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Event Network headquarters reflects health and wellness

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Event Network headquarters reflects health and wellness

When Event Network Inc. outgrew its old corporate headquarters, Meredith DeMartino, executive vp of talent development, was charged with finding a new location.

As project manager, she sought a building that had more of a campus feel than that of an office park. But what she found was an old and somewhat dingy office building with “good bone structure” situated high on a hilltop overlooking Montgomery Field, a general aviation airport north of San Diego.

She then engaged the services of Carrier Johnson + Culture, a San Diego-based architectural and interior design consultant known for its innovative work, to transform the building into her vision of a corporate campus designed to facilitate creativity and productivity. She wanted an open and airy interior that let in lots of natural light from the outside, as well as an inviting but functional surrounding landscape.

The end result, which took just eight months to complete, was officially certified as LEED Gold for commercial interiors under the Washington-based U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Crossing the threshold into Event Network's new corporate headquarters, visitors enter a “cultural hallway” decorated with vestiges from the company's first gift shop—which Event Network continues to operate—associated with the traveling Titanic exhibit.

Ms. DeMartino refers to the glass-encased scale model of the famed passenger liner that sunk in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg on its maiden voyage, as the company's literal “flagship.”

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In this vestibule, Event Network also proudly displays its first-place awards from the San Diego Business Journal for being the city's healthiest small employer in 2010 and healthiest midsize employer in 2011.

That change in size category reflects the company's rapid growth. Since its inaugural Titanic gift shop opened in Boston in 1998, the company has grown to 70 retail gift shops and 1,250 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees.

Turning left after being greeted by a cheerful receptionist titled director of first impressions, visitors to Event Network's corporate headquarters encounter slideshows of the company's retail gift shops on flat-panel TVs hung on the walls of a long hallway that leads to one of two corporate kitchens equipped with convection and microwave ovens, refrigerators and dishwashers, which were installed to discourage employees from using disposable dishes or utensils in order to meet LEED sustainability criteria.

Next to the indoor kitchen is a gym featuring several types of exercise equipment including treadmills, stationary bicycles, free weights and exercise balls.

Adjacent to the gym is a “quiet room” furnished with a row of cushioned rattan chaise lounge chairs separated by curtains hung from the ceiling to provide privacy. Because the room is intended to provide a break from work, employees are discouraged from bringing any electronics, including cell phones, into the room, though electronic readers are permitted. A boom box sits by the door with a stack of New Age CDs.

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The kitchen, gym and quiet room windows all offer views of the surrounding hills and a patio featuring a dining area with an outdoor grilling area. Also outside, a sidewalk separates the building from two grassy areas used for outdoor exercise, including weekly yoga and Zumba classes. Behind the building is a row of raised garden plots where employees are encouraged to grow their own fruits and vegetables to either take home or use in cooking their own meals while at work.

The entire campus is tobacco free, inside and out, to discourage smoking. In fact, tobacco usage fell to 1.7% in 2011 from 8% in 2008, thanks to implementing a smoking cessation program that pays 100% of the cost of prescription drugs and other quit aids.

A wall of windows encircles most of the building, and an exterior corridor surrounds employee cubicles that have shortened walls to enable this natural light to pass over them.

Though Ms. DeMartino and the company's other top executives have offices, they are all on the interior of the building. Instead of doors, they have sliding glass windows that can be rolled closed to provide auditory privacy. Similarly, two meeting rooms separated by a hallway can be merged into one large room when two glass walls are raised like garage doors.

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Ergonomic desk chairs that mold to employees' individual posture are provided for each workstation, and each cubicle is equipped with a padded file cabinet on wheels that serves as a guest chair. Other upholstered seating areas are scattered throughout the hallways and in the creative department, where employees engage in brainstorming.

Instead of name plates, each cubicle and office comes equipped with a plaque that identifies favorite movies, books and other pleasurable pastimes enjoyed by each employee.

“They gave us a clear message about what they wanted the headquarters to be like,” said Danette Ferretti, design principal at Carrier Johnson.

“Their whole culture is about health and wellness, and they work for so many nonprofits like botanical gardens, zoos and preservation societies, which is why they wanted an environment that would allow them to be outside with nature,” Ms. Ferretti said.

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