Activities supporting local communities, charities and more on offer at luxury hotel brand
Fairmont’s Meetings That Matter charitable donation component has been extended through 2012. Planners booking a new meeting with a minimum of 50 room nights may donate 10 percent of the room revenue generated by the event to a charitable organization. Planners can determine the charity of choice, whether it is a cause that resonates most strongly with attendees, a local organization in need, or one of Fairmont’s corporate partners, which include the National Geographic Society, WWF and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
Every day Fairmont strives to not only be an outstanding, ethical employer, but also a community leader respectful of the extraordinary places where it operates, the company says. That’s why Fairmont has introduced the Meetings that Matter program to help not only the luxury brand’s associates and colleagues, but also its guests to become involved in making a difference.
Meetings and conferences can have a positive impact beyond the meeting room, as companies and planners alike seek out ways to give back to the communities and destinations where they gather. Whether it’s cleaning up local waterways, assisting local shelters or building homes for Habitat for Humanity, every Fairmont now offers a powerful way for groups to give back. These activities are gaining a reputation for fostering stronger ties among colleagues and attendees, who can work together to leave a positive impression on their chosen destination, while also creating lasting memories.
To learn more, planners can visit fairmont.com/meetingsthatmatter. Additional opportunities for groups to give back include:
Helping people
In every community there are people who need extra help performing simple tasks that others may take for granted. A number of Fairmont properties have found ways to lend a helping hand to people with daily challenges.
Many Fairmonts offer half and full day programs assisting local food banks, shelters and soup kitchens. Half-day Habitat for Humanity programs are also popular and are available at a number of Fairmont properties, with attendees completing landscaping, painting and other minor household projects to prepare homes for new families. For example, a half-day Habitat for Humanity program at The Fairmont Winnipeg tackles the final steps involved in turning a new house into a home. Groups will complete landscaping, painting and other minor household projects to prepare the homes for new families from March through November. Planners can also arrange activities where guests spend 3 hours preparing and serving meals at the Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank or Siloam Mission Food Bank.
Lending a hand to the environment
At The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver groups can get involved with the Ivy Busters program, where attendees go to historic Stanley Park and help remove the rapidly spreading English Ivy that threatens to smother native vegetation and compromise natural shelter and food sources for wildlife.
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise offers The Upper Corral Creek Basin Westslope Cutthroat Trout Restoration in Banff National Park, which helps recover this local species. Volunteer opportunities include helping to catch and release cutthroat trout for DNA sampling, GIS mapping of the creek basin, and angling to assist in the removal of non-native brook trout.
Fostering happy, healthy kids and communities
The Fairmont Vancouver Airport partners with the Richmond Schoolyard Society for the Kids + gardens + healthy food = stronger communities program on a half-day group activity designed to bring children and attendees into their “outdoor classroom”, where they connect with the earth and their community.
For an onsite activity that is hands-on, The Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s Higher Ground Biker Build-Off program lets attendees build a bike, race it, and raise a deserving child’s spirits. Working together, teams work to acquire the bike parts they need to construct their masterpiece. When a champion has been declared, teams donate their creations. Teddy Bear Making at Fairmont Le Château Montebello in Québec gives attendees materials to build, stuff and decorate teddy bears by hand. Prizes are given away for the best and most creative bears, but all are donated to Leucan, an association for children with cancer.
