Why Chocolate?

If you have ever attended a PPDM Association conference or expo, you know that everyone gets chocolate. We have chocolate sponsors! Every once in a while, a PPDM newbie asks, “Why did I get chocolate?” Usually, they ask with an expression of befuddled delight. They bounce the chocolate from hand to hand, wondering whether it’s some kind of weird nefarious trick. Actually, it is a trick. But a nice one. Hugely profitable, a whole industry has risen up around the desire of conference organizers to reward their delegates with a memento that reminds them to come again next year. And invite a friend. Most of you have them – tee shirts, hats, an avalanche of bags, knapsacks, mugs, pens and so on.

Here’s a question. How many of you keep those gifts? Do you pass them along to a child or a deserving friend? Perhaps donate them, imagining that some other family will be delighted to receive them (honestly, how often do you see these again?). Do you have a collection of “painting shirts,” all with conference logo’s printed nice and big? A closet of “potentially useful” bags? A drawer of cheap pens? What, really, do those gifts do for you? For most of us, the value is dubious.

What about speaker gifts? Often heavy or breakable, or both, you have to figure out how to stuff them into your luggage for the trip home (tip: wrap them in the nice tee shirt they gave you). I recall one conference that gave out metal puzzles guaranteed to push your baggage allowance over the limit.

A gift is supposed to do something nice for you; it’s supposed to make you happy. In some cultures, the best gifts are consumable. You get the gift and think “Yummy, that is amazing!” Instead of cluttering your closets, drawers, and shelves, you can eat it, share it, or give it to someone who will be sincerely grateful. Once it’s been fully enjoyed, you are excited to see what delights will be on offer next. Good idea, I approve of making people happy.

Don’t worry, we’re getting to the bit about chocolate. Just bear with me for another minute.

Go back to all your conference experiences. You sit in a room for a day – maybe two or three. You listen to talk after talk after talk. They are fascinating, and you want to remember them so you can use everything you learned. That’s exactly why you go (or speak), but a great conference can be a bit like drinking from a fire hose. PPDM conferences are like that – there is a lot to think about and apply to your situation, but it can be overwhelming. We sympathize. What you need is something that makes you smarter and helps you remember better. I approve of that too.

You can see where I’m going here. Dark chocolate protects your cells from inflammation, improves brain function, strengthens your immune system, and supports heart health. It contains tryptophan, which makes serotonin, often called the “happiness hormone.” That’s a winner! Of course, some people (no names mentioned) clutter their chocolate with lots of unhealthy sugar, then try to brand it as “healthy” by calling it milk chocolate. And, for some mystifying reason, some actually remove the actual chocolate and just eat the fatty bits with lots of added sugar! To be clear, that’s not actually chocolate anymore. It’s sad, broken ex-chocolate with good branding.

So, why chocolate? There are so many reasons to share chocolate, pick your favorite. It’s consumable, desirable and good for you (aberrations aside). And, most of all, it’s delicious. That rich, creamy, butter taste melting on your tongue and thrilling your brain. I’d go on, but I need a quick snack now. Recently the PPDM Association shared a poll on LinkedIn ?to find out which chocolate our followers preferred – check out the results here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6950100032863817728

~ By Trudy Curtis , CEO, PPDM Association