"Corporate Meetings and Incentive Destinations: The Secrets of Lower-Cost, Higher-ROI Meetings"
April 06, 2009
Susan Burnell
Forbes
Meetings Help Retain Talent, Drive Growth
Pierpont Communications, one of the largest public relations and marketing firms in the Southwest, recently worked some creative magic of its own to hold a productive annual retreat. Employees look forward to the event as both an incentive and energizing kickoff for the year.
"There's no substitute for the team building and interaction people get when they meet face-to-face away from the office," says Phil Morabito, president of the Houston-based firm. "This year, we scaled back so we could continue to bring everyone in the company together. Instead of going to a resort as we have in the past, we used local donated meeting space. We toned down the social components and asked a vendor to underwrite the cost of one dinner. We brought in a facilitator who led our planning session at no charge.
"The beauty of doing a right-sized meeting - one that is correctly matched to the economy - is that it lets people know you are being responsible," he adds. "Our staff understood that it would have been inappropriate to have an over-the-top event.
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