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

• 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.