Five reasons why we love Fairmont Hotels’ Polar Bear Week!

Written by Laura Miller, Employee Engagement Coordinator for Living Planet @ Work.
Fairmont is raising money for WWF’s Arctic program and having a great time doing it—read on to learn about how they’re using a fundraising campaign to engage their workplace and strengthen their team.

1. They love fun!

Fairmont has set out to make their Polar Bear Week not just about educating employees, but about “fun-raising!” They designed creative games and displayed their education table in a fun and visually appealing way.

2. They called on senior-level colleagues to participate

Six Fairmont VP’s are leading by example. They planned to show their support for Polar Bear Week by agreeing to dip into chilly Lake Ontario at WWF’s Polar Dip, but when the ice froze over, they decided on a fun, symbolic dip at a special, snowy company event!

3. They introduced an internal contest element to create a ton of buzz around the office

Since Fairmont loves to keep things exciting, they announced that any VP who raises over $500 gets to nominate a dipping buddy of their choice!

4. They created an educational piece to breathe context and purpose into their campaign

They are making a strong connection to the reason why they are fundraising. “Did you know that Canada is home to over a quarter of the world’s Arctic land and waters?” Or that “60% of the world’s polar bears live in Canadian territory and on sea ice which is melting due to climate change?” The Fairmont team has set out to inform employees about just that. Take a look at the interactive educational games and trivia table they’ve developed to engage and educate their colleagues on the Arctic and its conservation challenges.

5.They leveraged the brilliance and creativity of the people on their team to imagine the campaign in a fun and dare-we-say, whimsical  way

Sometimes the best ideas are right under your nose—Fairmont didn’t have to look far to unearth a wealth of creative resources and activities. With the help of an awesome green team, engaged leadership and creative minds, their Polar Bear Week is destined for success!