Where in the World is KCA?
KCA travels worldwide for our clients. Each issue the KCA Connection highlights a photo of our team member(s) in action. If you correctly guess where the team is located in the photo, you will be entered into a drawing to win a cool prize. The winner will be announced in the next edition of the KCA Connection.
where Kate is located! (All correct responses will be included in the drawing. Deadline to enter is Friday, August 6.)
Hint: This city is known for its traditions in "azulejos" and "fado."
|
The Merry Wanderer's Corner on Tipping
In my mind, tips are provided for service levels. They are expected in some jobs and very much appreciated in others. For those traveling, there isn't a book or list on exactly what to do in every circumstance, experience, or country, I suggest you provide a gratuity based on the service and the experience.
A factor to consider is the level of restaurant or hotel selected for the experience. The more prestigious, the more gratuities you will most likely provide.
Tips may vary from country to country and in some countries not expected at all, so for a general guideline here are a few tidbits to consider when tipping.
Waiter: 10%-20% of the bill (not including tax). While in Dubai, anything is appreciated if it isn't already added to the bill.
Captain: 5%; when the diner writes their tip amount on the check, the waiter gets it all. A little known practice is the diner specifying how the tip is to be split. (Example: Waiter, $12; Captain, $4.) This practice is expected in higher end restaurants.
Headwaiter who seats diners: $5-$10 or more for regular patrons. He/She should be tipped in cash and upon seating. In my experience tipping, even a nominal amount, nets a better table.
Sommelier: 10% of the wine selection or 5% if the wine is expensive. Again, provide tip directly to the Sommelier.
Bartender: $1 minimum or 15% of check.
Coat/Hat-check: 50 cents-$1 per couple. In DC recently, the coat room clerk refused my gratuity as the program manager had already covered it. That was honesty at its best!
Restroom Attendant: 50 cents.
Doorman to get Taxi: 50 cents - $5 depending on city; consider increasing the amount in bad weather or during rush hour.
Nightclubs: Headwaiter should get $2-$10 per person, depending on the impression the party host wishes to make on his guests. (Higher tip usually ensures better service).
Limousine service: 15% to the driver. If a service charge is included in bill, tip an additional $5.
Hotel Bellman: $1 per bag.
Hotel Chambermaid: $1 per day.
Sports Arenas and Racetracks: A $5 tip to an usher will often give you and your guests access to unused reserved seats.
Outside Services: At a recent program in Mexico City, services outside of a hotel, from the family cafe along the street to a hardworking cab driver, seemed pleased simply to be acknowledged with anything paid in pesos versus dollars.
|
|
Hey, Did You Know?
When planning your next event with an Open/Hosted Bar you may want to consider the following during the budget planning stage:
Budget 2 - 2.5 drinks per person for a one-hour reception.
Up the number of drinks to 3 - 3.5 per person for a one-and-a -half hour reception.
Use these estimates for any reception where light food is served. Review our last KCA Connection to remember how many appetizers to serve your guests.
|
Let KCA Pad
Your Pockets
We value your referrals and want to show our appreciation. If a referral (for KCA) turns into business, then we will send the referrer a $50 gift card as a token of our appreciation. |
KCA, Inc.
107 S. Southgate Dr.
Chandler, AZ 85226 USA
P: (480) 893-6110
| |
The Art of Creativity
This edition of the KCA Connection focuses on the art of creativity, ways to harness it and remove clutter from the mind to let your creative juices flow. This edition also features a new section called The Merry Wanderer's Corner, where Kate Christensen shares her experience and quandaries from her travels around the world for KCA's clients.
Now let the KCA Connection inspire you to get creative - happy reading! |
|
|
Managing Paper...Free Your Desk and Your Mind to Work
Is your desk a sea of papers? Documents, mail, printed e-mails, sticky notes, file folders and industry magazines covering every inch of space? Do you have multiple "I'll get to them later" files stacked in every corner? If your boss asked you for the contract that your client faxed to you yesterday, would it take 10 minutes for you to find it? As much as we try to be environmentally conscious and work as paperless as possible, it's inevitable that in your daily routine you will need to work with printed materials. What most people are not good at, however, is managing the daily influx of paperwork that crosses their desks. A cluttered desk will ultimately lead to a cluttered mind and lost productivity. Free them up with the following tips.
Every item that lands on your desk should immediately be categorized as:
T - Throw away
R - Route to someone else
A - Act on it
F - File it
R - Read later
Keep or Toss?
Ask yourself these questions to determine what should be kept (keeping in line with your company's file retention guidelines):
-
Is there a chance that I will ever need this? Do I need the whole thing?
-
Is this the only copy? Could I find it elsewhere?
-
Could there be any legal or financial ramifications for not having this document?
-
What's the worst thing that could happen if someone needed it and I didn't have it?
-
If you decide to keep it, write notes on the document as to why you kept it.
Routing
Keep an In/Out box on your desk, and make sure you empty the Out box every day by routing documents to the appropriate recipient.
Act On It!
Either take action now, or put it on your task list with a deadline. Once acted on, immediately toss it, route it or put it in your "to be filed" folder.
Filing
Use these tips for an organized file cabinet:
- File chronologically - with most recent toward front
- Return frequently used papers to front of folder
- Avoid filing papers as you receive them - create a "to be filed" box or folder; schedule filing times
- Use loose-leaf notebooks for large, frequently accessed files
- File names - use broad, generic headings to generate fewer files; avoid using adjectives or numbers to begin names
"Read It Later"
We all get those industry magazines or newsletters that really are valuable to our jobs. The problem can be finding the time to read them. If you can't spare 20 or 30 minutes today, put it in your "read it later" box or folder. Once you do have a block of time to dedicate, read the table of contents or skim all headlines first, circling the articles you wish to read, then tear them out or photocopy circled articles. If your monthlies are piling up, pull out the oldest copies and find a spot in your break room to place them and share with colleagues.
Now that your desk is clear, sit back, close your eyes, take a deep, cleansing breath, and tackle that looming deadline with a clear mind!
|
|
Creativity in the Work Place
Creativity in the work place is sometimes hard to achieve. People have a love for things that are habitual and routine. During a recent Arizona Meeting Professionals International educational workshop on Creativity, Ed Scannell, CSP, introduced many ways to help people break their habits and learn to think out of the box.
Ed is great at obtaining the attention of the audience and holding it. He is approachable and is able to get the entire audience engaged in tasks at the drop of a hat.
Ed talks about how we should always strive to have a creative mindset in our work place and introduced Disney's four C's:
-
Curiosity
-
Courage
-
Confidence
-
Constancy
The curiosity to go out and seek new ideas, new sites, the courage and confidence to make changes, to take a risk in life, and the constancy to plow through, even when things don't go according to plan.
One main point is to learn to implement a creative mind set into your everyday life; to not just settle for an appearance of something, but to strive to better something, to comprehend enough to be able to bend it to your will. As Ed stated,
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
Ed asked everyone in the audience to introduce themselves to someone new and then asked them to alter three things about their appearances to see if the other person would notice what they were. This tactic worked not only to test their observation skills, but to also see how they adjusted to the challenge.
According to statistics, ninety-five percent of our brains have been geared to creativity at the age of five, and only five percent creativity by the age of sixteen because of school, family, and people training us on how to do something.
We are programmed to think a specific way thus our creativity is stifled. Did you know that for every one positive comment, we are told twenty-three negative! This is a drastic difference, so work on praising people when they have done something right and saying, "you will get it next time" when a mistake is made. This will place a positive spin on any matter and make the stressful work seem less stressful. "Catch someone doing something right," and acknowledge them for what they are doing.
Some major benefits of being creative are: flexibility in the way you achieve things, originality, perception, sensitivity to people, places, and things, along with the ability to create and adapt. People need to stop following "the norm" and start creating the abnormal, and by achieving this you will go farther in the business world and in life. |
Employee Spotlight
Known as our resident technical guru, Brandy Richardson's  contribution to and support of the KCA team is invaluable. Brandy is not only involved with helping train the KCA team on different technical issues, but also manages multiple projects and clients. KCA owner Kate Christensen commented, "She is amazing with every project she touches, thorough with every detail and thoughtful with each step she takes for our company and clients."
Nicknamed "B", she has displayed her commitment to KCA by continuously being willing to take on more responsibility, all while juggling her home life. "While in the middle of a large transition project, she delivered her second child and was back at work within a few short weeks to shepard through the project. This above and beyond attitude is what clearly sets her apart," said KCA VP, Leslie Honaker.
Thanks to her expertise in meeting & event planning, as well as technology & website development, Brandy continues to prove herself as an incredible asset to the KCA team. "I'm continually in awe of her ability to juggle an incredible workload while producing nothing but the highest quality results," says association/conference manager DeAnn Fedyski. Nancy Kolling, KCA registrar added, "Although she thinks really quickly on her feet, you know that she gives each response her thoughtful consideration before she replies. She remembers everything - even the minutiae."
Thank you Brandy, for your determination and dedication to the KCA team! |
|
Established in 1991, KCA has the knowledge and creativity that comes from years of experience in the fields of Meeting/Special Event Planning, Public Relations, Tradeshows and Association Management. KCA provides comprehensive, customized services to each client. Every client is unique with different needs and specific desires. KCA works to understand, plan and deliver programs and projects to exceed every client's expectations and now even brides-to-be!
|
|
|
|
|
