of all individuals and teams in your hotel in order to seek new solutions to problems and to create different products and approaches to service q Listen to ideas q Manager’s open door policy q Suggestion boxes q Ideas meetings

EPGIRSA Provide space (physical and mental) within which staff and teams can develop and test their ideas q Do not crowd people out q Do not over clutter their schedules q Make sure that their line management is pulling in the same direction

EPGIRSA Give time and avoid rushing to judgement about an idea – help the individual or team develop and refine their idea and ensure that it is compliant in legal and company terms q Actively seek up-dates on progress q Provide constructive feedback q Assist good ideas with resources if possible

EPGIRSA Inspire your staff, both individuals and teams, by your example – be willing to pursue creative ideas yourself and accept the same rigorous scrutiny as you would give your staff q Demand the same standards of your self as you would of your staff q Participate in teams

EPGIRSA Review the ideas and their potential in an open and supportive way q Make sure that individuals and teams are aware of the likely review process q Make the review proportionate to the scale of the idea and its likely impact q Bring in external eyes (from another hotel? ) if necessary

EPGIRSA The guaranteed way to avoid creative ideas emerging in the future is to blame staff and teams when things do not work – so avoid recrimination and reference to how resources might have otherwise been used q See success or failure as an opportunity to learn q Identify how things could have been done differently or the idea modified for future success

EPGIRSA Acknowledge good creative ideas that work publicly within the hotel and the company q Use appropriate communication channels to celebrate creative ideas that work and make a difference q Encourage others to follow suit q Avoid claiming the credit for yourself

EXERCISE: Using GRAIPES q In teams of 3 or 4, select an area of creativity in the hotel sector that interests you q Use GRAIPES to identify how that creativity can be supported in a real work situation q Identify the barriers to its implementation

Innovation

Innovation at Work q Invention is a new idea q Innovation is the commercial application and successful exploitation of the idea

Innovation means introducing something new into your business q Improving to increase efficiency q Developing new and improved products and services q Adding value to differentiate from competitors

EXERCISE: Imagine the Possibilities…. . . Be inspired, laugh and feel good - host your next meeting at In smaller groups, make a list of what sort of ‘innovation’ you can do to improve your conference/meetings package

Fun Worship

Are you having fun yet? Some ideas that will make your next meeting rock………. . q Play your favourites: Surf Music, Reggae, good old Rock and Roll, and everything in between q Get nostalgic with Nerf balls, Magic 8 Balls, wax lips and Groucho glasses q A breakfast of champions includes Pop-Tarts, Lucky Charms, and all your favourite morning classics q Morning Break - Twister and shout q Enjoy macaroni & cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs or pizzas q Afternoon recess can feature short versions of board games like Yahtzee, Checkers or Pictionary

Elements of Wellness

Kimpton's healthy attitude can make a world of difference in your next meeting q Enjoy a room filled with aromatherapy scents and the introspective sounds of mood music. q Table settings may include natural wood massagers and squeezable stress balls. q Breakfast can feature fruit smoothies, organic coffee and tea and whole-grain cereals. q Morning Yoga, meditation or desk aerobics will stretch your mind and body. q A hearty lunch of heart-healthy selections can also include energizing brain food. q Pick up the pace with a dance session or a 15 minute power walk.

Earthcare

Guests will have a healthy respect for the earth, just by attending your next meeting. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Trust for Public Land q Guests are greeted by the enchanting sounds of nature and verdant displays of plants or flowers. q The smell of fresh, organic, fair-trade coffee wakes up the room. q Agendas are printed on paper that, once used, can be planted to produce wildflowers. q Breakfast, lunch and dinner are a medley of fresh, organic and locally grown ingredients such as artisan cheese, free-range meats and garden fresh fruits and vegetables. q On breaks, choose to enlighten with an eco-quiz, "Zen-out" with a rock garden, or revive by tossing the Earth beach ball. q Wind down the meeting with an appealing selection of organic wines and beers.

Degrees of Discovery

Mini learning experiences give meeting guests a refreshing break from each day's agenda…. . q Groove to the beat of far away lands. q The builders in your group will delight in Legos, modelling clay or painters' palettes on the tables. q Exotic fruits, world coffee and international foods will start your day of discovery. q Morning break consists of painting-by-numbers or polishing your putting. q Lunch is an extraordinary and out-of-the-ordinary fusion of global cuisines to suit your taste, from Italian to Middle Eastern. q In the afternoon, enjoy a cooking demonstrations or other educational seminars.

Emotional Intelligence

What is Emotional Intelligence ? Emotional Intelligence (EI)…. . the ability, capacity, skill to identify, assess and manage the emotions of one’s self, others and of groups

Emotional engagement is at the heart of quality service delivery in the hospitality sector and is also the key to creative responses to guest needs and problems. Emotional Intelligence is an important tool for hoteliers to develop in seeking to extend the creative energy of their business.

EI embraces two aspects of intelligence q Understanding yourself, your goals, intentions, responses, behaviour q Understanding others, and their feelings

What does EI have to do with business and creativity? q The modern workplace is characterized by open communication, team work, and a mutual respect among employees and their supervisors. q Possessing emotional intelligence allows managers to better understand motivate people they supervise.

“Run with emotional intelligence” Qamardeen Hotel General Manager Mr John Aritho “We specifically didn’t recruit people from the industry — it was more a question of teaching a new dog new tricks. ”

How did you go about recruiting and training your staff? “We trained them in what's called ‘intuitive service'. Many places in Dubai look great and seem to be good service providers, but once you stay there you realise they aren't in tune with the customer. The training programme we used is based on ‘emotional intelligence', where you discover the emotional capabilities of each person and then place them in a role that they suit and will enjoy. That way, they are passionate about their job and can provide the best possible service. ”

Our Motto

Creativity = Capital (1983) Joseph Beuys proposed an alternative economic system, a society in which all citizens are free to explore and develop their creative potential to reap the greatest economic gains

THE END