Thursday, September 30, 2010

Don’t Worry. Be Happy.

workplace flexibility
It’s that feeling you have when the birthday presents are stacked in front of you, ready to open. The carefree sensation that rolls through your body when the kid next to you is pummeled with a high pressure stream from your Super Soaker during afternoon water wars. Or, excitement and adrenaline produced by playing back to back basketball pickup games with your friends all summer long.

Do you often feel stress-free? How about at work? Let me take a guess: I would say that you are at least two coffees in - staring down at the clock wishing the day was over.

There just isn’t T.I.M.E.

Let me paint a picture of an all-too-familiar sight: Mr. and Mrs. Smith racing off to work in their vehicles of choice. They are taking shortcuts, sailing through yellowish-red lights, and drafting other commuters to ensure a speedy pass. All this is done while ingesting enough caffeine to fuel the morning madness that takes place in their congested cubicle.

Take away the 9-5 workday guidelines. Erase vacation, personal days, and the 5 day workweek mentality. Store your business attire in the attic. Fire the sitter.

Now you have T.I.M.E.

Task Inspired Management Environment (T.I.M.E.) is the cure for the common workplace. As stated in the T.I.M.E. guidelines “Work isn’t a place you go – it’s something you do. Nobody should feel guilty, overworked, or stressed-out as a result of their job.” Imagine that.

When it was first implemented in the spring of 2009, no one knew if this new idea of the workplace was going to succeed. Would anyone ever show up for work? Could you be in Maui and still live up to the expectations set by your peers? How many days could one take off consecutively?

Sure enough, work continued to be accomplished. In fact, productivity has hit an all-time high. Most of the key components to the concept that has made T.I.M.E. successful involve self management or individual responsibility. After all, who knows you better than…well, you?

This all sounds too good to be true. But T.I.M.E. is real and has recently gained the title of “Award Winning” to back up its legitimacy. MeetingMatrix International was awarded the 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. The award recognizes various types and sizes of businesses that use workplace flexibility as a tool to enhance employee and business success. Applicants must rank in the top 20% of the U.S. employers in terms of their programs and practices for creating effective and flexible workplaces, based on nationally representative data from Families and Work Institute. To top it off, two thirds of the overall score is derived from a confidential employee survey ensuring the program is positively effecting the entire organization.

I can personally attest to the value that T.I.M.E. has brought to our workplace. The quality of work and atmosphere in the office has improved exponentially.

Although I’m too old to be getting birthday presents, engaging in water wars, or indulging in week-long marathons of basketball, I can certainly adjust my schedule to permit such activities and regain some of that carefree spirit. After all…'in every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double…'

Scott Sanker
Graphic Designer

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

MeetingMatrix Continues Education Development – Filling In Another Piece to the Event Industry Puzzle

hospitality education
At the end of August, MeetingMatrix announced the appointment of an Advisory Board to the MeetingMatrix Meeting and Event Technology Laboratory (The MET LAB) at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

The Advisory Board -- they’re listed below -- will play a key role in curriculum development for a college level course for the Technology of Event Planning and Management. The course curriculum will be offered free to all institutions of higher learning. It’s worth noting that the Advisory Board is an international blend of professionals from business and academia.

This latest step forward by MeetingMatrix demonstrates its commitments to education and its creativity in the marketplace.

There’s uncounted numbers of software development companies in the world today. I’m fairly certain that few have made the financial and resource commitment to education that we have.

Now it’s true that this is not a completely altruistic act – our software is highlighted. However, the end result is that our CEO, Jmîchaeĺe Keller, and the company, are building something of value for the entire hospitality industry. We’re helping establish professionalism and training tomorrow’s workforce.

In addition, this effort reflects our global orientation. We’re a company headquartered in the US. We’re working with a University in the UK. The lead researcher is a PhD Candidate from Taiwan.

This is another highlight of a brand that continues to piece together the global event planning marketplace.

Members of the Advisory Board:

* Mr. Vincent Alonzo, Editor-in-Chief, Meeting News
* Mr. Corbin Ball, Consultant , Author, and Speaker, Corbin Ball Associates
* Mr. Tim Campbell, Global Partner & Channel Relations, Dean Evans
* Mr. Joe DeVore, Director of Solutions Hotel Systems for MGM Resorts International, MGM Resorts International
* Mr. Tom Eisner, Conference Coordinator, Tastefully Simple
* Professor Andy Frew, Professor, School of Business, Enterprise and Management, Queen Margaret University
* Mr. Glenn Haussman, Adjunct Professor, Tisch Hospitality School, New York University
* Dr. David Jones, Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
* Dr. Curtis Love, Associate Professor , Harrah Hotel College, University of Nevada at Las Vegas
* Professor Ian Miller, Professor, Ecole Hotelier de Lausanne
* Mr. Fraser Muir, Director of Information Services, Queen Margaret University
* Dr. Glenn Ramsborg, Les Roches School of Hospitality Management, Kendall College
* Ms. Michelle Russell, Editor-in-Chief, Convene Magazine
* Dr. Kimberly Severt, Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida
* Mr. Tran Truong, Director of Convention Services, Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center

Don Basler
Sr. Marketing Manager