July 2010 ACCESS Advantage
- Double Duty: Local CSR Legacy for Corporate Client!
- Sunnylands Estate, Annenberg Center to Lead Way for Sustainability Standard!
- Shopping in Style!
Double Duty: Local CSR Legacy for Corporate Client!
After a successful Southern California CSR event last year, Underwriters Laboratories came back for more. In 2009, they participated in a "Military Makeover," organized by ACCESS, which spruced up the home and grounds of a local military family unable to keep up with home maintenance while the husband was serving in Iraq.
This year, a team of 80 international Underwriters Laboratories employees, in town as part of the global UL team, got down to business and spent the afternoon brightening the day and the daily educational environment of the kids at a local Head Start site. They rolled up their sleeves and spent the afternoon enhancing the site by painting walls with vibrant colors and animal-inspired murals as well as landscaping and enhancing privacy fencing at the school. With very short notice, the ACCESS team was able to organize this event to meet the CSR goals of UL's Corporate Social Responsibility office while providing a great program giving back to the local community.
Jill Oakman, Global Marketing Manager for Underwriters Laboratories states, "As a group, we are so pleased to have the opportunity to give back to a wonderful community of people. Children all around the world deserve the best possible life and we are fortunate that we could contribute to their well-being." She further states, "The reception we received from the children and the adults in attendance made this event a memorable one for all of us."
The success of both years' programs demonstrates that socially responsible events serve to motivate conference attendees while providing community service to a variety of charitable causes. Contact the destination management team at ACCESS Destination Services for all your CSR programming needs. We have the experience, the targeting capabilities and the resources to create dynamic CSR teambuilding events to support your company mission and goals. Call us today!
Palm Springs
Sunnylands Estate, Annenberg Center to Lead Way for Sustainability Standard! The new Annenberg Center and the retrofitted Sunnylands Estate will be among an "elite group" of international sites that will test the nation's first voluntary sustainability rating system. The Rancho Mirage sites, which are now under construction and will open late next year, were named among more than 150 projects from 34 states as well as Canada, Iceland and Spain. They will test the nation's first voluntary rating system for green landscape design, construction and maintenance that the Sustainability Sites initiative created.
The sites, which range from botanic gardens and public parks to corporate headquarters and federal buildings, will be scored on factors such as construction, soil, vegetation and water. The new construction targets a LEED Silver designation and uses a solar field for electrical power and a geothermal system for heating and cooling.
Sunnylands was the 200-acre Rancho Mirage estate built by the late Ambassador Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Designed by architect Quincy Jones, the 25,000 square-foot midcentury modern house is located in the middle of landscaped grounds including a private golf course. In 2011, Sunnylands will be a 215-acre public attraction that incorporates a historic house with its cultural landscape and accompanying golf course and an education and interpretive center with desert garden and solar farm, dedicated to 21st century environmental sustainability technology. The new Sunnylands will be opened to the public as a historic house museum as well as a site for retreats and summits.
The adjacent 15-acre Annenberg Center will offer visitors an understanding of the midcentury modern architecture and art collections at Sunnylands, the many important political and cultural figures who visited Sunnylands and new sustainable approaches to desert living. Rotating exhibits will be enjoyed in the loggia and visitors can relax in the Great Room with its spectacular views of Mt. San Jacinto. Outdoor activities will include exploring the 9-acre garden with its water efficient landscaping. Interpretive materials will also explain the ways in which solar panels and geo-thermal systems will supply energy for this project.
The team at ACCESS Palm Springs will keep you posted on the exciting developments and the construction schedule at this historic location. Talk to our team about tours of the house and grounds as well as other uses of Sunnylands for your upcoming conferences, meetings and incentive travel programs. Contact us today!
Photos represent the cultural landscape of historic Sunnylands, the main house entrance and the atrium at Sunnylands.
Orange County
Shopping in Style! Shopping tours aren't just shopping tours anymore - at least not in trendy Orange County! The ACCESS team has re-invented the basic shopping tour and transformed it into a VIP experience that can't be beat, providing "ACCESS" into the world of design and style.
As a departure from the shopping shuttles of past years, ACCESS Orange County offers a day of pampering and VIP service, fit for a fashionista, at a nearby collection of exciting boutiques and specialty stores.
The day begins with a champagne or mimosa reception at a selected designer boutique where guests receive a personal Passport to Savings - chock full of discounts and added value from participating shops.
Based on the size of the group, guests will either remain together or split into more intimate-sized gatherings for their VIP visit to several high-end boutiques. Store personnel will be on hand to answer questions and provide on-site information on current styles and design trends. For convenience and relaxation, ACCESS will arrange entrance to a private VIP Suite where guests can enjoy a beverage or store their purchases.
For a recent client, ACCESS arranged a champagne reception at Gucci and private visits at three designer shops topped off with a private luncheon at an exclusive restaurant located nearby. The ACCESS operations team provided expert input to ensure the careful design of the rotations throughout the boutiques in order to optimize the intimate VIP experience at each. Talk to the ACCESS Orange County team about a VIP Shopping experience for your guests during your next program in The O.C.!
Spice it up with ACCESS
Cheese Puffs
Leonore Annenberg (see above re: Sunnylands) offers this simple but tasty treat as published in The Sinatra Celebrity Cookbook.
Makes 20 - 24 pieces
Ingredients:
- 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated yellow Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 medium-sized onion, grated
- 1 egg yolk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 20-24 slices thin bread rounds
- Paprika for garnish
Directions:
Two hours before serving, combine cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, onion and egg yolk. Season with salt and black pepper. Chill until ready to assemble puffs.
Toast bread slices.
Spread cheese mixture on toasted rounds. Sprinkle with paprika. Place on baking sheet.
Broil until lightly browned.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!
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"It was fun, wasn't it? Thank you for helping to make the event a great success. You all did an excellent job."
Director of Events & Member Services
ALFA International
