Articles, podcasts, videos, books, a recipe once in a while and other stuff we recommend that you check out when you have time to take a break.

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The Regenerative Revolution: A new paradigm for event management

It’s time for a major paradigm shift in the MICE industry business model. This report from IMEX Group, Marriott International and the Global Destination Sustainability Movement explains that the COVID-19 pandemic has given the industry an opportunity to do a “great reset, to rethink, reimagine and redesign a new restorative, resilient, inclusive and zero carbon growth model.” The first in IMEX’s #natureworks research paper, it prescribes adopting the circular economy model. A change that would be good for the industry, the planet, people and profits.  (Photo by SSokolov |Canva)

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“How to Have a Disagreement Like an Adult, According to Deepak Chopra,” by Nicole Pajer, The New York Times, Style section, September 30, 2020

North America is a land of fraught nerves. The pandemic, politics, racial injustice, protests and damage to the economy have taken their toll on our health, bankbooks, and patience. Now many parts of both countries are facing rising COVID-19 cases and a return to the restrictions of the spring. Here in Quebec we are back in partial lockdown. Our already diminished social circles and support shrunk down to our households, again. So, it’s more important than ever to embrace civility. You may not agree with all of wellness and meditation guru Deepak Chopra’s advice, but it may make you pause for a crucial moment when you’re feeling challenged, defensive and argumentative, particularly with family and friends. Step one is simply not to engage. A big ask as the piece’s author Nicole Pajer points out. If you’re unable to turn away, for whatever reason, steps two through nine might help you argue like an adult.  (Photo by YiorgosGR |Canva)

WATCH

IRF Destination Management Company Webinar, September 17, 2020.

Hosted by the Incentive Research Foundation, this webinar brought together a panel of destination management company (DMC) experts to offer insights into how they are working with planners as incentive travel programs are beginning to be relaunched. The discussion covered the role of the DMC as an extension of the planning team, its feet on the ground. Then Nicole Marsh of Imprint Events Group brought up the need for DMCs to end the practice of spending considerable time and resources creating what are de facto full programs just to be in the running to get a program or event. She said the industry should adopt the architect model of showing clients completed projects but not doing bespoke work until they win the business. The Incentivist’s question: Can the industry change the way it’s done business for so long?  (Photo by Wandeaw | Canva)

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“After Today’s Distressing Coronavirus Briefing, This Viral Twitter Thread Offers Hope in the Face of Despair,” graziadaily.co.uk

While this article was published in the UK, its content is applicable to many people around the world. I live in Quebec, Canada. We are also seeing an increase in the transmission of COVID-19 that may result in the province going into lockdown again. Hitting the six-month mark in the pandemic with bad news is discouraging for a whole host of reasons. But this short article detailing a Twitter thread of advice from Dr. Aisha Ahmad, a professor at the University of Toronto, offered—as it promises in its headline—some hope.

LISTEN

“Unpause Yourself,” Episode 10, Season 5, Women at Work podcast, HBR.org

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the business landscape, leaving many of us without jobs, fearful of losing our jobs or stuck on our career ladder. In this episode of the Harvard Business Review’s always excellent Women at Work podcast, hosts Amy Gallo and Amy Bernstein take on the question of how we can “unpause” ourselves. In conversations with Harvard Business School professor Kathleen McGinn and Daisy Wademan Dowling, founder and CEO of Work Parent, Gallo and Bernstein explore a range of topics such as determining what the right time to think about personal advancement is, how to move beyond the fear and anxiety caused by health- and job-insecurity, staying on your boss’s radar when you’re working from home, and more. Despite being recorded in June, the content remains relevant and elevating as we continue to navigate the ups and downs of (attempted) reopening and figuring out the “new normal.”

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“Back to Business Experiential Forum with ALHI: One Editor’s Experience with Face-to-Face Meetings,” by Tyler Davidson, Meetings Today, August 27, 2020.

Tyler Davidson, vice-president and chief content director for Meetings Today, details the first face-to-face meeting he’s been to since the pandemic began six months ago. The event was Associated Luxury Hotel International’s (ALHI) Back to Business Experiential Forum held at the Omni Dallas Hotel. Davidson covers everything from his company’s policy on travel (he did not have to go if he didn’t want to) and his flight to Dallas to how the dinner tables were set at the 125-person event, which was “part-educational session and part post-shutdown in-person events lab.” The article also includes a Q&A with the event’s lead planner, Katie Bohrer, ALHI’s vice-president, Meeting Design and Experience. To round out his coverage Davidson interviewed ALHI president and CEO Michael Dominguez (shown here) for the Meetings Today podcast. Dominguez is also co-chair of the Event Industry Council’s recovery task force. Bonus: ALHI has posted some of the day’s general sessions on YouTube. View here.

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“How to make cruising safe again? Operate in a bubble,” by Fran Golden, Bloomberg News, August 19, 2020.

What health security protocols must be in place to make going on a cruise safe? This article attempts to answer that question with a look at how adventure cruise operator Lindblad Expeditions is tackling the challenge of getting its ships back in operation. The company, which is allied with National Geographic, has small ships going to lightly populated regions of the world (Antarctic, Galapagos, etc.). Its plan is to create “cruise bubbles.” Will it work? (Photo of cruise ship in Antarctic by N8tureGrl | Canva.)

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“How to Cook Moist & Tender Chicken Breasts Every Time,” by Faith Durand, thekitchn.com

I don’t know about you, but the humble boneless, skinless chicken breast is a staple of my diet. I’ve marinated, brined, breaded, poached, fried, baked, sautéed and grilled them. But I had never found a way to consistently produce a delicious but plain chicken breast to top a salad. Never until this article arrived in my inbox via Pocket. I’ve tried it twice now. It’s easy. It’s quick. It’s delicious. And the chicken turns out as advertised: moist and tender. Maybe you already know this method. If you don’t, I recommend you try it. And remember to keep the lid on. (Photo of chicken, spinach and pomegranate salad by Kaboompics on Pexel.)

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“Your To-Do List Is, in Fact, Too Long” by Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review*, August 11, 2020

I don’t know about you, but the working-from-home (WFH) thing has added significantly to my to-do list, leaving me feeling discouraged with my inability to get enough done each day. I can’t even imagine how people who have to integrate homeschooling and play activities for their children or care for a parent into their workday are feeling.  This article by Peter Bregman, author of the best-seller 18 Minutes and the soon-to-be-released Leading with Emotional Courage, helped. Frustrated with not being able to cross enough things off his daily to-do list, Bregman came up with a common-sense solution—really a new way to look at the challenge. It helped him. It’s working for me. Maybe it will help you too. Note: Harvard Business Review gives registered visitors to its site (you don’t have to subscribe) access to four free articles a month. (Photo by Cn0ra on Canva.)

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“We are the Guinea Pigs’: Hollywood Restarts Its Blockbuster Machine, by Nicole Sperling and Brooks Barnes, The New York Times*, August 13, 2020.

Like most businesses, the movie industry was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, with lockdowns lifted in many parts of the world, movie (and tv series) production started up again. “Jurassic Park: Dominion” was one of the first major Hollywood films to put its cast and crew back to work. This article looks at the health security precautions, practices and protocols that Universal put in place to ensure the safety of all 750 participants and its $200 million USD budget. The 107-page safety manual Universal created is now being used by other studios. Note: The New York Times gives non-subscribers access to five free articles a month. (Photo by shaunl | Canva.)