1. Plato Koopera
Ghent, March 2010

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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
Train to Brussels Airport
Arrival at Brussels Airport + check-in

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

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

9. Presentation: What is Plato?
Presentation Plato International
Some examples

10. The Plato Concept

11. 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

12. 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

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

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

15. P R O J 2 E C 1 F L W 2 1 Training Coordinors1
Meetings mentors and group members
Teambuilding SME groups: mentors and sme entrepreneurs 2 1
Monthly sessions
2 network sessions

16. Mentorship project MC MC MC MC MC MC 15 SME group 15 SME group 15 SME

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

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

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

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

23. Lunch

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

25. 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?

26. 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?)

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

28. Plato Flanders: Best Practices

29. 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..

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

31. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

38. 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

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

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

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

42. stronger business together
Plato International
stronger business together