Friday, November 21, 2008

Corporate Social Responsibility Webinar

Join us for a One Smooth Stone webinar!

Two of our team members, Kevin Olsen and Bethany Veerman, will be teaching a 1-hour webinar on Corporate Social Responsibility. Focused on community outreach and philanthropic activities, this webinar will highlight creative and practical ways to integrate corporate social responsibility into your events. Additional topics will include the importance of CSR, effectively building anticipation for your philanthropic outreach activities, and promoting CSR within your own department.

Date: December 4, 2008
Time: 1 pm - 2pm CST

To Join: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/979374380

No special invitation needed. Anyone is welcome to join or pass along the link to friends and colleagues. Hope to (virtually) see you there!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

One Smooth Stone is thankful...

Our team members have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Take a look...

Bethany - “I’m thankful that my engagement ring matches every outfit. And that it was given to me by such an amazing, loving fiancĂ©!”

Steve – “I’m thankful for all the little things that make me smile.”

Kimberly – “I am so thankful that my husband and I survived the renovation of our house!!”

Barb – “I am thankful for a warm house in the cold months and my healthy and loving family.”


Gary – “I am thankful for my wife who takes care of me when I forget to. True love :) .”

Mark – “I’m grateful for my two girls from China and my wife who shows me everyday how to love them.”

Stephanie – “I’m thankful to celebrate thanksgiving with both our families this year. It’s not easy to eat two Thanksgiving feasts, but someone’s gotta do it, so it might as well be us.”

Ken – “I am thankful for family that shows me patience and love through significant work travel and time away from home. And, I’m thankful to be back with them for the holidays.”

Kevin– “I am so thankful for a loving wife and two adorable and energetic daughters. Living in a house full of women always keeps me on my toes!”

Emily – “I’m thankful for my boyfriend, Jason, and all the love, support, and laughter he’s brought into my life; for friends who stick by me through good times and bad; for an office full of people who feel like family; and for my family back in PA.”

Megan – “I’m thankful that my daughter, Skyler, is so awesome… and that I didn’t lose my wallet last week like I thought.”

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Fall Festivities

Halloween! A time to eat candy. A time to decorate. A time to put small children in uncomfortable and ridiculous costumes and parade them around the neighborhood.

Here are some photos of our One Smooth Stone kids, dressed up for the holiday. Can you guess which child belongs to which stoney?

A)



B)



C)



D)


E)



F)





G)




H)



And the answers are...
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A) Stephanie's daughter, Cassidy (kitty cat)
B) Steve's son, Adam (Batman)
C) Megan's daughter, Skyler (princess)
D) Bethany's neice and nephew, Tyler and Kylie (swamp monster and Hannah Montana)
E) Kevin's daughters, Emily and Abby (hippy and princess)
F) Lisa's children - McKinsey (50’s girl), Payton (rock star), Austin (joker), Bronson (joker’s sidekick), and 2 of their friends (Batman & the fighter)
G) Joanne's son, Luke, and his girlfriend, Lauren (flapper girl and mobster)
H) Brad's nephews, Christopher, Patrick and Matt (warrior, football player and joker)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Green Calculator

Want to make your meeting more green? Check out the green calculator! This handy online gadget calculates the carbon footprint generated by travel distances of your attendees. With the importance of green meetings continually increasing, this can be a helpful tool in determining the most “green” location and objectively justifying the location of your next event. Go Green!

www.bestplacestomeetgreen.com/calculator


Tricia
Assistant Project Coordinator

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Bits of Beijing

Tips for working in China…

- Be ready for an international experience.
Our week producing an event for AT Kearney in Beijing reminded me that we are working in a global community. Our meeting planning partners were from Rome, we sourced gear and scenic from Beijing, and we split our running crew between the US and Singapore. Needless to say, with all of the languages being spoken in the ballroom, it was IHOP - an international house of production!

- Building a custom set? Plan enough time to have it ACTUALLY BUILT in the ballroom.
The set pieces were assembled, seams were caulked, sanded, primed and covered with 3 coats of paint, right before our eyes…We literally had our set built in the ballroom!

- Try out new forms of entertainment.
You may not have heard of Sa Ding Ding…but she has sold over 2 million albums in China and is one hot act! She performed for the closing night, interspersed with some very serious Shaolin munks (these guys could easily keep up with Bruce Lee).

The show went incredibly well. But after 8 days in Beijing, it’s going to be awhile before I order Chinese take-out.

Kevin
President and Founding Principal of One Smooth Stone




One Smooth Stone team members check out how great the wall really is.


Serious Shaolin Monks demonstrate their martial arts skills for AT Kearney.

Monday, June 16, 2008

FIRST EVER IN HAWAII – Staging in the Ocean!

Our client asked us to create an “over the top” experience for their 900 sales people and their guests. A stage in the ocean fit the bill! After acquiring permits from 3 state and local authorities and a 3-day load-in, the 60’ x 32’ stage accessed by a 20’ catwalk from the beach was ready for show. For two evenings, attendees thrilled over the entertainment and this spectacular environment.

And the backdrop? None needed. The sunset and sailboats played the role perfectly.
Load-in
Performers on stage

View from the ocean!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Financial & Insurance Meetings Magazine features One Smooth Stone

One Smooth Stone is excited to be included in the March/April issue of Financial & Insurance Meetings!

The majority of our new clients and delivery partners come through people just talking about how much they enjoy working with us, like Cheryl Higgins did in this article. We so appreciate the kind words you have shared with your colleagues and friends over the years! Thank you for being an evangelist for One Smooth Stone. Note: Click on the images below to read the article.





One minor correction. The statement: “The company relies entirely on freelance specialists, who are brought in to help with each event as needed” is a bit misleading. Our 15 full-time employees create and manage all strategy, event architecture, pre-production and on-site management, providing a single source for clients to find all answers. We use strategic partners (freelancers and various companies) for on-site execution, so you only pay for those specialists required for your event.