It’s day two of your company’s annual executive retreat, a time when the board of directors and VPs steal away for several days to discuss where the business is headed. Of course, since you’re just so damned good, you’ve picked an ideal destination for the occasion-secluded, pristine, with upscale accommodations and a killer steakhouse. Yet this particular resort is a bit different from what you’re used to. No Internet access. No mobile phone reception. No boardrooms with digital projectors. And – the cherry on the cake – there aren’t even televisions in the guest rooms!
Before a cold sweat soaks your forehead, take a closer look at what is happening. The chief technology officer and two product managers are perched around a fire pit, sipping wine and chatting amiably about the response to their latest product release. Over at the bar, the VP of communications and director of sales are playing cards – and actually seem to be enjoying each other’s company (even though they’d never particularly gotten along). And yesterday the CEO led one of the most productive and engaging brainstorming sessions you’ve ever witnessed. For almost 48 hours, not a single mobile phone has ruptured the silence...
Take Away Their Toys...For a While
The above scenario is pretty idyllic. The removal of technology is potent and dramatic enough to create a bubble of distraction-free nirvana, but it can also turn against you if applied to the wrong meeting. For today’s workforce, modern gadgetry has become both a diversion and a drug; take it away provisionally and there’s a sense of peace and focus, withhold it for too long and the withdrawal symptoms can become severe.
"You have to really know your group," said Patricia Zollman, CMP, regional director for HelmsBriscoe, a global meeting procurement company. "The timing and the length of stay is very important."
Zollman, who is based in the San Francisco Bay area, recently sent a group of 15 physicians to a remote, upscale cabin in the Canadian wilderness near the Alaskan border. The objectives were threefold ¬– hash out some work projects, bond with each other and simply take a breather from the "real" world. For each of these goals, a connection to the real world would have only drained away time and focus.
"It was not the easiest thing; they had to take a biplane to get there," she said. "But they wanted a unique experience. It was perfect – but too many days [without technology] and they would have gone crazy."
The purity of focus Zollman’s physicians enjoyed is a rare quality these days. As if public speaking wasn’t challenging enough, today a presenter has to combat iPhones, instant messaging and that new (urgent!) Facebook e-mail alert. It can be deflating to see an audience with more faces bowed down to hidden or brazenly non-hidden BlackBerrys than looking respectfully up at you (reason enough to dub it the "CrackBerry"). The flipside of this new reality is that you can harness the powerful contrast of sans technology to produce an unusually memorable and productive meeting. But pull this stunt with the wrong group of people and you may find an angry mob on your hands.
"For me, it is a killer if there is no connection for cell phones or Internet," said Luca Favetta, Geneva-based senior director of global events EMEA for SAP SA, a global IT and business solutions company.
Favetta explains that, because the majority of his attendees are heavily involved in IT, technology is perhaps the most important criteria when selecting a venue. Even if his clients occasionally dream of escaping from the digital world for a few days – or if Favetta thinks it would be good for them – the reality is that the event simply would not happen without technology as the backbone.
"If they knew they could not use their BlackBerrys, they would not even travel," he said.
Zollman also has experience with individuals that do not react well to technologic isolation. During one event at a secluded conference center that lacked Internet access and televisions-and had only sporadic mobile phone reception – the general response among attendees was positive. However, for a select few, the effect was the opposite.
"Some of them simply hated the fact that they didn’t know what was going on in the outside world," she said.
Michael Noesen, CMP, event marketing manager on the CMG events team for Microsoft Corp., recently attended a three-day, board-retreat cruise for the MPI Washington State Chapter. As a Microsoft planner, technology is naturally a critical element to his site selection. In fact, he frequently installs additional Internet cable at his venues to handle the enormous bandwidth requirements of his attendees.
Yet, as an attendee on this particular cruise, where there was no Internet or mobile phone reception, he found that everyone was able to focus on the following year’s business plan-distraction free.
"When the purpose of the meeting is to focus, or actively participate, I see how there is a clear benefit [to having no technology]," he said.
Noesen admits that he was a little bit antsy, wondering about the status of certain issues waiting back at the office. But what was key for him was making sure everything was taken care of in advance, so he didn’t have to worry about being online and accessible.
"I had people covering for me-that was important," he said.
A Good Time for Fresh Ideas
With the challenges the current economy is imposing on business, there may be no better time to milk new ideas (maybe even a few drastic ones) from the corporate teat. And Elaine Macy, director of global incentive sales for Preferred Hotel Group says tech-barren venues are the perfect places to do that.
As a planner, Macy held several events at remote, upscale venues, such as The Resort at Paws Up, in the mountains of Western Montana. There, she orchestrated several successful board of directors meetings – the only outside communication is one-way, via television. Once or twice, Macy brought along a satellite phone for the occasional call, but she says the meetings would not have been nearly as effective if everyone had Internet and mobile phone access.
"You can bring in technology – but I think that is a waste of time," she said. "You should go to a regular place for that. Here you should take advantage of the lack of technology."
Once the decision-maker is positive this is the right step, make sure the attendees are well aware of what they are getting into. Much in the way that camping – without showers, beds or Starbucks – is a rustic adventure, it can also be fun to relinquish technology for a few days. But preparation is paramount; you do not want anyone showing up with a mobile phone charger in hand and no clue what they are getting themselves into.
"It’s a very tough admission for your guests," Macy said. "You need to communicate loud and clear, before you go, what to expect and what the goals are. Most people are never away from the Internet more than a few hours."
The Expanding Web
It’s remarkable to concede that, just a decade ago, finding Internet access and mobile phone reception was not just a trivial concern, it was often a non-issue. Today, most residents in modern countries can expect extensive coverage. Sprouting from the U.S. and Europe, that blanket of coverage continues to expand across the globe every day, even to places that have a hard time supplying fresh water and food. Technology is the way of the world, and hotels and governments everywhere know they must be connected (and upgraded) if they want to attract travelers and business clients.
Though the U.S. takes credit (or blame) for launching these technologies, Europe long ago sprinted ahead in terms of broadband and mobile phone coverage. For instance, in the western U.S. there are many areas that have no mobile phone reception. International coverage depends largely on the infrastructure of the country, but most major cities will be fully equipped.
Elsa Taicher, CMP, product manager for the professional communication and relations department of Galderma International, a France-based dermatology product company, regularly plans and attends conferences throughout the world.
"I’ve never been at a meeting where there was not Internet and cell [reception]," she said. "It’s everywhere these days."
She argues, however, that it is important for busy professionals to disconnect every now and then, whether it be for vacation or a small, focused meeting.
"I was in Estonia, and I was surprised to see everyone at the beach was connected to the Internet, on little laptops," she said. "We are too involved; it’s good to disconnect for a while."
Outside of Europe and major international cities, seeking out an unplugged resort should not be incredibly difficult. Almost any developing country – such as those in Latin and South America, Southeast Asia and Africa – have rustic and upscale resorts that offer both technologic and physical isolation. Closer to home, tap your nearest rural oasis (the Alps, Arizona, the Canadian Rockies or Montana) for tech- and connection-free gems.
Once you find that perfect gem, keep in mind that no matter how charming, quaint or relaxing it may be, there will always be attendees willing to trade it all for a single Ethernet outlet. If you can, try to leave them back home, at the office.
HUNTER HOLCOMBE is a freelance writer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
