This Week's Herman Trend Alert Purpose Emerging as Important Driver of Engagement

The Herman Trend Alert September 7, 1999 Look Who's Coming to Dinner 115 days until January 1, 2000 Homes will become enclaves, almost fortresses, as people seek home/work balance and a degree of privacy. More attention will be devoted to children, to family activities. The beginning stages of this trend will be an apparent return to family togetherness and more involvement with the extended family. In days gone by, families got together for holidays and reunions. Large numbers of people would gather at one home to celebrate. Pot luck suppers and everybody-bring-something picnics were standard practice. While many families continue to assemble for special occasions, the proportion of the population doing so has shrunk. The cycle is changing. We're beginning to see more families strengthening their bonds with everybody-come events. Homes are becoming more family-friendly, with entertainment of guests an important part of life. This home-as-entertainment-of-guests trend will extend to neighbors as we rediscover the values of neighborliness. Neighborhood picnics and barbecues will return, followed by formal and informal dinner parties. The more formal events, a step beyond paper plates, will not become overly formal. Informal dress, décor, preparations, and relationships will be the norm for the years ahead. The fancier dinner events will include tablecloths and an opportunity to use the nice dishes and flatware. The food preparation and service may be assigned to outside caterers who will oversee the entire event to be sure everything runs smoothly. Groups of 8-12 diners will be served in the home by catering staff, creating a restaurant-like experience with a welcome-to- our-home ambiance. Yes, this trend will be a big boost to catering services, particularly those that can operate effectively and efficiently in their customers' homes. Note that this practice will not be limited to wealthy people with homes that were designed to handle large parties. Watch for architects, builders, and decorators to create multi-purpose room environments in residences that can comfortably support a dinner party, table games, and other hosting of guests. People will reach out for others to establish and expand friendships, but will focus on more of the interaction being done in home environments. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." WHO SENDS OUT YOUR NEWSLETTERS? We are convinced there is no better choice than ours! We have happily used DataBack Systems to deliver The Herman Trend Alert for over 10 years and. Visit their website (http://www.databack.com) or call Byron directly at 503.941.0427. You'll be glad you did. IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Or order the electronic version of the Employer of Choice book on your desktop for only $17.80 @ http://hermangroup.com/store/books_all.html#2. STRUGGLING TO FIND THE PEOPLE YOU NEED? VETJOBS CAN HELP! Recently, hundreds of thousands of jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of capable people. If you are looking for qualified candidates, you need to hire a veteran using VFW-sponsored VetJobs, the largest military employment site on the Internet. Thousands of returning veterans are looking for good jobs now. Mention this ad in The Herman Trend Alert and receive a 10% discount on job postings. Call Ted Daywalt at 877-838-5627 or inquire at info@VetJobs.com. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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