3 NYC Event Agencies Named to Crains’ Best Places to Work List

Last month three event planning businesses were ranked by Crain’s NY in their annual ranking of the “Best Places to Work.”

In addition to their ranking they all three have another commonality:  each has provided their employees training through Event Leadership Institute (ELI).  Employees of all three of the event planning firms cited the tuition reimbursement and the focus on employee development as one of their favorite perks.

Barkley Kalpak Agency, First Protocol, and Grass Roots all made the list of 100 businesses that, are dedicated to “Creating a profound commitment to their workers’ happiness,” an essential criteria to make the cut.

International events agency First Protocol Inc. (#30) was the highest ranked of the three.  They are known to reward employee achievements with gift certificates to the spa or hard to reach tickets to events like last year’s Super Bowl.

They also provide tuition reimbursement to allow their employees to continue to learn and thrive through professional development.

Grass Roots Meetings and Events Inc. (#52), a full-service meetings and events company, which was singled out for its strong commitment to giving back, including volunteering at a local charity for homeless and at-risk young people. They also provide telecommuting options, onsite health, fitness, and food—including, according to a press release, a “Much-loved beer fridge Friday”—and a 401(k) plan.  Jenny Lust, their Vice President of Operations said

We believe continuous education is a highly important element in creating an empowered, knowledgeable team with the desire to deliver top-notch service and drive results.  This year Grass Roots and the Event Leadership Institute partnered to tailor a three day training program specific to our business – skill development, building a personal brand,  and creating an environment to encourage ‘big thinking’.  ‘Specific to our business’ is a big ask!  Howard and the ELT embraced the challenge and encouraged Grass Roots to push the envelope by incorporating non-traditional topics.  The overwhelmingly positive feedback reinforced the importance of committing to our employees’ professional growth and is a contributing factor to Grass Roots earning a position amongst the Crain’s Best Places to Work in New York City this year.  We look forward to pushing the limits to creative learning with the ELT again in 2016.”

Jennifer from Human Resources at Grass Roots went on to tell us there was 100% positive response from their employees about offering training from ELI again.  Employee’s especially noted ELI Director Howard Givner’s experience and facilitation skills.

Instructor [Howard Givner] was very relevant and had a ton of great knowledge. He had been on both sides of the industry and was able to give candid feedback and suggestions. He was engaging and kept conversation flow open to attendees while still keeping the training on track with timing.”

Corporate meeting and event producer Barkley Kalpak Agency (#63), was also cited for providing training and employee development said,

“We’re extremely honored to have been listed on Crain’s New York Business list of the top 100 Best Places to Work in NYC for the second year in a row!  It’s exciting to receive industry awards for our work, but it’s truly thrilling to be recognized for our culture as it’s something we focus on constantly.”

Givner said, “Employee training proves the value of your team and insures quality control and consistency among your planners.”

Event Leadership Institute offers several options for employee training. Givner said, “We offer customized and group training that we’ve offered to not only these three highly ranked companies, but also other industry stand-outs like Marriott and David Stark.”

There are over 100 videos in the library of on-demand video content on topics that include, “Creativity & Design” and Event Management” as well as interviews with well known industry leaders.  Many of the videos are pre-approved for continuing education credits towards the CMP credential.

Students of ELI can also earn digital credentials in one of several of the Professional Development Courses.

Contact Education Director, Sue Bender for more information on your training options.

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