Strategic CSR has entered the mainstream
By Tyler Davidson
Maybe you’ve built the bike and donated it to a needy child during a meeting program, or pounded some nails to help construct a house for a cash-strapped family before or after a convention.
Sure, it felt good —as it should —to give back to the community as part of your event, but besides the warming of your heart, what else did it accomplish?
To corporate branding specialists and team-building experts, giving back via CSR, or corporate social responsibility, programs not only invigorates attendees, it is also an increasingly crucial part of organizational brand strategy and a driver of bottom-line profits.
“Meeting planners need to embrace CSR because marketing and foundation work used to be a separate area from the for-profit area of companies, but that has changed,” says Simon Mainwaring, founder of social branding firm We First (www.wefirstbranding.com), which is also the title of his book on the subject. “The CSR component is a key part that a corporation needs to tell their customers in order to be meaningful in their lives.
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Upcoming Webinar
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Free On-Demand Webinar
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CSR Tips and Trends
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
1:00 PM EST, 12:00 PM CST,
11:00 AM MST, 10:00 AM PST
Corporate social responsibility programs in many cases have become an integral part of a meetings program. This webinar takes a look at some of the more innovative CSR options and provides tips on how to organize and promote a program that gives back to the community while energizing attendees.
Join Meetings Focus and tech team-building expert John Chen to discover unique new ways to incorporate CSR (corporate social responsibility) elements into your team-building programs. Learn how a good CSR program can invigorate attendees while also reinforcing organizational branding and giving back to the community.
Participants will learn the following:
- At least three new ideas for CSR
- How one company incorporated CSR into its 2,000 person product launch
- How to measure CSR impact
- Choose at least one action item for your next CSR program
Earn CEUs: This webinar is worth 1 clock hour of continuing education toward the initial CMP application and recertification through the Convention Industry Council.
Register today!
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2013 Meetings Focus Trends Survey
Original Air Date:
December 12, 2012
Join us for a sneak peek into the results of our industry-leading survey of meeting planners.
Get both a recap of 2012 stats and a forecast for next year from hospitality industry analyst Bobby Bowers, with Smith Travel Research, as well as a sneak preview of our as-yet-unpublished poll results. This free one-hour webinar will put you on the path to success for 2013.
Participants will learn the following:
- Trend analysis from 2012, and predictions for next year
- Response information that will provide benchmarks to help you do your job more efficiently
- An analysis of issues such as airlift, the cost of individual meeting components and staffing
- Insights into the current thinking and practices of hotel sales managers
Earn CEUs: This webinar is worth 1 clock hour of continuing education toward the initial CMP application and recertification through the Convention Industry Council.
Watch today!
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Meetings Focus, known for its Meetings Focus East, Meetings Focus MidAmerica, Meetings Focus South, Meetings Focus West and Meetings Focus International trade magazines for meeting planners, made the major announcement that it is combining all of its titles into a unified brand that will provide both nationally relevant features coverage with destination sections that remain targeted to where its meeting planner subscribers have been authenticated to book and/or plan their meetings, conventions and/or conferences. The new Meetings Focus will premiere with the March 2013 issue.
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Atlantic City's casino-funded marketing coalition is offering a $1 million cash incentive to attract new conventions to town next year in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Although the casinos and other major tourist attractions largely escaped the hurricane with little or no damage, at least nine conventions and other groups canceled their bookings because of the storm. Most events have been rescheduled for 2013, according to the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.
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Woodbine Development Corporation announced details of a $35 million expansion and renovation of its Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio. The project will essentially double the resort's indoor function space, triple its pre-function space, add new outdoor function space, enhance and freshen guestrooms and landscaping, as well as expand the ever-popular water park to include a FlowRider wave machine and a tower slide.
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The accolades have been pouring in for years on Charleston, with its rich history as the birthplace of the Civil War, bounty of great restaurants and baskets of coastal charm. With 4.5 million tourists flocking to the city every year, a number that's expected to grow as low-cost air carriers line up to bring them here, it was only a matter of time before developers saw the need for more rooms at the inns.
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Oahu’s Turtle Bay Resort will begin $60 million in upgrades in January 2013. The renovation, which is slated for completion by the end of 2013, will encompass all of the 840-acre resort’s 397 standard and premium guest rooms and hallways; the full-service Spa Luana (which will nearly double in size); the fitness center (which will move and will now provide expansive ocean views from all-new fitness equipment); two restaurants; as well as improvements to the main building roof and lobby area.
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What Is CSR?
CSR—corporate social responsibility—was an acronym you weren’t hearing much a half-dozen years ago. Today, it’s one of the hottest terms in the meetings industry.
Giving a Hand
One of the most-innovative and inspiring recent CSR efforts is Odyssey Teams’ Helping Hands program, which has resulted in some 11,500 prosthetic hands being constructed for recipients located in 67 primarily developing countries since its inception about four years ago.
Responsible Takeover
CSR programs are the new ropes course when it comes to team building.
Options for CSR-Themed Team-Building Programs
Here is a sample of corporate social responsibility team-building programs offered by CVBs or event planning firms such as Impact 4 Good.
Meetings Focus
On Demand Webinar
CSR: Creating Positive Results
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