By Adam Turteltaub
adam.turteltaub@corporatecompliance.org
The SCCE and HCCA hold a lot of meetings in Las Vegas. We hold the meetings there for a variety of reasons, starting with size. Our events are often so large that the choices of hotel venues (rather than convention centers), is limited.
Vegas is home, as everyone knows, to mega hotels with more meeting space than many cities have to offer. Plus, it’s a remarkably affordable destination, both for the association and for attendees.
Airfares are generally low, which saves everyone even more.
The competition between the hotels keeps our costs low, which means we can keep the price of our events reasonable.
That same competition keeps the price for individual hotel rooms down, making things easy on attendee travel budgets. And, it’s notable that while the prices are budget, the accommodations are anything but. Las Vegas is the only place I know of where you can stay at 5 star properties at 3 star prices.
Spending so much time in Las Vegas also means that I have had times to learn a lot about Las Vegas, and notice even some of the smaller things, one of which leaps to mind: the public restrooms are always spotless. There seems to always be someone in there tidying up the place, mopping the floor, reloading the paper towel dispenser. It’s really, really hard to find one that isn’t as clean as your bathroom at home.
It’s a small detail, but it’s an important one. Clean bathrooms keep people in the casinos longer. They help people feel comfortable. They make people feel as if they are in a classy place.
So, why should we care? Because it shows that getting the little things right makes a big deal. Maybe not overtly, but, subtly, the small details can send powerful messages.
We have all, I think, at some point received a company-wide, or group-wide email from management. If that email has a typo in it, we notice and are distracted. We may have been a part of water cooler chat about “if it’s such a big deal, you would have thought someone would have proofread the email.”
It’s the same for everything compliance does. The little things communicate a lot, and could lead to employees missing the big picture and not coming to compliance when they should.
So while the admonition is “don’t sweat the small stuff,” the truth is the small stuff counts; and a compliance department that knows this, is likely the better for it.
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