Your conference venue has been finalized. You have the meeting agenda prepared and invites have been sent. It seems like things are coming together but have you  given any thought to what refreshments you will be serving? Food is integral  and expected component of a conference. Depending on what time you meeting is being held, it is important to not only have beverages, but food as well. Having the right snacks at your off site meeting can help the productivity of the meeting . Afterall, people will not be able to focus on the important information being communicated if all they can think about is how hungry they are.

Morning Conference

By far, the most important item to have in morning meetings is coffee, tea and fruit juices. Make sure the coffee fresh and that you have enough to serve everyone. The caffeine provides the boost that many attendees will need to focus in the meeting. However, some attendees may prefer decaffeinated coffee. These people need to be accommodated for as well. This includes tea drinkers. So make sure tea bags with hot water is available also. Orange and apple or cranberry juices are common choices that are common for a morning beverage. It also important to have plenty of bottle water available for everyone

In terms of food, bagels, donuts, muffins, and breakfast pastries are popular choices for morning meetings. They go well with the beverages and light enough not to be filling. Healthier options such as fruits, granola and yogurt are also becoming commonly found in morning meeting menus. These are great alternatives for people looking for diet-friendly foods.

Afternoon Conference

If you are providing lunch for your meeting, something that can be served and eaten easily and with minimal ness is best. Pizza and/or sandwiches are good options. Both foods are quick and easy to eat without being too messy. Both items can also accommodate vegetarians, which make it a whole lot easier. You can also offer some salads. Mixed green, pasta or potato salads compliment pizza and sandwiches and add a bit more variety to the lunch. As for beverages, you can provide coffee, tea, water,  juices and pop.

In order for a meeting to be effective, there must be a person designated to lead the meeting. It will be the responsibility of this person to facilitate the discussion. This person must be prepared to keep the dialogue on track, mitigate tangents and ensure all communication is focused and appropriate.

If the meeting leader is not prepared for these tasks, it is possible that someone else will hijack the meeting and the meeting objectives will not be met.  In order to stay in control of a meeting meeting, the meeting leaders must prepare all the key points of the meeting in advance to ensure they are able to help navigate the discussion.

1. Determine what the top priority goal is
The goal is your main purpose of the meeting. Ask yourself what you would like to accomplish once the meeting has been completed. Is there a deadline coming up? Is there a project pending approval? Are there questions that need to be answered?

2. Establish talking points
The talking points should be a breakdown of what smaller tasks are involved in achieving your main goal.  Avoid over talking about a single idea that you may have. Instead, prepare the talking points that will support your goal and focus your meeting around these points.

3. Make an agenda
Try to create an agenda that is centered around your main goal and the talking points that you have created. Those that create the agenda, almost always control what is going in the meeting. The agenda is the “map” for the meeting.

4. Have a strong opening and close
Start off with a strong opening to introduce your one goal and cover your the talking points. Action items should be reiterated at the end of the meeting and should be sent to all meeting attendees soon after the meeting ends.

Tag(s): Ontario Conference Resort

May 19 – 21, 2012
May Long Weekend at Blue! Set summer in motion in the Village at Blue! Facepainting, scavenger hunts, hiking, shopping and the official kick off to patio season with 13 great restaurants to chose from.

Get summer started during the official patio-opening long weekend!  Enjoy family fun each day with FREE face painting, scavenger hunts, live music and guided hikes PLUS Saturday night FIREWORKS!

Saturday May 19

* Village Scavenger Hunt 9AM-9PM
* Columbia Guided Hike 10:30AM
* Face Painting 1-4PM
* Live Music – “Treddin Ready” 1-4PM ”
* Fireworks 9:30PM

Sunday May 20

* Village Scavenger Hunt 9AM-9PM
* Columbia Guided Hike 10:30AM
* Face Painting 1-4PM
* Live Music – “Piston Bully” 1-4PM
* Rusty’s 4th Annual Rib Eating Contest 3PM
* Fire Dancing 9PM

Monday May 21

* Village Scavenger Hunt 9AM-9PM
* Columbia Guided Hike 10:30AM
* Face Painting 1-4PM
* Live Music – “Coyote Kids” 1-4PM

ALL WEEKEND LONG: Plunge! Aquatic Centre, Ridge Runner, Gondola, Dockside Boat Rentals, Cascade Putting Course, Crock A Doodle Pottery

Hybrid meetings are becoming increasingly popular. Hybrid meetings are meetings that include a combination of in-person meetings and virtual meetings. Hybrid meetings are especially helpful for companies that have some employees working in the office while others are working remotely. Hybrid meetings bring these team members together.

A challenge with hybrid meetings is that people tend to work on other tasks while attending the meeting, especially if they are not in the same room as the others. This can be difficult to deal with since you cannot control what other people are doing. This causes issues as well because the attendees are not fully paying attention to what is going on in the hybrid meeting.

To ensure that your hybrid meeting is successful, create rules and standards prior to the meeting to ensure that all participants are on the same page. One rule you could implement is to insist that people are not allowed to multitask during the meeting, this way everyone’s attention is fully focused on the meeting. Make sure all technology works ahead of time to ensure that everyone can connect and can work together effectively. Another significant factor in having a successful hybrid meeting is to ensure that all participants have the same information before the meeting, during the meeting, and after the meeting. This ensures consistency for all participants. Distribute meeting information and documents prior to the meeting is another way to keep a hybrid meeting successful. Distributing information and documents during a meeting can be distracting to the participants and they will lose attention quickly.

Hybrid meetings can be extremely helpful to companies as long as they have been planned and organized in a useful manner. Hybrid meetings can also help companies to save money and time.

Tag(s): Ontario Conference Resort

1. Draw Up a Plan
A little bit of planning can go a long way, especially with PowerPoint presentations. Often people simply create and write up their presentations directly on PowerPoint without mapping the narrative of the presentation. Instead, you should take the time to outline what you would like to see on each slide, what information to include, what charts you may need etc. This will give you an outline of what you need to do when you create your presentation in PowerPoint.

2. Mention One Thing at a Time
A PowerPoint presentation is much more effective when you mention one idea at a time. Too many ideas at once can overwhelm your audience causing them to lose attention. Focus on one main point on each slide to make your presentation more effective.

3. Don’t Include Paragraphs on Slides
PowerPoint presentations are there to help you get your main ideas across to the audience, you don’t need to put extensive paragraphs on the slides. Paragraphs on PowerPoint presentations can be overwhelming to your audience. Use bullet points instead.

4. Make Presentation Aesthetically Pleasing
Paying attention to the look of your presentation can make it more effective. Make sure the text is easy to read. Choose background colours and text colours that complement one another. If you’re using a light background, choose a dark coloured text.

5. Use Images When Needed
Some believe that including images on every slide will help to keep your audience interested, this isn’t the case. Images can sometimes be distracting to your audience. Instead, choose to include images only when they help to enhance your point or will help you audience to understand your idea.

Tag(s): Ontario Conference Resort

Exclusive Lodging Deal!

If you haven’t starting thinking about your summer vacation, now is the time! Book by May 17th for stays between July 1 -26th and save 30% off your accommodation! Get ready for a summer of incredible activities, festivals and events, Plus! we’re taking adventure to new heights with brand new on-hill attractions! Create your perfect getaway by adding our Summer Active Pack to your reservation.

Package Includes:
Blue Mountain Inn

* Nightly accommodation
* Breakfast daily at the Pottery Restaurant

OR
All Other Resort Accommodations

* Nightly accommodation

Click here to book and type in promo code: SUMMER12 or by calling 705-445-0231 or 877-445-0231 and speak to our Leisure and Travel representatives to get the best rate in any of our accommodation types.

Blue Mountain makes the perfect venue for a summer wedding. Our on-site Wedding & Special Event Managers will help make your special day one that your friends and family will never forget.  Our wedding packages include all the essentials to make your dreams come to life. While our professional staff take care of the practical side of the occasion, you can spend more time creating that “personal touch” to make your day memorable.

All inclusive wedding packages starting as low as $150 per person.

Reception Package Includes:
Menu tasting for two
Complimentary linens—selection of colours and fabrics
Tea lights on tables
Dance floor
Podium and microphone
Raised head table
Personalized printed dinner menus
Complimentary wedding cake cutting (cake provided by couple)
Complimentary parking
Complimentary resort shuttling
Complimentary coat racks
Use of our grounds for photography
Dedicated on-site Wedding & Special Events Manager
Reception set-up and tear down
Serving staff
*All taxes and gratuities are included

With a number of spectacular locations to choose from, we have private rooms suitable for weddings starting at 50 to 450 guests.

Rooms  Number of Guests
Algonquin Ideal for 50 guests
Silver Creek Ballroom  Ideal for 65-85 guests
Cascade Room Ideal for 100-140 guests
Georgian Bay Ballroom Ideal for 120-180 guests
Weider Room  Ideal for 200-305 guests
Huron Room  Ideal for 300-450 guests

Function Space
Function rooms are assigned according to the anticipated number of guests and specific set up requirements. If there are fluctuations in the number of guests, or should more appropriate space become available, the hotel reserves the right to accordingly re-assign the function room. Function room is reserved only for the hours contracted. Should the event room be required on a 24 hour basis, additional charges may apply and arrangements must be made in advance.

For more information contact our Conference & Sales Team directly at: sales@bluemountain.ca or call 877.445.0231 ext.6210

Tag(s): Ontario Conference Resort, Weddings at Blue Mountain

Valid: May 1 – 17, 2012

The warm weather is coming and that means perfect days spent on the fairways, exploring the village or taking in some new adventures. Stay in a one bedroom village suite anytime between May 1 – 17th and receive 25% off each night!

Package Includes:

* Nightly accommodation

Reserve May Suite Sale Package Online or by calling 705-445-0231 or 877-445-0231 and speak to our Leisure and Travel representatives to get the best rate in any of our accommodation types.

We live in a society that gives us more opportunities and choices than ever before but along with this comes more demands on our time. For many people, there is no time to rest because life is so fast paced and full of things to do in both professional and personal life. Over time, if we don’t take care of ourselves, this can take a physical and emotional toll on our lives. Studies have shown that the workplace has seen more stress, health issues, conflict, and burnout than ever before. This isn’t only happening just in the workplace but in life in general. A huge number of people are constantly multi-tasking without taking the time to recharge.

Not giving yourself enough time to rest, exercise or take a break also doesn’t allow us to have the time to reflect or observe what we are doing. What happens instead is that we tend to fall in a rut or feel burnt out. We lost passion for our work and our life. This is why you need to “restart” yourself. Here are our tips on how to do so:

1. Commit – For the next 5 minutes get yourself to be committed to placing your attention on connecting your brain and body to feel what it is feeling.

2. Breathe – Take three slow deep breaths – in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax when you inhale and release as you exhale.

3. Examine – Examine what’s going on with your body. Are you squinting or straining your eyes in any way? Are you hunched over? Examine what’s going on for the next 60 seconds to discover any tension or sensations. Does your neck hurt? Are you hungry?

4. Announce – Announce to yourself anything that you have noticed.

5. Act – Now take action by doing something that benefits you right now. For example, if you noticed that your shoulders were raised, relax them by letting them drop. If you are thirsty, grab a glass of water and drink it.

6. Envision – Breathe comfortably while envisioning something peaceful as you breathe in and out. An ocean is a great visual for this step of the exercise.

7. Center – Situate yourself so that you are comfortable with your legs uncrossed and your arms and shoulders are at ease. Relax yourself and take a conscious breath in and out.

Your mind and body need to take the time to “restart”. Try practicing this exercise on a regular basis to ensure that you don’t feel burnt out at the end of the day. Take the time to do this now to reap the benefits in the longterm.

Tag(s): Ontario Conference Resort

If, at times, you feel overwhelmed by how much work you have to complete or if you find yourself crunching to meet deadlines on a regular basis, taking the time to write a to do list is something that can help your stay organized and productive. A prioritized to-do list will help you to keep track of all the action items that you need to implement  within a given day or week. The most important tasks should be put at the top of your list and the least important tasks at the bottom of your list.

By creating a prioritized to-do list, you will help yourself establish the order in which you should complete tasks. It will also help you to determine what items need your attention immediately and what you can leave to do until later on. Using a to-do list will help your manage your time and minimize your stress levels.

Regardless of your position or level of experience, to-do lists are something that all professionals can benefit from.

Here are some steps on how to create a well-structured to-do list:

1. Write your to-do list at the beginning of the day. That way you can use it to keep on track and manage your time throughout the day.

2. Write down all the tasks that you need to complete that day.

3. If you have to complete a large task, you can also break down that into sub- tasks to help keep you

4. Go through your list and assess how important and time sensitive each task is based on the importance, client relationship and or deadline.

5. After you have finished evaluating the importance and priority level of each task, rewrite your list in priority order.

Tag(s): Ontario Conference Resort