learning Archives - Réseau de veille en tourisme

A new trend: Culinary team building

Much in demand by companies, culinary team building activities were named one of the top ten meeting trends of the year by Benchmark Hospitality International. On the menu: challenges like creativity, communication, conflict resolution, time and resource management and cooperation. The result: new friendships, a more unified team and delicious meals!

This trend is closely associated with another, dubbed “Work hard, play hard.” In fact, Benchmark notes that a bigger slice of meeting and convention budgets is being allocated to leisure and team building events. Though companies are still demanding more from their employees, they are also recognizing the need to balance this with fun activities like a round of golf, a spa visit, or even a cooking class. Microsoft, Westin, KLM, eBay and many other corporations are sending their employees to the kitchen.

A simple recipe for cooperation

Team building sessions can take a variety of forms, but they are often associated with physical activities, sometimes extreme in nature, that are not necessarily suitable for all employees. Golf, rafting, treasure hunts and role-playing are just some of the ways in which employees can accomplish something together outside the workplace. Unlike golf, which is appeals primarily to golfers, and rafting, which is too extreme for some people, cooking lessons are a simple, relatively inexpensive and highly accessible way to get people together. Furthermore, culinary activities focus more on cooperation than other, more competitive, activities do.

Delicious benefits

Like any organization, a cooking class follows a system: to succeed, participants must set deadlines, use limited resources, make decisions and cooperate. In the kitchen, individuals assigned different roles are put into groups to create a product, in this case, a meal. Participants share responsibilities and learn to appreciate the individual skills of each team member as they work towards a common goal: grilled lamb, sautéed mushrooms or a rich chocolate sauce!

Events can be customized to meet the goals and budget of each specific group. Another very popular option is to have the experience include an opportunity to work with a renowned chef.

Cooking is an enjoyable activity that everyone is capable of doing. In fact, one’s prowess in the kitchen is in no way related to one’s tasks in the workplace; roles are sometimes reversed, stereotypes fall by the wayside and a new group dynamic can emerge. Since the kitchen is a familiar environment and food is a universal language, people who cook together can become closer in a way that endures beyond the team building exercise itself.

The secret to success: Planning and consistency

To be successful, a team building activity begins long before the session itself, which must be well planned. Ideally, a team of employees should be formed to organize the event.
For maximum effect, the activity should be consistent with the company’s overall organization. In other words, its corporate culture, values and internal practices should underscore the team concept on an ongoing basis.
Participation will be greater if the team building activity is organized around a business goal that all employees can contribute to.
To take full advantage of the potential of team building, organizers must set real work goals, determine how the learning will be integrated into the workplace and decide what type of follow-up will be done, all before the activity even takes place. Doing so will lead to better planning.

A poorly planned team building activity can lead to negative consequences. This can happen if the event does not complement the company’s usual work environment. For example, if the company normally rewards individual efforts, an activity to build team spirit will likely have no impact and even strike employees as a waste of time. Similarly, if an event lacks follow-up or is not related to concrete, consistent actions in the workplace, it could well damage employee confidence, motivation and productivity.

Some examples

CEO Chef is first and foremost a team building company. Following a short introduction and some safety tips, participants form teams and name a leader. Then the workshop leader presents the “culinary challenge.” Teams must prepare the food according to the instructions (which are often far from complete). The goal is team work, creativity and trusting others. After the cooking, the workshop leader leads a discussion about the lessons learned. CEO Chef comes to the convention or meeting site and brings all the equipment needed for the team building activity.
Along the same lines, Recipe for Success has a very diverse menu: sushi, chili, chocolate, ice cream, and even ice sculptures! Other outfits are Hands on Gourmet and Parties that Cook.Other companies like Gourmet Retreats in California and Tall Order in Vancouver specialize in a variety of culinary experiences, with team building being just one of their activities.

The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is currently building an enormous kitchen that will be used exclusively for classes and demonstrations as well as team building activities.
The Institut du tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) and the Académies Culinaire de Québec and de Montréal offer cooking classes to private groups and open their facilities to companies who wish to hold team building events.
The Québec Resorts and Country Inns network offers culinary team building as one of the indoor activities available at its establishments.
Montreal outfit La Cuisine de Lili Margot is a place where guests help make their own meal with the help of a chef. It is also available for team building activities.

Take the plunge!

With its positive outcomes, accessibility and user-friendliness, culinary team building seems to be making a name for itself. Participants gain a better understanding of their team’s strengths and challenges, as well as insight into how to manage its dynamic. And, of course, the highlight is the delicious group meal that follows.

The phenomenon has even reached Quebec. However, while there are some exciting initiatives, it is not clear that the supply is ready to meet the demand of meeting and convention organizers. There is definitely room for an organization to develop such activities for conventioneers and business travellers in Quebec. Of course, though hotel owners cannot simply become group leaders of team building activities overnight, they can certainly open the doors of their kitchens and develop such events in partnership with specialized companies, organizational psychologists or other professionals.

Perhaps the idea should simmer for a while…

Sources:
– Healthfield, Susan M., “Keys to Team Building Success,” About.com: Human Resources.
– HotelOnline. “Benchmark Hospitality’s Top Meeting Trends for 2007,” March 6, 2007.
– Vallerand, Nathalie. “Drôle de team building!” Affaires Plus, December 2007.

Websites:
– www.recipeforsuccess.com
– www.handsongourmet.com
– www.partiesthatcook.com
– www.tallorder.ca/retreat-programs
– www.desmondgv.com/conference/team_cook
– www.academieculinaire.com
– www.reunionschampetres.com
– www.lilimargot.com

Trends in the short cruise market

Boat tours/cruises are still considered a « new » tourist product. Although Quebec’s industry is based on the star attraction of whale?watching, short cruises now represent one of the world’s most diversified product lines. The following report is an overview of the major trends characterizing this sector, an important vector for regional economic development.

The popularity of theme cruises

Companies offering short cruises continue to proliferate at a steady pace, offering a wide variety of products. Among the classic products are sunset cruises, dinner and fireworks, guided tours, boat dances and romantic suppers.

However, cruises are increasingly providing a forum for innovative activities involving role-playing, where passengers are invited to indulge other aspects of their personality and temporarily leave everyday life behind on the dock while they enjoy their time on the water. Theme cruises figure prominently in the array of nautical products offered in major North American and European cities. In addition to providing an original boating experience enabling participants to see the city from a different perspective, these tours offer access to a playful world where passengers become not just actors, but participants in the show. Among the more popular themes are casino cruises, treasure hunts and murder mysteries.

Other popular options are cruises featuring stories and history, whether local, national or international. Instead of passively observing an urban landscape, passengers participate and learn.

Enriching experiences

Professionals working in the short cruise market have recognized that their clientele has a need to escape the everyday, and seek adventure in the form of a relatively original tour. This has resulted in the use of ships that evoke the past or recreate an exotic locale. Steamboats, sailing ships and schooners are part of the heterogeneous fleet, rich in symbols, operated by this sector. There are even pirate ships, like Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise in Florida.

Cruises give travellers a chance to familiarize themselves with local and ancestral cultures. For example, a growing number of cruise passengers are visiting Icy Strait Point, site of Hoonah, Alaska’s largest Tinglit village. This stop offers visitors contact with a culture in its natural environment.

Gourmet dining is also a key element in cruise products. As part of its river cruises in China, Viking River Cruises offers menus designed by internationally renowned chef Martin Yan.

Red Balloon Days, an Australian company specialized in original gifts, organizes the Massage & Beauty Cruise on Sydney Harbour. This three-hour cruise includes a full-body massage, a facial massage and other services devoted to relaxation and pampering.

Another Australian outfit, Captain Cook Cruises, offers dinner cruises on Sydney Harbour, featuring a recital of opera singers performing famous arias.

Something for everyone

Cruise companies are now trying to attract clienteles that they had previously tended to ignore. This has given rise to cruises targeting specific segments (gays/lesbians, families, singles, nudists, and others).

Businesspeople are one of the market segments targeted by short river cruises. Brunches, meetings, business meals, employee incentives and company parties are just some of the occasions when companies call in specialists to design activities and services especially for their needs. Organized according to various themes, these cruises rely on the cramped nature of boats to facilitate team-building.

A large number of companies offering short cruises also target the family market. No longer content to attract couples with the lure of romanticism, they would also like to position their products as true family activities: educational and fun for the kids, organized yet relaxing for the parents.

Building on the fun and festive aspect, companies are combining the nautical with the musical (live bands, DJs, karaoke, etc.), dancing (balls, salsa nights, etc.) or special events (Halloween, Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras, proms, etc.) as they aim for a younger, dynamic clientele.

Enhanced by experts

Boat tour/cruise companies try to differentiate their products by calling on renowned experts or hiring staff specialized in the natural and social environments visited. This creates products enhanced with a note of professionalism, like the following examples:

Companies who belong to the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance hire experts (historians, geographers, zoologists, anthropologists, etc.) for their cruises so they can share their knowledge with passengers.
Quark Expeditions has invited author Jennifer Niven to participate in one of its cruises. The company organizes the Russia’s Far East & Wrangel Island cruise, which visits the places described by the writer in two of her novels. The cruise is an opportunity for passengers to learn about the history brought to life in her novels.
Clipper Cruise Line, a US company, offers cruises which tour sites of major 20th-century battles involving American soldiers. Whether in the Mediterranean, on Europe’s Atlantic coast, in the Pacific or in Vietnam, passengers are invited to relive these battles with the guidance of historians and experts in these periods of history.

Development of port areas

Around the world, some long-abandoned port areas are starting to attract the attention of developers. Since the downtown areas of major North American and European cities naturally tend to have limited open space, former industrial areas, and ports in particular, offer a lot of potential for new developments and neighbourhoods. Sometimes very large in size, they can accommodate ambitious, multi-functional development plans. In addition, areas located near the water are naturally attractive, meaning that development plans can be designed to accommodate both residential areas and recreational activities.

This is the approach adopted by cities like Boston and Toronto, who are merely following the successful projects initiated by many cities, particularly those in Europe. When Barcelona redeveloped its seafront in preparation for the 1992 Olympic Games, it was a pioneer in this field. Deciding to fully embrace its position on the ocean, the city completely reinvented its urban landscape and created a space where culture, city life, and commercial and marine activities could live in harmony.

Some recent practices may lead to a new perception of what constitutes a cruise ship’s home port. In Moscow, for example, when the Volga River freezes in the winter and is closed to navigation, the Volga Flot company engages in a form of « seasonal recycling » and uses one of its ships trapped at the dock as a hotel.

Source:
Chair in Tourism, UQAM School of Business Administration. « Étude de l’offre récréotouristique nautique et portuaire dans les centres urbains, » March 2006.