How NCC and IACC are Incorporating CSR into the 2011 Annual Conference

“Rev It Up” at this year’s annual IACC conference. After the meetings industry experienced a hard hit with the economy, conference centers will get ready to “Rev it Up” for expected business growth in 2011. To emphasize the theme of the annual conference, The National Conference Center has purchased an Linhai Electric 500 scooter, valued at $1765. Eco-friendly on the environment and theme appropriate, this electric scooter will be raffled off on the March 25th. This year IACC has adopted the Habitat for Humanity chapter in Loudoun County as the CSR project. March 23-25th attendees at the IACC annual conference can purchase raffle tickets to enter into the scooter drawing and all the proceeds will benefit the Loudoun Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity is based on Christian principles and provides adequate housing for its citizens in need. Every dollar the chapter receives enables them to help eliminate poverty housing within the county. The National Conference Center will ship the scooter to the lucky raffle winner. Play to win at the 2011 IACC Conference and help poverty-stricken citizens.

BrainStrength at a 2011 IACC Session You Won't Want to Miss

If you’re a meeting or event planner and have an interest in food and meetings, this is an event you won’t want to miss! In our previous post, “Food for Thought: A Conference Center’s Corporate Social Responsibility” we discussed the responsibilities of providing brain enriched foods to meeting attendees. Customized menu options have always been a high ranking priority in the meetings industry. However, more than ever as venues offer sustainable options and farm-to-table dishes, the appeal of “brain food” has become increasingly popular.

The word is out for this year’s IACC Annual Conference. All meeting planners and event professionals are invited to a “Meeting & Eating” session, where Andrea Sullivan a well-known organizational psychologist who studies the brain will discuss menu choices for enhancing mood, learning and performance in meetings. Through her company BrainStrength Systems, Andrea Sullivan works with corporations and organizations alike to assist in menus for training and learning designs.

What will the session include?

• Admittance to the Brain Food Keynote Speech with Andrea Sullivan as she explains basic brain chemistry, how food create certain emotional states, timing of food offerings, foods that improve learning, memory, performance and enhance your mood as well as a wrap-up special activity.

• You’ll have full access to the Industry Roundtable where experts in the industry will discuss the hot topics in Food for Thought.

• Tickets also include lunch with specially prepared entrees for your own brain and seats at the 2011 Copper Skillet Competition, where Executive Chefs from conference centers around the world will compete for the international title.

• "Taste of IACC" event where you can treat yourself to dishes suggested by the competing chefs of the IACC Copper Skillet Competition

• Gifts included in a special raffle and send-off goodies

• Earn (3) Continuing Education Credits by attending



The event will be Thursday, March 24, 2011 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia (40 minutes from Washington D.C. and 10 minutes from Dulles International Airport). Interested in tickets? Register today as tickets are limited and going fast!

Learning Delivery 2011: Classroom Is Still King

Interesting article in Chief Learning Officer magazine by Mike Prokopeak — mikep@clomedia.com

Despite the continued growth of e-learning and newer technology-driven delivery methods, classroom learning remains resilient and dominant, especially for developing soft skills. But the other methods are gaining in influence. Read about it as part of our special coverage on learning delivery this month.  To view the entire article, go to http://clomedia.com/articles/view/4078

What do you think?

Food for Thought: A Conference Center’s Corporate Social Responsibility

Most conference attendees and meeting goers may not recognize healthy food options as part of a company’s corporate social responsibility. Hospitality leaders such as The National Conference Center participate in “Food for Thought,” a program in which meal and snack options are given a hard consideration before serving. Similar to starting your day with a balanced breakfast, certain foods are believed to help your brain absorb the most information – making the most productive meeting possible.

Source

What are Food for Thought items?

• Fruits, vegetables, and snacks that are known for increasing blood flow, cognitive memory, and alertness – also known as a healthy afternoon boost and a meeting planner’s dream.

How is Food for Thought done?

• By sourcing the best products from local vendors, conference centers can ensure they’re receiving foods with the most nutritional value.

• Once you receive the product, it’s about how you treat the product, if you’re taking care of it, and how you’re storing it.

• If the item requires further preparation, cooking for shorter periods of time allows the vegetable or fruit to maintain the most nutrients possible.

What results do guests see?

• Prior to the program, guests felt afternoon fatigue and sleepy during their meetings. Now with food for thought, guests maintain a mid to high energy level based on the lunch meals and break station snack options.

To learn more about food for thought, The National Conference Center’s Executive Chef Craig Mason shares food for thought tips, recipes, and more on the Conference Center Blog.


Written By:
Sarah Vining
Marketing Assistant
The National Conference Center

I’m Being Audited – so now what?!?!

IACC by-laws state that all active member facilities are to be reviewed and audited at least once every four years to determine their level of compliance with the Universal Criteria. IACC Audits are not just a one-sided test-results process provided by the auditors. Ok… so I’m being audited, now what?!

 

The first questions to many managers new to the audit process are a) what exactly is the audit? B) how does this work? It is quite simple: 

• Compliance Audits are evaluations that IACC requires to ensure continuous conformity for members.
• Locations are to be divided into four evaluation groups and one group will be evaluated per year. IACC notifies members in January with an intro letter which will include all pre-audit paperwork.
• The audit provider will make contact with each member to collect location information as well as explain to you the audit process and what will be expected of you and your staff during the audit.
• Each audit will take approximately 3-4 hours. A “home base” work area will need to be provided for each auditor.
• Each auditor is trained to accommodate the property as much as possible, and work around groups as needed. So putting off the audit for a “less busy” time is not needed.
• Each auditor has a list of questions they need to complete as well as do facility testing.
• Auditor recap and that is it!

Sounds simple! Ok, so what exactly is expected of you?! In order to ensure that everyone is on board with the understanding that this is a partnership, many things will need to come into play in order to have a successful and smooth audit. Below is a summary of what is to be expected of each manager:

• Setting aside a 3-4 hour window to be of assistance to the auditor while they are onsite. This includes making sure their “home base” area is adequate, pre-audit questions are answered and your availability is not an issue when it comes time to site inspections and tests.
• All pre-audit paperwork that has been supplied to you prior is filled out in its entirety and ready to be given to the auditor upon request at the start of the audit.
• Each manager is required to participate in light and sound measurements as well as taking of pictures in three dedicated conference rooms.
• The auditor will need some time to prior to and following the debriefing to complete the on-line portion of the survey. It is requested that you stay within the facility and be available for additional questions should they arise.
• Final recap: (almost done!) You will meet with the audit at the end of the process to discuss any unanswered questions, any question marked as NO and to receive any final location manager comments.
• The results will be available to the property however, the auditor is not permitted to discuss “passed” or “failed” audits with you.

The intent of this blog is ensure that members are prepared for their audits with the realization that the process is a partnership to ensure full member compliance across all conference centers. Congratulations! You just successfully completed your IACC Audit!

 

IACC Audits

 

IACC by-laws state the all active member facilities are to be reviewed and audited at least once every four years to determine their level of compliance with the Universal Criteria. BARE Associates International has been designated as the provider of audit services for IACC to ensure continuous compliance for members. In order for members to be better informed about the reasons and expectations for the audits, BARE has assembled a pre-audit power point for member review. The intent of this document is to ensure that members are prepared for their audits with the realization that the process is a partnership to ensure full member compliance across all conference centers. This document will be sent along with the confirmation of the scheduled audits to help members re-fresh their memory of the process and ensure swift completion.