Hello world!

I have some very exciting news to share -- OrgOrg was acquired by Eden Technologies, Inc! Our members are familiar with Eden; they’re a long time OrgOrg sponsor and partner, and are incredibly dedicated to supporting this community. Eden’s mission is quite literally, “to create a better place to work, for everyone.” Those words ring exceptionally true to me, and to our community: the people making it all work at work. Though we’ve taken different approaches (Eden with technology and OrgOrg with discussions), we’ve both been committed to building tools and resources to support people working in Business and People Operations. I believe that together, we can create something really special.

Backing up a bit: I’ve always wanted to find the right partner to help me grow OrgOrg beyond a part-time-volunteer-led-side-project-Google Group. This group has grown into a beautiful thing over the last 7 years, and I don’t want to mess with what’s working so well -- but even with a baller volunteer team (and, trust me, they are ballers), it’s hard to scale and build new things when we only have part-time eyes on operating and growing. I’m incredibly proud of the organization our amazing team has built in our side-hustle time. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more for our community.

Enter: Eden. Joe Du Bey (Eden’s CEO and co-founder) approached me in mid-2017 about the potential for a deeper partnership -- something to go beyond Learning & Development events, affiliate sponsorships, and contests to find the best in the biz. After many months of discussing, we realized that it made the most sense for us to officially join forces to build OrgOrg into the best damn community platform it could be.

So. What does this mean? And what does it not mean? First and foremost, I want to make sure to communicate something that’s essential to both Joe and I: that OrgOrg remains a separate, private, sacred space for members. Eden will not have access to our archives, our member lists, or anything else that would cause the vendor/community lines to blur. It’s quite important to Eden (and me) that OrgOrg remain a vendor-agnostic, safe community platform where members can continue to support each other as they have for years. That won’t be changing.

What this *does* mean is that we now have the support of a larger organization to help us grow. The biggest, most exciting change is that we’re committing to hosting our first ever OrgOrg Conference and Gala in 2018. HOLYSHIT I’ll say it again: OrgConf (name TBD) is coming. This year. Stay tuned for more information about content, scheduling, and the sweet sweet sweetness that this event will surely be.

We’re also working on ideas for how to amp up our Learning & Development programs/events, Resources Library, and Chapter growth. We’ve already started discussing some very exciting possibilities with Eden's tech team that will help scale OrgOrg's technology beyond the limitations of Google Groups, focusing on improving search and making it easier for members to connect with one another. Whoa baby.

I still have a full-time day job, and OrgOrg is still staffed entirely by people with full-time day jobs, but we’re growing in new and exciting ways - from chapters to content, we’re excited to keep supporting our community. If you want to get involved either as a member or a sponsor/partner, please let me know.

I want to say a massive THANK YOU to the members of OrgOrg for their trust, support, participation, and encouragement over the last 7 years. What started out as an email amongst friends has turned into a global organization full of advice, resources, and real-life support systems (and friendships, too. nothing’s better than friends).

This is one special community, and it’s an honor to be a part of it. Can’t wait to see what we do next.

<3
Kim​

From company holiday parties and summer picnics to post-work happy hours and team building activities, it’s no secret that investing in your company culture can provide real benefits to your business — think greater employee engagement, increased morale and stronger workplace relationships.
 
Increasingly, HR pros are looking for ways to treat their employees to thoughtful recognition initiatives that are better aligned with their employee demographics, interests, and own unique brand of fun. In fact, a 2016 Gallup poll on millennial job habits — the largest generation in today’s workforce — found that “engaged millennials are 64 percent less likely to say they will switch jobs if the market improves.”
 
In short, your company culture is unique, and the ways in which you recognize your employees should be too.

Off the Grid Catering, a Bay Area-based events and catering platform with a network of more than 300 mobile food creators in its arsenal, regularly plans and executes team building and recognition events for companies large and small.
 
“Clients are coming to us looking for thoughtful and unique ways to recognize their employees — they want unconventional, outside-the-box, and perhaps even a little quirky,” says Samantha Brown, Catering Sales Manager at Off the Grid. “Mobile catering is a really attractive option because of the possibilities for menu customization, full-service event production, and indoor and outdoor service styles. Not to mention, it’s fun, approachable and far from the ordinary.”
 
With National Employee Appreciation Day approaching on March 2, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about how to beef — or veg! — up your employee recognition initiatives with mobile catering. Here are three innovative ideas for a food truck-fueled event to salute a job well done.

1. Foster feel-good vibes with a company block party.

Take over your company’s parking lot, or other outdoor space of your choosing, and host a streetside event that will keep employees mingling, munching and memory-making well into the night.
 
In true block party fashion, let your mobile caterer curate a crowd-pleasing menu of street eats and nostalgic favorites (like cotton candy from Sugar & Spun), employ friendly service staff to carry food and drinks directly to party-goers, and incorporate games and activities like giant beer pong, jenga and cornhole. For a truly unique experience, add an unexpected element to your event like live caricature illustrations from Silent James. 

​2. Throw your team one “tech” of a party.
 
Hosting a mobile event gives planners the opportunity to throw in of-the-moment experiences that go beyond just food. Why not treat your employees to a tech-savvy soiree decked out with party robotics, a digital dance floor and video game rentals?
 
If you really want to make a splash with guests, toss in an immersive mobile VR experience — hailed as one of the biggest trends impacting the event industry this year — like Exit Reality’s “cowbots and aliens” virtual reality game aboard their custom VR truck.

​3. Raise a glass (or three) to employee success.
 
Perfect for larger companies or those with teams who work remotely, a tapas-style experience provides guests with freedom and variety while encouraging interdepartmental networking, relationship-building, and all around fuzzy feelings.
 
For a truly sophisticated event, talk to your caterer about coordinating full bar service (including taking care of all the nitty gritty like insurance and liability coverage), custom branded menu signage featuring your company logo, and passed bites from premier mobile food vendors paired with specialty cocktails. Better yet, keep your employees mingling — and mixing — with hands on cocktail-making classes from Elixir to Go.
 
If you’re looking for innovative ways to toast your employees in 2018, mobile catering could be just the ticket — after all, nothing screams “we appreciate you” like delicious street food, craft beverages and attentive staff to make sure the whole thing goes off without a hitch.
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​Jaclyn Dunne-Gallagher is the Director of Catering Sales at Off the Grid, where she leads a dynamic team of sales professionals who bring in more than 400 events per year in 10 Bay Area counties. A 14-year veteran of the region's hospitality industry, Jaclyn began her career at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco before joining the team at Paula LeDuc Fine Catering as a Senior Account Executive. Jaclyn divides her time between San Francisco and her beloved hometown of San Diego, where you can find her exploring the city's many amazing restaurants, and strolling its breathtaking beaches with her pup, Frisco.
 
About Off the Grid Catering
 
Off the Grid Catering is a Bay Area-based events and catering platform with a network of more than 300 mobile food creators in its arsenal. While many in the Bay Area know Off the Grid for their food truck extravaganzas at both Fort Mason Center and the Presidio, the company’s catering arm re-creates the lively atmosphere of their market experiences in a private setting, offering full-service event production, flexible set-up for both indoor and outdoor venues, and a diverse array of street food fare served via trucks, carts and stationary kiosks.

As an industry professional, I am often asked about what I view as the critical skill sets of a successful event planner. We’re sure many of you, as executive and professional assistants, have lots of ideas on that score!
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Event planners must be right brain and left brain, detail oriented and strategic, forecaster/planners and operational “in the moment” reactors. And without a doubt, all effective event planners must know how to artfully juggle their priorities, deadlines, resources and relationships. This in fact, may be the most critical talent of all for event planners moving forward and upward in their careers. So how do you master the art of juggling?


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