ROUNDTABLE FORMATS
There will be 2 Roundtable Sessions per day for a total of 4 RTs in two days.
The first RT on day 1 and the last RT on day 2 open and close the sessions cycle and will respectively be the “Icebreaking Session” and the “Wrap Up Session”.
The remaining 2 Core Sessions will be where each table will get to work on a specific topic.
The Macro Areas of work for the Core Sessions will be Help & Support sessions and will revolve around several topics such as Growth, Operations, Tech Stack, Marketing, Safety & Guest Experience, based on the table members needs.
1. ICE BREAKING SESSION
Time: 50-60 Minutes
- Antonio introduces the first session, introducing the figure of the facilitator who will lead the session and what his/her role is. Then will pass it on to the facilitators and start the time (2-3 minutes).
- Facilitator: you start by introducing yourself to the group in 30 seconds – [Hi, I’m… and I work for…as… At (company name) we help you out by doing….]
- There is a Sealed Envelope underneath the table mat/block notes with 3 Questions and a “Do Not Open Until Instructed To Do So” label. The facilitator reveals the surprise by asking everyone to lift their mat/ block notes and discover the envelope. (“there is a surprise under your mat/block notes, please lift it and see what it is…”) Every envelope carries 3 different questions, so no attendee will be asked the same question asked to someone else at the same table. The aim is to break the ice in an interesting and unique way and establish a positive mood in the group, while keeping everyone’s focus and attention high.
- At your [the facilitator] go, they can open it and read the questions to themselves, then you [the facilitator] call one person at the time by their name on the badge, the attendee asks the questions to the person in front of them at the table by calling him/her by the name on the badge. Facilitator, you’re allowed to ask further questions to foster conversations (for example, if someone replies with a short concise answer to the question “What is something that you have always wanted to try but never did?” you can ask them “why?” to help them elaborate more.)
(3 minutes max per person – total 30 minutes)
- This is the Full List of 30 Questions For Your Info – remember, each attendee has just 3 questions:
CLICK TO VIEW FULL LIST OF 30 QUESTIONS
- 1. What’s one improvement or innovation your Company introduced this year?
- 2. To make things better, what could you let go?
- 3. How can you change your environment to make success more likely?
- 4. What are you most willing to strive for?
- 5. What makes you hopeful for the future?
- 6. How might you use your strengths to make a positive difference?
- 7. What one thing could you change to make things better?
- 8. What could you say yes to?
- 9. What do you appreciate about people who hold different views from you?
- 10. What’s important about what you’re doing now?
- 11. What qualities do you want to be known for?
- 12. Where do you feel like you make the biggest contribution?
- 13. How do you know when you’ve done good work?
- 14. What’s something you think you’ll get better and better at for the rest of your life?
- 15. What are the things that matter most to you?
- 16. What are you grateful for?
- 17. What was the last thing that made you laugh?
- 18. What are your top 3 experiences so far?
- 19. What do you value most in people closest to you?
- 20. Who have you learned most from?
- 21. What are you most proud of?
- 22. What strengths helped you get where you are now?
- 23. What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve successfully overcome?
- 24. What 3 positive words would describe you best?
- 25. What are your greatest achievements?
- 26. What’s it like when you’re at your best?
- 27. What have you done in the last 3 months that makes you proud?
- 28. What would you like to achieve with your life?
- 29. What’s a decision you once made that you’d made differently today?
- 30. What’s something you’ve worked really hard on recently?
- After all table members asked and replied to the questions, Facilitator asks then each member what is the thing they’re most proud of regarding this season and what are they willing to work on in the coming months. (puts everyone in the right mood – 2 min max per person – 20 min)- End of Session with a round of applause to congratulate the group.
2-3. HELP & SUPPORT SESSIONS
These are the 2 Core Sessions where each table will get to work on several topics at the same time. The format will remain the same for each session. You as the facilitator will seat at your original table and you’ll have different Property Managers/Hosts (depending on the assigned cluster) seating during each session, so you get to engage with as many attendees as possible.
Tables will be numbered. You will see which table you seat at each session directly from within the VRWS APP (that will be released a few weeks before the event), so please make sure you download it on your mobile phone (we will notify you as soon as the app becomes available).
The Macro Areas of work for the 2 Core Sessions will revolve around topics going from Growth, to Operations, Tech Stack, Marketing, Safety & Guest Experience. There won’t be one single topic on the Session, because the table attendees themselves will bring the topic they consider important to discuss.
Basically, attendees will bring on the table their biggest struggle in relation to any of these areas and a short debate will arise among attendees, with your supervision and guidance.
Time: 60 minutes
Timekeeper: Each person at the table will have a 5 minute time slot. Appoint one person at the table as timekeeper with his/her mobile phone timer and tell him/her to call the time at 1 minute left in the 5 minute per person slot.
- Facilitator: you start by introducing yourself to the group in 30 seconds – [Hi, I’m… and I work for…as… At (company name) we help you out by doing….]
- You call on each member one by one, asking to introduce themselves to you (and to the group if they haven’t done it already in a previous session)
- In 30 seconds you’ll summarize and explain to the group what you’re all going to work on in the next hour…[“In this session we’ll focus on the main issue you have with regards to any of the following areas: Growth, Marketing, Guest Experience, Operations, Tech Stuff, Safety, and more. I’m going to start with one individual” – and you call one in the group by name to ask if he/she wants to start and share his/her hurdle or challenge with his/her business in 30 seconds – “when the question is up we will begin 4 ½ Minutes of Q&A. If someone in the group has a thought or some experience/suggestion to share on how to solve this challenge, raise your hand and I’ll call on you, I will keep going back and forth and at the very end, I will ask you (the member who’s on call) for your single takeaway. Alright? So we’re ready to begin…give ourselves a round of applause! Let’s get started and…3,2,1 go!”]
- After the member shared his/her challenge you’ll ask someone else at random in the group to rephrase the question to see if all members understood it and the person who shared the challenge will confirm or explain the challenge in a better way.
- You can pick up someone in the group to answer first – this way you break the ice. Then you can continue by calling in another group member.
- You can foster conversation by asking: “who is also in the same position? What did you do?” or “Raise your hand who does A and who does B”.
- At the end of 4’ 30”, ask the member what the takeaway is. Then ask what the next steps are he/she’s going to take or what’s the action item. Suggest him/her to write it down if they didnt’ do it already.
- Repeat with every group member.
6. WRAP UP SESSION
Time: 30 Minutes
- Antonio introduces the last session, then hands it on to the facilitators and calls the time.
- Facilitator asks then the table member to take (3-5) minutes and write down 3-5 key takeaways from the two days and an action plan to implement those takeaways. If attendees want they can use the Action Plan following the Goals Setting SMARTER framework that will be given by Antonio to all attendees on the table – see sample here.
- Facilitator calls in one member at a time and asks them to read out their takeaways and the implementation plan (goals).
- End Session with a round of applause.