Era Kolaborasi, Bukan Kompetisi

Sesuatu jika dikerjakan bersama pasti terasa ringan. Itulah yang dilakukan pelaku industri MICE, di masa pandemi, tak ada lagi kompetisi yang ada kolaborasi.

Alkisah suatu hari hiduplah dua orang pemuda di tepi sebuah sungai. Masing-masing sedang sibuk berupaya membangun rumahnya sendiri. Berbulan-bulan berlalu, namun tak satupun yang berhasil menyelesaikan rumahnya.

Usut punya usut, keduanya punya kendala, mereka membutuhkan batu-batu besar dari sungai untuk dijadikan fondasi. Mereka hanya mampu membawa batu sampai tepian sungai karena kekuatan fisik yang terbatas.

Sampai suatu hari, datang seorang pemburu yang beristirahat di tepi sungai, ia heran mengapa banyak tumpukan batu di situ. Begitu ia mengetahui ceritanya, si pemburu hanya menggelengkan kepala sambil berpesan, “Masing-masing kalian paling hanya mampu membawa 20 kilogram batu. Namun jika bekerja sama, kalian bisa mengangkat lebih dari 50 kilogram batu.”

Bisa jadi keduanya merasa sedang berkompetisi membangun rumah terbaik. Tapi nyatanya, banyak hal yang mustahil bisa mungkin ketika dikerjakan bersama. Persis seperti pepatah, ringan sama dijinjing, berat sama dipikul.

Prinsip yang sama juga dilakukan pelaku industri MICE di masa pandemi ini. Banyak hal mendisrupsi pola bisnis mereka. Dalam diskusi MICE Talk yang tayang di kanal Youtube @MICE Indonesia, Marketing Director Kopi Panas, Aszka Arief Rahman menegaskan, “Sekarang bukan zaman kompetitor sekarang zamannya kolaborasi. Rezeki juga sudah diatur.”

Menurutnya, dampak pandemi ini dirasakan oleh semua pelaku industri MICE, jadi tidak ada lagi kompetisi dalam situasi ini, yang ada hanya kolaborasi.

Ia ambil contoh, misalnya ada Profesional Conference Organizer (PCO) yang berhasil mendapat proyek event, lebih baik mengajak PCO atau pelaku industri MICE lain yang relevan dengan event untuk bersama-sama menggarap proyek tersebut. Ini namanya kolaborasi.

Ya memang, di masa pandemi ini, penyelenggaraan kegiatan MICE merosot jumlahnya. Tapi bukan serta merta membuat pelaku industrinya menguasai sendiri. Kolaborasi dan solidaritas ini menjadi kunci pelaku industri MICE bisa bertahan di masa berat.

Harus diakui banyak pekerja atau pelaku industri MICE yang beralih ke bisnis lain di masa pandemi ini. Namun tak sedikit juga yang terus berjuang untuk bertahan. Toh sebenarnya klien masih ada, baik dari pemerintahan maupun korporat, hanya saja memang sedikit menahan diri.

Prinsipnya, dapur memang harus ngebul, tapi kalau dikerjakan bersama tentu berkahnya bakal lebih terasa. Tetap semangat pejuang MICE Indonesia.

English

The Era of Collaboration, Not Competition

It is easier to achieve something in a team than alone. That is what MICE industry players have been doing during the pandemic. There is no longer any competition. What remains is collaboration.

Once upon a time, there lived two young men along a river. Each of them was busy building their own home. Months had passed, but neither had finished the construction. Apparently, both were facing a difficulty. They needed boulders from the river as the foundation of their home, but they could only bring one boulder at a time.

One day, a hunter came and rested on the river bank. He was wondering why there were piles and piles of boulders there. Once he was informed of the situation, the hunter could only shake his head and say, “Each of you can only bring 20 kilograms of boulders. But if you work together, you can transport over 50 kilograms.”

It could be that both of the young men felt that they were competing to build the best home. But in reality, many impossible goals can be achieved through teamwork. Just like what the proverb says, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

The same principle has also been applied by MICE industry players these days. Many things have disrupted the way they do their business. On MICE Talk (which will be aired on @MICE Indonesia’s YouTube channel), Aszka Arief Rahman, marketing director of Kopi Panas asserted, “This is not the era of competition. It’s an era of collaboration. Our fortune is not in our hands (it’s in the hands of God).”

In his opinion, the pandemic impacts all MICE industry players, so there is no longer any competition in this situation, only collaboration.

To illustrate, he mentioned that if a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) manages to win a project, it will be better to work hand in hand with other PCOs or MICE industry players whose line of business and portfolio are relevant with the project. This is called a collaboration.

Indeed, the number of MICE events has dropped dramatically thanks to the pandemic. But it does not mean a certain party gets to dominate the industry. Collaboration and solidarity are key for MICE industry players to persevere in this trying situation.

It is hard to turn a blind eye to many MICE industry players or workers who resort to other lines of business during the pandemic. But there are also many who have chosen to hold on. In reality, there are still clients, be they from government institutions or corporations. They have just been holding back.

Indeed, we must keep bringing food to the table, but doing it together sure feels more rewarding. Hang in there, MICE Indonesia!