MAC Meetings and Events, a meeting planning company based in St. Louis, organized its recent four-day training conference around a television theme — beginning with an agenda that was formatted to look like TV Guide.

The ballroom was decorated with a '50s style television complete with dials and rabbit-ear antennae. Seated on a sofa at the front of the room was a seven-foot-tall Couch Potato man with his hand in a chip bag. Attendees grabbed TV trays and sat in groups. Staff at the Sheraton City Center in St. Louis, where the meeting was held, provided TV dinners.

Workshops were given TV show names like “Who's the Boss?” (relating to customers) and “Extreme Make Over” (corporate etiquette). “Commercials” were interspersed throughout the program by various MAC staff.

“I've been with MAC for five years and this was by far our best training session to date,” stated Kimberly Reuter, an employee at MAC. “The TV theme, video, and team-building activities gave us all a real sense of camaraderie and were just plain fun. It was a real morale booster that makes me look forward to the December meeting.”