MICEcafe Journey

  The first business trip is a thrilling event for many professionals. Business travel, unlike leisure travel, has a purpose, a schedule and expectations.  When attending a conference, meeting clients, visiting a company office or attending a corporate event, first-time business travellers often approach their journeys differently than seasoned professionals. Travel habits are shaped by preparation, uncertainty and the wish to make a good impression. By understanding these habits better, companies, travel managers and event planners can better support travellers and help them to have a more productive and stress-free experience. Thorough Pre-Departure Planning One of the most noticeable habits of first time business travellers is thorough planning. Everything is new, and they like to prepare well in advance. They carefully review travel itineraries, hotel reservations, meeting schedules, transport arrangements and corporate policies . Many also make detailed checklists for es...

  We are in an age of everything being scheduled. Every meeting has an agenda. Every trip has a plan. Every retreat has a defined "goal." Because of this ambition to maximize the effectiveness of every experience through action, we have lost the ability to have "space" where we can simply "be." This understanding of the outside world really came home for me at a retreat where there was no schedule, no presentations, and nothing of real consequence written on a whiteboard. The experience of being at this retreat changed my life forever.  It was one of the most valuable experiences I've ever had. What Is a No-Agenda Retreat? "I have no agenda" retreats can be confusing. People don't know what to expect from them. There's no schedule of events and therefore no minimum required amount of "business" done during the retreat. It's also hard to tell if someone else at the retreat will have the same goals/expectations as you do. ...