
The best team building can happen when it's not about the team.
A community service project creates a unique team building opportunity for your meeting attendees in Asheville. Service projects can be fun and energizing for attendees -and make a beneficial impact on the environment or residents of your host city. From river clean-ups to custom projects designed for your group at your host hotel, the Asheville CVB can connect you to the local organizations that will help you incorporate a service project in your meeting's agenda. If you're a meeting planner looking for a host hotel for your next meeting, contact the Asheville CVB for time-saving services.
Group service projects can be coordinated by these local Asheville organizations:
Purchase the Love Asheville - Go Local Card for your meeting attendees and make a donation to Asheville area non-profits. The cards are available at reduced rate for meeting planners who purchase 50 or more cards. At $9 per card, planners can include the cost in the meeting registration fee or purchase these for the attendees.
The purchase of the card supports the Asheville City Schools Foundation and the Asheville Grown Business Alliance. In 2013, the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials purchased 800 cards for their meeting attendees. Their $4000 donation helped to fund an Asheville elementary school mural project. Click here for more information about the Go Local Card for meetings.
Donating to local charities is also a wonderful way to benefit your host community. Give attendees the chance to donate a few dollars at registration, or donate unused and leftover items from your meeting. Here are some organizations that can facilitate donating:
Encourage meeting attendees to bring items that will be donated to a local charity. Create centerpieces with items and save on your decor budget. Art supplies for local schools, pet food & supplies, gloves and hats for needy children, canned food items for local food bank or homeless shelters will make interesting table decorations.
“We chose Asheville for our conference not only for the beauty of the setting, but for its rich and diverse culture and support of the arts. As a very walkable city, Asheville provided our attendees a background of entertainment, amazing food, and creative drinks while learning about how to make a living in the field of jewelry and metals. The large amount of galleries in the downtown are provided for a rich exhibition crawl filled with unique and varied exhibitions.
Gwynne Rukenbrod Smith
Executive Director
Society of North American Goldsmiths
(He/Him)
Vice President of Business Development
mkryzanek@exploreasheville.com
(She/Her)
Director of Sales
cholliday@exploreasheville.com
(She/Her)
Senior Sales Manager
tporter@exploreasheville.com
States: AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, ID, KS, MN, MT, NE, NM, ND, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY
Markets: Sports, Health & Wellness, Outdoor Products & Industries
(He/Him)
Senior Sales Manager
sboone@ExploreAsheville.com
States: AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, MO, OH, SC, TN
Markets: Technology Nationwide, Manufacturing Nationwide, Including Food and Beverage, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Nationwide
(She/Her)
Sales Manager
kdewey@exploreasheville.com
States: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV
Markets: Life Sciences, Medical, Pharmaceutical; Climate & Environmental
(She/Her)
Sales Manager
bmckinney@exploreasheville.com
Markets: Social & Adventure Travel – Weddings; Group Tours; Reunions; Social, Military, Educational, Religious & Fraternal groups (20 hotel rooms on the peak night or fewer without meeting space).
(She/Her)
Group Marketing Manager
cadams@exploreasheville.com
(She/Her)
Group Service Manager
ecrosby@exploreasheville.com
(He/Him)
Group Sales Coordinator
kkhoury@exploreasheville.com
(He/Him)
Group Service Coordinator
jdawson@exploreasheville.com
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