Manic Monday - April 25, 2016

"Prince", "The Artist" and/or "The Artist formerly known as Prince" lived by many names but at birth his name was Prince Rogers Nelson and this past week we lost this remarkable artist at the far too young age of 57. Prince wrote over 155 songs from Purple Rain to Nothing Compares 2 U but among the many hit songs he wrote was none other than Manic Monday and for this reason we did not want to let his passing go without comment.

And on that note we bring you this weeks Manic Monday....

As I embark on a series of meetings over the next few days in Montreal at Rendevouz Canada, I can not help but recognize the fact that there is no better way to connect and learn than through face to face / in person exchanges. Despite the reality of today’s world where almost everything you need to know is literally a mouse click away, studies actually indicate that when we come together, whether it be in meetings, conferences or summits, our ability to absorb the information presented in a more meaningful way is greatly heightened.  There are a wide variety of reasons that have been identified as to why this improved learning occurs but among the following have been noted as the top five:

• Increased engagement in messaging

• Enhanced ability for clarifying information

• Improved participation through interaction

• Greater efficiency in delivery of subject matter

• Learning through body language and message delivery

So while we may be able to find much of what we need to know online there is no substitute for the benefits derived from actually attending events.

This spring there are two great opportunities to get engaged in your industry through conferences that are coming to the Thompson Okanagan for the first time.

May 7th – 9th the BC Hotel Association Summit (BCHS) will be held in Kelowna and May 24-26 the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) will be holding their conference at Sun Peaks. We encourage all of our stakeholders to look at these two outstanding opportunities to meet with industry colleagues, understand the key issues facing the tourism industry and learn from an excellent line up of guest speakers.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO