When There's Trouble with the Travel Plan September 16, 2008
By Peter Hildebrandt
Although Orkin has been to St. Thomas and Bermuda, the company has started avoiding Caribbean destinations due to its September trip dates and that being the height of hurricane season.
New Orleans was the Orkin destination two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Airline tickets were mailed out on the Friday before the Sunday that Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The group had been scheduled to stay at the downtown New Orleans Hyatt Hotel, which sustained considerable damage.
When Katrina hit, the planning staff, led by Martha Craft, assistant vice president of public relations and corporate communications, had to do some quick itinerary rearranging. Ticket refunds from the airlines were worked out, and the event was moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. Attendees were very impressed with how easily the change appeared to have been made. During the event, a collection of some $20,000 was taken up for Orkin employees in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast who had been displaced by Katrina.
"The Katrina incident brought out all kinds of offerings from our employees, with people standing in line to volunteer and drive down whatever people needed. It's the same way with President's Club, just like a great big family reunion each year," says Craft.
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