Pedaling for a business meeting and other innovative ways to get work done
By Janine Logan
PRPLI board members literally put their feet into action for the PRPLI’s re-organization board meeting (8/3/22) when they boarded the Paddle Pub cruiser and pedaled their way into Huntington Harbor, all while conducting business. It was the first in-person board meeting since the start of the Pandemic.
In-person business meetings are becoming more of the norm now that the pandemic is receding somewhat. But a meeting aboard a paddle boat is unusual. It was the first such meeting location for the PRPLI board and the first time the proprietors of the Paddle Pub hosted a business board meeting.
PRPLI president Jerry Allocca said the group was looking for something different for its creative group of public relations practitioners, and first vice president Theresa Jacobellis suggested the Paddle Pub. The group voted unanimously to board the ship.
Despite the exertion of pedaling the boat and the breeze that tended to muffle voices, our board members powered through the meeting and set up an outstanding agenda of educational programs and events for the coming year. Some include a session on pitching the media, reputation management strategies, understanding what’s new with Google Analytics, harnessing block chain technology and so much more.
Whether the board will reconvene aboard the Paddle Pub is an open question, but meetings held in off-beat venues for PRPLI and similar organizations and businesses are happening. The former New York State Health commissioner, for instance, was known to assemble his key staff members and take them on a walking meeting in a nearby park. Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and even Aristotle held walking meetings because physical activity gets the creative juices flowing.
As far back as a decade ago, fishing spots, Karaoke bars, hot air balloons, and gyms served as viable locations for business meetings, according to a CBS News report. Hottest MICE news blog suggests taking meetings to museums, rooftops, warehouses, factories and other unusual locations to promote efficiency, productivity, and creativity.
While PRPLI can’t promise that our next meeting will be at one of these off-beat locations, we can promise you that you’ll meet some fantastic and influential people and pick up a new idea or two at one of our upcoming meetings. Join us on September 14 at the Refuge in Melville at 6 p.m. for some drinks, networking, and inspiration. Register here.
