18 Feb 11 When Did Fun Become a Dirty Word?
Over the past couple of years, economic conditions and the state of the business world have created a corporate culture for many companies where a fun and relaxed atmosphere was “outlawed”. Any resemblances of fun or enjoyment were viewed as lack of focus or dedication. In the end, employee morale suffered and stress levels rose to new heights.
More and more, research is proving that FUN can actually be a good thing for the overall health of a company. As Maureen McKeon quotes in her article How to get from good to great – the shocking truth, “an increasing body of research demonstrates that when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and communication — leading to lower turnover, higher morale and a stronger bottom line.”
For event and meeting planners, fun translates into greater participation and increased overall satisfaction from attendees. After all, who wants to sit all day in a cold, sterile meeting room listening to one monotonous session after another then lunching on the infamous rubber chicken? Instead, try spicing things up with exotic locations, fine dining, and a bevy of recreational activities to keep the “juices flowing”. Hosting a corporate function on a cruise ship might just be an ideal, economic way to inject FUN into a stale program and create excitement before it even begins.
It’s time to put the fun back in FUNction and remember…nobody ever complains when they’re having a good time!
Tags: Bevy, Business World, Corporate Culture, Cruise Ship, Dirty Word, Economic Conditions, Employee Morale, Employee Trust, Fine Dining, Having A Good Time, Juices, Mckeon, Mdash, Meeting Planners, Meeting Room, Recreational Activities, Relaxed Atmosphere, Rubber Chicken, Shocking Truth, Stress Levels
31 Mar 10 Cabin Rentals and Team Building
With warm weather approaching, spring fever is bound to begin to surface in the business world. As soon as time “springs forward,” people begin to get a bit restless. More hours of daylight is an external signal that spring is close. It may be time to get staff together and take them on a well-deserved getaway that combines business with pleasure. There are locations from one coast to the other in the United States that offer cabin rentals that can accommodate almost any size group.
Cabin rentals offer a unique team building experience. Not only does the setting offer the best of natural beauty, withdrawing to a secluded area takes advantage of a restful and naturally intimate atmosphere. It may be easier to attribute team bonding to a tug-of-war contest; however, sharing the same living space has a humanizing effect on co-workers. There’s nothing quite like bed head and making that first cup of coffee as leveling experiences. Cooperation encourages team bonding, and that includes keeping the cabin tidy or making sure your cabin mate is up on time. Shared conversation in front of a fire, inside or outside a cabin, is a bonding experience on a primal level. Cabins are more naturally intimate and conducive to bringing people together than generic hotel rooms.
Tags: Business World, Cabin Rentals, Co Workers, Cooperation, Cup Of Coffee, External Signal, Getaway, Hotel Rooms, Hours Of Daylight, Intimate Atmosphere, Living Space, Mate, Natural Beauty, Pleasure, Primal Level, Size Group, Spring Fever, Team Building, Tug Of War, Warm Weather
23 Jul 09 Doing Your Part for the Economy–Stay a Planner!
With meetings being canceled left and right and critics pointing fingers everywhere but at themselves, it’s hard to justify sticking with it. Planners in every field are suffering, including festival and wedding planners. The world is a hotbed of anxiety and judgmental voices seem to take up residence in everyone’s head these days.
However, if you are a meeting planner who wants to make a difference, the best thing you can do is stay where you are and help our industry regain its rightful place in the business world. There are some things you can do to motivate yourself to stay with it through the tough times. (more…)
Tags: Admiration, Anxiety, Bailout, Business World, Employee Education, Employee Retention, Government Expectations, Help Companies, Hotbed, Meeting Planner, Pointing Fingers, Positive Image, Productivity, Special Offers, Successful Relationships, Tough Times, Transparency, Voices, Web Conference, Wedding Planners
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