When 1,300 Trend Micro employees descended on 麻豆传媒映画for the company鈥檚 annual sales kick-off earlier this month, they did all the usual things convention-goers do.
They learned about the innovations the cyber security company was embracing, cheered on one another at training workshops and schmoozed at the awards dinner.
But they also did something that鈥檚 not as typical: each of them volunteered for four hours at two local schools. And before they left, each school was $33,000 richer.
This was Vancouver鈥檚 largest-ever convention-related corporate social responsibility initiative, says Carrie Leung of Tourism Vancouver.
While convention business is estimated to add $500 million a year in spin-off benefits to Vancouver鈥檚 economy, and many companies have social giving programs, Leung is noticing that Trend Micro鈥檚 donation to its host city is part of a growing trend.
鈥淲e feel it鈥檚 important that Vancouverites know when conferences leave important legacies in Vancouver,鈥� she said.
Trend Micro鈥檚 麻豆传媒映画initiative had several components. Staff raised $33,000 amongst themselves, which the company matched. This enabled the two $33,000 cheque presentations, one at Lord Strathcona elementary and the other at Grandview elementary.
At the schools, the staff walked the students through its Internet Safety for Kids program. Students were presented with scenarios that gave them a chance to practise smart choices.
Trend Micro staff also hosted a World Fair introduced students to the culture of the 13 countries where they hailed from: Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the U.S. Ireland, France, Germany, the U.K., India and Egypt.
And together, staff and students made soup using vegetables from community garden projects.
Dan Woodward, Trend Micro鈥檚 vice-president of U.S. channels, says the initiative began a couple of years ago when, after a sales kick-off convention, the company鈥檚 finance director asked, 鈥淲hat happens when we leave?鈥�
The company has long been involved with corporate social giving, including a staff initiative to build 85 homes in the Philippines in 2013. But the finance director felt there was a chance to do more. Every year, she reaches out to the participants in the upcoming sales kick-off convention to raise money. If employees can get at least 20 other staff members to take part, the company will match the funds 100 per cent. Regardless of the region, half of the giving is related to schools.
As to the volunteering portion of the convention, Woodward says that at first 鈥渢here was a lot of scratching of heads.鈥� The staff was loaded onto school buses and taken to schools in areas where families are financially challenged.
鈥淧eople came back in tears, with stories to tell and saying, 鈥榃e have to do this again next year,鈥欌�� Woodward says. 鈥淧eople were so excited to serve.鈥�
The company knew 麻豆传媒映画was a beautiful city but also that beauty doesn鈥檛 mask the fact that some families and children are struggling. In choosing the 麻豆传媒映画recipients, 鈥渨e wanted to find the schools where kids don鈥檛 get the same as everyone else,鈥� Woodward says.
Staff really enjoyed the 麻豆传媒映画event, he says. Some people 鈥渄id not realize how beautiful 麻豆传媒映画was and how polite Canadian people are,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he only bad part of 麻豆传媒映画is you don鈥檛 know whether you鈥檒l get rain, sleet or sunshine.鈥�
Luckily, there was only sunshine the day the staff volunteered, creating an 鈥渁wesome and amazing鈥� experience.
Woodward, who lives in Provo, Utah, says he and his son were so enamoured with the city that they are returning for a holiday in a couple of weeks.
