Dandelions vs Orchids

 This is Henry. Henry doesn't know that dandelions are considered weeds, he just knows they are pretty. He also knows how to win hearts with cute smiles and by bringing the girls, including his mom Jayne and I said dandelions. He doesn't know we are snobby event planners, exchewing these, carnations, baby's breath (really what baby breathes out flowers!?) and other "lesser" flowers in our never ending quest to design beautiful event environments for our guests, adding stylized flowers, props, lighting, entertainment and seating into gorgeous destinations and stunning venues around the world.

Henry also doesn't understand time, or our lack of it as we rush to meet the demands of our clients, in ever-shrinking time frames. He doesn't know as we answer texts while holding him, tired from running through fields of clover that we have forgotten how to just stop and hold onto the moment. That moment of stillness with the one or two people more special to us in the world than any others, never to be replicated and too fleeting as they race to grow up. 

There are lessons in love, laughter, play, learning, and being fully engaged in the moment we can learn from Henry as we work to design event spaces that tap into this sense of joy we once felt running through dandelions, oblivious to all but the birds we chase in front of us. In a world ever more dominated by the small screens in our pockets, sending us information - good, bad, indifferent, horrifying, smile-inducing - at all hours of the day and night; our attention deficit selves so continuously inundated it is not only challenging to find this elusive "balance", it is nearly impossible to allow ourselves time to just stop, listen and enjoy. As event designers it is equally challenging to create environments where our guests can find time and space to learn, be inspired or motivated, to connect to ideas and people, and to just breathe.

At IMEX next week they are embracing this new concept of sweatworking inviting all to join a 5k run - and here is the real secret - when you are doing a run you really can only focus on the motion of your body, and the people around you. You may be in motion, but you are still taking time for a positive for yourself and those with you - you have to be engaged in the moment.

I had two wonderful hours with Jayne and Henry before heading home to enjoy time with my own family, and I deeply thank Jayne and Henry for this time of nothing more than fresh air, sunshine, a good breakfast and my beautiful dandelion.

Doughnuts are not a Proper Breakfast

I write, talk about and order food for meetings and events which is brain-friendly, delicious and has a semblance of nutrition.  I recently wrote about the three areas I think we could do better at in planning meetings - still - for Corporate Meetings Network. These are wellness, sustainability and technology. Don't get me wrong - many event professionals are doing a stellar job in these areas and more and I applaud the many amazing successes we see.  Even as I was writing this, I thought maybe I was being a bit harsh, and then I went to another (otherwise fabulous) conference - where the content was fabulous, the people I met inspiring, the events great - but they promoted breakfast as being available, and this is what we got.  

For anyone gluten-free, they were out of luck, for anyone who wanted to survive the morning sessions without a 10am sugar crash - they too were out of luck.  There was no alternative offered so you could go down in the hotel and find something else, but if you hadn't allowed time for that, the inclination was to grab and go, which many people did. 

As planners or venues when we offer this type of food we have done nothing to set our participants up for success - mental or physical - with this offering and it made me a little sad.  Which also sounds a bit melodramatic but is how I felt.  Please can we simply stop offering white-flour, white-sugar, coated in sugar food products as "breakfast" and create better meetings by doing so.  Please.

Vancouver-Wellness-PCMA

I LOVED being part of PCMA last year, and blogged about all the things I learned that were related to the Letter C - check it out here.

This year I found it was increasingly busy as 2013 marched forward, and I found that I was focusing on the wrong things, and made a conscious decision to focus a little differently in 2014, and I wrote about some of the reasons why I wanted to focus on Wellness and some of the tips I have collected to do so for Corporate Meetings Network here. 

Shortly after this was written (but long before it was posted) I was invited to support an incredibly generous initiative your Vancouver meeting team has created for PCMA Convening Leaders this coming week.  All attendees are invited to join us during the breaks and lunches at the third floor Vancouver ReVitalization Lounge and learn from experts about improving YOUR fitness, sleep or nutrition patterns for the coming year - and beyond.

I hope if you are reading this you will share this message widely so lots of our industry partners take advantage of this during PCMA Convening Leaders this week!

It starts with a short survey, ahead of time or on site and then a one-on-one, face-to-face appointment with leaders in sleep research (primarily on Tuesday), fitness and nutrition (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning) - sharing information to help YOU make 2014 the best year ever.  We really hope to see you there!