All entries for February 2015
Flying High & Healthy: Top Airports for the Health-Conscious Traveler
If you’re also making the trek to California for the HR & Employee Benefits Summit, Training & Development Summit or Hospitality & Facilities Forum, some of you may be blessed with healthier options than others. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), 75 percent of restaurants at America’s busiest 30 airports offer at least one healthy, plant-based entrée. PCRM weighed this statistic by measuring the percentage of airport restaurants offering entrees with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. Kudos to business travelers across America for becoming increasingly health conscious, and to the restaurant industry for meeting these demands! The study states that in 2001, only 57 percent of airport restaurants offered healthy options, a percentage that has obviously climbed. Here’s a list of the top 10 healthiest airports in the US: #1: 92 % Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport So what should you be lining up for during your layovers? Airports are pointing travelers to more nutritious quick stops. PCRM’s dietitian, Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., says one of the best choices in the terminal is the “build-your-own” option available at many restaurants. Levin recommends loading up on fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, seeds, and fiber-rich whole grains, like brown rice and quinoa. You can take advantage of these options at Houston’s Real Food Company and Philadelphia’s Saladworks, offering an as-you-order-it salad option. If you’ve only got a few moments and have a restrictive diet – stop by Real Food Daily at LAX, the nation’s first all-vegan airport restaurant. While we’re still fond of the hot, fast and greasy chains, keep in mind that sticking with the greens during your travels boosts mental wellness, making you feel calmer, happier and more energetic. 
Have You Registered?
Gaylord Opryland Nashville, TN We would like to extend an invitation for you, or someone from your facility’s management team, to attend the uniquely tailored Healthcare Facilities Management Forum. The focus of the Forum is healthcare management products and services. Some of the registered attendees so far include: Siskin Hospital, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Floyd Hospital of East Orlando, Lifebridge Health, Norton Healthcare, Phelps County Hospital, Tristar Summit Medical Center and Rush University Medical Center. The Forum brings together VPs, Directors, senior-level facility professionals and Managers with solution providers. Over the course of one-and-a-half days, you will attend seminars, network with fellow professionals, and have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with solution providers of your choice in an informative and no-hard sell format. Limited complimentary places are currently available that include Monday night hotel accommodation and all meals and refreshments, including a gala dinner and casino evening. The 15th Healthcare Facilities Management Forum, Nashville, April 20 & 21, 2015, Gaylord Opryland  HVAC/AHU, infection/mold/odor control, paving/parking lot maintenance, indoor air quality, lighting controls, water conservation systems, plumbing products, benchmarking, energy auditing and access control.
White Paper: Training Secrets
Provided by Sheppard Partners, Confirmed Sponsor of the Training & Development Summit There are a number of secrets that most training departments would like to keep hidden because the solution to fix them is too hard to implement. Ask almost any Learning & Development professional or training vendor what their biggest strategic challenge is, and they’ll say something like, “proving that they make a real difference for their clients.” Measuring the value of learning and training is not easy; if it were, we’d all be doing it. Many evaluations of training have historically focused on the participants’ satisfaction with the training event. The challenge with measuring participant feedback is if you were to design the training to get real behavioral change to occur, the participants’ satisfaction scores would go down. Ironically, the measurement of most training effectiveness requires a design that reduces overall effectiveness. We’ve seen the idea of measuring value and proving that value exists grow as a trend over the past few years. Given the growing importance of this idea, and the lack of confidence in proven mechanisms to address it, we feel this needs examination, and we are introducing a new approach to providing real behavioral change. The challenge is wrapped up in many training industry secrets that don’t often see the light of day:
First, let’s take a look at one of the biggest challenges with training measurement. Training evaluations are taken for granted; in fact, most seminars carry out some kind of assessment at the end of a program. Evaluation protocols are systematically used to measure the satisfaction of the participants, and often used to measure knowledge acquisition. Kirkpatrick’s four levels of training evaluation have become a training industry standard. Kirkpatrick’s primary focus is on training events rather than on learning processes. These events include measuring the reaction to the learning (level 1), the knowledge acquired (level 2), and business results, when existing systems provide the necessary data (level 4). The event that is the most difficult to provide is the measurement of behavior (level 3), and most behavioral measurement is indirect measurement because it relies on memory and secondary sensory data. The best we can do to acquire the information necessary for level three measurements is measure perceptual memory in the form of 360-degree reviews and annual performance reviews, unless we were to deploy individuals throughout your company to measure these behaviors.
Show Them You Care: How to Demonstrate Value to Your Guests
The typical traveler weighs heavily on time and money saved, and experience gained. With this said, guests are typically looking for the most bang for their buck – so how can you show your guests that they are appreciated? Here are a few simple, relatively low cost, measures: 1. Personal Touches Make it a duty for staff to know their guests. Greeting guests upon their arrival tells them that you value each and every person. Train your concierge to always open a line of communication with guests from initial reservations to check out. These small but personal touches genuinely enhance a guest’s experience. 2. The Extra Mile I’m not suggesting a free night stay or a gift basket. Throwing something extra in the direction of the customer makes them feel welcome and appreciated. Consider a handwritten note with the fresh towels and linens. You can incorporate this personal touch across all levels of staff. 3. Returning Customers Returning customers do more than just fill rooms. Consider these valued guests an excellent tool for spreading the news about your facility! Show them how much you value them with a loyalty program – offer them speedy check-ins, complimentary upgrades and amenity upgrades. 4. Consider Inclusive Offers Offer more than a place to sleep. Can your facility lend a hand in the hospitality arena by offering breakfast, in-room service or perhaps a discount at a nearby attraction? Adding to your list of things provided is a great incentive for travelers.
Love the One You're With: Making the Most of Your Facility
1. More to Love You know what’s better than your space? More of it! Expanding meaningful features of your property can go a long way and boost the overall value of your facility. Identify a trouble area and consider utilizing more space to make the area more user-friendly. Consider parking areas, storage facilities, extra amenities, employee areas. Before you break ground, be sure to consult your local building authorities to identify a plan of action and learn about necessary building permissions. 2. In the Name of Love… Add charm and branding to your facility by simply changing the name. If you’re looking to change your facility’s reputation, re-branding is key and what better way than a new name? 3. Locks of Love Increasing security at your facility gives guests a sense of safety and creates a secure environment for employees. Consider security features like alarm systems, gates and surveillance cameras. Be sure not to overdo this feature causing a prison-like feel, instead find visually pleasing ways to create a secure environment. 4. Beauty’s in the Eye of the Beholder You may love your facility, but would an outsider? Consider exterior cosmetics to brighten up your facility’s presentation! Consult a landscape company, repaint the walls, fix the small cosmetic problems that you’ve let slip by. To maintain the upkeep of your property, consult your facility team, develop a more inclusive plan to keep your place up to par! 5. First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes… Signage? First impressions matter. Announce to the surrounding neighbors and your guests that change is a coming with new signage. Consider upgrading to aesthetically pleasing signage that is in keeping with surrounding buildings. Meet with a professional who can advise you how to be creative, clever and inviting using signs. 6. Love is in the Air Love is in the air – so do your best to keep that air squeaky clean. Going green is the most effective way to tell your guests and customers that you care! Research eco-friendly systems that can help lower overhead while creating a green culture. Options include solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and energy conserving windows. Do you have any additional suggestions for adding value to your property this year? Let us know by emailing your suggestions to media@forumevents.com. To meet with solution providers who can help you increase your property’s value – register for the upcoming Hospitality & Facilities Forum, here.
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