As the industry sets fresh goals in preparation for the new year, event and meeting professionals should consider gifts that can inspire peers, teams, and colleagues. Instead of a shipment of holiday sweets, there are plenty of options that not only express gratitude, but also promote creativity and boost inspiration.
No longer just kid stuff, coloring books help adults relieve stress, calm the mind, promote focus, and inspire creative thinking. Plus, it's a budget-friendly gift that's right on trend. Stress Less Coloring: Mandalas offers 100 detailed pages to draw.
A gift that serves a dual function: Pantone's percolating coffee maker provides a vehicle for focus-enhancing caffeine, while also serving as a source of inspiration for the recipient's next color palette. The high-design coffee pot comes in three-cup or nine-cup varieties.
Margot Leitman, the founder of Upright Citizen's Brigade's storytelling program and five-time Moth StorySlam winner, has a new book out:Â Long Story Short; The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need. Practical event-business applications include helping the recipient nail a pitch or get over public-speaking hang-ups.
For the event professional who travels frequently, cluttered luggage only contributes to mental clutter. The Voyager leather travel bag from This Is Ground has a wide-mouth main compartment suitable for five days of clothes and gear, plus tech gear organization in the outside pocket—and it’s what’s billed as the world’s first Wi-Fi-enabled leather bag. The purchase includes a pocket-size Karma Go device along with a custom leather sleeve designed by This Is Ground that connects the two. The gift can also be monogrammed.
One way to help a colleague or team maintain a calming office environment is with the Vertical Garden Wall Kit. It includes a drainage tray, irrigation system, 10-cell planter, mounting bracket, and chalkboard frame with chalk for identifying plants, making notes, or jotting encouraging messages or ideas.
Music is known to inspire creative minds. And the Gramovox turntable, an eye-catching design piece, also encourages thinking differently with its vertical configuration. It plays records placed in the unusual position through full-range stereo speakers.
Exercise is well-documented in scientific literature to enhance mental as well as physical health. A Peloton stationery bike can provide a dose of movement that can keep a V.I.P. recipient’s brain sharp in their office or home. During each ride, coaches offer motivation through live classes streamed to the bike, and in-office riders can also compete against others around the world as it monitors distance, r.p.m.s, calories burned, and total output.
The Illy Art Collection includes seven cups and saucers, decorated with the art of Yoko Ono. The thought-provoking artworks on otherwise ordinary objects can inspire creative thinking among a whole team.
MakersKit offers a range of boxed D.I.Y. projects, including terrarium making, fresh herb gardens, mixology, and soap making. The kits inspire creativity—but don't impose on a recipient's time, with each taking only a few moments to complete.
