July 2009 ACCESS Advantage
- "Operation Give" Unites San Diego Hospitality Industry in Socially Responsible Event!
- Elephant Odyssey Opens! (Plus: Green Facts about the Exhibit)
- Experiential Teambonding - Outrigger Style!
"Operation Give" Unites San Diego Hospitality Industry in Socially Responsible Event!
In response to increased scrutiny of the meetings industry, ACCESS Destination Services recently united the local hospitality industry for a day of charitable giving at the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego, preparing the new facility for move-in and showcasing the value of CSR events as conference and meeting inclusions. Click HERE to see a Video Clip from this event.
Ronald McDonald House provides a home-away-from-home for families whose children are being treated for potentially life-threatening illnesses at area hospitals. Teams representing the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego Convention & Visitors' Bureau and over 20 area hotels, participated in a CSR (corporate social responsibility) activity alongside the ACCESS team, creators and producers of this dynamic event. The idea to design a CSR event for the hospitality industry was conceived at a weekly ACCESS team meeting and following research on potential beneficiaries and needs assessments, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, Inc. proved to be the perfect match with its immediate need for facility preparation prior to receiving its first residents in June. Next came detailed planning sessions and weekly walk-throughs for our team.
Hospitality Industry response was outstanding with over 20 hotels participating by working the event and donating toiletries and other daily essentials for the facility's 47 new rooms. Approximately 100 volunteers from the local hospitality community together accomplished team-oriented assignments including kitchen preparation and resident room tasks such as hanging shower curtains and bath towels, making beds, cleaning rooms, placing amenities and more - all in a teambuilding format with hilarious team challenges including offering up a toga-clad teammate to receive bedding and calculating team industry longevity to receive towels. Craft stations including creating artwork for the facility, assembling welcome packs, and fashioning welcome cards for the new residents added special touches.
When all the rooms were completed, energized participants joined in a courtyard reception with refreshments hosted by ACCESS, acknowledgement by Ronald McDonald House executives and ACCESS CEO Chris Lee, DMCP, plus share stories from soon-to-be facility resident families in appreciation of the support and the "hope away from home" the facility provides as they await the outcome of hospital treatments their children will undergo. Bill Lennartz, President & CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, Inc. complimented the vision and organizational skills of ACCESS and praised the group effort to complete this project. He stated, "You are like angels to us. In a matter of hours you accomplished so much that will leave a lasting impression on the families who rely on the Ronald McDonald House." With emotions running high, our hospitality teams exchanged "high fives" and went home knowing that each and every participant highly impacted the lives of families who are about to embark upon perhaps the most challenging journey they will ever undertake.
As a pioneer in producing groundbreaking socially responsible teambuilding events nationwide, ACCESS shared this experience by providing an opportunity for our industry to give back to the San Diego community, showcasing the value of CSR events as conference or meeting inclusions. "With the meetings industry under the microscope, there is no better time to show the strength of the hospitality sector and to do what we do best," states Jennifer Miller, DMCP, General Manager of the ACCESS San Diego office. "As a company, this is our passion - to match our clients with projects enabling them to give back and leave a footprint when they meet in San Diego. To those of us in the hospitality industry, projects like this put meaning in meetings." ACCESS CEO Chris Lee, DMCP, adds "Operation Give" is an expression of our overall company values and just one example of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in action."
Photos represent (left to right) the new Ronald McDonald House of San Diego facility, industry team members hard at work, and ACCESS CEO Chris Lee, DMCP, acknowledging contribution of participants.
Contact the team at ACCESS Destination Services to add CSR components into your next meeting, conference or incentive travel event.
San Diego
Elephant Odyssey Opens! (Plus: Green Facts about the Exhibit) The San Diego Zoo's brand new elephant exhibit is a pachyderm paradise - an odyssey through time into the bioclimatic zone of Southern California, 12,000 years ago. Back in April, Ranchipur, Cookie, Mary and Cha Cha embarked on a trip from the San Diego Wild Animal Park to their new home at the San Diego Zoo where they joined new pachyderm pals, resident-elephants Tembo, Sumithi and Devi in preparation for the May grand opening of the "wildly" wonderful, 7.5 acre Harry & Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey Exhibit, home to several different species of animals.
Entering through the Fossil Portal guests travel back in time to the days of the great mammoths, giant ground sloths and saber-toothed tigers as they observe simulated tar pits revealing bones of animals from the Pleistocene era. The new Elephant Habitat is more than 3 times the size of the Zoo's former elephant exhibit and features several pools including the largest one at 4,600 square-feet, with a depth of 7.5' at the deep end and holding 137,000 gallons of water - just right for an elephant swim. Specially designed "utilitrees" provide shade, food, treats and more for the elephants. The Elephant Care Center is an open-sided elephant management facility where guests can observe keepers providing care for individual elephants. Venture into the Tunnel Passage, underneath a portion of the elephant exhibit, and step in time to a film projecting elephants on the march.
Elephants aren't the only inhabitants of Elephant Odyssey! The Mixed Species Exhibit showcases three different types of animals living together with plenty of room to roam: guanacos, tapirs and capybaras. A pair of lions surveys their territory at the Lions and Jaguar Exhibit. Specially heated rocks make the perfect lounging spot for the king of beasts. Next door, a jaguar patrols a marshy wetland habitat, complete with rocks, trees, branches and a stream flowing into a pond. And...that's not all!
Much careful planning went into the development of this special exhibit with attention to the environment as well as to the animals themselves. Some of the Elephant Odyssey's GREEN facts are:
- Demolition waste from the older Horn & Hoof Mesa area (where Elephant Odyssey now stands) was diverted from the landfill thanks to proactive planning that allowed for reuse and recycling of many materials.
- Amount of concrete crushed on site (no fuel used to truck somewhere else) and reused right at Elephant Odyssey: over 6,000 tons
- Amount of steel recycled: 92 tons
- Over 400 smaller plants were saved and reused. Plus, over 300 trees were boxed in temporary containers for use at Elephant Odyssey and other parts of the Zoo.
- The concrete blocks used for buildings were locally produced saving on fuel used to transport from manufacture to building site.
- The Zoo's Horticulture Department has installed drip irrigation (as seen throughout the Zoo and Wild Animal Park.) Computer-controlled drip irrigation systems used at the Zoo are among the most efficient ways to irrigate.
- Nearly 180,000 gallons of exhibit water will be treated on site and reused.
Contact the team at ACCESS Destination Services to hear more about the special features of Elephant Odyssey and how to incorporate a private special event at this new facility into your next San Diego meeting, conference or incentive travel program.
Orange County
Experiential Teambonding - Outrigger Style! Are you looking for a unique, contemporary bonding event for your guests that provides an action-oriented experience on the sparkling coastal OC waters without all the competitive pressures of a traditional teambuilding experience? The ACCESS Orange County team suggests a new way to enjoy the peaceful tranquility of Newport Harbor while engaging in the exciting bonding adventure offered aboard outrigger canoes.
Newport Harbor is one of the largest recreational boating harbors in the country. This sheltered bay, nestled between Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island, offers a multitude of boating opportunities including popular teambuilding activities such as adrenalin-pumping sailing regattas and zany electric boat scavenger hunt competitions - but when you want to set aside the stop-watches and scorecards and provide an invigorating yet relaxing bonding experience for your guests, sans pressure, an outrigger canoe adventure coordinated by ACCESS Destination Services might just be the answer!
Following a short demonstration your guests will be skimming the Newport Harbor in sync aboard double-hulled, 16-passenger outrigger canoes. Passing by Newport's Back Bay, a natural estuary and marine sanctuary, we'll paddle into Newport Harbor with its private yachts, magnificent residences and the getaway retreats of Hollywood celebrities. Several species of marine life call the harbor home including the California sea lion, harbor seal, several species of dolphins and scores of marine birds. When guests want to sit back, relax and stretch, no problem - the rest of the team carries on! Nothing beats an afternoon soaking in the sun on the picturesque Newport Coast. A group that paddles together performs together!
For more information on this team bonding experience and other activities and events ideally suited for your meetings, conferences or incentive travel programs contact the destination management experts at ACCESS Orange County today!
Spice it up with ACCESS
Sbicca Seafood Paella!
For seafood lovers here is a wonderful recipe from Del Mar restaurant Sbicca as featured in The San Diego Restaurant Cookbook.
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
- olive oil for sauteing
- 1-2 tablespoons garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 1/4 cups arborio rice
- 1 tablespoon Pernod
- 10-15 threads saffron
- 1 cup white wine
- 8-10 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1 pound scallops
- 1 pound mussels
- 1/2 pound fish
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomato
Directions:
Saute onion and bell peppers in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic, chilies, thyme, and oregano. Stir well for 2-3 minutes. Add rice and mix well. Add Pernod, saffron, and wine. Stir for 1 minute. Add 8 cups of chicken stock. Cook until rice is tender. Add more chicken stock if necessary.
To Serve:
Saute shrimp, scallops, mussels, and fish in a hot pan until half-cooked. Add rice, diced tomato, and chicken stock as necessary. Cover and steam until everything is hot and the seafood is fully cooked. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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