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WEDNESDAY, 23 MAY 2012
PANEL DISCUSSION: COLLABORATION & LEVERAGING RESOURCES ACROSS BOUNDARIES
Moderator/Lead Discussant: Dr. Claudia White, White Sands Consultancy, California
Other Panelists: Dr. Akentoolove Corbin, University of the West Indies, Barbados; Mr. Rodinald Soomer, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, St. Lucia
Just imagine - Countries and island nations with a shared vision…. Work cultures of productive partnerships…. Places where people matter and healthy working relationships prevail….Competition exists but does not stifle collaboration….Me, you, us, them ….. Caribbean communities coming together to build tourism and to grow our nations. Join our panel of experts who will address key speaking points and stimulate thinking in the following areas:
1. Share positive, observable activities or best practice with respect to collaboration and leveraging resources across boundaries in this region
2. Share vision of what collaboration and leveraging resources could look like within one’s organization / industry / island/ region
3. Share strategies on how to increase collaboration and foster collaborative efforts and leveraging of resources
4. Discuss potential challenges for implementing successful collaborative efforts and elaborate on possible strategies to overcome the challenges
5. Provide tools to get participants started and maintain the process
PLENARY SESSION 1: EMBRACING DIVERSITY FOR COMPETITIVENESS
Moderator: Dr. Sherma Roberts, University of the West Indies, Barbados
Panelists: Ms. Sandra Husbands, Business Development Services, Barbados; Ms. Cheryl Corbin, Barbados Hilton, Barbados
The onward march of globalization is requiring that Caribbean businesses and destinations re-examine the human resources strategy, so that as a region we can continue to be competitive. Increasingly, we are witnessing growth in diaspora communities as individuals become more mobile for social and economic reasons; the emergence of non-traditional destinations as viable source markets as some countries become wealthier and the integration of countries located in the same geographic region despite differences in languages and cultures.
Caribbean businesses and destinations therefore, need to respond to the trends if they are to remain competitive. One viable response would be in the area of the diversity of the workforce by “up scaling” language competencies including sign language, by employing the physically challenged, by exposing employees and management to other cultures through staff exchanges, and by creating opportunities for other ethnicities and nationalities to make a contribution. The general consensus is that if diversity is well managed, it will create a win-win situation for businesses and the destination as a whole.
PLENARY SESSION 2: THE VALUE OF INTERNSHIPS IN TOURISM/HOSPITALITY ORGANIZATIONS
This student-led forum will be a panel discussion among students from the three campuses of the University of the West Indies, the Barbados Community College and two employers. The session will focus on the following:
• Positive contributions by interns to the organization (specialized knowledge and how they add value to the organization)
• Role of the organization and the intern
• Intern roles and responsibilities designed to maximize productivity
• Enhancing the internship experience with mentoring
• How to keep your interns engaged and productive
• Recommendations for strengthening the internship experience.
THURSDAY, 24 MAY 2012
PLENARY SESSION 3: PARTNERSHIPS FOR RESILIENCE – CLIMATE CHANGE AND CARIBBEAN TOURISM
Presenters: Ms. Gail Henry, CTO, Barbados; Mr. Nicholas Field, The CARIBSAVE Partnership, Barbados
This session will focus on increasing awareness of some of the climate change threats facing Caribbean tourism, which is the region’s most important economic sector. It will also highlight opportunities for win-win-adaptation strategies that provide immediate and long-term benefits. A short film, which was produced by the CARIBSAVE Partnership, will be shown and will showcase success storIes from several Caribbean countries where partnerships between communities, private sector and governments are strengthening the social and environmental resilience of this vulnerable region. The Caribbean Tourism Organization and CARIBSAVE will share specific initiatives they are involved in to deal with climate change issues in the region.
WORKSHOP: WAKING UP THE WORKPLACE
Facilitator: Mr. Will Casselton, McKinney Rogers, Barbados
This workshop will be a dynamic, interactive session stimulating ideas to improve employee engagement and leadership in order to create high performing teams and organizations.
PLENARY SESSION 4: RECOGNIZING & NURTURING LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS OF THE ORGANIZATION
Moderator: Mrs. Audra Stevenson-Drakes, HR Practitioner, Barbados
Panelists: Dr. Akentoolove Corbin, University of the West Indies, Barbados; Dr. Philip Brown, Sandals Resorts International, Jamaica
This session will focus on recognizing and nurturing leadership talent at all levels of the organization. It will examine whether Caribbean leaders readily endorse leadership development within their work environments and how Caribbean organizations go about identifying leadership potential within these organizations. Consideration will be given to some of the key leadership skills that should be developed to meet the needs of the 21st century and the importance of the qualities of innovation and creativity in leadership development. The role of mentoring in leadership development and what successful mentoring looks like, as well as the cultural and other barriers that help or hamper leadership development in our region, and how to put together a leadership development programme for one’s organization, will also be discussed.
PLENARY SESSION 5: SHARING SESSION
This session provides the opportunity for persons from various institutions or organizations to share for a 5 – 10 minute period what tourism human resources programmes or activities they are engaged in that are helping to enhance the growth and development of their workforce or persons working in the tourism sector.
PLENARY SESSION 6: HEALTH AND WELLNESS
With the greater demand on our physical and emotional resources, persons within many organizations are living and operating beyond their limits, both physically and emotionally. Also, many individuals spend a great amount of time sitting at their desks and are not getting adequate physical exercise. As a result many persons are suffering from stress which can lead to many non-communicable diseases. This indoor/outdoor session will help to provide practical tips on how to keep healthy and fit on and off the job.
Comfortable clothes and sneakers are highly recommended for this session!
FRIDAY, 25 MAY
WORKSHOP: AWAKENING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE: COLOURING OUTSIDE THE LINES
Facilitator: Dr. Carolin Rekar Munro, Royal Roads University, Vancouver BC, Canada
Today’s workplace demands that we reach a new height in creativity and innovation in order to compete and excel in a complex, nonlinear world. In this highly interactive workshop, we will explore how to harness our own capabilities in these areas, and how to take a leadership role in creating a workplace culture that values and fosters creativity and innovation. We will also examine the top “innovation killers” and explore ways to remove these constraints, so we can live and work to our full potential. You will leave the session with a toolkit of practical and cutting-edge techniques and approaches you can apply immediately across your organization.
Please join us for this hands-on (and fun!) session which speaks to the needs of new and seasoned practitioners in the industry and encourages all of us to experience what happens when we colour outside the lines!