Earlier this year, I facilitated a round -table discussion at the Meeting Professional International-Oregon Chapter conference on creating work-life balance.

Here are 10 tips to help you achieve a better balance in your life. Take a moment to read and reflect on these tips — and then get your life in balance!

1. Negotiate a Change with Your Current Employer. Progressive employers recognize the value of good employees, and many are willing to find ways to help current employees deal with short-term or permanent changes caused by family situations. The changes can include flextime, job-sharing, telecommuting, or part-time employment. Your first step is to research your employer’s policies and methods of handling previous requests. Then go to your boss armed with information and a plan that shows how you will be an even more valuable and productive employee if you can modify your current work situation.
2. Find a New Career. Some careers are simply more stressful and time-consuming than others. If you need more time for yourself or your family, now may be the time to explore careers that are less stressful and more flexible.
3. Find a New Job. Rather than a career change, perhaps you simply need to take a less stressful job within your chosen career. This change may involve working with your current employer to identify a new position, it may involve a full job-search, or it may involve temping or becoming a consultant or starting a freelancing or other home-based business.
4. Slow Down. Life is simply too short, so don’t let things pass you in a blur. Take steps to stop and enjoy the things and people around you. Schedule more time between meetings; don’t make plans for every evening or weekend, and find some ways to distance yourself from the things that are causing you the most stress.
5. Learn to Better Manage Your Time. Avoid Procrastination. For many people, most of the stress they feel comes from simply being disorganized — and procrastinating. Learn to set more realistic goals and deadlines — and then stick to them. You’ll find that not only are you less stressed, but your work will be better.
6. Share the Load. Even though we may sometimes feel we’re the only ones capable of doing something, it’s usually not the case. Get your partner or other family members to help you with all your personal/family responsibilities. Taking care of the household, children, or parents should not be the responsibility of just one person. *
7. Let Things Go. (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.) It’s simpler said than done, but learn to let things go once in a while. So what if the dishes don’t washed everyday or that the house doesn’t get vacuumed every week. Learn to recognize the things that don’t really have much impact in your life and allow yourself to let them go — and then not beat yourself up for doing so.
8. Explore Your Options. Get Help. If you are feeling overwhelmed with your family responsibilities, please get help if you can afford it. Find a sitter for your children, explore options for aging parents, and seek counseling for yourself. In many cases, you have options, but you need to take the time to find them.
9. Take Charge. Set Priorities. Sometimes it’s easier for us to allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed rather than taking charge and developing a prioritized list of things that need to get done. You need to buck the trend. Develop a list. Set priorities. And then enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off your list.
10. Simplify. It seems human nature for just about everyone to take on too many tasks and responsibilities, to try to do too much, and to own too much. Find a way to simplify your life. Change your lifestyle. Learn to say no to requests for help. Get rid of the clutter and baggage in your house — and your life.

In the end, the key word is balance. You need to find the right balance that works for you. Celebrate your successes and don’t dwell on your failures. Life is a process, and so is striving for balance in your life.

Source: Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.http://www.careerdoctor.org/

We understand that turning your events Green all in one brush stroke may seem overwhelming.

Here are 10 easy tips you can apply to any meeting to make it more environmentally responsible.

1. Put it in writing. Establish an environmental statement or policy for the meeting, and get buy in for it from the meeting host organization’s management. Share the policy with suppliers, delegates and speakers. You’ll be amazed at how far they’ll go to help you make your event Green.
2. Use paperless technology. Use new media and electronic technology to cut down your paper use. Create a conference web site; offer electronic registration and confirmation; and advertise using the web and/or email.
3. Meet close. Reduce distances traveled by speakers and delegates. Choose a host city that’s close to as many delegates as possible, and within the city choose a venue and hotel that are close to the airport and within walking distance of each other.
4. Practice the 3Rs. Ask your hotel and meeting venue to provide visible and accessible reduction, reuse and recycling services for paper, metal, plastic and glass.
5. Bulk up. Have your food & beverage service provider use bulk dispensers for sugar, salt, pepper, cream and other condiments.
6. Lighten your Stay. Choose a hotel that offers a linen reuse program and bulk dispensers for shampoos and soaps in guest suites.
7. Eat green. Include vegetarian meals, and have meals planned using local, seasonal produce.
8. Close the recycling loop. Have all printed materials published on recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks, and on both sides of the page.
9. Save energy. Coordinate with the meeting venue to ensure that energy lights and air conditioning will be turned off when rooms are not in use.
10. Spread the word! Tell delegates, speakers and the media about your success. You’ll be surprised – Green efforts are contagious.

Source: http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/HostsAndPlanners/10EasyTips.htm

W Hotel Lexington is the perfect hotel for a small-to-medium size corporate event in New York. Located in Midtown, it has a great vibe with vast appeal from young, high-tech hipsters to conservative analysts.

The layout of the meeting space has a great flow for registration and meals with a lounge area adjacent to the meeting space for those impromptu 1:1 discussions.

Sales and conference staff are very detail-oriented and pleasant. Be prepared for sticker shock of NY prices, including union requirements that can drive your budget higher. Also, if the guestroom night ratio doesn’t support meeting space requirements, take a deep breath before looking at the proposal outlining the room rental charges. Yikes!

A celebratory cocktail after the event is always in order at the Oasis Bar in the W Hotel lobby.
W New York
541 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022
United States
Phone: (212) 755-1200
Fax: (212) 319-8344

Other great suppliers in the area…
Best destination management company:
Empire Force Events, Inc.
(212) 924-0320

Today’s leaders base decisions on short term profits and depend upon the consumption of non-renewable natural resources. One of the most important challenges of our time is to start thinking about how our habits and choices affect future generations. Businesses, individuals and organizations around the world are becoming open to the reality that we must leave a positive legacy for our seventh-generation grandchildren.

This is an exciting challenge and an opportunity about which we must remain optimistic! In the events industry, working toward “green” is a gradual process, best taken one step at a time. Start small!

1. Look inward: Green your own office and your home.
2. Look outward: Work with clients and partners to promote sustainable solutions and alternatives.
3. Offset what you can’t prevent: The best way to go green is to reduce your energy consumption. But since events rely on travel, there will always be energy costs to offset. See www.carbonplanet.com for more information on erasing your carbon footprint.

Presented by: Jess Work, Viva! Events Sustainability & Green Meetings Consultant

If strangers on the street were asked the top five things that come to mind when they hear the name of your business, what would they say? Would you be satisfied in their response or would you be compelled to drive change? How about your employees? Would they say the company’s direction and values are in-line with your mission statement?

For many businesses, large and small, there is significant emphasis and thought put into advertising and marketing. But one of the key elements – often an after-thought (if considered at all) – is the implementation of a public relations strategy. A strategic public relations campaign can strengthen a company’s position and competitive edge and is crucial to business success. Why?

• Public Relations drives awareness and motivates targeted audiences to take action
• Perceived value is much more influential than simply offering a good product or service
• Reaching decision-makers and industry influentials directly impacts your bottom line
• Internal communications and employee relations ultimately impact the morale of your business

I will be posting a series of entries that outline simple tools you can use to better reach your target audiences and ways you can leverage PR to your advantage. Best of all? Most have low associated costs, so you get big bang for the buck!

Presented by: Leigh Havelick, Viva! Events PR Consultant