Out of Scope: IRL Retreats Advance
Plus: AmEx rebrands and Angel Numbers
Happy Monday! We’re a little more than two weeks out from the election, but taking a break from political coverage to see how return to in-person corporate programming is going. But first…
📡ON OUR RADAR
American Express is revamping it’s rewards program to cater towards younger users. It’s working — AmEx is retaining new millennial and Gen Z customers more than older generations.
Last year, the US surgeon general declared the country was facing a loneliness epidemic, and the numbers have only gotten worse since then. A new poll shows 1 in 5 adults feel lonely.
Author James Patterson will launch a Substack called “Hungry Dogs,” providing an outlet for his opinion pieces. The offering will feature author and celebrity interviews and a column (“Stop the Insanity”) which will discuss book bans and education.
💡ON OUR MINDS: IRL Retreats Advance
Image: Brontë Wittpenn/Associated Press
Born from a desire for more in-person work events, corporate travel has made a big comeback, to the hotel business’ delight.
While conventions and work retreats come with large upfront costs, they are a trending method of promoting team cohesion and connecting with partners and clients.
Hotel room occupancy is still not quite where it was back in 2019, but the surge in group travel–driven mostly by Fortune 500 companies–shows a promising sign of recovery.
This comes at a time where companies are making strong pushes back into in-person collaboration, with Amazon CEO Matt Garman going as far as to say those who don’t like the return-to-office mandate can quit.
The revival of in-person working has a notable impact on the economy; the U.S. office property market bears the weight of hefty interest rates since the pandemic and is close to bottoming out, but analysts sense a turning point in the market and say peak distress is behind us.
🥊QUICK HITS:
In case you missed these reads:
The woman who invented angel numbers now says they’re meaningless and that she regrets creating them.
Donald Trump Jr. has made it his mission to steer the future of MAGA and the GOP – including pushing JD Vance as the VP nominee.
Trust nobody—not even your own name brand.
Thanks for reading,
HL
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