Happy Holidays!

To all our clients, colleagues, our Twitter & Facebook followers, friends & family,

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and a Very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Auspicious New Year!

We are certainly excited and looking forward to 2011 but we cannot say goodbye to 2010 without thanking all those who supported us especially our clients who entrusted with their special events!

Events2Remember is taking some time off to be with our families during this holiday season and we will be back on January 3rd, 2011.

May the coming year be a successful one for everyone!
Cheers!

Destination Event: ME Time

Image from www.destination360.com

Take one vacation four times a year and you could be saving your life (literally). When was the last time you took a vacation? Research shows that 34% of American workers do not use all of their vacation time. In 1992, a follow up to the Framingham Heart Study showed that participants who took the fewest holidays were most likely to suffer a heart attack. A study by the State University of New York, Oswego, published in 2000, tracked male patients at risk of heart disease over a 16-year period. "The results...," says lead researcher Brooks Gump, "...shows an association between taking an annual vacation and a reduced risk of heart attack and death." In Gump’s study, those who took fewer holidays were 30 percent more likely to die of a heart attack. Stress has also been shown to ignite or exacerbate ailments ranging from headaches to heart disease, colds to cancer

The good news is that getting away for a few days can be a clear benefit to your health. Vacations can run range from a do-nothing week on the beach, to a cultural and shopping tour of an exotic island, to a high-adrenaline adventure in Brazil. According to the experts, almost any type of holiday can benefit health to some degree because people tend to be happier, and sleeping longer and better while they're away can add a world of difference. After all, what a difference a day makes!

Here are some tips to a healthy escape:

A week is all you need: Trips of seven days or more are the most restorative. Taking fewer trips of longer duration is better for you than taking multiple mini-holidays.

Keep travel through time zones to a minimum: Jetlag is a form of stress and can undo most of the health benefits of getting away. If you want to get far away and return to the office refreshed and ready to work, travel north or south to avoid painful reentry. (Note: the time it takes to reach a destination neither diminishes nor increases the benefits of travel.)

Maximize your free time: Any type of commitment -- meeting with friends or family, checking e-mails, calling the office, or even following an itinerary -- will reduce the curative effects of travel. Freedom from obligations is key to a healthy vacation.

Choose a resort or cruise over a remote cabin in the woods: We might crave time alone, but making new acquaintances has been shown the increase the restorative power of a vacation. So go ahead and attend the manager’s cocktail party -- it's good for you.

Get off your beach chair: You'll feel more rejuvenated if you incorporate a moderate amount of physical activity (regular walking tours or other light exercise) into your vacation than if you spend the whole time lounging.

Keep it warm and light: We don't need scientific research to figure this one out, but studies confirm that in general, staying in a sunny destination provides greater health benefits than staying in one that has shorter days.

We get stuck in ruts. Vacations can help us develop healthy patterns to carry into our lives. Go out and explore! Your body and mind will thank you for it.

*statistics taken from Expedia International Vacation Deprivation Survey 2009

The History of Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day only one week away, I thought it would be interesting to share the story behind Valentine's Day. The following has been paraphrased from The History Channel.

Every February, across the world, St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated. Cards, gifts, candies, and flowers are exchanged. However, it also known that it is the month that many engagement rings are purchased and marriage proposals are made. So, how exactly did this holiday come about? Why is it celebrated in February?

Who was St. Valentine?

One belief is that Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome under Emperor Claudius II (around 270 A.D). Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than married ones and banned them from getting married. However, Valentine who felt that this was an unjust law, continued to perform marriages in secret. When the Emperor found out, he sentenced Valentine to death.

The second belief is that when Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with a young girl who used to visit him. It is alleged that before his death, he wrote her a letter, signed off “From your Valentine” and was therefore the first one to send a valentines letter.

Other stories suggest that Valentine was been killed because he helped Christians who were in Roman captivity.

Why we celebrate Valentine's Day

It is believed that Valentine's Day is celebrated to commemorate Valentine’s death, while others believe that the church decided to celebrate it on February 15 to coincide with the ancient Roman Lupercalia Festival. The latter was a pagan fertile festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. It marked the beginning of spring where they would purify their houses by sweeping and sprinkling them with salt and spelt.

Happy Early Valentine's Day!

Holiday Spirit at the Gaylord National

It's been some time since my last blog post -- I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and the New Year. If you didn't get a chance to visit the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the DC Metro Area during the holidays this season, mark your calendar for December 2010; it's a must-see!

The 18-story glass atrium of the resort was beautifully decorated with over two million twinkling lights. 150-foot light banners that replicated the colors of the Northern Lights were hung from the ceiling. A fountain show choreographed to Christmas music was also located in the atrium, as was an indoor holiday train village.




The space would not be complete, however, without the spectacular 60-foot Christmas tree made from candy-like glass that was dangling from the atrium ceiling. The tree was lit every evening at 6PM and an indoor snowfall turned the atrium into a winter wonderland.



And then there was "ICE!" -- a 15,000 square foot pavilion containing sculptures of penguins, polar bears, reindeer, gas-lit lampposts, replicas of some of Washington, DC's landmarks, four ice slides, Santa's workshop, and a beautiful nativity scene all made out of ice. The sculptures are amazingly maintained at a chilly 9 degrees, so be sure to dress warm if you plan to visit.

"ICE!" photo courtesy of the Washington Post

To view additional "ICE!" pictures, visit this gallery by The Washington Post.

All I can say is that the Gaylord is an amazing venue, and kudos to all involved in creating such a magnificent holiday atmosphere.