As companies with group and conference business needs are carefully budgeting for meeting, conferencing and destination management needs in 2010 and 2011, there are significant impacts to all our local, Relevé Unlimited California communities. This is even more true, when due to economic concerns or accountability issues, groups cancel or redirect their business away from California.
California is one of the world's premier, and most important destinations for meeting, conferencing and incentivizing. The Golden State has an economy largely dependent on the inflow of 'visitor dollars‘.
In these historically unprecedented times, companies must be accountable for every dollar spent, providing complete transparency in expenditures - to their boards, to their employees, and now often to the taxpaying communities they are beholden to if there has been any acceptance of Federal assistance.
What we know at Relevé Unlimited as a direct result of the intimacy we maintain with our returning group clients, are two bottom line facts. Regardless of the economic climate our clients must meet and conference, and our clients have the funds to do so.
More than at any other time, businesses must meet and conference to build morale among their legions, offering clear direction and guidance to their ranks, and to roll out, explore, brainstorm and plant the seeds of innovation for the new products and services that will lead them to their next phases of development, as they grow to meet the demands and needs of what will become our global community's 'new normals' in the years and decades ahead.
Whether a company is providing for a conference trip to any of our Relevé Unlimited California destinations for 1,500 conference attendees and their guests, or a board of directors retreat for 50 and their guests, the funds are set aside well in advance of the actual fulfillment of any program to transport, accommodate, conference, and entertain these groups.
Group business has been scared and beaten into an unusual sort of submission during this past chapter of our global economy, wary of perceptions that exist in expending any type of investment in their human resources that may appear as 'inappropriate'. Unfortunately, this is even true of those companies that are otherwise healthy, fully accountable, have taken no Federal Tax Dollars, and are moving forward with business strategies and product fulfillment with strength and innovation. While fears are founded in the mass psyche of the times addressing 'excess', 'abuse', 'mismanagement', we at Relevé Unlimited know that counter to these misgivings, funds have been properly budgeted and set aside for the very important job of meeting and conferencing, fueling the benefits of employment and economic health.
With our focus at Relevé Unlimited squarely on directing the conversation to the positive, the accountable, the creative, we have set our crosshairs squarely on moving group business forward. To this end, we thought in the Spring of 2009, why not offer opportunities for our group clients to 'pay forward' [ and in some cases pay back ] to the communities they are coming to conference in. This sort of paying forward to our California communities would not only insure stability in our highly regarded and highly successful conference, visitors and tourist sectors during challenging times, but also ensure that California will rise and hold its premiere position on the international scene as the economy recovers and ultimately grows once again.
* Direct impact to local and grass roots social, non-profit services with Relevé Unlimited assisted corporate gifting goaled to begin at $25,000.00, with certain group programs providing gifts upwards of $100,000.00 in our California communities.
* All gifts are fully tax deductible for the gifting corporation.
* The inclusion of this platform for funding in our local Relevé Unlimited communities will make the difference between a group with budgeted funds coming to California to conference, or not. Over the immediate term we are saving literally thousands of jobs in our destination communities for everyone from the ticket counter clerk at the airport to the valet in the motor court, to the chefs and wait staff and housekeepers and concierges at hotels all over the state, to event professionals and service providers and the folks that all these visitors support in our local communities. A $25,000.00 gift can literally make the difference between a $500,000 program finding its way to California - OR NOT. And that additional $475,000 is what keeps our Relevé Unlimited destinations vibrant, competitive, inspired, and ' at your service ' with open hands and open doors to our group clients.
* Working with strategically selected non-profit partners, a group like Santa Barbara based, The Santa Barbara Foundation could be partnered with to fulfill the goals of our Community Rewards Program with group gifting benefiting human and social programs. A group like Santa Barbara based, The Community Environmental Council will assist with our group gifting efforts making significant impacts through our Environmental Honors Program - a conduit for insuring the health and green growth of our physical and natural environments. With responsible, established non-profit agency partners, our group gifting is made easy, efficient, transparent, and reputable. With demands on our clients time and attention, and the need for impactful results with accountability and transparency, we believe we've made our Relevé Philanthropy programs easy, inviting and rewarding.
* With the normal planning window of 18 months or more returning to many of our client's programs, impactful gifting can be determined well in advance with Relevé Unlimited as liaison. This advance planning provides a fine level of attention to detail insuring funds gifted by the conferencing group are effective and efficient. Everything from ribbon cuttings, to building and park dedications, to program unveilings... can be accomplished with the support of Relevé Unlimited in a manner that supports the group's message and brand and the philanthropic missions of those driving our group business.
* Year-end report value for shareholders and the public, along with the government entities charged with oversight of federal funds and regulation of corporate activities. The accountability and the good will built through these programs have immeasurably positive rewards to our group clients.
* Tremendous marketing and public relations value to the gifting group, its employees, its directors, and trustees. The celebration in a communal way through local, regional and national media provides for an unparalleled 'feel good' value for all involved, planting the seeds all around our great nation for like-minded gifting and corporate responsibility.
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Our goal at Relevé Unlimited is that our two programs - Community Rewards, and Environmental Honors - will serve as models to catalyze the new world in which we live, capturing strength and providing inspiration by the very economic and social conditions we all live in now.
At Relevé we reach higher... never taking ‘no’ as an answer, always looking to where the ‘yes's’ exist that benefit us all.
