There’s value beyond morale when permitting casual work attire. Just ask Japan.

The Super Cool Biz campaign (an effort to reduce energy usage), from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE), helped the country avoid widespread brownouts and blackouts last summer. The challenge was especially severe as the nation dealt with diminished nuclear energy output following the March 2011 earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis.

Super Cool Biz builds on the MOE’s Cool Biz campaign for the reduction of energy usage (originally launched in 2005). The campaign includes recommendations to set air conditioners to 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit), encouraging employees to take more summer vacation than usual and wear super-cool attire (including, at times, Hawaiian shirts and sandals).

As far as many are concerned, that’s green to an extreme. Next up, we need to apply these lessons to the meeting and event industry—but innovate, as we always do.

Image (CC) Peter E. Lee – Donald Duck at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii

"Everyone native to [these islands] descends from someone who survived a 2,500-mile canoe trip," the relaxed-but-on-point hirsute man in fine resort casual explained.

You pause, look around momentarily. You're on a beautiful beach with a bronzing sun. The trip to this land took you 6 hours. The logic centers of your mind begin deconstructing the tale...2,500 miles by sea...way back when...by canoe...an intense trip.

Ask Joe Rohde, senior vice president and creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, and he'll tell you that story is important; sense of place is important.

Head creative for the Animal Kingdom, Rohde has embedded story into the very DNA of Aulani-A Disney Resort--the property is infused with a holographic degree of detail: within each grain of sand, one can see/feel the essence of the place. The place reveals its own story.

"Human beings, all human beings, are wired for story," Rohde said. "It's one of the things that makes us human, it's what our brains do."

Image (CC) insidethemagic

This year's Academy Awards lacked a sense of serendipity or surprise (aside from Sacha Baron Cohen's red carpet stunt) and didn't include many films that connected with me. No, I didn't watch the awards show live--I was at the Aulani-A Disney Resort in HAST, the time zone that includes Hawaii--and by the time the broadcast was to air, I'd already heard about the winners and the results didn't sound too interesting. Even a film that could at one time be viewed as an underdog, such as The Artist (c'mon, a b&w silent film in 2011?!), was in reality the odds-on favorite of the evening.

Even though the latest batch of Oscar recipients may have been bland, I've got another list of winners for which you can surely get up-in-arms and root for a favorite: the Happiest States of 2011. Turns out, Hawaii finished in the top slot. Following my first soft steps with aloha this past week, I'm not surprised at this result. I do, however, wonder if Hawaii is simply so nice that the world's best cinema of the year can't approach competition.

A killer generalization, sure, but I'd like to think happier planners, suppliers and attendees = happier event. Following are the top 10 U.S. states as ranked by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. 

1. Hawaii (corporate meetings, live TV broadcasts, weddings--I experienced or heard successful examples of all of these events taking place at Aulani last week)
2. North Dakota (<shrugs>)
3. Minnesota (while in Hawaii, I met so many people that originated here...happy follows happy)
4. Utah
5. Alaska
6. Colorado
7. Kansas
8. Nebraska
9. New Hampshire
10. Montana

The new Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa located on O'ahu's Leeward Coast, gives meeting attendees an authentic Hawaiian experience. The name, pronounced "ow-lani," means "the place that speaks for the great ones... the ancestors; the place that speaks with deep messages." 

The eco-friendly resort features 359 guest rooms, including 16 suites, plus more than 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space. Guest rooms pay homage to the fine arts and crafts traditions of the ancient Hawaiians, with several clever and Disney-inspired elements mixed in.

Tourism officials are changing the way they refer to Hawaii’s Big Island and returning to the island’s Hawaiian name, Hawaii. To avoid confusion with the state name, everyone is encouraged to use Hawaii Island when referring to the island. 

The neighbor islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Kauai, Molokai, Kahoolawe and Niihau were also independently named by early Hawaiians. But when King Kamehameha the Great, who hailed from Hawaii Island, unified all of the islands under his rule in 1810, the Kingdom of Hawaii was established and it encompassed all the islands. When the Kingdom was overthrown in 1893, and the Territory of Hawaii was established (followed by Statehood) Hawaii became the name for the entire chain of islands.

“Our name is Hawaii,” said Big Island Visitors Bureau Executive Director George Applegate. “We’ve used the nickname, ‘Big Island,’ for the last 25 years to distinguish Hawaii, the island from Hawaii, the state. The ‘Big Island’ nickname has since become part of our history and people are connected to it, but it’s not the name of our island. Identifying our island by nickname has not always set well with many people who live, work and play here. The nickname has confused some visitors, who think the ‘Big Island’ means ‘big city,’ and mistake Hawaii Island for Oahu, home to the state capital of Honolulu. We will introduce the island as Hawaii Island moving forward.”

The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa in Hawaii recently announced that its Shor American Seafood Grill will open on June 6, 2011. As the first part of a US$13 million renovation project scheduled to last throughout the year, Shor offers sustainable seafood and shellfish approved by the Seafood Watch Program.

“Shor American Seafood Grill unites fresh regional seafood dishes with upscale American cuisine to create a delightful menu with effortless charm," said Vincent Brunetti, director of food and beverage for the hotel. "The ambiance is contemporary yet casual, and the prices are affordable for travelers and families alike."

In January, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach announced the launch of a three-phase project that will transform the third floor of the hotel. The renovation includes a new Regency Club Lounge, the addition of Japengo Restaurant and an enhanced pool deck area with a new poolside bar named Swim.

Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii officially completed construction, and final preparations are under way for an August 29, 2011, opening. 

The resort will feature 460 Disney Vacation Club Villas, including 21 Grand Villas; 359 hotel rooms, including 16 suites; four restaurants; two lounges; 10 recreation facilities; an 18,000-square-foot spa with 15 treatment rooms and fitness center; four whirlpool spas; a 14,545-square-foot conference center; 36,695 square feet of outdoor venues; and a storytelling fire pit. 

In celebration of the completed construction, the cast members decided to have some fun, as you can see in the video below.