Rob Davidson puts the conference industry’s integrity to the test.
While parking your car, you accidentally back into another parked car, causing some damage. Do you think it’s OK just to drive off without reporting the accident? That’s one of the questions from a new Integrity Test, published by the University of Essex’s Centre for the Study of Integrity. I’ve adapted it here for the conference industry, and for conference organisers in particular. So have a go. Count up your scores (in brackets) and then read what I think your score means about you. Just consider the following actions and indicate if you think they are justified or not:
A. Accepting a place on a FAM trip, even though you know that you will never organise a meeting there.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
B. Omitting to point out to a venue that they have forgotten to charge you for an item such as bottled water.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
C. Pretending that another meeting planner’s ideas and costings for an event are actually your own.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
D. Choosing a venue on the basis that it is paying you a higher commission than another venue that you know is more suitable for the event.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
E. Claiming on a job application form that you have experience or credentials that you do not.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
F. Employing casual staff and paying them less than the minimum wage.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
G. Choosing an exotic destination for a conference because you personally want to visit that place, even though you know that other destinations would be more suitable.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
H. Keeping a gift (say an i-Pad) given to you by a grateful venue, rather than passing it on to your employer/client.
Never justified (1); Rarely justified (2); Sometimes justified (3); Always justified(4)
The conference industry is based on trust, people who are who they say they are, and do what they say they will do. And if your actions don’t feel right, they probably aren’t.
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How was it for you? What did you score?
8 – 12: Prepare for canonisation. You are a future patron saint of meeting planners everywhere.
13 – 18: You’re basically a good egg – but you can crack ?
19- 24: If you were working for me, I’d keep a watchful eye on you – and my personal belongings!
25 – 29: Did your mother never tell you: ‘Every time you tell a lie, a little fairy has to die’? The bottom of your garden must be strewn with tiny corpses.
30 – 32: Who do you plan meetings for? The Mafia? The Khmer Rouge? A Colombian drug cartel?
Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
