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
23 Aug 10 Tricks to Making Morning Meetings Merrier
Morning meetings can be sluggish, and may even be tepid by any measure. This is doubly true for Monday mornings, and triply true for Monday mornings after a three day weekend. Good meeting planners have a few tricks up their sleeve to make morning meetings less of a drag:
- Freshly ground coffee – Fresh coffee has more caffeine than the pre-ground varieties sold in most supermarkets.
- Energy drinks, on the house – Energy drinks are a great way to get people moving, as is coffee. Weigh the cost of beverages against the value of the time spent sloshing through a meeting, and the beverages usually come out on top.
- Lights – All lights should be on, not just most of the lights. This is true even when the sun is up.
- Morning radio – Start by finding the most annoying morning radio shows in town, but skip those that are offensive. Then, let the crew at the morning zoo antagonize your staff until the meeting starts. Everyone will be wide awake and thankful that the mindless dribble is over with.
- Open a few windows – Letting the fresh air in often helps, especially if the meeting room is packed.
- Set the temperature – If the temperature is too cold, people will naturally be inclined to start drifting off. Keep the temperature in the meeting room slightly warn, but not hot.
- Suggestions – Everyone has problems, but few people ask for help. Ask the boss to help develop an incentive program where workers can start meetings with some aspect of their job that they wish was easier to perform with some teamwork or with a fresh approach. Give rewards to the employee(s) with the best solutions to problems. It’s a win-win situation and a great way to get the creative juices flowing early in the morning.
Tags: Best Solutions, Beverages, Boss, Creative Juices, Energy Drinks, Fresh Air, Fresh Coffee, Ground Coffee, Incentive Program, Meeting Planners, Meeting Room, Mindless Dribble, Monday Mornings, Morning Meetings, Morning Radio, Morning Zoo, Radio Shows, Rewards, Supermarkets, Teamwork
19 Apr 10 Meeting Destinations without Passports: St. Croix
It can be a challenge to plan a last minute meeting in an exotic location. Not every convention member has a current passport, which makes St. Croix, one of the US Virgin Islands, an ideal location for your next impromptu meeting.
The Buccaneer Hotel has four separate meetings rooms that are perfect for corporate groups. Small groups of up to 40 people find the Beach Meeting Room just the right size. The Brass Parrot room is popular for banquets and presentations and can seat 90 guests theater style. If an open air, beachfront area is more appealing, reserve The Mermaid. The casual atmosphere makes this room, which can seat 125 guests, a favorite for incentive dinners.
No Caribbean experience would be complete without a visit to the spa. The Hideaway offers reflexology, deep tissue massage, and therapeutic massage. Soothing wraps hydrate and exfoliate the skin after a long day of meetings.
There are plenty of activities available for after hours fun. The Buccaneer Resort has an 18 hole golf course, with views so beautiful it may be difficult to leave the course. Water sports including ocean kayaking and snorkeling are a favorite with resort guests.
Think outside the box and inside US territory – book your next meeting in St. Croix.
Tags: Banquets, Buccaneer Hotel, Buccaneer Resort, Caribbean Experience, Casual Atmosphere, Corporate Groups, Course Water, Deep Tissue Massage, Hideaway, Hole Golf Course, Kayaking, Meeting Room, Passports, Resort Guests, Small Groups, St Croix, Theater Style, Therapeutic Massage, Us Virgin Islands, Water Sports
01 Mar 10 Typical Amenities on Cruise Ships
For those planners interested in organizing meetings at sea, you may be interested in learning more about the amenities cruise ships typically offer. Each year many companies host incentive cruises and other types of meetings at sea. If you have never been on a cruise ship before, you may be wondering what activities, facilities, and services can be found onboard. The activities found onboard a cruise ship will vary from ship to ship, but many cruise ships have a number of activities and services in common.
Cruise ships have well equipped meeting room facilities and other large venues to host your meetings and events. The A/V equipment is usually state-of-the-art and sure to meet all of your needs.
Some of the most well-known facilities found on cruise ships are dining rooms, restaurants, and buffets. Large cruise ships may offer a number of onboard dining facilities. It is important to note that many of these dining facilities are considered gourmet restaurants. In addition to a sit-down restaurant, there area usually a number of small eateries located onboard. Elegant dining restaurants are popular among cruisers.
Swimming pools, libraries, video arcades, and movie theaters can often be found on cruise ships. In addition, cruise ships generally have a casino. Popular gambling activities include slots, blackjack, poker, and much more. Many onboard casinos are open for business twenty-four hours a day. Gambling is a popular cruise ship pastime
Almost all cruise ships have onsite fitness centers, fully equipped gyms, and luxurious spas. These gyms are often similar, and sometimes even better, than the gyms found in your hometown. In addition to a fitness center, a large number of cruise ships have jogging tracks.
Tags: Blackjack Poker, Cruise Planners, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruisers, Dining Rooms, Elegant Dining, Fitness Center, Gourmet Restaurants, Gyms, Incentive Cruises, Jogging Tracks, Luxurious Spas, Meeting Room, Meetings And Events, Movie Theaters, Pastime, Swimming Pools, Twenty Four Hours, Video Arcades
26 Feb 10 Remember That Old Is New Today
Sometimes, successful business meetings are all about that old phrase: What's in it for me? Young employees and executives often enter into a meeting that is held away from home with a higher-level of expectations about what this magical new experience might deliver.
During the 1980's and 1990's it was rather easy for meeting planners to one-up from the experiences that people had seen before. Today, this is completely another story with the world so small via the Internet. Everything has been seen and done before, even if these younger employees have never physically entered a meeting room before.
With this information in mind, smart meeting planners are backtracking into hosting meeting events with ideas for activities and events that are all pre-Internet in nature. When you have a hard crowd to please, think about treating them to some past memories that their parents or grandparents might have enjoyed. These will be the exciting new experiences for everybody born after 1980 to enjoy.
Coffee can be boiled in old-time coffee makers so that people gain this new experience. A dial phone can be plugged in for the people who need to make telephone calls, and a potluck lunch can be planned where everybody is directed to bring their favorite foods to share so that the people who are making new friends and business acquaintances have something neutral in common.
For exciting new ideas, think old. This is the category theme that many executives and employees are not familiar with today. New and exciting simply means doing something different. Why not have your guest don their poodle skirts and get to work?
Tags: Business Acquaintances, Coffee Makers, Crowd, Dial Phone, Favorite Foods, Grandparents, Meeting Planners, Meeting Room, Memories, New Experience, New Experiences, New Friends, Old Time, Phrase, Poodle, Poodle Skirts, Potluck Lunch, Successful Business Meetings, Telephone Calls, Time Coffee
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