#TRAVEL DIARY #VENUE MAKES A DIFFERENCE #EXPERIENCE @HYDERABAD

 

It's the world of   virtual meetings  and this whole world is connected wireless , and we are at convenience to do  AC or VC whenever and where ever on the earth .If You seek for a personal  meeting  with the forethought   of meeting anyone  face to face  You  will  be labelled as  prehistoric .

For ,Virtual meetings have   become  the  new norm ,specifically  post  pandemic   whatever  personal meetings  modestly  possible were also  converted  into a  virtual meeting . A new way of doing business is established.  You work from home, you discuss from home, your make business decisions from home  , you deliver from home , you invoice from home, you receive money at home  and eat and live at home .

 For ,these virtual meetings  are  handy though and  flexible ! ; It has  its  advantages -of cost savings , time saving and recording facilities; we can finish a meeting say in 1 min or run it for a  full day. On requirement and wishes , it has its provisions  to  drop ourselves  off halfway thru the meeting. Also ,It gives the options of  holding  or participating  in one or two meetings simultaneously. We can  select  the  background  from where we can join , either be with the company  banner  or with  a picturesque wall paper of Fiji islands

Normally when a personal meeting of significance is held , it will be followed by a Minutes of the Meetings and it will have  the mentions of the name  of the persons participated ,  content  and the VENUE , and a record is created and kept and filed . But in virtual meetings  the word VENUE has no relevance at all,as you cant embarrass a participant by the sheer mention of  the VENUE from where he has joined ,and hence the word “the VENUE  in Virtual meetings looses  its  significance ‘  .

 Ok !  This trend of Virtual meetings  will evolve and grow into new dimensions – and it will minimise the personal meetings  and  the personal meetings will become  optional and selective. While   online  meetings are the trend , offline  meeting cant be avoided and it is industry specific,  some meetings  can’t be executed  without  the physical participation of the people involved . So some comfort that the physical meetings can’t be completely whipped off from the business world ...it will  continue to co exist along with the virtual meetings,  like the online shopping and the brick and mortar stores.

But the experience, events , moments  which the physical  meetings or offline meetings offer is immeseaurable and the variety of short moments it bring out with is stupendous ,that we can digout this as anecdotes at any pont in our  life and  we can cherish for ever. 

  Typically the VENUE will be  the board room  of some office or a hotel or a coffeshop may be , but there are other  interesting VENUES where everyone of us would have carried out or particiapated in business meetings; 

I remember a meeting in a Mango grove, when a client – a New Zealander ate slices of two full mangoes offered to him as a gesture of courtesy by the caretaker of the farm  and the poor fella  ended up not able to eat anything  solid for the next two days  because of the  tooth sensation he got . These are some bonus moments which makes the meetings  more memorable, I am still in touch with the client and we still talk and laugh  about this .

A meeting in a port. It was  interesting with a massive vessel docked in the backyard and downloading her materials as the background. with  coal dusty air , coal laden lorries   and coal  tainted people the port  busted  with activity .  I can remember the smell and the weather of the place.  

Relaxed instantaneous meetings  in golf courses , this would  be of non planned on the spot meetings. Mostly this kind of meetings will result into  a definite conversions  , as the environment is very cosy to convince the client - for the  mood of the persons will be  in sync ;

I can recollect a  short board meeting on board a moving ship in Maldives and a strategy meeting in a white water rafting camp at Rishikesh .

 The best was the  Rotary club meeting at the  Puzhal (Chennai)jail premises  followed by a cultural programme organised by  the jail inmates , that was a great  experience and  was served with yummy muffins  and hot samosas prepared by the prisoners  .

 Also the memorable meeting we had in the middle of  the Tsunami battered Nagapattnam  for the relief works .

We  never forget the content of the meeting if we relate it to the VENUE of the meetings  and we do  remember the connection we get  whether its good or bad with the other person  . Sometimes we end up getting future business out of a break time conversation or may get a link for our  dear one’s job opening or health related , or simple we identify a fellow golfer or bridge player or a movie buff.  

Last month ,  I had a meeting  in a  GOSHALA  in Hyderabad ,  The client was a big group and  they have  four corporate offices in the city , yet they preferred to  keep   the meeting amidst the cows and the bulls .When I entered  I could smell the air of a typical cowshed. There was a temple for Krishna and a Yaga sala ,  and a shed housing the cattle ;As a token of respect  to the visitors and as a sign of an auspicious start , the shed caretaker would  make them  to feed the cows with bananas. There was  a separate  shed  with corporate style interiors with two rooms and a conference hall   withdrawing  totally from the feel that we are amongst the cows . And we carried out our meeting in a professional way  .The purpose of holding this meetings in a GOSHALA is , the Client  feels  it is a good omen to start the first meeting in a GOSHALA  and consider it as lucky and auspicious for them .

Of course, they served tea made from the milk produced from the same GOSHALA ! ......  

Interesting is'nt it !! , .......mmmmm...!

   !!!  ‘ENJOY THE JOURNEY AS MUCH AS THE DESTINATION’!!!!

- experienced on 17th of March 2022 - Hyderabad - Rajesh babu