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RMGenius is an ongoing series of tips to help RMG Networks customers better use their visual communications. We welcome customer submissions. If you have a tip, send it to training@rmgnetworks.com.

After a few years of revenue slumps, a recent PwC study is great news for the hotel industry. The research predicts the highest occupancy rate in years for hotels at 62.2%. That's an increase of .8% from last year and the highest since 2007. And the news gets better as occupancy is scheduled to increase even more in 2014.

Another key indicator of success is revPAR (revenue per available room). For the fourth straight year, the hotel industry is seeing growth here at 5.9%. And this number is also expected to grow into 2014. 

Thought Leadership in the Supply Chain space is plentiful, and hopefully you are relying on a proven source of information for your Supply Chain decisions.

Manhattan Associates solutions, in their own words “enable organizations to create customer experiences consistent with their brand values; improve relationships with suppliers, customers, logistics providers and other organizations in their supply chain ecosystems; leverage investments across supply chain functions; effectively manage costs; and meet dynamically changing market requirements.”

A recent article and download from Melcrum features "five groundbreaking internal communication innovations." They've identifed these as the "coolest" innovations that communicators should be focusing on. 

They are:

1. Agile processes for improved planning: It’s now about being cross-functional, flexible and constantly inventive, so solutions can encompass the intricacies required by different internal contexts, while aligning with external communication.
2. Driving dialogue to enhance employee advocacy: Employees want to understand the big picture and why it’s crucial, and – importantly – they aspire to play a role in helping the organization achieve it.
3. Systematic collaboration to unlock better business results: Using a framework of five components – strategy; structure; people; incentives; and lateral mechanisms, i.e. “connective tissue” – brings collaboration alive in a meaningful way.
4. Shifting the social media focus for improved ROI: Investment in internal social media platforms has exploded. But while conversations focus on the technology and its features, rather than workflows and benefits to employees, many organizations have yet to exploit their full potential.
5. Redefined competencies for a new world: We’re now as much organizational connectors as tactical experts, required to encompass traditional functional responsibilities along with new competencies.

These are certainly worthy as they position the communicator as more than "just a communicator" but as a true business partner and facilitator. But I argue (like I always do) there is a sixth innovation in internal communication. 

InfoComm is billed as the world's largest event for professional AV. Next week it convenes in Orlando for five days of conference sessions and three days, June 12-14, of exhibits on the trade show floor.

RMG will be at booth 3369, in our partner Primeview's exhibit. Primeview USA will showcase its advanced digital displays, powered by RMG’s content management software and SDA media players.

Customers are the life blood of any successful business. But even well-run businesses could do a better job of improving customer satisfaction and the overall customer experience. I read in a recent ExactTarget blog post that Forrester has determined a financial benefit that improved customer loyalty would bring to businesses. 

That figure for hospitality? $1,364,000,000.

Count the zeros and that's more than a billion dollars folks. That's a number that any hotel or hospitality employee should want to go after. 

It's no secret that companies are using social media. There are countless reports about external use. But what about internally?

A recent study by Towers Watson shows that 56% of employers are using social media as part of their overall internal communication strategy. The study was pretty inclusive as to what counted as "social media." It includes blogs and social networks (obvious ones) but also included instant messaging and streaming audio/video. Those two counted as the highest percentage of use and overall effectiveness. 

In a recent article published in IndustryWeek.com, Mark Woodard, CEO of E2open, highlighted the 5 Traps Chief Supply Chain Officers Must Avoid. 

Mark does an excellent job of cautioning Supply Chain Leaders to (among other things):

• Quit relying on spreadsheets
• Be flexible and nimble and willing to adapt “the plan” on the fly
• Quit focusing on the “rearview mirror”
• Embrace the cloud. 
• Manage your supply chain holistically

Every week (or so), we'll feature an RMG Networks employee so that our customers and the digital signage community can learn more about who we are as a company. And when an employee gets the blog spotlight, they then get to select the next employee featured. The previous nominee Yan Lu selected this week's spotlight. 

Name: Leonard Wong

Title: Vice President, Technology Platforms

I joined RMG Networks in: June 2007

What I like most about my job is: All the great people I get to work.

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Currently live in: Belmont, CA

Family: Married with 2 boys (Dominic 4, Zachary 2)

If I were a superhero, I would be: The Incredible Hulk. Why? "Hulk smash!"

RMGenius is an ongoing series of tips to help RMG Networks customers better use their visual communications. We welcome customer submissions. If you have a tip, send it to training@rmgnetworks.com.

If you’re an InView user, there are some effective features to automatically draw attention to call center data using simple ‘Player Logic.’