All in Place Communications and Event Planning
www.allinplace.ca

In my blog this month, I want to share with you a few suggestions for your next teambuilding experience and/or event being held in Chicago or Toronto. There are so many ways to be creative and stand out from your competition. Hopefully the following will help you in some way!

Chicago:

Remember the days of camping when you were a kid? Organize a Camp Corporate Event; a unique teambuilding experience in the fresh, outdoors landscape. http://www.corpevent.com/

Why not plan a mobile pub crawl aboard a 16-seat Pedal Pub; a big Dutch-made bike. This will bring back good ol’ memories of pub crawls from your university or college days! chicago.pedalpub.com

Looking to hold a unique corporate or social event this May? Joie de Vivre’s first Chicago property, Hotel Lincoln, will open its rooftop bar and event space, just in time for summer! www.hotellincolnchicago.com

Consider trying a different catering choice for your next team meeting. Call on Food Truck DuckNRoll specializing in bánh mì sandwiches. Food trucks are all the craze now; providing healthier choices than the well-known French Fry truck (which is nothing wrong in itself!). www.ducknrolltruck.com

Instead of the usual attraction park discount tickets or annual corporate summer picnic, Lollapalooza is returning to Grant Park from August 3rd – 5th, 2012. Corporate group passes can be bought for the Lolla Lounges. www.lollapalooza.com

T’is the season for BBQ! After a day of teambuilding exercises or as an event party favour, reward them with barbecue sauces or sets from Lillie Q’s. www.lilliesq.com

Toronto:

One way to get your team fired up is by attending the “Iron Chef BBQ Challenge” held at the Canadian Outback. Teams are broken out to create a meal over an outdoor grill. www.canadianoutback.com

Need a large venue space for your next outdoor special occasion? Williams Landing, the newest addition to Liberty Village, is opening a 3,000 square-foot patio. www.williamslanding.ca

Every team meeting or conference needs a healthy afternoon break to recharge. The Power Station from Taste Culinary Inc., does just that with its selection of healthy snack choices. www.tasteculinary.ca

Appreciate the arts for the backdrop of your next event! The Picasso Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario is offering a $60 per person package for tickets and wine and cheese at AGO’s Frank restaurant. www.ago.net

Perfect for the young and old at heart! Handmade marshmallows, available in custom packaging, from Bobbette and Belle, is a great giveaway for outdoor, camp-themed teambuilding exercises. www.bobbetteandbelle.com

Source: BizBash Toronto Magazine, March/April 2012. www.bizbash.com

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All in Place Communications and Event Planning

www.allinplace.ca

Social Service Agencies like Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and Shelters continually need volunteers throughout the year, not just for special holiday times like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why not encourage your staff and organize half days where teams go in and volunteer their time to give back to the business community they operate in? This is a great way for employees to engage with one another while helping out those less fortunate within their community.

We’ve all organized food and toy drives…how about a business clothing drive? We all have business clothes (i.e. shirts, ties, blouses, dress pants, etc.) that are gently-used that we have outgrown or don’t fit us properly anymore. I recently purged my closet with my husband and we collected a bag worth of business clothes that no longer fit or suit us. Instead of donating to consignment stores this time, donate them to non-profit organizations (i.e. Goodwill or Salvation Army) that run career centers and employment services and workshops for those looking for jobs. These donated clothing items will provide the clients of these organizations to “dress to impress”. Especially during the first few weeks on the new job as well as when the clients are going for interviews. This will help clients with one less worry of where they’ll find the money to “look the part” that they need to succeed. The clothing will be one less concern for the registrants benefiting from such employment programs.

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All in Place Communications and Event Planning

www.allinplace.ca

Happy New Year! 2012 brings a wealth of new opportunities and chances – it’s up to you on how you can or will seize them to your full advantage.

For those trying to find creative ways to engage your employees, why not try offering Corporate Acting Workshops. The November/December 2011 issue of Meetings + Incentive Travel (MeetingsCanada.com), mentions “the craft of acting requires skill sets that also apply to the business world.” Poise, communication, creative decision-making, concentration, single-mindedness are all attributes necessary in the acting and business worlds. When you spell it out like that, it makes for a great innovative way of enhancing employees’ overall skills and abilities.

Acting skills help you deal with how to react in crisis situations, better communicate with your coworkers and strengthen teambuilding practices; all leading to a better, overall work environment.

So why not offer an innovative alternative to the typical corporate meeting or retreat by offering acting workshops! This would be a great way to enhance employees’ abilities and skills in fun yet productive creative exercises.

Start organizing your acting workshops by contacting your city’s acting school or theatre organization. They can work with you to create corporate acting classes tailored to your specific business needs. Another resource would also be contacting comedy organizations. They often provide workshops, in improv or presentation skills (the two most crucial skills needed to thrive successfully within the corporate world) that can relate to corporate groups.

Not only is this a creative way to motivate a group, it’s a fun and different activity that will get employees excited to attend instead of their usual corporate meetings where sometimes what they look forward to the most is their snack breaks!

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All in Place Communications and Event Planning

www.allinplace.ca

T’is the season of giving back and being grateful for all the blessings in our lives. Companies are busy sending Christmas cards and delivering corporate gifts to their customers and suppliers. Those are all important business functions, but, let’s not to forget to engage the employees and give back to the business community it operates in.

When planning your Holiday Party this year, why not incorporate giving back to your community somehow. You have all these guests in attendance; this is a great opportunity for them to contribute in some small shape or form. Encourage a toy and/or food drive – every guest that brings either or both will receive a draw ticket towards company swag. They’ll be giving to a worthy cause and in return be rewarded with something that proudly shows them where they work.

I know of a non-profit organization that does something year round to help a family in need at Christmas time. Casual Fridays are held year long where employees are encouraged to make a monetary donation (whatever they are comfortable with) and in turn, all the funds are collected at year-end to buy necessities and gifts for the entire family. What a smart team effort!

We all have closets of gently-used winter clothes, coats, mitts/gloves, hats and scarves that we have outgrown. Why not run a winter clothing drive in the months of November/December (even in January) and then donate as an organization to a shelter or family agency that will distribute to those who can benefit most from this generosity.

Finally, some offices run a Secret Santa exchange for gifts under a certain amount. Instead of getting stuck with another mug or gadget that will collect dust, collect $10 from each employee and make a donation to a reputable charity or hospital foundation. During your Christmas luncheon, invite a representative from that particular charity or foundation and present them with a company cheque. This will instill a sense of pride in your employees knowing they are helping those in their community.

There are so many creative ways to engage your employees and at the
same time, being socially responsible to the community it is surrounded by. Get out there this Holiday season and do your part to give back!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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All in Place Communications and Event Planning

www.allinplace.ca

So I took the summer off from blogging but now I`m back again. Hope you all had a great summer and are ready to embrace Fall; the crisp, cool air and wearing fuzzy sweaters again. Goodbye sweet summer, hello Autumn!

I recently participated in a Teambuliding Day full of activities that tested our teamwork attitudes and overall thinking abilities. I must say it made me face a few things about myself that I didn`t realize (or maybe did not want to realize).

One particular activity stuck with me. Our overall group consisted of 25 and each one of us were supposed to climb up a ladder tied to a tree. We had to walk up 5 steps, and with our backs turned, we had to fall back into the waiting arms and hands of our group members/teammates. First of all, I have a fear of heights. Second of all, it was hard for me to just to fall back despite their words of encouragement. Maybe, it is a control issue, maybe a trust issue, maybe a little of both. Some group members did the “Nestea plunge” flawlessly while others struggled a few seconds before they released themselves off the ladder (as I did). I was surprised at how emotional some became (including myself) from allowing themselves to fall back onto their teammates’ arms and hands. For some of us, our eyes glistened with relief and satisfaction that we were standing on the ground with our own two feet again.

But, this particular teambuilding activity bothered me for a few days. So I asked some of my closest friends on whether they had ever taken the backward plunge into their colleagues` arms. They had, but they too experienced hesitation and fear into “letting themselves go” into their awaiting arms. It is a difficult thing to do – relinquish complete trust and face fear.

In the end though, I was able to complete the plunge. We were given the option to opt out and I`m glad that I didn`t. Yes, it was an unnerving experience but it made me look at what I need to do to improve myself to keep growing as a professional and team player.

Do you think you could have done it without some hesitation? Have you ever done this teambuilding activity?

Comment below about your experiences; I’d love to hear about them.

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All in Place Communications and Event Planning

www.allinplace.ca

Recently on Twitter, I came across a unique teambuilding experience, Yoga in the Vineyard (www.yogainthevineyard.ca).  A number of Yoga and Wine events have been held at local wineries within the Niagara region. What a great idea!

It may sound that it is geared mainly towards women; however, men are starting to take notice of the overall health benefits of practicing yoga too. Combine meditation and yoga with the indulgence of wine – sounds very relaxing!

What a great way to motivate a group – whether a girls’ outing or a sales team – it will help those individuals appreciate slowing down their everyday pace. Yoga is defined as ‘an integrated practice which brings all aspects of self – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – into balance’.  More and more, it is important for us to tune into what our bodies are telling us (especially sneaking in a power weekend nap after a long work week); the power of yoga can help refresh those tired minds and make them productive once again. Introducing another de-stressor method such as yoga may help co-workers to sign-up or better yet, practice together.

Yoga is therapeutic, self-rewarding and helps ground you to free your mind from the “go-go-go” of it all.

Let’s make a toast to that!

You can follow me on Twitter, @AllinPlace_Comm as well as Yoga in the Vineyard, @Vineyard_Yoga

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I’ve been doing quite a bit of spying lately, in search of social media best practices among organizations.

While there’s some good stuff out there, the social landscape is littered with examples of what not to do.

If your social media initiatives are not yielding proof of engagement — sharing, comments, likes, and/or click-throughs — you’re probably not going about it in the right way.

Five Social Media Things You May Be Doing Wrong

Here are five things that you may be doing wrong.

1. Clogging the stream.

Are you integrating your Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook posts so the exact same message appears on two or more platforms? Are your posts unscheduled or all within a matter of seconds? Those are two big no-no’s.

Each social media platform has different audiences, requiring individual engagement strategies. Take the time to make each post on each platform relevant or you will be hidden, ignored, disliked or simply not followed. If you are pushing out multiple posts, space them at least an hour apart.

2. Being self-centered.

If more than 25% of your posts promote your offerings and share content you’ve developed, you’re going to smell like spam. Instead, you should be curating lots of helpful content from other sources and having real conversations. If your community views you as being helpful and living your mission by providing educational value (regardless of the source), you’ll reap big-time benefits.

3. Hiding behind your logo.

In the social media space, people want to interact with people, not brands. This one’s tough. Most organizations use their logo, but that’s so 2007!

Make your social media platforms more human by including the people behind the logo. Feature their profiles. Have them participate in ongoing conversations. Some off-topic discussions that can be loosely tied to your industry also help humanize your social media efforts.

4. Not answering the social phone.

If a member of your community asks a question or posts helpful information, it’s your job to make sure that they get a timely answer or are thanked for contributing. It’s neighborly!

The same standard operating procedures you have in place for returning phone calls or emails should apply to your social media engagement. There’s no difference.

5. Over- or under-policing.

Most organizations are loosening the reigns and opening up their social media pages and groups to a wider audience. If you limit access, you run the risk of disenchanting future customers.

On the other hand, if you don’t make sure that your sites are sales-free zones, you’ll scare away the community members you want most. Your best play is to accept all, follow back on most, and establish posting guidelines that your members can help enforce.

A strong and open Facebook page or LinkedIn group has huge SEO (search engine optimization) value.

Adapted from Dave’s People & Processes column in PCMA’s June edition of Convene. Reprinted with permission of Convene, the magazine of the Professional Convention Management Association. © 2011.

What other social media don’ts would you add to this list? What irks you the most that some organizations do in social media?

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The recent Earth Hour and Earth Day inspired me to write this Blog entry about the importance of incorporating ‘green’ and sustainable solutions and alternatives into the event planning process.

The actions involved in preserving the environment are the essence of a team-building activity. Today, more and more companies are looking for ‘green’ initiatives to become more socially-responsible to the overall global environment.

Tim Hortons has encouraged its employees to give back to the business community by hosting an annual clean-up day. At Toronto’s KPMG LLP, volunteer employees have implemented recycling programs (including cellphones and eyeglasses), moved to fair-trade coffee and replaced bottle water with filtered water. The employees at Nature’s Path Food Inc., in Richmond, British Columbia maintain a large organic staff garden with composting bins and an outdoor eating area.

With summer around the corner, companies looking for new teambuilding ideas have many to choose from. Instead of the usual corporate summer picnic, why not embrace ‘mother nature’ and help clean-up the world we live in. Approach your local City Council or Charities to see what parks and facilities could use a ‘refreshing makeover’. Your employee group could help clean, build or landscape a local children’s playground or retirement living home. Or paint over graffiti covered walls with a coat of eco-friendly paint, or better yet an earth-inspired mural. And for their efforts, treat them to an all-organic, locally-grown lunch served with eco-friendly bamboo utensils and disposables. According to the Spring 2011 issue of BizBash Magazine, there are several outdoor-friendly items from seating to serving ware that may be rented or purchased for your socially-conscious event.

So, be kind to your team members and the Earth, every day. Get out there and enjoy the fresh air and team work! Earth Day is not just one day, it’s every day. All the while, recognizing you are doing your part to help make this world a better place – for future generations to come.

(Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/top-employers/green-employers/canadas-top-50-greenest-employers/article1994680/)

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Will you be watching the Royal Event of the Year?!!?  I’m anticipating the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. As an event planner, I will be paying close attention to the details that will make this fairy-tale wedding come true. I must admit that I’m both envious and nervous for the event planner(s) organizing this significant event on April 29th.

With every event, whether it’s corporate or social, all the details must be checked, double-checked and triple-checked to ensure a successful outcome. Plan A and B (even Plan C) must also be well-thought out in the case of last-minute changes beyond one’s control. Weather, sickness, and delays all must be taken into consideration.

The pressure of executing an everyday wedding, fundraiser or gala is already high, so you can imagine the responsibility of planning the Royal Wedding of England’s future King and Queen!  All the world’s eyes will be watching!

However, the same theory of event planning is needed in planning this upcoming historic day.

Ongoing communication is critical with the clients, all vendors and suppliers involved, and continually confirming and following-up on changes and last-minute details. It is also important to be working closely as a team, delegating tasks and responsibilities, and ensuring all payments are being handled appropriately.

Event planning is detail-oriented, it takes a keen, intuitive and creative eye – you have to love what you do! It’s more than a 9-5 job; you’re always “on” trying to be prepared for a worst-case scenario. Hours and hours go into planning which is not always evident to the intended audience.

All these crucial steps are involved in delivering a memorable event – even if you are not part of the Royal Family. In the end, each event is special and important in its own way. Especially to those attending, and of course, to those directly involved celebrating in their moment.

Congratulations Prince William and Kate!

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I recently made a group presentation on personal branding and the influence of social media.

As a co-chair, I was responsible in leading the other committee members on deadlines and expectations. My co-chair and I were in constant communication with each other and with the others, making sure no information was left out.

The objective of the presentation was to educate the audience a little more on the importance of using social media tactics to effectively enhance one’s personal brand and reputation. We divided the presentation into various sections including a personal brand tool kit. We delegated sections of the presentation providing an outline of what each slide’s topic was to be highlighted. Each member had their own approach to researching their individual topic. Hours of preparation and dedication were evident from the start to the finished product.

When presentation day came, we all presented our individual parts, each one of us contributing to the overall flow of the presentation. Different speaking voices, stances and addresses all contributed to executing a well-put together presentation. This captured the audience’s attention as well as impressed them with some newfound knowledge they weren’t familiar with before they walked through the door.

Teambuilding is a synergy of minds and personalities that come together to collaborate on something whether it’s an event, presentation or project.

That’s what this group did!

Everyone knew the importance of this presentation and how their individual participation reflected back to each of their own personal brands. Everyone likes working with team players (makes life a lot easier!), and everyone would like to be considered as one in respect to their own individual personal brand.

It’s about attitude, commitment and collaboration.  Some people have it, some people strive for it, but no matter what, we all have control over our personal brand and reputation.  Your personal brand speaks in the actions you convey and the results that follow.

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