Is it worth the risk?

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”  Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Co-Founder

But it’s hard to do that in such a rapidly changing world. It makes the quantity of available risks and innovative ideas a lot vaster, but is the payoff really enough to justify the majority of them?

Time after time, we have the same theme arise in our research; companies who have realised they are not fully utilising and seeing the promised ROI on their investments; especially when it comes to technology.

Being bold is obviously important in any aspect of life, whether it be business or personal. But what about when it’s a case of chasing your tail to keep up with very demanding customers, operational pressures and inevitable yet unforeseen and unpredictable tech developments?  

The common story seems to go along the lines of this … the business case for investing in whatever bold move you are set to make has been proven and justified, as has the execution strategy and the ‘people factor’ has been taken into account. But what I have heard over the course of researching approximately 30 conference agendas across such a wide array of industries and talking to hundreds, if not thousands, of senior executives is that most have not gained what they expected from their transformation, and those who have, have not experienced a smooth road in getting there.

The biggest barrier; effectively embedding new technology and ensuring it’s being used to its full potential. Even if they achieve this, they’re up against a huge problem – it’s evolving so fast that in just 6-12 months’ time, the newest, alluring piece of tech will cause frustration over the fact the big project they’ve just trolled out has become ‘’second-grade’’.

A recent study released last month by DHL revealed 95% of respondents don't see full benefits of digitization.

Respondents told DHL two big reasons for the lack of results are 1) "New technology is developing so quickly that businesses find it challenging to keep up with innovations and best practices," and 2) "organizational challenges" prevent technology from being implemented properly, efficiently and effectively.

However, if they aren’t to take the risk and invest, they’ll rapidly fall behind. It seems to be a matter diving head-first and gaining experience/knowledge around the tricks of the trade in terms of speedy and cost-effective tech rollout and upscaling pilots, along with an eye for the most stable and important piece of tech that your customer actually cares about or will create long-term, sustainable savings and efficiency to your operations.

Written by: Gracie Fea

Originally from NZ, Gracie worked as a Broadcast Journalist for a few years before moving to London, and then to Sydney, where she fatefully came across conference production and quickly realised it was her dream role. Getting to speak with such passionate and successful people and create an agenda so that people can see themselves in other’s experiences, really spins her wheels.

She has a hunger to hear everyone’s unique story and really thrives from creating a platform for them to share these and help move their industry forward through collaboration.

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Innovation in the NFP sector for business growth

Being innovative means taking risks, hence why the term ‘innovation’ is not always synonymous with the not-for-profit sector.  Most not-for-profit organisations don’t see the need to innovate, as they often implement conventional ideas and outdated business models that worked in the past, rather than invest their time, money and limited resources into developing new strategies. As a result, the sector struggles to remain sustainable in a competitive environment whilst trying to tackle the important social issues they set out a cause for.

So how can not-for-profits improve the way they think and operate while remaining sustainable?

To begin with, like any other sector and organisation, NFPs must first accept that change and uncertainty is unavoidable. With drastic decrease in donations, changing market dynamics, technological disruption, social media evolution and the constant fluctuations in government funding are just some examples of the new normal in an already competitive environment. It has never been more imperative that NFPs now need to start thinking outside the norms and be innovative with the way they run their business. 

Some key areas that help drive operational sustainability in NFP:

• Keeping innovation simple an open

Innovative businesses are ones that improve upon established practices and focus on efficiency.  NFP organisations need to identify where innovation is needed by evaluating its value proposition, operating environment and business model.  Look at everything to see how you can set yourself apart from the competition. From campaign messaging, fundraising techniques, staff relations, even look at possible alternative services that can help be innovative if it brings something new to the front.

• Driving a commercial mindset

Commercial awareness in the NFP sector is about having an understanding of the business world and its changing dynamics. This can be achieved by donning the commercial lens which helps NFP organisations develop their unique selling point. It is imperative to identify the position you occupy in the social space that differentiates you from the rest in a constantly changing market.

• Changing culture and innovating from the top

It is inevitable that NFPs need to innovatively change their thinking model and mentality of operations. This starts with a change in internal culture and leadership mentality which needs to be filtered down through all levels of the organisation.  NFP leaders need to ensure that there’s a clear vison that the organisation is working towards while also ensuring all staff to work towards a similar goal. Once you have this leadership mindset, you need to develop a mission strategy to embrace and drive change, rather than shy away from it.

• Internal and external collaboration brings better results

Australia Post and digital giving provider GiveEasy commissioned a report into the Innovation Index of the Australian Not-for-Profit Sector. According to this report, working together internally is a great way to fuel innovation. The report identifies that successful organisations also look beyond their four walls, developing innovation externally and working across boundaries for a common purpose – the NFP sectors who perform best at maintaining external networks are Youth, Social and Public Welfare.

To know more about how NFPs can innovate their business, attend the NFP Business Growth and Innovation Forum scheduled for June 19 – 21 at the Grace Hotel Sydney. Leaders from some of Australia’s most prominent not for profits will gather their successful case studies on how to make an organisation stand out, grow and bring its staff with you on this ever-changing journey towards innovation and sustainability.

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Most exciting digital innovations of 2018

Digital innovation is a priority of the public and private sectors alike, with digital disruption coming fast and thick across industries. Technological evolution is confronting businesses and making them re-evaluate traditional business models.

It’s not even halfway through the year and there are already some exciting developments from 2018:

1. The e-health virtual assistant

The Australian Digital Health Agency is in the early stages of creating a virtual assistant to help users navigate the My Health Record website. ADHA is working with FaceMe to determine if the organisation’s data is compatible with the technology.
FaceMe also worked with the National Disability Insurance Agency to develop Nadia- a virtual assistant that helps the agency handle 8000 calls on a weekly basis.

2. AusPost’s Digital ID now accepted in Victoria

Victoria has become the first state to accept a digital version of identity proof in licensed venues across the state. Once the Keypass ID has been set up on the individual’s phone, venues will need to scan the QR code to confirm their identity.

3. Autonomous cars soon to drive Sydney roads

Having passed legislation to enable the tests, the NSW Government has announced driverless cars will be trialled across the Lane Cove Tunnel, Hills M2 Motorway, Westlink M7, M5, Eastern Distributor, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

4. SA’s L-platers are already using digital licenses

Using the my SA GOV smartphone app, drivers can present their licences in real-time- they even feature an orange or red bar at the bottom to inform police officers of expired or suspended licenses. The app generates a barcode which refreshes every 30 seconds to prevent counterfeit licenses being used.

5. Open Banking

The days of filling out forms with the same information at different financial institutions may soon be over, with open banking promising to simplify every day financial transactions. Open banking will make it easier to compare fees, charges and interest between different banks or insurance companies

Written by: Claire Dowler

Claire Dowler is a Senior Conference Producer with Akolade. She recently graduated with a double degree: a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Media and Communications Studies majoring in International Communication. Claire minored in sarcasm and puns.

A ballroom-dancer who collects salt and pepper shakers and volunteers for animal rescue, you might say Claire has eclectic interests.

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Why are you even talking?

If you look up the definition of stakeholder engagement, in its simplest form, it is a transaction.

But for me, it’s not about what format or what channels to use or how many times or who is responsible for the communicating. These are important components, and certainly should be addressed but in my view, the most crucial element of the equation that needs to be answered first and foremost is the WHY.

Why should I communicate with this person? And equally… Why would this person want me to engage with me?

To understand the why, our role as a chief communicator, head of function, trusted adviser, or whatever it may be called, it helps if we have an inquisitive mind in everything you do.

I’m constantly imploring my team to question everything. The ‘why’ – why are we doing this a specific way? Why have we not tried this before? Why have we not thought about this way or that…? Why are we still doing this? and the questions can go on and on.

Understanding the why is critical to trying to influence and sustaining effective stakeholder engagement. As we delve into the WHY, essentially what we are determining is the degree of value we are going to deliver.

So keep questioning. Never stop asking questions. If you don’t understand the ‘why’ then how do you expect to communicate the what to your customer?

I will always remember what a wise man once told me; the smartest person in the room is not the one with the right answer, it’s the one with the right question.

Written by: Joe Adamo, General Manager Public Affairs at AEMO

With over 15 years experience in the Public Affairs sector, Joe Adamo has built a reputation of ingraining corporate affairs as a critical business function that will help shape and drive an organisation's narrative and deliver measurable stakeholder value.

Mr Adamo has spent more than half his career within the energy sector, and is currently the Executive General Manager of Public Affairs at Australian Energy Market Operator.

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How well do youth fare in labour markets around the world?

Australia’s youth employment rates are beginning to show positive progress, with numerous regions across the country now becoming ‘hotspots’ for job creation and apprenticeship uptake.

WA rates in particular are ‘very encouraging’ and ‘demonstrate that the regions do indeed boast strong economies and good employers’, so says Skillset’s CEO, Craig Randazzo.

However, it’s always insightful to view things on a relative global scale, so let’s take a look at youth labour market outcomes in relation to youth participation in vocational education and overall education quality.

In the countries highlighted in green, less than 10% of young people are not in employment, education or training!

Now, let’s look at how these countries with strong youth labour market outcomes do when it comes to involvement in VET.

Almost all countries in this selection have high-quality VET programs that enrol at least 1/3 of all upper-secondary students. But what about overall education performance?

Likewise, almost all countries in this selection have overall student performance at or considerably above the OECD average. And the two outliers, Iceland and Luxembourg, have high rates of upper-secondary VET participation (previous chart).

While economic factors outside of education have an impact on youth labour participation, the impact of high-quality, upper-secondary VET programs and of overall high-performance for all students is apparent.

As the highest-performing country on these overall scales, Singapore offers compelling insights for policymakers in Australia. It certainly begs the conclusion that the mission for improving education in Australia should be informed by lessons from the world’s best and most equitable education systems, so that all students, particularly those who face the greatest challenges, have access to a world-class education.

The question is, are we doing this, and are we doing this enough?

Written by: Beth Hampton

I came to Australia in late 2016, having spent some time travelling through Southeast Asia and briefly living in Singapore – I was ready to embrace the lifestyle of a working Sydneysider!

I grew up in London, and completed my degree in Psychology at the University of York. I always dreamed of landing a job in the police, but figured it was worth swapping the handcuffs and late shifts for an exciting new city and a job full of fun and opportunity in a fantastic company like Akolade!

Love cooking, playing the piano, terrible British soap operas, an ice-cold G&T and exploring new places.

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Why being a conference’s last speaker is a compliment and opportunity

Many people would shudder seeing their name last on the programme, closely followed by ‘end of conference’.

The closing session of the conference agenda is no one’s preferred speaking slot but the last speaker is given an opportunity not afforded to the other presenters. In fact, the last speaker has the potential to be the most memorable and leave the greatest impact.

“I know I’m standing between you and networking drinks so I’ll keep this short,” is a well-worn line we become used to hearing as producers (I’m even guilty of having used it myself on occasion). What we don’t realise though is this immediately sets the tone of the presentation. Audience members are left with thoughts like ‘he doesn’t want to be here’, ‘there probably won’t be enough detail in this to be useful’ or even ‘she’s right- I wonder what canapés they’re serving.’

The crowd may have thinned slightly- some may already be at the bar getting the first round of networking drinks. But you can find confidence knowing the people who remain are those who are genuinely interested and, most importantly, want to be there.

Instead, consider starting your presentation with a bang. Public speaker and author Ben Parr does this very literally. In a presentation he gave at the West Coast Contently Summit, he reached behind a banner and with a loud bang released a party popper which spewed streamers over guests. Parr refers to this particular tactic as a ‘disruption trigger’- people react to things we aren’t expecting (which is also the same basis as what we find humorous).

But your opening doesn’t have to be so left-field. It could be a short video, a controversial statement or interacting with the crowd. Consider the effect it would have when the chairperson introduces you, the audience claps and expects to see you walking to the stage.

But you don’t.

The audience is somewhat perplexed, suddenly roused from their post-afternoon tea stupor, before you speak directly from one of the cabaret tables using a hand-held mic. You ask the delegates at that table what they are hoping to learn from your presentation.

Remember their name and come back to them during your presentation- “John, you asked how we measure customer satisfaction rates and this is how.”

Throughout your talk, speak their language and relate your content back to things they know well. Can you compare your marketing strategies to the way the Kardashians have grown their market reach? Your audience is interested.

You can fall into the trap of being the last speaker and accept your fate to be background noise as people check Facebook and doodle on notepads, or you can be the disruptive force that they talk about for the rest of the week.


Written by: Claire Dowler

Claire Dowler is a Senior Conference Producer with Akolade. She recently graduated with a double degree: a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Media and Communications Studies majoring in International Communication. Claire minored in sarcasm and puns.

A ballroom-dancer who collects salt and pepper shakers and volunteers for animal rescue, you might say Claire has eclectic interests.

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Why content is king

You've probably heard the saying "content is king" but exactly how royal it is, is usually overlooked. 

Let's put this in context. 

You’re lounging around one night, engrossed in the latest episode of your favourite TV series (think MKR or MAFS), and of course, the show breaks for the ads. Usually you'd whip out your phone and distract yourself with what's happening on Facebook (marketing people call this "double screening") but some ad catches your eye. Not because it's funny, but because it's a little weird. 

The screen goes completely black and all you hear is a 40 something year old voice-over guy putting on his best game-show host voice blasting a pre-written script trying to convince you to buy his latest product. 

Usually this ad would best for the radio… but weirdly, it's on TV.

Okay so this hasn't really happened, but I'm trying to demonstrate a point. 

You wouldn't put a radio ad on TV, it just wouldn't be right. So the same goes for your social media content. If something wasn't made for social media, why should it go on social media? 

I see this all the time - a video that was originally cut for a website, a brochure that was meant for a mailbox, a screenshot of a PDF.

The newsfeed is so competitive these days that this type of repurposed content will no longer achieve cut through. We all have hard KPI's that need to be met - usually it involves how many people the content reached and if you're working in a government like me, usually the powers that be would like to know an indication of sentiment. 

How can you track these metrics if you have no one engaging in your content!

Let me show you an example. Recently, we storyboarded and shot a bespoke three part video series to celebrate one of our assets, the 85th birthday of the Grafton Bridge. 

You can see the videos here: 

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

During a two day trip to Grafton, we developed this series heroing everyday "Graftonians". Nothing was scripted, my only brief to our talent *ahem* everyday people was to pretend we were at a BBQ and we were just having a conversation. 

Organically, we achieved 40,000 views and reached over 88,000 people. For a small regional town with a population of 18,668 people, this means that we reached new audiences and the content resonated with audiences wider than just the locals. We also achieved almost 100 per cent positive sentiment.  

To give you some perspective, before creating this bespoke content, we had only ever achieved views in the 10,000 mark and that's if we were lucky. By creating the piece specifically for social media, our content not only performed well, but allowed us to expand our audience. 

We did this by changing a few things: 

·         Language - we spoke in a casual tone, even though some of our message was quite technical

·         We featured unstaged, behind the scenes content

·         We kept our content short and sharp by making the audience feel like they were there

·         We knew who our main audience was and for each video, and we tailored our content towards that (for example the audiences for our third video skewed male because of some of the technical terms).

By making these small changes, we saw such an improvement in the performance of the content, and we have kept it up! Visit our page to see more. Facebook.com/nswroads

Written by: Debbie Hatumale-Uy 

Debbie Hatumale-Uy is the Social Media Manager at Roads and Maritime Services, a division of NSW Government. She has previously worked as the Social Media Manager at McCann Worldwide Group, as the Digital Communications Specialist at Canon Australia, and the Online Community Manager at McDonald's Australia. She is passionate about leading organisations into the wide world of social media, and spreading the importance of content in that journey. 

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Post show release: 5th Retail Fulfilment Summit

During the three days of the 5th Retail Fulfilment Summit which kicked of Australia’s inaugural Retail Week, more than 700 retailers from across Australia and New Zealand came together to be inspired by the 60+ pioneering speakers, who shared their stories on how to transform 360° fulfilment in the on demand era.

Opened by The Hon. Ben Carroll MP Minister for Industry and Employment, day 1 was focused on c-suite leadership and covered critical strategic issues facing retailers today such as cross boarder expansion, the Asian opportunity and leading the workforce of the future.  On day 2, opening international speaker, Sterling Hawkins (Retail Visionary & Co- Founder, Centre for Advancing Retail & Technology, USA) wowed the audience with dancing robots and insights into the new realm of technology powered retail fulfilment. What followed across 4 streams of content was a series of engaging presentations and interactive discussions from the likes of Rick Woods (General Manager, Costco), Belinda Hay (Trade Start & Project Lead Ecommerce, AUSTRADE) and Renee Gamble (Industry Lead Retail Technology, Google) to name a few. Lastly, a candid and insightful discussion from Brittain Ladd (Former Global Head of Expansion, Amazon USA) on Amazon and the future of retail, closed what was a content rich day.

Following day 2 of the fulfilment summit, Akolade hosted a first of its kind Retail Fulfilment Awards night for the sector. The awards recognised excellence across all areas of fulfilment and was judged by Andy Powel (Managing Director, Agile Commerce Consulting), Paul Greenberg (Chief Operating Officer, NORA), Luke Jecks (Chief Executive Officer, Naked Wines), Rick Woods (General Manager, Costco), Anna Forster (General Manager Operations, Lux Group), Jane Lu (Chief Executive Officer, Showpo), Sterling Hawkins (Founder, Centre for Advancing Retail and Technology USA), Erica Berchtold (Managing Director Rebel & Amart Sport GX Cycles) and Michael Donnath (Country Head IKEA).

With so many incredible submissions, the judging panel had a tough role, however the winners were agreed upon by all; Coles Liquor (Excellence in Best Store Based Fulfilment), BWS (Best Online Fulfilment Initiative), Showpo (Excellence in International Fulfilment), OzSale with Seko Omni Channel Logistics (Best 3PL Retailer Collaboration), Shippit (Best Fulfilment Technology), The Nile (Best Smaller Retailer), Sendle (Best Disrupter), Williams Fashion Logistics (Best Fulfilment 3PL of the Year) and Winning Group / Winning Services (Retail Fulfilment Retailer of the Year).

The final day of the event was kicked off by international speaker Bruce Harryman (Head of Network Planning, John Lewis, UK) who inspired and amazed the audience with the scale of John Lewis’ supply chain operations. This was followed by engaging presentations from Margaret Bosworth (Head of Marketing, Sealed Air Corporation) and John O'Loghlen (Director, Australia & New Zealand, Alibaba Group). Lastly, Martin Smith (Managing Director, Endeavour Drinks Group) wrapped up with his insights on the evolving expectations of consumers.

The summit provided an unparalleled opportunity for networking, benchmarking and inspired action-delegates leaving with a sense of empowerment. Next year, the Retail Fulfilment Show and Awards will be returning bigger and better than ever at a new location - the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Furthermore, due to our genuine commitment to diversity, we will be working closely with industry leaders to continue to boost female participation and would encourage woman in fulfilment with story to tell to please reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you now!

It’s been a fantastic week in Melbourne and we very much look forward to welcoming everyone back to next year.

Service:

Akolade

P: +61 02 9247 6000

E: info@akolade.com.au

For partnership enquiries, please contact marketing@akolade.com.au

Written by: Luana Clarke 

From a young age Luana wanted to become a teacher. She would line up her teddies in a row and teach them for hours on end. However, she eventually grew tired of their nonchalance and has ended up leading a team of producers instead- which she finds far more fulfilling and stimulating!  

Luana comes from an experienced production and management background. She has produced and topic generated events across Asia and Australia. 

Luana enjoys learning about emerging trends and drivers for change and loves the notion of the 'butterfly effect'- that change can start small but grow immeasurably through a ripple effect.

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