Memorial Day is this Monday, and that means one thing: Picnic season has begun! No doubt you’ve got some hand in planning the company picnic, and like most company picnics, there will be prizes. A fun part of the event for everyone, but of course that means picking items that will grab everyone’s attention. Here are a few suggestions that are not only great as company picnic door prize ideas, but also for your service awards programs.

The Director’s Chair:  Put your employee in the director’s seat with this folding chair. It includes a built-in folding side table for drinks etc., and side storage pockets for incidentals such as sunblock, sunglasses, and snacks. Lightweight aluminum with reinforced seat.

Chill and Grill Outdoor Kit – This is a great one for the family on the go. Vacationers will enjoy the opportunity to stop at roadside parks and cook up a picnic as they travel. This portable grill comes in a container that also includes a 15-can capacity insulated cooler.  It also comes with grill tongs and a shoulder strap.

Pop-Up Leaf Sunshade – Brilliant and unique, the leaf sunshade (pictured below) folds up easily and comes with a carrying bag with shoulder strap. For anyone who’s ever had a difficult time finding their umbrella after a swim at the beach, this one will stand out from the crowd. Surprisingly affordable, and great for the service award as well.

To keep that company picnic hopping, offer fun and practical door prizes such as these.  (Contact us for info on these and other ideas.) Adding your company name and logo to the prizes will help send your guests home with some fantastic memories of good food, great times, and an enjoyable company to work for. Happy picnicking!

There’s a reason things like watches, clocks, and jewelry are so closely associated with service awards: They’re well-liked and a fantastic way to turn an award into a keepsake.  But for every employee that would love to have a watch or a gold ring, there’s another who would more appreciate something as unique as they are.  Offering great choices in your service awards programs means adding some things a little less traditional to counter the more common favorites.  Here are a few suggestions that will fit nicely into your employee’s at-home game room:

Authentic Gaming Machine – Definitely not your average service award, a slot machine will give your award recipient a bit of Vegas right at home.  This beauty is a full-sized slot machine that was once a true blue ringer on the casino floor.  Completely refurbished, authentic, and ready for at-home use!  Even includes the tokens.

Old-Fashioned Kettle Popcorn Maker – Add it to a game room, even the family room.  This one offers fun for the whole family, as movie night is turned into something really special.  Anyone can throw a bag in the microwave, but how many people can have their own true blue movie popcorn?  This is a manageable tabletop version that stands 18″ high.

Gumball Machine – Another one sure to please the whole family, a gumball machine adds a bit of nostalgia to the household fun area.  This one is built the old fashioned way with a cast metal base and a glass globe.  

Chess Set – Here’s an award that offers a lot in craftsmanship and style.  This chess table features genuine Italian alabaster inlay and comes complete with a full set of handcrafted maple chessmen, weighted and felted.  The table includes two drawers for storage.  An elegant piece sure to be proudly displayed.

Keeping in mind the varied personalities in your company will go a long way to setting up a great awards program.  While the popular choices of watches and jewelry will always have a favorite spot, adding some more unusual items to your awards catalog lets your employees know you understand how unique they are!

Got some more unusual ideas of your own?  Let us know!  Want to get ahold of something you see here, or perhaps discuss other options?  Feel free to contact us.  We’d love to chat with you.  (We also tell great jokes, and some of us sing on occasion.)

This part of the winter can get pretty tedious up in the northern regions of the U.S.  No doubt the entire country, however, finds itself restless for the more carefree days of summer.  We still have to wait it out, but a respite from winter, if only for the afternoon, could be just what the doctor ordered.  Today’s company and office party idea is: The Wintertime BBQ!

If it’s within the company budget, consider having your lunchtime barbeque catered.  Bring in a caterer who can set up classic summertime picnic fare, or go whole hog and have a pig roast.

Is a caterer a little too steep on the budget?  No problem.  Go with a potluck and encourage everyone to contribute their favorite summer dish.  Set up grills in the parking lot and serve hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixings.  Tell coworkers they can wear their Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses, and straw hats that day if they wish.  While everyone’s eating, play some Beach Boys tunes or luau music.  Try covering the tables with red and white checkered tablecloths and string colorful patio lights over the potluck table.  Prop up a beach umbrella in one corner and put a lawn chair and a cooler filled with beverages beneath the umbrella.

Offering  a few door prizes always livens things up, and it’s also the perfect opportunity to publicly recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals or teams with plaques or awards.  For the door prizes, stay with the summer theme.  Try items such as this folding chair with a built-in cooler beneath and your company logo on the chair back.  Or how about a backpack filled with all the necessities for the winner to have their own picnic?  If you want to keep things economical, go with items such as company tees and hats, gardening and yard tools, and tailgating accessories.

Waiting for warmer weather doesn’t have to be a drag.  Anticipate it in a fun and social manner with afternoon of summertime food and good times at your own company or office party!  Who knows, you may just encourage the sun to heat things up early this year.  Now, there’s something to appreciate!

Like our suggestions?  Learn more about these and other great ideas by calling us at 1-888/664-6449.  And make sure to subscribe to our blog.  More fun company and office party ideas are on the way!

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When an employee has gone the extra mile or made an accomplishment that you don’t want to let go unrecognized, it’s nice to be ready with something that says “thank you”.  Such an item doesn’t have to be costly, but it should have some thought behind it.  The best recognition awards are items that are presented with true gratitude.  And it doesn’t hurt if they’re useful items as well!  Following are a few inexpensive recognition award ideas for your worthy employees.

Business Card Holders:  These can be found in every style and price point imaginable.  Some very nice ones can be had at reasonable prices.  Keep some on hand engraved with the company logo, or for a more personal touch, engrave the employee’s name and/or a special message as well.  

Mini Gator Flashlight:  It’s hard to believe this one falls in the “affordable” category, but it’s true.  For under $15, this useful item makes a great thank you.  It even comes in a gift box with a spare lamp, a lanyard, and a set of batteries.  And of course it’s fully engravable.

All-in-One Desk Buddy: Here’s a most handy item!  This smooth-surfaced mousepad has a wrist rest, a calculator, a ruler, even a hidden storage compartment all built in.  It can hold a small notepad and business cards as well.  Also for under $15, this is a great deal that can be engraved with your company logo and/or the recipient’s name.

There’s nothing like being recognized for a job well done.  It motivates one to keep going, gives a sense of purpose, and makes a career out of a job.  In the end, the most important thing is to be shown appreciation with sincerity.  Adding a token of gratitude ensures the moment can’t be forgotten.

Interested in any of these inexpensive recognition awards ideas for your employees?  Give us a call at 1/888-664-6449.  We can help you with these or any other motivational ideas you may have!  

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The holidays often mean a time for special recognition of a job well done throughout the year.   Finding the right item to commemorate the moment can be tough.  The award should be a personal keepsake that will remind the recipient of the special event for years to come.  That’s why we’ve designed the Circle of Life Pendant.

This extraordinary pendant and chain is crafted to show the names of the recipient’s loved ones or a special message on one side, your company name on the other.  The pendant is displayed on an elegant liquid-like sterling silver snake chain, and each pendant is individually hand-cast in 1/2 ounce sterling silver.  

The Circle of Life Pendant also makes an excellent holiday gift for the hard-to-shop-for boss.  To order, call us at 1-888/664-6449 or email us at i2k@generalmotivation.com.  We’d love to help you finish your Christmas shopping!

With Christmas approaching, it’s time to think of some great gift items for your employees as well as for those holiday promotional giveaways.  Gloria Duchin has a line of darling pewter Christmas ornaments, perfect for personalization and coming in a variety of styles.  We laser engrave these ornaments in-house with the recipient’’s name and company logo, making it a meaningful keepsake that will be cherished year after year.  Or simply include your company logo for a fantastic promo item that won’t be forgotten!

Today we’d like to offer you the chance to win a free Gloria Duchin Snowman ornament.  He’s solid cast pewter and has a twinkling little red Swarovski crystal on his hat.  If you win, we’ll laser your name and your company logo just for you!  

Ready to enter?  Great!  Let’s get going.

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Leave a comment:  Tell us a holiday happening at your office, past present or future!  It can be an especially memorable one or even a total bust.  (Be creative!  If the randomly selected winner doesn’t respond, you may be chosen based on your great response!)

2.)  Follow us:  Subscribe to our blog, Follow GMC on Twitter (we’re hrhelper) and/or become a fan on our General Motivation Facebook page.  Please leave separate comments for each.

Feel free to do all five to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Monday, December 14, 2009, to enter.

Is a Gloria Duchin ornament just what you were looking for?  Contact us at 1-888/664-6449 to order today.  We’re a pretty speedy bunch, so you’ll have them in time for your special event.

It’s your boss’s birthday next week.   Wanda in accounting wants to buy him a giant panda bear.  The guys in packaging think you should hire a nearly illegal singing telegram.  But after passing around the collection bucket, all you can afford to get is half a frozen pizza and a warm can of pop. (Hey, isn’t that what we got him last year?)

Purchasing a gift for your boss doesn’t have to be scary or expensive.  No matter what the amount of money you squeezed out of your fellow employees, there’s something for every budget if you know where to look. 

Personalize it! One fantastic way to make a gift become a treasured possession is as simple as putting the recipient’s name on it.  Perhaps everyone is stealing your boss’s pen; the guy simply can’t keep one.  Have his name and thecompany logo laser engraved on a special one like this completely affordable number available from General Motivation Company.  Believe me, with a pen made that special no one would dare be caught with it!  And he’ll have a real keepsake.

Have Fun! It’s her birthday so have fun with it!  A bag of balloons from the dollar store would certainly add pizzazz to her office, don’t you think?  Now add an attractive pair of personalized crystal champagne flutes to her desk, complete with a bottle of sparkling grape juice (so she can enjoy it during work hours), and you’ve made quite a splash!  Sound pricey?  Not necessarily.  These crystal flutes will easily fall into budget.

Support Your Boss’s Hobby!  Perhaps he golfs, makes his own beer, or waterskis.  Maybe she has a thing for flashy earrings and birdwatching.  The possibilities are endless, but if you’re just plain stuck, let us know.  We can always help you out of a pinch and get that special item to you in time.  Call us and talk to one of our very cool customer service reps.  They’d love to help!