We’ve had the opportunity to work get acquainted with Marney as we’ve shared a couple of restaurant clients with her.  And we social media evangelists always appreciate the thought-leaders who step out ahead of the crowd and closely examine the shifts going on in the business world.

HFTP is the Hospitality, Finance, and Technical Professionals.  These are people who work in and around the hospitality industry.  Anyone who has attended a hospitality industry meeting can appreciate that the hosting members go all out in the food served and service of the food.

So we leaped at the opportunity to speak to the dinner meeting for HFTP.  And we were rewarded with a tasty dinner and superb service.  Our hosts — The Convention Center — were well represented by the service staff.  Our bartender was Richard, and when next you encounter him, enjoy the good service along with a nice mix on the drinks.  Richard manned the bar throughout the evening, and he allowed no glass to suffer a drought.

Our table service was supervised by Stanya.  She was polished in the presentation of the food, and she was discreet in the clearing of the tables. A “shout out” to two people who made the evening a great experience.

For my part, I enjoyed the opportunity to make our presentation — the crowd was attentive and interactive with questions.  We covered the decline of traditional media and then examined the reasons that social media is pushing the old model.

But most importantly, we addressed that the very nature of the hospitality industry and the type of people who populate it fit well when matched with the leading characteristics of social media.  Hospitality is all about people , the experience, and the stories that surround both.  Social media thrives on personalization, authenticity, and engaging stories.  The hospitality industry is a very rich pool of potential content  that could be shared through the new internet tools offered by social media.

Thanks for Marney for inviting us to speak, thanks to the Convention Center for hosting the event, and thanks to Richard and Stanya for their professional presence.

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They just opened their new Bellevue location in the City Center building where Microsoft is going to be occupying virtually all of the building.  The restaurant is fabulously designed and very high class but not stuffy.  Anyway, I digress.  They are trying to introduce people to their new location and also their new luncheon menu.  We suggested they use Social Media (what else?) to get the word out, have some fun and let people know they are there.

So we set up a “Taste and Tweet” event where about 35 people (mix of media personalities/writers and large twitter users) would be tasting some of their menu items (which can be found her at their Chef’s Blog) and then tweeting what they think to their followers.  We don’t know how it will turn out but we know it has certainly created a lot of “buzz” in the media so far and will certainly be something others will want to copy – way to go El Gaucho, you’re the leader!!

My hat goes off to Chad Mackay and Kerri Lewis for being such forward thinkers to recognize you can take something that is such a powerful brand and mix it with the new revolution in communications, Social Media.  They “Get It” for sure and will set the bar for others to copy.  Regardless of how successful it is and how much press they get, the jumped in the water and will soon be the envy of many others – just watch.

You can follow the event on twitter by following El Gaucho Bellevue at @ElGauchoBell.  You can also check out their awesome food items at El Gaucho Bellevue Food.  Check it out – it is going to be a lot of fun and very entertaining.

Blaine

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Meet Kerri Lewis, Marketing Director for El Gaucho Restaurants (part of the Mackay Restaurant group).  When we first met Kerri, she was like most of the people we meet in marketing – knew something about Social Media but hadn’t spent enough time with it to know the best ways to use it.  This is very typical of what we see in both the audiences we speak to and our consulting clients.  McCann Erickson Bristol found that 65.6% of the marketing professional said they did not know how to use it for the purposes of marketing.

However, there is one big difference between Kerri and most of the other marketing professionals we meet – she knew what to do about it!  She realized this was powerful and that her organization could benefit from having a strategy and deploying it.  So rather than letting her ego get in the way, she jumped in with both feet and embraced some assistance rather than deflecting it.  Way to go Kerri!!

Do a self-evaluation of your own organization – is your marketing leadership friend or foe – do they get it or are they threatened by it?  You be the judge.  If they are like Kerri and Mackay Restaurants, you are part of the minority but fortunate companies and you will most likely reap the benefits.  If you are like the majority, your marketing people will do whatever they can to protect their ignorance and egos – not allowing you and your company to reap the many benefits Social Media has to offer.

You be the judge – is your marketing person or group your friend or your foe.  Let’s just hope their more like Kerri than the other 65.6% of the population.

Blaine

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