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ASK BIZBASH 11.16.09 9:00 AM |
How Do You Make Staffers Feel Appreciated—at Little or No Cost?
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 | Leo Burnett's employee art gallery
Photo: Courtesy of Leo Burnett |
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In a year of cutbacks and salary freezes, perhaps now more than ever, hard-working employees need to feel valued, even in small ways. Jennifer Savica, TD Bank’s vice president of event management, rewards her staff with little perks throughout the year, like taking everyone out for ice cream in the summer, treating people to their favorite drinks at Starbucks on a cold day, and occasionally allowing casual Fridays. “I try to show appreciation for my team every day by creating a true democracy—asking their opinions, including them in many of the department decisions, and empowering them to do their job,” she says.
Boston Beer Company has a gift policy that prevents employees from keeping items valued over $10 given to them by clients and event sponsors. “If someone gets something over that amount, we raffle it off to the office as a thank you,” says Kristen Smith, the company’s travel and event planner. Past items have included tickets to charity events the company has sponsored, movie screenings, and Red Sox tickets. “It’s nice to raffle these things off and make them available to anyone—and at no cost to the company,” says Smith.
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RELATED TOPICS
Leo Burnett, Publix, TD Bank, Boston Beer Company, Warner Brothers |
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THE SCOUT 11.11.09 9:00 AM |
3 Made-in-Orlando Gift Baskets
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 | Truffles and Trifles' Florida sunshine basket
Photo: Courtesy of Truffles and Trifles |
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Designed to welcome people in town for a convention or meeting, these gift baskets add a welcoming touch to a hotel room or check-in table. And because they are made locally, they can all be delivered to area hotels or the convention center.
1. Truffles and Trifles, a kitchen store and cooking school, makes corporate gift baskets as well. The Florida sunshine basket is a Florida-shaped container filled with treats like key lime cookies, hot sauce, seashell-shaped chocolates, and citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits. The baskets are $65 each and can be delivered throughout Orlando for a flat fee depending on the location. Bulk discounts are available.
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THE SCOUT 11.02.09 9:00 AM |
50 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Holiday Parties: Food, Gifts, Decor, and More
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 | MoMA's pop-up centerpiece
Photo: Courtesy of MoMA Design Store |
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1-3. Skip cupcakes for a fresh, high-quality sheet cake. Bleeding Heart Bakery in Chicago makes spice cake with apples, brown sugar frosting, and streusel; a half-sheet for $130 feeds 45. Mäni’s Bakery in Los Angeles makes an organic carrot-raisin cake, which costs $160 for a half-sheet and serves 65. Miami’s Yummy Cakes and More can make its chocolate explosion cake, with a half-sheet (enough for 65 guests) starting at $65.
4. A low-tech, high-impact way to serve shots is to create your own ice shooters with Pure Modern's Cool Shooter shot mold, available for $12.95 each.
5-6. Forgo the frat-party look and stash cold drinks in a stylish ice tub, like one from Broadway Party Rentals in New York, which rents for $30 and up. Or, to dress up a plain bin and keep things cool, Classic Party Rentals provides the 6 Velon chilling wrap (prices vary).
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RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, iStar Financial, Paul Wilmot Communications, The Economist |
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THE SCOUT 10.26.09 9:00 AM |
Cort's New Line of Glowing LED Furniture
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 | Cort's Luna Lighting collection
Photo: Courtesy of Cort Event Furnishings |
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Cort Event Furnishings recently launched a new line of LED furniture called the Luna Lighting collection. Rental items include bars, bar-height tables, and pedestals that are lit from within by battery-operated LEDs that last up to eight hours. The lights come in eight colors (red, white, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and purple), and can be programmed to illuminate the pieces in a solid hue, or fade or flash from color to color. Brushed stainless steel tabletops and frames give the collection a polished look and help make the pieces sturdier. The modular design of the collection offers flexibility as well. The bar can be configured in circular, serpentine, or perpendicular shapes. Pedestals can be turned into tables with round or rectangular tabletops, and can also be connected to create glowing columns. The pieces are available throughout the U.S. and the company will deliver to Canada, depending on the size of the order. Prices range from $56 to $600. —Lisa Cericola
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THE SCOUT 10.22.09 4:21 PM |
6 New Products Spotted at the BizBash New York Expo
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 | Cloth Connection's new overlay
Photo: BizBash |
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FROM NEW YORK
More than 200 exhibitors displayed a range of products and services for events at the BizBash Expo at the Javits Center on Wednesday. Here are some new items that caught our attention on the bustling trade show floor.
1. Cloth Connection just released a line of overlays called the Artistic Braided collection. The sparkly linens are available in an array of colors, including gold, silver, black, copper, red, turquoise, and purple. The linens are available throughout the U.S. and pricing varies, as the overlays are created to order.
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RELATED TOPICS
Bizbash New York Expo |
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THE SCOUT 10.19.09 9:00 AM |
New Company Offers Affordable Video for Events or Web Sites
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 | Video stills from Your Story Everywhere projects
Photo: Your Story Everywhere |
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Recently launched video production company Your Story Everywhere specializes in affordable minute-long films for Web sites, whether viral marketing campaigns or informative documentary-style pieces. The Columbus, Ohio-based company can also handle longer projects like tribute videos or footage for award shows, which are available on DVD. For short films, typically the time from shoot to finished video is approximately 14 days. The company sends clients periodic updates as a film is being edited so they can follow the video's progress and request changes. Unlike other video production companies, prices for projects are deteremined by the length of the video. A fully produced and edited 60-second video is $1,000, a 90-second video is $2,000, and a 120-second piece is $3,000. Longer videos are priced on request. Travel costs and a la carte options like high-definition cameras and motion graphics are additional. —Lisa Cericola
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THE SCOUT 10.14.09 9:00 AM |
3 Fancy New Rentals
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 | Bubble Miami's lace barstools
Courtesy of Bubble Miami |
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FROM MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA
Looking to add some fanciful decorative touches to your next event? Here are three new rental options available throughout Florida.
1. Bubble Miami introduced its new lace barstools in September. The 32-inch-tall chairs have a 10-inch decorative cut-out back and are available in black and white. The stools rent for $40 (or can be purchased for $250), and are also available in Orlando.
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