Ghent, March 2010 Plato Koopera

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

Program Tuesday, March 23rd Welcome Acquaintance What is Plato? Break/Outdoor Who are your Plato stakeholders? Lunch Critical success factors & Milestones (Preparation) Break/Outdoor Milestones (Startup, Operational, Followup) Break Diner

Program Wednesday, March 24th Morning walk How to implement Plato networks? Preparation Break/Outdoor How to implement Plato networks? Startup Lunch How to implement Plato networks? Operational & Followup Break/outdoor How will we further cooperate? Break Diner

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

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

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

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

Life Long Learning! MinervaPLATO GLOBUS, Compass Athena Kameracademie StartingGrowing Internationalisation Start Mentorshipprojects within learning networks!

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

Meetings mentors and group members Teambuilding SME groups: mentors and sme entrepreneurs 10Monthly sessions 2 network sessions PROJECFLOWPROJECFLOW Training Coordinors

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

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 Mentors Mentorcompanies entrepreneurs S(M)MEs Chamber of Commerce Other socio-economic partners

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

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

1.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 detailsdetails  General Plato concept General Plato concept  Plato Koopera implementation Plato Koopera implementation  …

Plato International stronger business together