Scandic to train 500 meeting advisors together with Hyper Island

Employees today spend about 30 percent of their working time in meetings.* Creating a positive and effective meeting culture is consequently becoming increasingly business-critical for companies. This is why Scandic is now investing significantly in its meetings offering in the Nordic countries and Europe. During 2017, Scandic will launch a new meetings concept and train close to 500 meeting advisors at its hotels in cooperation with global creative business school, Hyper Island.

The new concept is in response to increased demands from Scandic’s corporate customers. More than 2,000 customers and meeting planners were asked about what is important for successful meetings. The results of the survey showed that they are looking for customized solutions, personal attention and advice from the planning stage to implementation and evaluation. In addition, they also want more inspiration and creative solutions as well as advice on how to achieve this.

As a result, Scandic is now training new meeting advisors who will have specialist knowledge about how to have successful meetings. Sixty people in the Nordic region will undergo extensive training to become certified meeting advisors and about 400 of Scandic’s conference hosts will be trained in the art of creating effective meetings. The aim is to have at least two advisors per hotel, or nearly 500 in total in the Nordic countries and Europe.

–  In close dialogue with our customers, we are investing substantially to become the leading participant in the meetings industry in the Nordic region. We’re addressing everything it takes to create a great meeting, from advice and structure to food and furnishings at the venue, says Thomas Engelhart, Commercial Director for Scandic Hotels Group.

Scandic’s meeting advisor training has been developed together with Hyper Island which will offer a customer-focused training module on how to organize meetings of the future. Among other things, the advisors will learn how to use various tools to design innovative meetings tailored to customer needs.

–  With its basis in digital solutions and learning, Hyper Island is one of today’s brightest companies when it comes to innovation. They think one step ahead and will contribute solutions that we’ll need for next-generation meetings. Together, we will give our meeting advisors a toolbox equipped with new methods and ways of thinking, says Erika Olsson, Director of Meetings at Scandic Hotels.

Scandic’s meetings concept also includes other new features and services designed for the needs of tomorrow. Food is an integral part of the meeting experience and a new food concept has been developed to suit everyone, regardless of allergies or preferences. And since customers are also demanding technical tools such as registration and networking apps, Scandic’s concept gives them the opportunity to choose between a variety of additional services such as broadcasting and gamification.

The meeting concept is already being tested at six select hotels including Scandic Infra City in Stockholm, Scandic St. Olavs plass in Oslo and Scandic Sydhavnen in Copenhagen.

Tips for successful meetings from Erika Olsson, Director of Meetings at Scandic Hotels Group:

1. Consider the purpose of your meeting
   What is the objective of the meeting – making a decision, celebrating, instructing, creating, networking, selling or inspiring the participants?
2. Dare to make demands
   Everyone wins from an engaging and effective meeting. Establish rules of play and follow them – for example, collecting all cell phones for “safekeeping” at the start of the meeting.
3. Create the right mood
   Refurnish the space to make it easier for people to move around and share their energy or to create a more relaxed atmosphere.
4. Use technology for more impact
   Live broadcasting and other technical solutions can bring your meeting to life. Gamification also gets participants involved. Today, easy solutions that make meetings more interactive are just a click away.
5. Dazzle with food and drinks
   Food is an important part of the meeting experience. Ban boring sandwiches and bland coffee – impress participants with a fresh and inspiring spread that suits everyone regardless of allergies or other preferences.
6. Use the element of surprise
   Refreshments served from a café bike or an impromptu jog around the venue to boost oxygen flow to the brain during a long meeting can mean the difference between a successful meeting and a waste of time.

* Source: gr8 meetings, Meeting Quality Index 2013 

For more information, please contact:                                     

Erika Olsson, Director of Meetings, Scandic Hotels Group
Email: erika.olsson@scandichotels.com
Phone: +46 70 9735600

Elin Westin, Director of Communication, Scandic Hotels Group
Email: elin.westin@scandichotels.com
Phone: +46 702 777526