I remember that when I was in 8th Grade, our Social Sciences teacher would often take the class in the school playground. As kids, we never got the intent of the teacher and often thought of him as a fool. Why would anyone leave the cosy and comfy interiors of the class and sit on mattresses without cushioning for a 45-minute long class?
Well, the teacher always used to say that taking the class in an open-air helps us break the monotony of perspective. The changed ambience tells our subconscious mind that this is not just another class; the morning breeze and the soothing sunlight set our mood right and this way we can be shed of our fatigue and learn more efficiently.
Gone are those days, the more I find myself caught in the mid-life crisis, the more claustrophobic I feel strapped up in my cubicle. I own a privately held multimedia company in Atlanta and I was thinking of using a same therapeutic treatment to my staff. After all, the employees are the most valuable assets a company has.
My moral fibre is a strong one and it directs me to treat my people with compassion. So, one Monday morning, all called up the staff of the head office which is 50 something and announced that the management has decided to hold an annual meeting outside the hustle and bustle of the city.
I made it clear that the intended meeting had two agendas; first the meeting would help the staff to break free from their tight schedules and detox themselves. The second agenda was to strengthen the team further and rise above conflicts and psychological barriers so that the team turns up more productive and happy.
There was a change in the atmosphere right after the declaration. However, I was clueless even after asking my staff to send a circular to the Bay office that this spring we are all getting under one roof for a plethora of reasons.
Deciding the venue wasn’t easy as I had my reputation at stake. The place had to be exquisite and away from the chaos of the big city. Moreover, it had to have a pantry to fulfil the sustenance need of the employees from both the branches who were near about 80 (collectively).
The place needed to have a state of the art Audio Visual technology and most importantly, it had to have a bisection; a couple or more of halls where different teams based on functions could mingle up, discuss pivotal issues without hindering the schedule of other teams.
Whoa! The pressure was real and things were getting under my skin. A friend of mine who works for an I.T company called me and said that his Boss took his team to the Venue at Friendship Springs and the place had a very different character, nothing like you would have experienced before.
The corporate meeting and event venue was yet to be decided, so out of desperation I searched for the Venue at Friendship Springs on Google. For once, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The place had a classic yet chic kind of a vibe to it. It had a quorum room with black well-cushioned seating and a humongous screen which couldn’t let a tiny detail slip by. This made for a perfect board meeting.
The place had a well-lit auditorium – Wayne auditorium, a place well equipped with led lightings (which could change colour) and a tall ceiling. The hall had a state of the art sound system which enabled plug and play and the marble flooring gave the place a rustic and a classical vibe. This I thought should accommodate the whole company at once. The important discussions; the vision and the future course of the company can be discussed here.
Not only this, the place had 3 other rooms, the Carlisle room, the Davis Room and the Mc Donald Room. They had an area of 5000 sq ft, 2000 sq ft and 3000 sq ft respectively. Both these three rooms had one wall of floor to ceiling windows exposing an outdoor natural view. The windows could be closed using pipe and drape to give a more private feel to the attendees.
Well, half the job was done since I decided on the venue. I put the staff of Bay office on a flight and made them fly to Atlanta. From there, I hired a score taxis and drove to Flowery Branch. Much to my surprise, my employees were cheered up after reaching the corporate meeting and event venue.
Things went as per planned (the schedule was very flexible though), and much to my surprise there were no hiccups from the Venue at Friendship Springs side. The staff was humble, responsive and attentive. We were served much better than we had thought of.
If you want to rent a place that delivers on its promises, look no further than the Venue at Friendship Springs.
