1. Ghent, 23-24 March 2010 Plato Koopera

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 16.15 Train to Brussels Airport 17.15 Arrival at Brussels Airport + check-in

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

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? 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

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

14. What is Plato?  Goal:  professionalization of SME owners management  How:  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

15. Meetings mentors and group members Teambuilding SME groups: mentors and sme entrepreneurs 10Monthly sessions 2 network sessions PROJECFLOWPROJECFLOW Training Coordinors 20102010 20112011

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

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

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

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. 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..

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

42. Plato International stronger business together