Econews issue 22 Juillet 2013 | Page 15

Numéro 22 | PAGE 15

ECO NEWS

| in english

The « Garden Show & Spring Festival » closes its tenth edition

The Garden Show & Spring Festival closed its doors after 5 days of joy at the heart of Beirut in the exquisite setting of the hippodrome park on Saturday June 1st.

More than 225 exhibitors received 23,000 visitors, who were able to admire the different garden settings specially planted for the occasion, as well as a myriad of plants, outdoor furniture and objects specially selected for the show. Numerous contests, exhibitions and events seduced and

Photo exhibitions, a floral arrangement contest, horticultural experts giving valuable advice, renowned chefs demonstrating summer cuisine, a spectacular tree covered with flowers, a garden parasol exhibition by famous Lebanese designers, a sculpture of a majestic elephant, numerous art and craft workshops, as well as many other activities made these 5 action-packed days at the heart of the capital an event not to miss.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Beirut Rose, which was baptized last year, celebrated its first year in bloom, both at the show and in all

Corporate communication is in danger: Risks and solutions

Jean-Guy Crebessegues Communication Consultant

Professor at ESA

I do think that corporate Communication is in danger because of the following five reasons:- We are living in a surrounding“ skepticism” due to worldwide economic crisis, unemployment, companies restructuring, and relocations.- Companies are aggressed by“ unrestrained criticism” from collaborators, politics and people in general, in reaction with capitalism overload.- Both events and situations are too speedy, and subjected to perpetual changes, which leads to“ destabilization”.- Due to social media, collaborators know all about facts concerning their own organization before any official announcement: Constant risk of“ misinformation”.- At the end, I often find messages with 2 or 3 objectives. A real nonsense since they throw readers / listeners out.

Communication has functionally changed

In the XXth century, communication was informative: it was in fact“ top-bottom oriented”. On the contrary, in the XXIstcentury, corporate communication trend has to be“ bottom-top” oriented, since information has to be shared and negotiated. At last, communication is poorly placed in the corporate organizational chart. entertained visitors while the Food Court offered the public tasty dining possibilities under the shady pine trees to the sound of live music.

This year’ s edition was quite exceptional in the number of specifically created gardens and in terms of the effort exerted by all the exhibitors to offer visitors exceptional stands. Other than the Art of Gardening section, the Lifestyle section was diversified to give visitors the chance to find everything they need to furnish, arrange and decorate their outdoor spaces. the public and private gardens where it was planted.

The Garden Show & Spring Festival has become more than an exhibition about the art of living outdoors, it is also an important rendezvous for the city, an international cultural, social and tourism event permitting Beirut to once again, regain its title as the leading capital of taste & essence of style in the Middle East.

See you again in 2014 from 27 till 31st of May, for the next edition of the show.

Pro-active actions: Upgrading corporate communication as a priority

According to my own experience, it is hard to form a consistent Communication Department, since it is either close to the President as his private field, or vaguely included in the Marketing Department or in the HR one. Communication has to carry a transversal activity, which means that if each Department will deliver technical messages to clients inside of its“ silo”( such as Marketing / Sales / Finance..) it won’ t have to communicate in the Corporate name. That will be the duty of the Communication Department under the direct supervision of the General Manager.

Specifying the mission of the Communication Department

While operating units share facts, Communication Department becomes a moving-platform in charge of aggregating exchanged information in order to deliver, to the inside and outside, a coherent Corporate Communication message. Besides, Communication Department should have to be more and more involved in negotiations to avoid social conflictive situations( see German model including trade-unions), and / or crisis worsening.

Recruiting a certain type of Manager

The Manager in charge of the Department should demonstrate the following capabilities and qualities: facts-oriented, energizing, open-minded, active listener, good facilitator, cold-blooded when facing crisis. Good wording and writing are a must. Respect of confidentiality & ethics becomes an obligation.

Regulating corporate communication v / s social media

In view of their increasing power, first do recruit a top social media technician / practitioner who intimately knows all about them, so that he uses the best appropriate techniques to enhance each particular message. Then, officially announce that the Communication Department is solely responsible for delivering in / out information in relation to corporate facts, objective, and policies. Any employee disclosing corporate news through any mean of communication will be subject to censure and eventual prosecution.

Defining one unique objective on top of each structured message

To avoid any distortion which may lead to your receivers’ drowning, start all your messages with one unique objective, and make it consistent all along your communication.