Gathered at the superb Laguna Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand, Herman Miller employees joined our valued clients for the 2010 Herman Miller Asia Learning Forum.
Fuelled by coffee and canapés – distributed like Gatorades to a marathon runner – our delegates survived the intensive 2 day, 16 workshop agenda, and forged a plan to achieve the serious ambition of “doubling our business”, despite a climate of economic uncertainty.
“We are not fair-weather friends,” began Jeremy Hocking, Vice-President, Herman Miller Asia Pacific, in his opening address; “We know how hard you have all worked to sustain your businesses during the economic downturn.”
On this note, Jeremy shared his strategy of expanding the product range to meet new market demands, ensuring the Herman Miller family would remain “difficult to beat”.
The Workshops: More Product — Broaden Opportunities
United in vision, a colourful agenda of workshops unfolded, presented by an all-star cast of partners and personnel.
“Marketing for Asia never looked more exciting”, declared Caroline Perry, Marketing Manager, Herman Miller Australia. A new campaign would address a new market, with initiatives including the ‘Reach’ newsletter, Herman Miller Asia Pacific website and blog, Facebook page, iKiosk, retail initiatives and more.
The focus of the campaign – three new major products – affirmed 2010 as an annus mirabilis for Herman Miller Asia Pacific:
Delegates were treated to previews of Yves Béhar’s Sayl Chair, and the Advo Chair designed by ITO Design Group, both of which are considered enormously important for the Asia Pacific. And by all accounts, it was love at first sight: Frank Di Giorgio from Living Edge responded, “If we can sell thousands of Mirra Chairs a year, the utterly fantastic Sayl will easily triple that volume”; Bhupinder Minhas, Head of Hospitality Sales, Marriott Asia Pacific, described the Sayl chair as a “perfect fit for hotels looking for a discrete, elegant solution that does not scream ‘task chair’”.
Equally well received was the Arras range. Designed by Herman Miller Asia Pacific’s own R & D team, Arras has already won new business and countless accolades. Architects and designers are clearly smitten with its vivid colour range as well as its flexibility in a mobile working environment. The preview of phase 2 Arras screens, task lighting and accessories drew an awed response. Success for Arras has clearly just begun.
Open Dialogue - True Insights
As we shifted gear to discuss future products and trends, R & D workshops became a test bed for ideas. Our ever-affable designer Marc Fong took a no-holds-barred approach as he crowd-surfed for ideas and feedback:
Will a whole new screen solution excite you and satisfy your market? How about new cable management options? How important are height-adjustable desks for your market? Are panel systems on their way out? Are desking solutions and hybrids in? How can we help you grow?
The opportunity to connect with our dealers in this way was invaluable. We listened hard and carefully to each response, gained extraordinary insight into each distinct market, and paved the way for continued improvement.
After Hours
After such intensive cerebral activities, it would be remiss not to mention of some of those hours spent in downtime, beginning with an acknowledgement of the warm hospitality and exceptional culinary experience provided by Laguna Beach Resort. We were treated to sumptuous feasts of Thai cuisine as well as a crowd-pleasing traditional Thai dance. With spirits high, we mingled, exchanged cards, and promised to visit Beijing, Mumbai, New Zealand, and add new friends to our Facebook accounts.
Finally, I had the pleasure of joining co-host Marc Fong on central stage where jokes and jabs and witty retorts had the crowd in stitches during quizzes and games. Congratulations must go to Niall McLaughlin from Living Edge who proved he had comprehensively combed our Reach newsletter with the answer ‘Irving Harper’, and in so doing walked away with a limited edition Hang-it-all. (For those needing a refresher, the question concerned the name of the Herman Miller logo designer.)
Conclusion
As we said our goodbyes to friends who had travelled from more than 10 different countries, we could not help but feel that we had accomplished exactly what we set out to achieve – a heightened understanding of what we do, a focus on where we’re going and how we’ll get there, and a deeper connection between Herman Miller and our valued clients.
“I am honoured to be a Herman Miller dealer,” said Hong Lyoul Lee, Vice President of Gareem, Korea;
“I have fallen in love with Herman Miller again – It feels like the beginning of a new era and I am so proud that I will be part of this history,” responded Umesh Munot, CEO Workrite, India.
So get ready, tighten your seat belts and let's drive forward to double our business – together.
