The Incentive for Excellence

You don’t want to use it, but it’s one of the most important things to have at a major event – medical care. Safety and security are top priorities at any event, and an adequately staffed medical team can make this happen.

“An event planner is essentially throwing a party at their ‘house,’ so they want to take good care of their guests,” Dr. Andrew Bazos, chairman of CrowdRx told BizBash. “Event planners are held responsible for their attendees’ conduct, health, and safety.”

Biophilic Design is a term not many are familiar with, but should be due to it’s growing popularity among businesses. Biophilia is a hypothesis that suggests there is an undeniable bond between human beings and other living systems. Combine that definition with a design method and you get a very rare yet successful aesthetic, which basically states that you can use natural designs to help meetings thrive. This unique design style describes innovative ways in which to transform places where we work, meet, and learn into a natural oasis. Picture for a moment the images that run through your mind when you think about attending a meeting or conference, usually you’ll conjure up visions of boardrooms and banquet halls with bland colored walls and artificial lighting, desperately in need of attention. But what if we could change that? By following the biophilic design model, businesses all over the world have redefined and redesigned what corporate events of any kind should look like.

Here at Fourth Wall Events, we regularly discuss the top conference and events destinations across the United States. This time around, we decided to add a little exotic flair and highlight some of the top foreign destinations across the globe.

I feel fortunate to be part of our vibrant, exciting industry that creates so many job opportunities for individuals at almost every level in such a wide variety of categories. I’m proud to be a part of it for many reasons – the opportunities we get to make a difference, the ROI we provide, the knowledgeable professionals that make up our hospitality community and the enthusiasm for the work that we do. I am also now proud to be a part of our efforts and gains around industry advocacy – in raising awareness and support for how meetings and events help drive the global economy, jobs and knowledge sharing.

Prior to 2009 and the US financial crisis, advocacy was not a word generally heard in connection with the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. When money seemed like it was flying everywhere but into our pockets or strengthening our businesses, when meetings were being cancelled and planners laid off, our first thoughts were not of advocacy but of survival. In an industry where sole proprietors, and companies of all sizes could do what they loved and earn a good living, the financial meltdown was an unpleasant, unexpected shock and a wakeup call of massive proportions.

The industry had suffered downturns before but this was different. The severity of the situation made us realize it was time for action and since then, the meetings industry has made some substantial progress.

The US Travel Association has served as a consistent voice for the value of business travel and meetings and its direct link to the future health and growth of the US and global economy.