The Internal Memo We Decided to Share

Most people wouldn’t share an internal memo from their boss with the rest of the world, but that’s exactly what’s happening in this edition of The Stand-Up. Why? Because what the CEO of Skift told our team after last week’s blur of five programs in New York applies directly to what meeting professionals do. There are a lot of ways to describe what happens at an event — learning, networking, celebrating — but Rafat Ali’s note focuses on the more important piece of what occurs after an event.

It’s not about following up with a new business partner or sharing a takeaway from a session with a colleague. Both matter, but some of those follow-ups won’t lead to anything, and plenty of those takeaways will fade by Friday. Instead, his memo highlights that a truly valuable event accomplishes something different: it gives attendees a reason to be excited about the role they play in their industry. And no, that’s not created by what he calls “bullshit inspirational speakers.”

Head below to read the full memo and think about whether your program is designed to, as Ali writes, “change how someone feels about the work they are going back to, in ways big and small.” If you’re looking for more reasons to be excited about the work that you do, join us tomorrow (Wednesday) for a free webinar to unpack all the conversations at Skift Meetings Forum. — David McMillin

Join the Skift Meetings editorial team for a full debrief of all the action at Skift Meetings Forum. We’ll unpack what we learned on stage and what we heard in the conversations throughout the day.

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Five things worth your time today.

The Demise of the 90-Minute Dinner

Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy put it bluntly at last week's Skift Global Forum: “People absolutely do not want to spend an hour and a half in a main dining room.” Carnival has paid attention and now offers Express Dining, which gets a multi-course meal done in under 60 minutes. There’s also an option called Your Time Dining, a flexible alternative to fixed seatings.

These passengers are all on vacation, with nowhere to be and nothing on the calendar, and they still don't want to be stuck at a long dinner. Think about your attendees after a full day of programming. That two-hour plated gala with speeches between courses might sound nice to your CEO, but it probably feels like the wall standing between them and a call home or an actual conversation with the one person they came to meet. Try a shorter seated option, a walk-around format or if you’re looking to trim costs, a free evening. And when your boss asks why you’re cutting the banquet, you can point out that even a cruise line figured it out.

Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events.