F1 in Monaco

This year I travelled to Monaco with six friends to watch the Grand Prix. This was not the first time I watched Formula 1 live. Many years ago the Estoril track hosted the Formula 1 (1994 to 96). At that time I was still a student and I had the chance to work for one of the F1 contractors for three years in a row. Many years after I was keen to watch it live again as it is a different experience from watching it on TV.

The famous 5 at Gatwick Airport

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We booked this trip well in advance (I think November) to ensure that we could get cheap flights and hotel, as well as good places to watch the race. We arrived in Nice on Saturday afternoon. Nice, which is where most people who come to watch the GP stay, is 20min away from Monaco by train. Kevin booked the accommodation before me and when I went to book the same hotel, it was not available anymore. I then booked another one just a stones’ throw from their place. When we arrived at the hotel, I went to mine and Mike, Kevin, Dave and Nathan went to theirs (Richard and Daniela were stuck in the middle of nowhere after Richard booked a hotel 32km away from Nice!!!).

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A few minutes later they call me to say that their hotel… had closed!!! They did not let this affect their spirits and off they went to… the nearest café for a beer while trying to sort out alternative accommodation. As you can imagine, in GP weekend there are not many rooms available, specially in a popular GP like Monaco. Luckily there were a few places still available and they managed to book two rooms (at outrageous prices though…). As we sat outside the café, we hear a big bang! Just in front of us, a car had crashed against the back of another car!! What an eventful first few hours!! Having sorted out accommodation we went to ours rooms to get ready to go out for dinner.

Opps.... no hotel... no worries it's just GP and Cannes Festival weekend... I am sure you'll find accommodation easily... what about a Presidential suite for €2500 a night?

Nice is quite a pleasant city (except the taxi drivers who are there to rip you off!). The city is very pedestrian friendly and features a good range of restaurants. We headed to the old town where there are plenty of restaurants in the same square. As you would expect on a Saturday night on GP weekend, the place was very busy. Most restaurants serve seafood and they display it outside the restaurant to persuade passing people to select their restaurant. The night was a bit cold so we ensured that we selected one who had heaters. After a bit of hesitation, we finally sat and ordered our meal. I ordered oysters for a starter and a seafood kebab for main course. Both were quite delicious. The meal was accompanied by plenty of wine and with Mike making the choice, needless to say the wine was of a high standard.

Delicious Oysters

Saturday night dinner. All smiling... no wonder, after can't-remember-how-many bottles of wine...

The next day – Grand Prix day – we headed off to Monaco. The best way to get there is by train. I must say I was surprised by how efficient the system was. There are plenty of trains running all morning and each train has probably about 12 double deck wagons. As we arrived in Monaco mid morning, we headed to our stand. We had tickets for stand B, which is located in front of the Casino. We ‘checked in’ at about 11am, just before the Formula Renault started. Formula Renault (also known as Formula 3000) is the competition that provides access to Formula 1. A lot of the current F1 pilots are previous champions of F3000. The race was eventless… except where we were!!! We saw a spin, and two crashes.

Arriving in Monaco - View from the train station

Sortie pour la tribune B - this way please...

After a short break that we used for lunch, it was time for the F1 drivers parade. All drivers are put in the back of a truck and paraded through the circuit while they wave to the crowd. There was another break before the race begun and it was time for a Hagen Daz ice cream (which was delicious by the way). While enjoying our ice cream we could hear the cars travelling to the starting grid. The noise is loud, believe me. But this is what makes watching F1 live so different from the TV. As the race approached, excitement grew. I could not wait to see all the cars coming through at high speed.

Lunch time...

The drivers parade

At 2pm the race begun, first with the formation lap and then 78 laps of competitive racing. There were a few crashes and overtakes, but none was in front of us. We almost saw one – Barrichelo crashed after the starting grid and before the place where we were. We could still see the dust and the car being taken from the track, but the accident itself we could only see it in the big screen in front of us. The pace car had to step in a few times, making any time advantage redundant. However, since it is very difficult to overtake in Monaco, this did not lead to any overtaking… And that was it, the Red Bulls appeared to have ‘wings’ and managed to get the two first spots.

The dust from Barrichelo's crash... a few meters farther and we would have seen it!

Barrichelo's car being pulled

View from the stand

At the end - winners receiving the trophy in the big screen

By the end of the race, we hanged around for a while visiting other parts of Monte Carlo. We headed to the marina area to see all the boats that come to Monaco for the race. On our way there, we had the chance to see some of the dozens of luxury cars that exist in Monaco – Ferrari, Bentley and Rolls Royce just to name a few. We saw so many Ferraris that by the time we went through the Ferrari Garage we were not excited anymore… we had seen it all in the streets before. On race day the many Monte Carlo's bars and cafés are buzzing. Just before the Marina, where many restaurants and cafes are located, there was a party going on, with a band playing live music. They were quite good, playing from traditional bands like U2, Queen and Simple Minds to more recent hits. The party kept going for quite a while, but this was not a surprise given that most who were there were…. Brazilians! If Brazilians are around, you bet they will be partying. And Brazilians did not even do well in the race, so imagine if they had done! After emptying a number of bottles of wine, we headed to the starting grid area of the track and then to the Marina.

Spectacular views on our way to the Marina area

The street party

Everyone having a good time

The party full of Brazilians (otherwise there would be no party...)

Me and my Ferrary - the only way to fit in...

Another (beautiful) Ferrari

The pit stops area was busy with all the teams packing. This is a good opportunity to take a few pictures next to the shinning trucks. It is also an opportunity to look at the ‘behind the scenes’. This was not new for me as during the Estoril races in the nineties I had the chance of walking around the pit stops after the race, including entering the areas where they work on the cars. Still it is interesting to watch some of it again. We also managed to access the podium area and take a few pictures where the drivers had received their trophies a little earlier.

The winners! @ Monaco GP podium

One of the Ferrari's trucks

Although this weekend is about cars, there is a second show going on at the Marina. The number of large yachts is impressive. There are more like mini cruise liners to be honest. Apparently one of the boats there cost 25 million USD. These boats are use for VIP after race parties. They are owned either by sponsors or team owners. While we were there guests started to arrive and we kind of wanted to join in… if anything just to see how those boats look like inside. We hanged around for a while, took a few more pictures and then headed back to the train station to return to Nice. We selected a Vietnamese restaurant in the city centre for dinner. We were pretty knackered after such a long day, but we still had time for a good laugh when one of us (not me) asked Nathan how his 'Pecking dick' was (it was 'Pecking duck'!!!). That made it for the night…

One of the 'small' boats

and another one...

And another one...

On monday our return flight was in the afternoonon so we just chilled out in Nice, first enjoying a nice long breakfast at a café on the seafront and then lunch in the main restaurant area. The flight back was quiet and quick and by 10pm I was back home. A bit tired but satisfied after a wonderful weekend in Côte-D’azur - something to repeat in the near future for sure.

TV interview to the Brazilian Portal terra.com.br

As I mentioned in one of the earlier blogs reporting about my trip to Brazil, Anhembi Morumbi University arranged an Interview with portal terra and Jovem Pan radio station. The video is now available at this link

http://terratv.terra.com.br/Especiais/Homem/Esportes-Show/4566-294448/Londres-ouve-jovens-para-Olimpiada-2012.htm

As of today, there have been more than 600 views of the interview.

Brazil – Weeks 2 and 3

After Carnabeirão, I travelled to Niteroi to attend the XI Conference on Community Based Tourism. The conference attracted many delegates from some of the key tourism universities in the Country. The conference was an opportunity to meet again academics I already knew, but also make new contacts. A number of guest lectures have been pre-arranged for a future visit to Brazil, including Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro and Universidade Federal de São Carlos and USP (main campus). I am looking forward to visit these universities in the near future. While at Niteroi, I also delivered another guest lecture at Universidade Federal Fluminense to room packed of students and staff. I believe there were in excess of 120 students.

After an additional short stay in São Paulo, I went further south, first to Curitiba and then to Porto Alegre. In Curitiba I delivered two guests lectures. The first one was to students of Universidade Positivo. Universidade Positivo is a private university owned by the largest education group in Brazil. I was truly impressed with their campus. It is very modern and very well equipped. Besides numerous buildings that host the various faculties, it features a modern library a number of sports halls and two auditoria – one for 2200 and another for 700 people.

With Prof. Dário Paixão from Positivo University

The next day I was hosted by Professor José Gândara at Universidade Federal do Paraná, where I delivered another guest lecture to a packed lecture theatre. While in Curitiba, I also had the chance to meet by friends Zé and Cris (actually I stayed at their place), as well as João, another Portuguese friend. My last night in Curitiba was spend at a football match. The local team Atlético Paranaense played against Palmeiras (from São Paulo) for the Brazil cup. Despite the negative result for the home team (and hence very disappointed supporters) it was an interesting experience – in Brazil they do live the game at a different level.

Me inside the stadium - Go Atletico go!!!



The 'warm up' before the match in a 'boteco' close to the stadium with Zé (the one with the funny smile) and three of his friends

The last stop of the trip was Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, the most southern state in Brazil. I had never been to this state before – I have now been to 12 states in Brazil (one day I will be able to say I’ve been to all!!). In Porto Alegre I visited PUC-RS, the Catholic University. Their campus is also of a very good standard and the brand new library is outstanding.

All in all, this was a very productive trip. Besides the numerous meetings and the TV/Radio interview, I delivered 7 guest lectures to nearly 500 students and 25 lecturers.

Carnabeirão

I am a keen fan of Axe-Music (originates from Salvador – Bahia), which is one of the many music genres originating from Brazil. The success of Salvador Carnival (the largest street carnival in the world), which celebrates Axé Music, has led to the development of dozens (if not hundreds) of smaller scale events all year round. The one I attended takes place in Ribeirão Preto, 300km west of São Paulo city. Actually, I starting to write this entry by the swimming pool at the top floor of the hotel, which boosts a nice view over the city, though the city itself is nothing to die for… (PS. As I write this, two black weird looking birds land in the terrace to drink water from the swimming pool). This is not the first time I attend this carnival – I’ve done it in 2008.

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I have met many interesting people and yesterday I've also met some friends that I did in 2008. Some of them I did not even know they were coming this year too. Neither did they know that I was coming, so it was a big (and good) surprise for both of us. The weather is very good, it is 3pm the sun is shining and the temperature is around 30ºC. The evenings are a bit cold though, with the temperature going to the mid teens. I am looking forward to the second show by Chiclete com Banana, my favourite Axe-Music band. Yesterday’s was quite good, but I think tonight one is going to be even better as it is the last night of the event.

With Renato, who was dressed as a cow. Renato is the 'clown' who keeps everyone laughing throughout. The sign is saying 'another cow in the event'.

Very close to Bell Marques, the legendary singer from Chiclete com Banana

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In the middle of the crowd I met Carol, a friend from São Paulo I've made at Carnabeirão 2008

UPDATE: The second show was really good. After playing for 4h30m yesterday, Chiclete com Banana performed for more than 4 hours again. The atmosphere was amazing, with everyone singing and interacting.

The Carnabeirão 2010 crowd arriving for the last day of the event

With Tim, one of the organisers of the tour

Again, very close to the 'Trio' (Truck), where the band plays

Surprise, surprise! With Bebel and Estela, two girls who I met in the 2008 event

Two of the new friends I've made this year
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On Saturday lunch was at a 'Xácara' (or farmhouse) a few kilometers away from Ribeirão Preto Town Centre. The lunch was a Churrasco (or Barbecue), with grilled meat and salads served. Alcohol consumption was included in the price - the fruit cocktails were delicious, but one needs to be careful as the portions are very generious... There was a DJ playing national and international hits and mid afternoon there was a fantastic funk performance (another genre of music, originating from Rio de Janeiro's favelas). The MC was brilliant. At the beginning I though it was a CD playing, and to my surprise the guy was singing live! Very, very interactive, with the MC singing most of the famous funk songs. Needless to say, people did get in to singing along. I've made a couple of videos and will try to post them on youtube when I am back in the UK.

The 'galera' on our way to the BBQ

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"Tenha fé no azul que está no frevo..." dancing ‘cavalo mambembe’ song. Basically two of more people give hands and move the waist up and down. It is very traditional in Micaretas. Chiclete also sang this song both days.

And that was it, on Monday the 12th very early in the morning I flew to Niteroi in Rio de Janeiro state, to attend the Community-based Tourism Conference and deliver another guest lecture at Fluminense Federal University. I will post about Niteroi in the next entry

Brazil trip - Week 1 (São Paulo)

I am currently in Brazil on a tour to enhance the profile of Bournemouth University and the School of Services Managament among the tourism and hospitality academic community. This trip involves a series of guest lectures, meetings with ‘study abroad’ agents and the British council, attendance of the Community-based Tourism conference in Niteroi (RJ) and a number of media appearances.

The School of Services Management offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the field of Events, Food, Hospitality, Leisure, Retail, Sport and Tourism and is one of the UK's leading institutions for the study in these areas. Our Tourism Masters Programme is the largest of its kind in the UK, attracting students from around 40 nationalities. However, at the moment we do not attract many students from Brazil, perhaps because we have done little promotional work here. According to the most recent numbers, there are around 10.000 students graduating in a tourism-related degree in Brazil every year. In addition, as the Brazilian economy becomes more international, good command of English is a pre-requirement to get a job, notably with multinationals. The internationalization also requires cross-cultural skills and the international feature of our Masters provide an excellent opportunity to develop these skills. It is also a fact that a much stronger Real (the Brazilian currency) has led to the halving of our fees in Brazilian currency terms when compared to 4 years ago. All these facts suggest that there is an opportunity to attract Brazilian students to our Masters.

The first two guest lectures took place on Wednesday (7^th) at São Paulo University (East Campus). At the East Campus they have both day and evening courses and hence my host, Professor Karina Solha, asked me to talk to both groups of students. The first presentation focused on the future of a Marathon as perceived by its stakeholders. This presentation is based on Jenna le Couillard’s undergraduate dissertation that I supervised. The second presentation focused on the Gastronomic Experience of European Tourists in Portugal. This presentation is based on a series of conference presentations and journal articles undertaken with Professor Antónia Correia (Algarve University) and Carlos Ferreira da Costa (Aveiro University).

Both presentations were very well received and students asked many interesting (and some challenging) questions. In this campus they also have a hotel management degree where students learn and practice cooking skills. The chef who runs the practice kitchens prepared a surprise – Portuguese cabbage soup (or Caldo Verde), which we ate in between the presentations. It was delicious and very Portuguese. There was even Portuguese red wine to drink! (I had one small glass only… there was still one presentation to go!)

The 'caldo verde' soup when finished

Enjoying the 'Caldo Verde' in good company

With Chef José Roberto and Prof. Karina Solha after the second presentation at USP

The next day I delivered a guest lecture to students and academics from Anhembi Morumbi University. The presentation was about the future of a marathon as perceived by its stakeholders. The turnout was really impressive, with more than 70 people attending. The university did a press release announcing the presentation, with one of the key São Paulo state newspapers publishing it in their event calendar section (see below). The presentation was followed by lunch at the University premises. The lunch was prepared and served by hospitality management students. The three course meal was delicious and I had countless classes of pineapple and mint freshly squeezed juice – it was to die for! By the way, the presentation was about the Future of a Marathon as perceived by its stakeholders.

Lunch at Anhembi Morumbi Uiniversity

On Friday 9^th, I did a 30 min TV interview with Wanderley Nogueira for the portal terra.com.br and Joven Pan Radio Station from São Paulo, arranged by the Anhembi Morumbi University Public Relations office. I had never done a TV interview like this, but it was a quite interesting experience. It was very pleasant to talk to Wanderley about the topical area of the organization and legacy of mega-events. Brazil will host the two largest mega-events – The world Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 – and not surprisingly Brazilians and actively debating how to capitalize on the opportunity posed by the events. I will post the link as soon as it is available.

With the Journalist Wanderley Nogueira

On the leisure side, besides catching up with the many friends I have in Sao Paulo, this weekend I am attending one of the many off-season carnivals that takes place around Brazil - Carnabeirão. More about this in the next blog entry.

PhD Studentship - The John Kent Institute

Today Bournemouth University is launching the John Kent Institute in Tourism (JKIT) in a function in London. The John Kent Institute in Tourism was established in November 2009 through a gift made to the University by one of the world's leading tourism entrepreneurs, John Kent. This new BU-based Institute will fund a considerable number of PhD studentships in tourism research, starting with eleven PhDs over the next four years. The School of Services Management is respected globally as a centre of excellence for tourism study and research; it boasts the largest cohort of postgraduate tourism students in the UK and is home to the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR), one of the leading research centres of its kind in the world. The new Institute will complement the work of this Centre by attracting high-calibre PhD students to BU.

In 2010, the JKIT is awarding four studentships from 11 research areas. I am involved in the supervision of one of the areas as part of the supervisory team for the project entitled Consumers as producers: the dimensions of consumer-to-consumer co-creation in the event experience. A more detailed description of the project is shown below.

If you think you have (or know someone who has):

• outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years
• an honours degree at Upper Second Class (2.1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree
• an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum

and, of course, if you are enthusiastic about this research idea, I strongly encourage you (or someone you know) to apply to this studentship.

The application deadline for all studentships is 30 April 2010. For further information go to the John Kent Institute in Tourism page

Miguel

Project Description

Consumers as producers: the dimensions of consumer-to-consumer co-creation in the event experience.

Over the past ten years, many authors have emphasised that western societies have moved on from the 'service economy' to the 'experience economy'. The experience concept emphasises the importance of emotions and the meanings associated with these emotions. The emphasis has, thus, shifted from the technical performance of what is produced to the individual and notably the emotions and personal transformation that result from experiences. Despite the emergence of the 'experience economy', research within consumer experiences is still in its infancy.

From a marketing point of view, the design of products that encapsulate the features of an experience has been hampered by the limited conceptual understanding of what leads to a good experience. The general contention is that experiences result from an individual's interaction with stimuli, which can be divided in to three: the setting, the staff and other participants. While research from an experience point of view is scarce in relation to these three categories, the first two types of stimuli have been the focus of past research through the concept of service quality. The third category has been much less researched, despite its critical importance in the experience of certain product categories such as events and festivals.

Unlike many other products, events are consumed by groups of people who come together to celebrate, honour, discuss, sell, teach about, encourage, observe, or influence human endeavours. The 'social gathering' nature of events means that the interaction between event participants takes on a critical role in shaping the event experience. This interaction between participants implies that, unlike other product categories, the event experience results from both egoistic (the attendee as a consumer) and altruistic (the attendee as producer) behaviours. The recognition that attendees contribute to the construction of the experience leads to the concept of experience co-creation, which is explored in this research. Despite this importance, few studies have been carried out with the specific aim of looking at customer-to-customer interaction, as opposed to the co-creation of the experience with the business itself. Developed from a marketing perspective, this study will employ concepts of consumer psychology and product management to develop a model of co-creation in the event experience. A better understanding of the principles behind co-creation would greatly help experience marketers in planning for better experiences through influencing the co-creation process.

Thailand and Australia: Part I - Bangkok

I was abroad the first two weeks in February to attend CAUTHE10 in Hobart, Tasmania, with a stop in Bangkok on the way there to participate in international recruitment activities for Bournemouth University.

Bournemouth University is actively pursuing an internationalisation strategy with a view to attract more international students to study in our post-graduate programmes. The university has identified a range of countries where there is a tradition of studying abroad, one of which is Thailand. In the current academic year, there are around 90 Thai students at BU. The School of Services Management is one of the schools who contributes the most to this number. In the MSc Events Management alone, we have 7 students, around 18% of the total number of students.

I arrived in BKK on Tuesday (2^nd Feb) afternoon. After checking in, I met my friend Pim, who completed her PhD at BU a few years ago, and she took me to dinner on a boat along the Chao Phraya. The boat decoration was quite traditional which created an interesting atmosphere. The food wasn’t too bad and there was a dancing show which was entertaining to watch. Needless to say that at the end of the show all guests were invited to join the dance floor. The choreographies look easy, but they aren’t, especially when you have to bend your fingers backwards! Apparently, girls practice bending their fingers backwards from a young age and when at school girls, so that they can perform the traditional dance.

The next day was ‘acclimatisation’ day. There are 7 hours difference between London and Bangkok and it is a quite long flight (around 11 hours), thus it is wise to have a day to rest so that you deal with the jet leg and tiredness before you start doing any work. I used this day to visit some of the sights, notably the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace. Both are a work of art (the pictures talk for themselves – see below). The trip from the hotel to the Palace was made by Tuc Tuc, the motor tricycle that can carry two people. Thais are very business savvy and needless to say that the driver wanted me to buy half the city – first he wanted to take me to a tailor to buy suits and then he ‘advised’ me on the best boat trip (I am sure he would earn a good commission, the price was expensive for Thailand standards...). You just have to be prepared to say ‘no’ and stick to it when they insist.

The palace is located not far from the river and after leaving the palace I started walking along the river through food markets located in (very) old warehouses. These (very run down looking) markets were an amazing experience nonetheless: the smells, the textures, the people are so different from what we have in the UK (or in Portugal). I think I walked through them for nearly 2 hours. Half way through I came through a Peer from where you could cross the river by boat. I did it at the cost of...5p (or 6 cents of the Euro)... That’s what you can call a ‘symbolic’ price for western standards. On the other side there was another very interesting attraction: ‘Wat Arun’. The temple is a quite interesting work of art and boasts good views over the city. The stairs are so steep that you must be very careful when going up and (especially) coming down! After Wat Arun, I returned to the hotel to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the SPA.

Wat Arun Temple

Wat Arun Temple - Steep stairs

Wat Arun Temple - View from the Top

Dry-Smoked Fish Market

Thursday was the first day of work. The whole day was spent at Mahidol University. I was not alone, Pieter Funnekotter from BU’s International Office was there too. Pieter is the International Relations Office in charge of some of the Asian Markets, including Thailand. The morning started with a one hour guest lecture to students and staff of the tourism and hospitality courses @ MUIC (Mahidol University International College). The title of my presentation was “From Service to Experience: Event Managers as Emotion Engineers”. The audience was very engaged throughout and willing to participate in the discussion that ensued. After this session, we opened our stand in the ‘study abroad’ fair that the International College was staging on the day. The fair was quite busy with several dozens of students enquiring about BU (the fair was not restricted to tourism, it was for any area of study). The day ended with a meeting with the Vice-President International Relations of the University, to explore ways in which both universities can cooperate closer, including student and staff exchanges.The next day was spent visiting agents and doing some interviews to prospective students. This was an opportunity to understand in more detail how the recruitment process unfolds.

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Finally, on Saturday I spend the whole day attending British Council’s Annual Study Abroad Fair at the Plaza Athenee Bangkok Hotel. This is single most important recruitment event in Thailand and not surprisingly BU has its own stand there. While a bit tiring (what would you expect if you had to stand for nearly 8 hours!), I really enjoyed attending the fair and provide information about BU. The number of enquiries was high, with many of them about the School of Services Management, whether tourism, hospitality or events.

Me, Pieter and Pam at BU's stand

I was flying to Australia at around midnight on Saturday and could not stay for the second day of the fair. Before going to the airport, I still had time for a 1 hour foot and back massage. As you can imagine, after standing all day this was just very welcome!

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I really enjoyed my time in Bangkok and I am looking foward to return.