Plato Koopera Ghent, 23-24 March 2010

Welcome Short introduction Who are we? VOKA Koopera & purpose of next 2 days

Program Tuesday, March 23rd 09.00 Welcome 09.30 Acquaintance 10.15 What is Plato? 11.00 Break/Outdoor 11.30 Who are your Plato stakeholders? 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Critical success factors & Milestones (Preparation) 15.00 Break/Outdoor 15.30 Milestones (Startup, Operational, Followup) 17.00 Break 18.30 Diner

Program Wednesday, March 24th 09.00 Morning walk 09.30 How to implement Plato networks? Preparation 10.45 Break/Outdoor 11.15 How to implement Plato networks? Startup 12.30 Lunch 13.30 How to implement Plato networks? Operational & Followup 15.00 Break/outdoor 15.30 How will we further cooperate? 17.00 Break 18.30 Diner

Program Thursday, March 25th 09.00 Pick-up at Hotel de Flandre, transfer to Waarschoot 10.00 PLATO SME testimony: Sylva 11.30 transfer to Voka CCI Ghent 12.30 working lunch with managing director, Mr. Karel Uyttersprot 13.30 Transfer to Volvo Cars 14.00 PLATO Flanders, Plato Coordinator Mr. Freddy Cnudde 15.00 Plato major company testimony: Volvo cars 16.00 Volvo Cars, guidance tour through end assembly 17.00 transfer to Gent 17.30 Free

Program Friday, March 26th 09.00 Check out + pick-up at Hotel de Flandre + transfer to CCI Ghent/Oudenaarde 09.30 Plato Koopera management 12.30 working lunch 13.30 Plato Koopera management 15.30 Transfer to railway station at Gent Sint-Pieters 16.15 Train to Brussels Airport 17.15 Arrival at Brussels Airport + check-in

Tools: worksheet (formal) & thermometer (informal) Company name Business card Activitity, employees, results Thermometer Worksheet

Acquaintance Who are you and your organisation? (bring object + some information) Question round (person) Start worksheet (organisation) Expectations 2 days (meta-plan)

Presentation: What is Plato? Presentation Plato International Some examples

The Plato Concept

Plato history End 1989: Janssens Pharmaceuticals and SPK -> professionalisation of suppliers! Crossborder area Plato starts at Voka East Flanders’ Chamber of Commerce Since 1990: 1700 SME’s have joined the Plato Project in the Province of East Flanders. ( 7500 in Flanders ) 300 managers of 70 multinational companies participated Since 2000: Plato International on request of Flemish Government PLATO ISO certified Plato networks in Ireland, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Egypt and South Africa

Why do companies participate in learning networks? The entrepreneur has a NEED for information and contact with colleagues The project deals with BOTTLENECKS and practical questions But the entrepreneur has a LACK OF TIME AND MEANS For expensive and time-consuming trainings SME owners are responsible for EVERYTHING in their company: Finances management, HR, purchasing,, marketing, … PLATO

Mentorshipprojects within learning networks! Life Long Learning! Starting Growing Internationalisation Minerva PLATO GLOBUS, Compass Kameracademie Athena Start Mentorshipprojects within learning networks!

What is Plato? Goal: How: professionalization of SME owners management establishment of networks of SME owners Homogeneous groups of 15-20 Entrepreneurs meet monthly under the guidance of mentors To receive information and discuss management topics

P R O J 2 E C 1 F L W 2 1 Training Coordinors 1 Meetings mentors and group members Teambuilding SME groups: mentors and sme entrepreneurs 2 1 Monthly sessions 2 network sessions

Mentorship project MC MC MC MC MC MC 15 SME group 15 SME group 15 SME

Plato groups are guided by mentors Mentors = managers from large companies Receive a training: Develop skills in managing a Plato group Learn about SME practices Network with other mentor and mentor companies Steer the group monthly meetings Define topics Pass information Facilitate monthly sessions Give Individual assistance to the participating SME

Plato Small and Medium Sized Entreprises PLATO participant = owner or decision maker within the company Selection Homogeneous groups Receive at kick-off: TEAM building with tandem of mentors Tailormade programme for their group Networking with other companies Participate at monthly sessions: Get info Share expertise Get the possibility to participate in international business and info sessions Get individual assistance PLATO Alumni

Plato starts from the practice PLATO SME kick-off Creates TEAM Creates programme Monthly sessions Plato entrepreneurs discuss their everyday problems: Accountancy, Sales, HRM, Subsidies, Taxes, Communication In order to reflect on management issues Entrepreneurs gain new knowledge from their colleagues, from their mentors and from outside experts

Key players Mentorshipproject entrepreneurs Chamber of Commerce Other socio-economic partners Mentorcompanies S(M)MEs

Break/Outdoor Choose from: Coffee-break Short walk Explanation of: Spiderweb Blind square Flying carpet Shuttle run Minefield Warp speed

Workshop: Who are your stakeholders? What do they expect? Government Management Project leader Project assistant Sponsoring firms Mentors Participants Others…

Lunch

Expert interview: Critical success factors Focus & progress Informal Formal Willing to share competences Engagement

Expert interview: Milestones Preparation How to define & organise a Plato network? How to find, contact, select and convince major companies? How to find and select mentors? How to make a sensibilisation campaign for SME’s? How to select and (intake) interview SME’s? How to create SME teams? Startup How to organise teambuilding of mentors? How to organise a startup teambuilding with the participating SME’s? Operational How to conduct the network? (Workmeetings, Coaching, Plenary meetings) How to organise Public Relations activities? Followup How to followup the network? How to evaluate the project/network?

Workshops: How to implement Plato networks? 4 phases: preparation, startup, operational, followup What did we learn? (Best Practices) How would you see it? (12 questions, How broad & deep?)

Workshop: How will we further cooperate? Building and executing the network project Communication Meetings E-Platform Learning from each other

Plato Flanders: Best Practices

Structure, Proces, Stakeholders How is a Plato project organised? Organisationally Geographically How does a Plato project evolve? Preparation: Structure, Objectives, Recruitment & Promotion, Selection Startup: Training Mentors + startup SME teams Operational: Workgroup meetings, plenary meetings, individual guidance, communication Followup: Commitment, Resources, Observation, Reporting What are the tasks, responsibilities and areas of competence of all actors? Government Management Project leader Project assistant Sponsoring firms Mentors Participants Others..

2. Objectives Objectives of the project leader of the mentors of participants Instruments for evaluation and corrective action

3. Recruitment and promotional campaign Recruiting SMEs Brochure Mailing Organisations Municipal governments Banks and accountants Internet The press Information evenings Telephone promotion Personal visits Recruiting sponsoring firms and mentors Profile of sponsoring firms Profile of mentors Approaching sponsoring firms

4. Selection Selection of the project leader sponsoring firms mentors participants project assistant (Objective & Subjective criteria)

5. Training mentors & teambuilding SME’s Preparatory phase Content Resources Operational phase Teambuilding Exchanging experiences Coaching

6. Workgroup meetings Definition Preparation for the meeting (Projectleader, Mentors, Participants) The meeting itself (Projectleader, Mentors, Participants) Evaluation and progression to the informal part

7. Plenary meetings Definition Preparation for the meeting (Projectleader; mentors, participants, speaker) The meeting itself (Projectleader; mentors, participants, speaker)

8. Individual guidance Principle Practice Which questions? The goal of individual guidance The form of individual guidance Responsibilities of the actors

9. Communication Internal communication (operational & structural) External communication (operational & structural)

10. Commitment Preparatory phase: detection Participants Mentors Operational phase: measuring Quality measurement Quantity measurement Reporting Organisation/Government Director/Project leader Project leader/Sponsoring firm Project leader/Mentors Mentors/Participants

11. Resources Resources for the project leader (project & person related) the mentors the participants Projectbudget

12. Observation & follow-up Observation by Management Projectleader Mentors Participants Follow-up & reporting

Q&A Question time… Financial details General Plato concept Plato Koopera implementation …

stronger business together Plato International stronger business together