California Meetings + Events Winter 2022

LINKEDIN SECRETS TIPS TO SPIFF UP YOUR PROFILE

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WINTER

A GRAND HOTEL RETURNS LA WELCOMES BACK FAIRMONT CENTURY PLAZA

2022

Décor

MAGIC EVENT DESIGN TAKES A TURN TOWARD THE PLAYFUL

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

NEW EXPERIENCES ON TAP FOR GROUPS

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Contents

WIN TER 2 02 2

16 Feature //

Trends in Event Design

BY SHELLEY LEVITT & JANET FULLWOOD

Yes, bright colors, branded ice cubes and oversized balloons are in. But, beyond these décor elements, event production that’s in sync with our times is creating special moments and connections.

In Every Issue //

14 Destination

Discover the mellow side of Lake Tahoe’s South Shore.

32 People Profile

Eva Nineuil, creative director for Proper Hospitality, is charged with building a cultural identity for the hotel group.

(Top) Wedding at The Resort at Pelican Hill by LLG Events, (Bottom) Clearly Tahoe

2 CAM+E » WINTER 2022

P H O T O S : L O S T I N L O V E P H O T O G R A P H Y ; PA J E V I C T O R I A / L A K E TA H O E V I S I T O R S A U T H O R I T Y ; ( O P P O S I T E ) S E E M O N T E R E Y. C O M

4 Editor’s Letter

Meeting Notes //

6 Venue Spotlight

Fairmont Century Plaza returns to LA in its full glory.

7 Giving Back

Hollywood and the meetings industry are working with the nonprofit Rock and Wrap It Up! to feed the hungry during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

9 Signature Drink

The Garden Affair, from Greenbar Distillery in LA, is a light riff on the bloody mary.

12 Tips from a Pro

Find out how to create a rockstar LinkedIn profile.

Industry Update //

24 Infographic

A mix of optimism and staffing concerns in MPI’s Meetings Outlook.

26 Regional News

Awards, venue and people news, association updates and more.

30 Snapshots

Visit California shares updates at SmogShoppe LA.

LINKEDIN SECRETS

A GRAND HOTEL RETURNS

TIPS TO SPIFF UP YOUR PROFILE

MEETINGSMAGS.COM

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LA WELCOMES BACK FAIRMONT CENTURY PLAZA

WINTER

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

NEW EXPERIENCES ON TAP FOR GROUPS

2022

Décor

MAGIC EVENT DESIGN TAKES A TURN TOWARD THE PLAYFUL

On the Cover Over-the-top table décor by Chris Hessney.

PHOTO BY TWAH DOUGHERTY

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 3

E DITOR ’ S N OTE

The Road to Recovery Continues

ca.meetingsmags.com cameetingsmags

» THE WEATHER has been unseasonably wet and cold in California these past few weeks. Temperatures have dipped into the low 40s some nights here in Los Angeles, and we’ve broken record after record for rainfall. That has many of us reaching into the depths of our closets for puffer jackets and umbrellas.

As 2022 begins, we need to equip ourselves in other ways, too, with reserves of patience, optimism and resilience. All of us had hoped that COVID-19 would have been in our rearview mirror at the start of this new year. But, to paraphrase the familiar warning, objects are sometimes closer—and more ominous—than they may have once appeared.

That’s certainly true of the omicron variant, which has led to cancellations of in-person gatherings throughout our state, from the Palm Springs International Film Festival to the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference, which will now take place virtually instead of at the Moscone Center. Our hearts go out to all the meeting planners, event producers and vendors who worked so hard to prepare for these events.

Still, there is some encouraging news. Data suggests that while the omicron variant is highly contagious, it leads to illness that is far less severe than earlier waves, especially in people who have been fully vaccinated. What’s more, as Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association, points out, participants in business gatherings are a well-vaccinated group, with rates of vaccination well above average.

“Organizers of professional meetings and events,” Emerson says, “can implement layers of safety measures such as facial coverings, pandemic-curated food and beverage services, and well-ventilated physical spaces which, when paired with temperature checks and physical distancing, drastically reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission.”

She urges meeting planners to tout the success of their gatherings by sharing anecdotes and best practices on social media using the hashtag #meetsafemeetnow and the Meet Safe platform at www.meetsafe.travel, which showcases meetings that have adhered to multilayered safety protocols.

“We are in this business,” Emerson continues, “for the human connection, the ‘a-ha’ moments, and the game-changing ideas that are generated when people gather in-person.”

Cheers to that! As always, please drop me a line about your own triumphs and challenges, story ideas and any business updates you’d like to share. And, while there’s still a chill in the air and the threat of precipitation, don’t forget your scarf and your umbrella.

SHELLEY LEVITT

Editor shelley.levitt@tigeroak.com

4 CAM+E » WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022

YOUR MEETING IS IMPORTANT. SO IS YOUR MEETING PLACE.

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GROUP PUBLISHER SUSAN ISAY

EDITOR SHELLEY LEVITT MANAGING EDITOR BETH BUEHLER COPYEDITOR SHERRI HILDEBRANDT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JANET FULLWOOD, DEBRA JASON, LAUREN PAHMEIER

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ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER CALIFORNIA MEETINGS + EVENTS / NATIONAL SALES BOB HADDAD | 303.617.0548 BOB.HADDAD@TIGEROAK.COM

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M E E TI NG NOTE S Products, Places & Inspiration Venue Spotlight //

» AFTER A FIVE-YEAR RENOVATION, Fairmont

COMPILED

BY SHELLEY LEVITT

6 CAM+E » WINTER 2022

Century Plaza opened its doors in September. It returns as the centerpiece of a $2.5-billion, mixed-used development project on 6.14 acres, with the celebrated hotel occupying 16 floors and housing 400 guest rooms.

Fairmont Century Plaza is certain to become a sought-after venue for meetings and events. The hotel has 24,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 4,000 square feet of outdoor rooftop space. At over 13,000 square feet, the hotel’s Los Angeles Ballroom is one of the largest ballrooms in the city.

C-suite guests can have an especially luxe experience with Fairmont Gold. The brand’s exclusive hotel-withina-hotel experience features 70 guest rooms and suites boasting private check-in and checkout, and dedicated personal assistants offering 24/7 concierge service.

Even turndown gets a novel upgrade with the Fairmont Gold Bar Cart, an on-demand martini cart that delivers customized cocktails straight to guests’ doors.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts tapped industry heavy-

weight Philip Barnes as general manager to relaunch the property, drawing on his four decades of international experience with openings and repositionings.

“Fairmont Century Plaza will once again be the Los Angeles hotel, just as it was when it opened to worldwide acclaim in 1966,” Barnes says. “Working with our talented team to ensure the return of a beloved jewel in LA’s crown has been a career highlight.”

The location has history as the place for major Hollywood and world events, including the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards and presidential celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The new Century Plaza returns with just half the number of guest rooms, allowing for a larger, more luxurious footprint. Amenities abound, including the Fairmont Spa Century Plaza; rooftop pool; Lumière, an all-day brasserie; and Bar at Century Plaza in the hotel lobby, surrounded by a living green wall, floating fireplace and water feature. fairmontcenturyplaza.com

P H OTO S : B R A N D O N B A R R E P H OTO G R A P H Y; ( O P P O S I T E ) I S T O C K . C O M / D A R I I A H AV R I U S I E VA

AN ICONIC PROPERTY RETURNS TO LA

Giving Back //

Fighting Hunger During the Pandemic

Working with a decades-old nonprofit, Hollywood and the meetings industry help feed those in need. » CUTTING DOWN on food waste has

never been more urgent than during the COVID pandemic and its aftermath, when growing numbers of people are facing food insecurity. California Meetings + Events checked in with Amy Reiley, a Los Angelesbased colleague with Rock and Wrap It Up! (RWU), a nonprofit that has been helping find solutions to hunger for nearly 30 years.

CAM+E: Tell us about your role with Rock and Wrap It Up!.

AR: I’m the director of film and television asset recovery. I work with our nine studio partners, as well as independent productions, to recover leftover catering and craft service foods on a daily basis from film shoot locations across the U.S. and Canada.

CAM+E: What’s the mission of RWU? AR: We’re an anti-poverty think tank with

the mission of increasing assets for our partner agencies in their fight against poverty.

CAM+E: What has been RWU’s impact in California?

AR: Although Rock & Wrap It Up! is based in New York, California has really become a jumping-off point for many of our programs. For example, Hotel & Conference Wrap! started at Langham Huntington in Pasadena. Working with concert venues, some of our first bands, like the Grateful Dead, were based in California as were many of our early supporters, like Sharon Osbourne. And of course, Southern California is the center of our film and television program, Project It’s a Wrap! In addition, the first colleges to set up School Wrap! programs were USC and UCLA. CAM+E: How did you pivot during the coronavirus crisis?

AR: Our main focus became large venues.

Because of prior relationships with arenas and stadiums, they knew to call us to get their perishable foods moved very quickly.

And because we work with a network of agencies in each area, we were able to bring in multiple shelters and food banks at once to move thousands of pounds of food at a time.

That doesn’t mean we neglected our other partners. For film and television, we concentrated on bringing in smaller agencies to clean out everything from the remaining craft service to office refrigerators. For example, the day it was announced that nonessential businesses were to shut down in Los Angeles, we were able to get Grandview Foundation in Pasadena to clean out the remaining 200 pounds of frozen food and dry goods from the offices of the ABC show “Stumptown,” while the Valley Food Bank helped Warner Brothers distribute the unused perishables in their commissary to those in need.

We cleared out Universal Studios Hollywood with five truckloads picked up in mid-March. The food went to Help the Children, Christian Outreach in Action, Hollywood Food Coalition and Bridge to Home. The total donation was over 28,000 pounds.

CAM+E: How can conferences and conventions help during the pandemic and beyond?

AR: We recommend that meetings and conferences consider food waste during the planning stage. Contact Rock & Wrap It Up! or your food recovery agency of choice before the event begins to schedule food recovery. We operate under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. This federal bill protects any donor from legal liability when donating food to a nonprofit organization like Rock & Wrap It Up! CAM+E: What would you like the meetings industry to take away from this experience of mobilizing to help those in need?

AR: With advanced planning, the meetings industry can play a pivotal part in helping America’s most vulnerable citizens.

It’s business as usual for us. The one thing that’s different is that it sometimes takes a little more planning right now to make sure that the items get to the right place and are picked up and delivered safely. rockandwrapitup.org

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 7

M E E TI N G N OTES Products, Places & Inspiration

FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND RESIDENCES NAPA VALLEY POPS ITS CORK » IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a high-end destination for a corporate retreat, consider the all-new Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, which made its debut in November. Located in the charming town of Calistoga and with just 85 rooms and suites, Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley is both intimate and immersed in the surrounding countryside, boasting plenty of open-air spaces surrounded by panoramic mountain and vineyard views. With Elusa Winery at its heart, the resort encompasses a destination restaurant and bar, locally inspired indoor/ outdoor spa experiences, two pools, and a collection of creative event spaces.

8 CAM+E » WINTER 2022

“We could not be more excited to welcome guests to Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley,” says General Manager Mehdi Eftekari, who arrived from Manhattan three years ago to oversee the creation of the first Four Seasons within a working winery. “It’s been a long time coming, giving us the luxury of time to build a team of truly talented people and put together thoughtful programming that marries the best of the Napa lifestyle with Four Seasons excellence.”

With mere steps from grape to glass, guests of Four Seasons can look forward to sipping the signature Elusa wines in the tasting room, at the resort’s signature TRUSS

Restaurant + Bar, or delivered by the bottle to a guest room, suite or private retreat.

Meeting planners have their choice of several fully tech-equipped rooms ranging from the Cork Room suite to the larger Silverado and Rosedale rooms, as well as plenty of outdoor spaces. “Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley lends itself particularly to corporate retreats that combine productivity with team-building and relaxation in a setting that is both inspiring and rewarding after more than a year of virtual meetings,” says Director of Sales and Marketing Kelly Nelson. fourseasons.com/napavalle

P H O T O S : F O U R S E A S O N S R E S O R T A N D R E S I D E N C E S N A PA VA L L E Y ; ( O P P O S I T E ) T H E R I T Z - C A R LT O N , L O S A N G E L E S ; G R E E N B A R D I S T I L L E R Y

New Venue Spotlight //

Trend //

DINING IN 3-D We know that a rich dining experience should appeal to all five senses and five tastes.

Now, The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles, in collaboration with TableMation studios, is taking dining to a new dimension entirely with Le Petit Chef: An Immersive Dining Experience.

Unfolding in the panoramic dining room on the 24th floor of the luxury hotel, the experience marks the West Coast premiere of TableMation’s newest animation dining presentation “How to Become the World’s Greatest Chef.”

The cutting-edge visual technology, conceived by the artistic collective Skullmapping, invites guests on a multisensory, five-course culinary odyssey led

by Le Petit Chef, a whimsical animated 3-D character that appears on every table.

Throughout the two-hour show, Le Petit Chef takes diners on a journey through time, presenting the history, inspiration and ingredients for each course. Real-life creations are served in unison with the animation by carefully choreographed Ritz-Carlton staff.

State-of-the-art 4K projectors are placed above the tables, creating a dinner that turns into a theatrical experience. “How to Become the World’s Greatest Chef” was months in the making since it takes Skullmapping’s artists 24 hours to create every five seconds of animation.

“The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles is excited to bring this unique dining experience, which is unlike any other, to the city,” says Javier Cano, the property’s general manager. “As a luxury hotel that leads with innovation, we want to offer guests this captivating, narrative show that will make diners feel as though they just stepped into another reality.”

Award-winning chefs from The Culinary Institute of America at Copia collaborated on the refined menu that showcases international cuisine classics such as tomato tart with burrata, chicken roulade and beef fillet. The meal is accompanied by a curated wine pairing and culminates with a signature interactive dessert, taking guests by surprise and including them in the culinary process. The price per person is $145 exclusive of tax and gratuities, with an optional wine pairing for $35 per person. ritzcarlton.com/losangeles; tablemationstudios.com

Recipe courtesy of Greenbar Distillery greenbardistillery.com

Signature Drink //

The Garden Affair This cocktail is the brainchild of Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles’ first distillery since Prohibition, which helped lead the craft distillery movement in the U.S. It’s a light riff on a bloody mary that features Greenbar’s organic TRU Garden Vodka, fresh squeezed lemon, red bell pepper and a dash of hot sauce. TRU Garden Vodka carries notes of garden herbs, which pair perfectly with zesty red pepper and are enhanced by the hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS —2 oz. TRU Garden Vodka —1/4 red bell pepper —1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice —1 oz. simple syrup —2-3 dashes hot sauce DIRECTIONS Muddle a quarter of a red bell pepper.

Add hot sauce to taste (recommendation: Sriracha). Top with remaining ingredients, add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a slice of red bell pepper.

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 9

M E E TI N G N OTES Products, Places & Inspiration

Destination Update //

Postcard from Palm Springs

» THERE’S BEEN a great deal of hotel activity in greater Palm Springs these past 18 months.

JM Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa has completed more than $50 million in renovations, including a completely transformed lobby and stylish new furnishings, carpets and wallpaper in all 894 guest rooms. Freshly redesigned meeting and event rooms reflect the desert landscape and the property’s midcentury roots.

Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa has updated its 560 guest rooms. A beautiful new olive grove, lined by mature trees and adjacent to the property’s largest ballroom, is sure to transport guests to Tuscany.

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa redesigned all of its outdoor spaces in 2021. The newest addition to its 88,000 square feet of function space is Fireside Garden. This intimate gathering space is ideal for small events and alfresco dining experiences. Located under the stars along the 17th hole of Indian Wells Golf Resort, Fireside Garden offers a backdrop of serene desert mountains contrasted by lush green grass of the course. Built around a woodfire oven, the space can accommodate up to 40 guests, and a private chef can be booked to prepare dinner.

The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa is undergoing a $15-million, propertywide renovation with new and expanded outdoor areas for events and updates to the 512 guest rooms and meeting spaces.

New wellness concepts will be woven throughout the resort.

Miramonte Resort & Spa will reveal its stunning renovation and reimagining in early 2022. You can expect a property-

10 CAM+E » WINTER 2022

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa

wide transformation that includes redesigned and upgraded rooms, a new restaurant and bar concept, new outdoor dining and gathering spaces,

modernized meeting rooms and an updated pool experience. visitpalmsprings.com

P H O T O S : H YAT T R E G E N C Y I N D I A N W E L L S R E S O R T & S PA ; ( O P P O S I T E ) J W M A R R I O T T, A N A H E I M R E S O R T ; T H E W E S T I N ANAHEIM RESORT

Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs, formerly the Riviera Palm Springs, is the brand’s first West Coast resort. The midcentury-style property with an island vibe is just minutes from downtown and has more than 40,000 square feet of event space, 398 rooms and the city’s largest spa.

Now open //

Two New Properties in Anaheim

Anaheim is reaching new heights as a meetings destination with the opening of two luxury properties: The Westin Anaheim Resort and JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort.

Both have already received AAA Four Diamond status. “Debuting two new AAA Four Diamond properties has business and leisure travelers reimagining how they see and experience Anaheim,” says Jay Burress, president and CEO of Visit Anaheim.

“Expanding Anaheim’s hotel portfolio with luxury properties like JW Marriott and The Westin creates an opportunity to attract a new wave of clientele to the destination.”

Opened in August 2020 at the Anaheim GardenWalk, just steps from Disneyland Resort and Anaheim Convention Center, JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort has 466 guest rooms and 43,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor function space. A richly tactile hotel with design elements that honor Orange County’s agricultural roots, JW Marriott, Anaheim has been honored for its artwork in public places with the prestigious Julie Mayer Award. The artwork includes a thin steel sculpture by Julian Voss-Andreae at the hotel’s entrance that depicts a kneeling figure planting a seed and disappears depending on the angle of the viewer.

The theme continues with the Secret Butterfly Garden, an augmented reality experience on the hotel’s rooftop featuring 600 titanium butterflies. Guests can use their smartphones to interact with the installation, being guided through an audible meditation to plant a fantastical tree that takes its color and shape from decisions made during the experience.

Group dining here, amid the beds of herbs

JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort (top), The Westin Anaheim Resort (bottom)

and vegetables, is a true seed-to-table experience, one that offers an unbeatable view of Disneyland’s fireworks. “We welcome everyone to discover a kingdom of their own, where their imagination meets our innovation for a memorable stay in Anaheim,” says General Manager Nusrat Mirza.

The Westin Anaheim Resort, which opened in June 2021, is only 500 steps to the adjacent Anaheim Convention Center and across from Disneyland Resort. With a design that offers graceful awnings, elegant pavilions and orange, palm and magnolia trees, it feels worlds apart from the city’s hustle and bustle. The Westin Anaheim has 618 guest rooms, including 121 suites, and nearly 48,000 square feet of event and meeting space, including the 16,000-square-foot Anabella Ballroom that can accommodate 1,550 guests.

Culinary options abound—seven in all— from grab-and-go to full-service. Tangerine Room, the signature restaurant, features local seasonal ingredients alongside an extensive global wine menu; RISE Rooftop Lounge has amazing views of Disneyland, plenty of room for private dining, and a Mediterranean-inspired menu; and Puesto offers a stunning space, innovative Mexican cuisine, and a Puesto Perfect Margarita that lives up to its name.

General Manager Carmine Iommazzo says, “Our resort offers a high-end destination for those looking to be in the center of it all while also providing a sense of relaxation and escape for every type of traveler, thanks to Westin’s signature approach to Eating Well, Sleeping Well and Moving Well.” marriott.com

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 11

M E E TI N G N OTES Products, Places & Inspiration

Tips from a Pro //

Establish yourself as a meetings industry expert. BY DEBRA JASON » GIVEN THIS CRAZY TIME we’re experiencing, you may be considering reinventing yourself and/or rethinking what kind of impression your LinkedIn profile makes on those who see it. Now is the time to explore what it means to create a robust, optimized and engaging profile.

With more than 774 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking site. By interacting with conference/event attendees, vendors, hotel professionals, colleagues, speakers, etc., you give other likeminded professionals the opportunity to get to know, like and trust you, which are three vital keys to building successful relationships.

However, when the topic of LinkedIn comes up, many meeting and event professionals say, “A friend invited me to the network so I said ‘yes,’ but I’m not really sure what to do next.”

I want to change that and clear up the confusion so you can leverage the brand-building power of LinkedIn. OPTIMIZE YOUR PROFILE WITH KEYWORD PHRASES IN SIX STRATEGIC LOCATIONS Creating your professional profile is more than just posting your resume. Similar to a website, it’s important to utilize keyword phrases in your profile. After all, when prospects are searching for a meeting and event professional, you want your profile to show up high on the LinkedIn results list.

If your profile simply says “Meeting professional with XYZ Company,” you’re limiting your ability to be found.

As you might imagine, “meeting professional” is a broad search term and if the “XYZ Company” is not a wellknown brand, it’s another phrase that won’t serve you well in a search.

For instance, as of this writing, when searching “meeting professional” on LinkedIn, there were more than 3.5 million results for that term. When entering “medical conference planners” the list decreased significantly, down to 26,229. See the difference specificity can make?

12 CAM+E » WINTER 2022

Once you’ve determined a few keyword phrases to define your niche, there are six strategic locations to place these phrases within your profile.

1.

Professional headline: This appears right below your name. With up to 220 characters, use the phrases you think someone might search to find a professional like you. If you have a succinct tag line or impact statement, include it here.

2.

About/Summary: This is the most important section because it communicates who you are.

Share a little bit about yourself and how you help your clients. Write it in the first person—it should be conversational. You have up to 2,600 characters here so use them!

Make your content inviting to the viewer’s eyes by using short paragraphs. This makes your profile easier to read. Consider subheadings that can be keyword enhanced and/or used with bullet points (but not just bullet points).

3.

Current work experience: Include the keyword phrase(s) in your job title. Do not make the mistake of leaving the description field blank. Take advantage of the space provided and incorporate your keyword phrases in the description (you have 2,000 characters here).

4.

Past work experience: If it’s appropriate, weave the keyword phrase(s) in where you can, perhaps again in both the job title and description.

For instance, a client of mine entered the relocation business after being in the hospitality industry. Looking at the two different positions, we found “customer service” was a common thread. We then incorporated that keyword phrase into both his current and past experiences in a descriptive way that tied the two together.

5.

Skills and endorsements: List the key areas that you specialize in, areas of expertise that you want

P H OTO : (O P P O S I T E ) WY N D

Debra Jason is a national speaker, marketing copywriter and consultant.

This article is an excerpt from her book “Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget.”

How To Create a Rock-Star LinkedIn Profile

“By interacting with conference/event attendees, vendors, hotel professionals, colleagues, speakers, etc., you give other likeminded professionals the opportunity to get to know, like and trust you.” others to endorse you for, such as meeting planning, event management, trade show management, etc.

6.

Websites: Under the contact information section of your profile, LinkedIn allows links for up to three different pages on your website (or to three different sites, if you have more than one). Make sure to use keyword phrases to describe the website pages.

When you insert the URL, LinkedIn has generic defaults (e.g., personal website, company website, blog). Choose the “other” option and you’ll be able to insert keyword phrases to describe each of the links you insert.

IT’S TIME TO HARNESS THE POWER OF LINKEDIN By taking advantage of these six keyword strategies, establish yourself as a thought leader in the meetings industry, share and access valuable information, become part of a conversation, and nurture longlasting, profitable relationships.

DebraJason.com linkedin.com/in/debrajason 303.443.1942

Restaurant Recommendation //

AN INTIMATE SUSHI BAR The oceanfront Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica turned 100 in 2021, and the 297-room luxury property that sits on 5 acres just steps from the Pacific Ocean marked its centennial with revitalized programming and amenities. These include a redesigned lobby lounge with an expansive gin program and bar cart service and a new oceanfront bar, Georgina’s, set to open by this summer.

Another new addition is Soko, an eight-seat sushi bar that offers pristine, beautifully presented modern sushi with SoCal sensibilities. Helmed by veteran sushi chef Masa Shimakawa, Soko is a tribute to the humble origins of sushi. The name means “storeroom,” which is fitting since Soko is set in a simple former storeroom in the hotel’s lobby.

Available for buyouts, it’s a convivial setting for a VIP dinner before or after an event.

The scale of Soko may be small, but Fairmont Miramar has abundant meeting space: 64,000 square feet and the ability to accommodate groups from 20 to 900. fairmont-miramar.com

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 13

DE STI NATION Lake Tahoe’s South Shore

» TAHOE’S SOUTH SHORE is well

Crystal-clear kayaks. The transparent craft of Clearly Tahoe are not only novel, they’re also extremely stable and solid, making them suitable for first-time kayakers.

Guests can enjoy a daytime excursion or choose a nighttime Stargazing Experience, complete with LED lights reflecting off the water and their favorite playlist delivered through waterproof speakers. The company provides boxed water, sunscreen, snacks and microfiber lap blankets for chilly days.

Guided paddle outings for private groups leave from lakefront hotels and event spaces where groups are based or, if coming from elsewhere, a nearby state park with hotel shuttle service provided. The new five-hour Uncharted Excursion takes guests to remote beaches and coves, via clear kayaks or paddle boards, that are otherwise difficult to access from shore. Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more. clearlytahoe.com

Coachman Hotel

What’s New on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore

There’s a mellow side of this destination that you don’t want to overlook. BY JANET FULLWOOD

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Boutique hotel alternatives. The Landing Resort and Spa, a luxury, 82-room lakefront hotel with a 3,600-square-foot event terrace, 1,225-square-foot ballroom and 475-square-foot boardroom, has been around a few years. Other boutique properties within walking distance of South Shore action have been popping up as well.

Planners looking for a hipster venue for small groups—particularly tech-related—should check out the 42-room Coachman Hotel, a reinvented 1960s motel that attracts lots of millennials and has some pretty cool meeting spaces, too, including a 1,000-squarefoot roof deck (with fire pits, of course). The Coachman is extremely family- and dogfriendly, in case your attendees can’t bear to leave their human and fur babies at home.

Buyouts are available. thelandingtahoe.com; coachmantahoe.com

P H O T O S : J U D E F U LT O N / C O A C H M A N H O T E L ; ( O P P O S I T E ) J O S I A H Q . R O E / L A K E TA H O E V I S I T O R S A U T H O R I T Y ; D E S I G N W O R K S H O P

known for big casino hotels and the highrolling action and partying that go along with that. But planners also can find venues and activities that strike a different, more low-key note.

(Top) Cornhole fun at Flatstick Pub. (Bottom) Rendering of the Tahoe South Events Center.

make it an alternative to nearby casino parties and nightclubs. Groups are gladly accommodated in reserved sections of the establishment. tahoesouth.com/beer-trail; laketahoealeworx.com

,

Game on. With new team-building options, planners can keep their attendees fully engaged and adrenalized even off the slopes and hiking trails. Flatstick Pub opened across from Heavenly Village in June 2021, offering challenging mini-golf and Duffleboard—a tabletop golf game invented

by Flatstick that uses real golf balls and a special handheld putter—in a 9,000-squarefoot indoor and 4,000-square-foot outdoor “drinkertainment” establishment. Private and semiprivate rooms can accommodate from six to 450 guests with access to USBcompatible big screens for presentations, logos and branding. Another newcomer, Yosemite Axe Throwing, promises “real axes, real logs, real fun” at their South Lake Tahoe location, which opened last summer.

A one-hour axe-throwing experience costs just $25 per person for groups of six or more, or you buy out all 10 throwing lanes of the venue. No experience necessary; coaching is included in each session. The only requirements are an open mind and closed-toe shoes. tipsyputt.com; yosemiteaxe.com

Walk to your hike. No, you don’t have to send your attendees off to the far side of the lake to stretch their legs and enjoy aweinspiring views of Lake Tahoe. The Van Sickle Bi-State Trail starts right under the Heavenly Gondola and is within walking distance from Highway 50 casino hotels, climbing 6.3 miles to connect with the 160mile Tahoe Ridge Trail. There’s no need to go all the way; a 30-minute trek is all it takes to reach a dramatic rock formation providing great panoramic views of the lake. Hikers come down to a photo opp on a stretch of road with a state line etched across it and California and Nevada

emblazoned on respective sides of the mark. tahoesouth.com/thing-to-do/hiking/vansickle-bi-state-park-trails/ Bottoms up on South Tahoe Beer Trail. In just a few years, craft beer has become such a thing in South Shore that there’s now a South Lake Tahoe Beer Trail with eight establishments on the map. A standout for planners who want to keep their people within walking distance of the big hotels is AleWorx. A high-energy Stateline taphouse with a wood-fired menu, self-serve craft beer on tap, live music and a late-night DJ and silent disco scene

A major new venue coming soon. Tahoe South Events Center, the 143,000-squarefoot, multipurpose facility located adjacent to MontBleu Resort/Bally’s Lake Tahoe, has completed foundation work and vertical construction. Designed to complement the destination’s gaming and recreational offerings, Tahoe South Events Center will provide a venue for conventions, special events and entertainment, as well as professional and amateur sporting events.

Completion is scheduled for January 2023. tahoedouglasva.org

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 15

EVENT DESIGN & DÉCOR TRENDS FOR

2022 Ostentatious is out. Whimsical, imaginative and intimate are in.

P H OTO S :

BY SHELLEY LEVITT & JANET FULLWOOD

P H O T O : T WA H D O U G H E R T Y F O R M O D A X N E U W I R T H

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A tabletop design by Chris Hessney

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 17

N

ow, more than ever before, event design has a critical role to play in celebrating moments, creating connections, and even serving as an icebreaker.

After so much time without face-to-face gatherings, we want décor to do more than dazzle; we want it to engage attendees, too.

DECOROUS BLOOMS

Jeff Leatham doesn’t follow trends in floral design, he launches trends. The artistic director of Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, and the newly opened Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, Leatham is the author of several books about floral design. He was the subject of the 2009 TV reality show “Flowers Uncut” and has a

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social media following of millions.

Though Leatham’s floral installations in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles stop guests in their tracks, there’s an elegant restraint to his designs. “My mantra is clean, simple and chic,” he says.

That means floral displays that are often monochromatic and built around a single type of flower, or two or three at most.

Leatham anticipates that a spare, uncomplicated esthetic will reign as events resume after the pandemic. “What we’re going

through now puts things in perspective,” he says. “We’ve come to appreciate the beauty of a yam or a potato. I think in the new climate, when there are so many people in need, companies are going to be cautious in how they demonstrate prosperity. The days of having flowers hanging from every corner of the room up to the ceiling are over.

We can still enjoy beautiful, lush flowers on the table, but the arrangements will be more compact and confined. Think of it as isolated luxury.” // JEFFLEATHAMFLOWERS.COM

P H O T O S : J E F F L E AT H A M F L O W E R S ; (OPPOSITE) SASHA SOUZA EVENTS

Here’s advice from some top visionaries about how to pull that off.

Restrained yet chic floral design in the lobby of Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles (left). Sonic Mountain wind-chime installation (above).

, DÉCOR THAT S BOTH SEEN & HEARD

Events in wine country are often lavish; winemakers, after all, are eager to showcase their venues as well as their vinos. But it would be hard to top an event staged at Donum Estate in the Carneros region of Sonoma County and produced by Napabased Sasha Souza Events. The winery, known for its collection of more than 40 open-air, large-scale sculptures, recently added a stunner: a massive wind-chime installation called Sonic Mountain. It consists of three overhead concentric circles that dangle 365 polished steel rods of differing lengths to form a wave of chimes that brush together and make lyrical music in a breeze. To add to the drama at the sculp-

ture’s inauguration, which was attended by about 100 guests, the chimes were activated by 20 percussionists who were brought in to perform a piece written especially for the occasion. // SASHASOUZAEVENTS.COM

A RETURN TO HAUTE HOSPITALITY

Chris Hessney produces events for highend fashion and lifestyle clients and the entertainment industry, like Goop and Ferragamo, Netflix and Armani. They are gorgeous, luxuriant affairs. But for Hessney, who began his career working for restaurateur Stephen Starr and then with hotelier André Balazs, the true success of an event comes down to hospitality. “You can cre-

ate a beautiful event,” he says, “but if you don’t think about the guest experience as they’re walking through the space and taking in every moment, you’re going to miss the mark.”

As events resume, Hessney says he’ll be encouraging the brands he works with to get back to the basics of what makes a great party: terrific food, warmth, playfulness. “People are really going to look forward to letting their hair down, not being too serious and being really present in the moment,” he says. “As designers, it’s our responsibility to create an environment that leads to that experience.”

His own approach to events is almost maniacally detail oriented. “We’ll put together a mood board for our clients that’s anywhere from 40 to 100 pages, with different textures of fabrics, stones and materials,” he says. “That helps everyone be more thoughtful in the overall approach to an event. If you want to create an immersive experience, it helps to have a consistent tonality throughout.”

Hessney doesn’t shy away from kitsch.

For a dinner hosted by LA jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth—her whimsical gumdrop hoop earrings can cost over $10,000—he took over an Italian restaurant and made the entrance look like that of a pawn shop with a neon sign that flashed “We Buy Diamonds.”

At each place setting there were necklaces wrapped around porcelain poodles, kittens or bunnies. “They were great ice breakers for people sitting next to each other who’d never met before,” Hessney says.

When it comes to tabletops, Hessney likes things “over the top,” he says. “I want to have as much fun as possible.” For a post-runway dinner for designer Brandon Maxwell, whose fashions have been worn

by Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle and Oprah, Hessney created tablecloths, napkins and seat upholstery in a print that Maxwell had featured in his show. “I like to take all the hard work that the designer does,” Hessney says, “and put it, literally, on the table in every way I can.”

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 19

Wolfgang Puck Catering (WPC) is wellknown for small creative touches that make a big impression. A new innovation is using company logos or monograms to literally brand food and drink. “As face-to-face events emerge post-pandemic, WPC is at the forefront of coaching clients who are now working with tighter budgets on smaller events on ways to pack more ‘pow’ with fewer resources,” says Mary Cline, Wolfgang Puck’s regional director of catering sales. “Branding through food and beverage offers a multitude of ways to showcase an event host’s logo, company color or mottos.”

One subtle, but striking example is custom ice that features a company logo using a deeply engraved brass stamp to create a recessed relief image. The weight of the solid brass handle allows for a clear imprint when crystal-clear ice cubes, available through speciality ice vendors, are used. “The imprinted ice cubes are more impactful in cocktails curated with darker spirits,” Cline says. “Place the custom cube in a rocks glass and allow it to temper while you prepare the cocktail ingredients. Stir or shake your other ingredients, stamp the ice, pour the cocktail into the glass and voila!”

With advance notice of four to six weeks, WPC can create custom molds or branding irons to stamp chocolate, bread and other foods. Adding edible logos to cake icing, stenciling a company name or logo onto plates, and creating a display of sweets and candies in a company’s color palette are other ways

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Wolfgang Puck chocolates (left), and a tented affair on the grounds of a private estate (above).

to embed a company’s vision and vibe into an event menu. For smaller scale events that don’t have the budget or space for printed signage, made-to-order lighting or elaborate décor and production elements, logos and company colors that guests can eat and drink are an affordable way to incorporate branding customization into the gathering.

WOLFGANGPUCK.COM/CATERING

HUE GOT THIS

When it comes to making a statement, color rules. Take a daytime networking event for a venture capital firm that was held in large tents on the grounds of a private estate in Atherton. Abbey Party Rents in San

Francisco provided the rentals, including a main 40-by-100-foot tent and a 20-by50-foot buffet tent. The ceilings of the tents were made of blue and yellow checkerboard panels and surrounded by pleated yellow drapery. Pipe and drape along the walls and table linens in primary hues, plus tall flower arrangements bursting with color, contributed to an eye-popping installation.

The firm is seeing a fair amount of color-block décor involving just one or two colors as well as large floral patterns in fabric installations and statement pieces.

Underfoot are wrapped dance floors covered with vinyl sheets that are printed with monograms or patterned to look like marble or agate. // ABBEYRENTSSF.COM

P H O T O S : W O L F G A N G P U C K C AT E R I N G ; A B B E Y PA R T Y R E N T S ; ( O P P O S I T E ) L O S T I N L O V E P H O T O G R A P H Y ; PA R T Y C O N C I E R G E

CULINARY BRANDING

A TRIO OF TRENDS: OVERSIZED, INFLATED AND FROZEN

A tabletop that reflects the sky (above), and logos encased in ice (right).

MIRROR IMAGE

One of the most lavish events that Lauren Grech, co-founder of New York-based LLG Events, produced in recent years was a multiday wedding celebration at The Resort at Pelican Hill, the super-luxe Newport Beach property known for its Italian architecture and sweeping ocean views. Grech always strives to incorporate elements of the environment into a gathering in ways that are unforgettable. In this case, Grech wanted to capture the shimmer of the sea, the sky and the bride’s sparkling gown.

“We went with mirrored tabletops that

reflected the sky and what turned out to be a very beautiful sunset,” Grech says. “We also had a mirrored ceremony aisle lined with arrangements of white flowers. We used big bunches of baby’s breath on acrylic stands to create a cloud-like effect over the tables; it looked like the flowers were floating. To incorporate the bride’s colors of gray and gold, we lined the dance floor in gold and put a monogram in the center of it; it looked stunning under the overhead twinkling lights.” Grech sees the “mirrors, mirrors everywhere” concept working well for social gatherings of all kinds, as well as corporate events. // LLGEVENTS.COM

As the Sacramento area’s most prominent event supplier, The Party Concierge has been at the top of the event trend curve for more than 30 years. Known for their elaborate foam fabrications and ice carvings, the company founded by Susan and Lawrence Crane has a 40,000-square-foot warehouse filled with props that include mock skyscrapers, faux Western sets, life-size zoo animals, Egyptian sphinxes, jumbo corporate logos and other creative solutions to meet just about any demand for a corporate, community or social event.

A 3-D printer facilitates fabrication, while “ice meister” Lawrence turns out frozen creations ranging from full beverage bars to tabletop columns with flowers or other objects encased within.

One trend that’s blowing up is “organic” balloon garlands, essentially strings of different-size balloons in complementary colors that can be draped over, above and around installations at trade shows and corporate events. // PARTYCONCIERGE.COM

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 21

ACTIVATING EVENTS THROUGH DESIGN Ask Kristin Banta, one of the country’s top event designers and producers, about trends in décor and she talks about the big picture.

“The most successful events are those that create a sense of community, bonding guests together in a way that builds brand loyalty,” she says. “We used to think about creating Instagrammable photo opportunities, but now we’re moving toward a more holistic approach: How can we manipulate all of the sensory elements we have at our fingertips to create a cohesive, immersive experience?”

One way Kristin Banta Events delivers shareable content and guest participation is using a concept she calls “Easter egging,” sprinkling subtle notes on a theme throughout an event. At a premiere party for the movie “The Favourite” that involved 400 attendees gathering at the LA restaurant Baltaire, her team “wanted to create

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moments that had guests revisiting the experience of seeing the film and get them talking about the event without doing something like recreating sets,” she says.

The event’s design evoked both the film’s setting in 18th-century England and the 1980s punk rock scene in London. Period tapestries, mirrors, wicker rocking chairs and tufted sofas were spray-painted with quotes from the movie like “Love Has Its Limits,” “My Men Must Look Pretty” and “How Goes the Kingdom?” Rabbits were tucked into tabletop displays to evoke 17 rabbits that the queen (played by Olivia Colman in an Oscar-winning role) kept as pets to represent the children that she’d lost.

Banta works hard to avoid obvious interpretations of themes. For a party that the dating site Bumble held at the Coachella festival, the theme was winter wonderland.

“We can all immediately picture blue lights and trees dripping with crystals,” Banta says. “We wanted to do something different and disruptive.” After guests entered to beats from a mountain chalet-inspired DJ booth, they could enjoy blue Arctic Jell-O shots or vodka served at an ice bar inside a frozen igloo where 360-degree projection mapped the northern lights. There was a ski lift chair photo booth, ski patrol lounges, a snow angel garden and a digital kiosk where guests could project customized snowflakes across the sky.

“The devil’s in the details,” Banta says.

“We always ask, how does something make people feel? Is it original content? What can we do to dial up a familiar theme? At the end of the day, you want to transcend the usual to create an event that’s timeless where guests connect.” // KRISTINBANTA.COM

P H O T O S : K R I S T I N B A N TA ; ( O P P O S I T E ) S N A P P H O T O G R A P H Y ; PA N T O N E

A party for a popular dating site had a ski-lodge theme (above). Tents add a relaxed vibe to corporate events, and Veri Peri is the Pantone Color of the Year (opposite).

TENT IT

We all have a newfound appreciation for celebrating outdoors, notes Tim Sperry, president of Sperry Tents, which has provided products for high-profile events such as concerts by Paul McCartney and Jimmy Buffet. “With the help of tent heaters, there’s no reason to stop when summer ends,” he says. “A tent creates a fun destination for the typically buttoned-up, corporate setting, particularly when decorated with bistro lights and lanterns. A tent can also be used in combination with indoor spaces to help spread out your party guests.”

In 2022, Sperry continues, we’ll see more corporate events embracing the opportunity to create personalized moments with smaller guest lists and a deeper focus on guest experience, including more areas for lounging, wider spatial footprints for social distancing, and raised observation decks for presentations and keynote speeches. All of this can be achieved within tents.

At one Sonoma event, guests gathered at vintage banquet tables beneath a 32-by72-foot Sperry tent that was adorned with floral chandeliers. Another elegant way of observing safety protocols was in the form of each guest being handed a personal cheeseboard for an appetizer. // SPERRYTENTS.COM

COLOR CURRENCY

We are living through unprecedented times, and that can make issues of design and décor challenging. Just ask Pantone. For 23 years the experts at Pantone Color Institute have sifted through its library of over 15,000 hues to anoint a Color of the Year. But not one of those shades seemed to capture the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition as we emerge from an intense period of isolation, the institute said in a news release.

Instead, Pantone created a brand-new color, Very Peri, described as a “dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone,” and declared this newcomer

Pantone Color of the Year 2022.

“Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute.

If that’s a vibe you’d like to bring to your

next event, Pantone’s pros say the color works for an array of different materials, textures and finishes, providing a pop of color in painted walls, accent furniture, floral design, table settings or an “intriguing and eye-catching accent in a pattern.” // PANTONE.COM

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 23

I ND U STRY U PDATE Infographic

Optimism Returns

With the positive outlook comes real challenges in luring talent back and training newcomers. RESEARCH COURTESY OF MEETING PROFESSIONALS INTERNATIONAL » MEETINGS PROFESSIONALS are anticipating major growth for this year in areas like hiring, budgets and attendance, according to the summer 2021 edition of Meeting Professionals International’s “Meetings Outlook.” Respondents to the Meetings Outlook survey also are taking getting vaccinated seriously, with more than 91 percent reporting being fully or partially vaccinated.

Optimism and business expectations are the highest ever seen in Meetings Outlook, with 93 percent projecting favorable business conditions over the next year compared to only 36 percent reporting optimism the prior summer. In addition, more than 81 percent anticipated holding their next face-to-face event in 2021.

With all this good news comes real concerns, especially staffing challenges and getting teams back up and running to offer quality customer service as the meetings and events industry revs back up. Even with possible impact from coronavirus variants on the horizon, confidence remains high. Watch for upcoming Meetings Outlooks to keep up with the latest information. Here’s to positive outlooks! mpi.org |

MPI | » Download the full report at: mpi.org/docs/default-source/meetings-outlook/meetings-outlook-summer-2021.pdf

ATTENDANCE FORECASTS

Getting back to in-person meetings is definitely a priority, and the number of virtual meetings is dropping. Here’s what planners had to say about upcoming gatherings. In comparison, 87 percent of respondents in summer 2020 indicated favorable virtual attendance. That number has shifted to 36 percent.

Live Attendance Projections

Virtual Attendance Projections

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77% 4% 19% 36% 16% 47%

WELLNESS CONTENT

As the industry builds back to former levels, the pandemic has focused a spotlight on the importance of wellness being part of the conversation and most meeting and event agendas. Sixty-three percent expressed a greater interest in wellness-specific content, while only 4 percent indicated less interest in onsite wellness programming. It’s not only physical health but mental health as well.

As the meetings and events industry transitions back to more “normal” levels, it will require understanding and patience from every direction … planners, suppliers and attendees. Everyone is doing their best and juggling unique challenges. Thank you to MPI for providing helpful insights into what’s happening during what has been one huge rollercoaster ride.

BUSINESS CONDITIONS

There has been a big leveling out of the buyer’s and seller’s market landscape in just a quarter as things begin to settle. The numbers speak for themselves, but it’s important to note that planners weren’t able to leverage the advantage much due to limited numbers of in-person events from fall 2020 through spring 2021.

As more gatherings return and venues deal with hiring challenges, the limited supply likely will continue to swing the pendulum to a seller’s market.

FALL 2020

WINTER 2021

SPRING 2021

SUMMER 2021

Buyer’s Market

73%

76%

67%

44%

Balanced Market

14%

13%

19%

18%

Seller’s Market

13%

12%

14%

38%

Pricing Movement

It’s also interesting to look at how pricing has changed, as respondents indicated that costs for many meeting/event-related expenses increased in 2021. The price tags that seem to be least affected are office space, speakers/presenters, on-site security and entertainment.

According to respondents, prices for many meeting/event-related expenses have risen this year. How much have they increased? +1%-5% +6%-10% +11%-25%

>25% No change

AIRFARE

12%

24%

19%

13%

20%

AUDIOVISUAL

11%

20%

17%

9%

32%

ENTERTAINMENT

11%

23%

7%

3%

39%

F&B

16%

32%

22%

5%

16%

GUEST ROOMS

17%

17%

19%

7%

29%

OFFICE SPACE

14%

10%

2%

2%

50%

ON-SITE SECURITY

10%

12%

9%

4%

44%

RENTAL CARS

7%

15%

13%

24%

26%

SPACE RENTAL

16%

23%

12%

6%

33%

SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS

12%

17%

9%

2%

45%

THE TALENT CHALLENGE

Much of the summer 2021 edition of MPI’s Meetings Outlook was dedicated to the biggest elephant in the room: a shortage of industry talent.

Lengthy furloughs and job loss due to the pandemic drove many in the meetings/events and hospitality industries to find new jobs or new career paths. Women have accounted for nearly 80 percent of people who left the workforce during the pandemic, according to 2021 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, and women make up approximately 77 percent of the meetings and events workforce, noted one source.

As venues and hotels have started ramping up the meetings and events side of their businesses again, the amount of qualified staff hasn’t necessarily been available, which has required looking at new and more diverse pools of people to hire and adding new skills to employees’ repertoires. Companies in the industry also are becoming more open to hiring contract employees and freelancers to address the ebbs and flows of business levels.

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 25

INDUSTRY UPDATE Regional News

Hotels & Resorts //

UPGRADES FOR PECHANGA RESORT CASINO & TEMECULA CREEK INN It’s a sure bet that meeting attendees will be pleased with the accommodations at Pechanga Resort Casino. One of the largest resorts-casinos in the U.S., Pechanga has fully upgraded 532 of 1,100 guest rooms. The updated king and queen deluxe rooms, corner studios and onebedroom suites feature new furnishings,

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Pechanga Resort Casino (top), Temecula Creek Inn (bottom)

flooring, quartz counters, bathroom configurations, televisions, and side-by-side refrigerator/mini bars.

Pechanga’s Casino Tower rooms also have been outfitted with numerous USB and USB-C ports and electrical outlets to handle the many devices guests often bring. Those staying in deluxe rooms have 55-inch flat-screen televisions, while guests staying in suites will find both 55-inch and 65-inch televisions.

In May 2021, Pechanga Resort Casino opened its new restaurant, 1882 Cantina. Located inside Pechanga’s modern, glass-enclosed atrium lobby, just steps away from the property’s main meeting and event venues, 1882 Cantina is open for brunch and dinner and features traditional fare from several culinary regions of Mexico. The crafted cocktail menu features 10 mezcals, 30 tequilas and 10 varieties of

margaritas, as well as other spirits with ties to Latin American countries.

Also of interest to meeting planners is Pechanga’s purchase of Temecula Creek Inn. Since acquiring the boutique property in 2018, all 127 guest rooms have been upgraded and a $1 million refresh of the 27-hole golf course wrapped up, including laser tee leveling, a complete redo of all bunkers and hazards, fairway and terrain improvements and more.

Originally built in 1969, the 305-acre Temecula Creek Inn borders the Pechanga Reservation in southern Temecula and features the 240-seat Cork/Fire Kitchen. An on-site vegetable garden provides fresh produce for the restaurant, and flexible meeting space, including the secluded Stone House for up to 400 guests. pechanga.com; temeculacreekmeetings.com

P H OTO S : P E C H A N G A R E S O R T C A S I N O ; N I C H O L A S G P H OTO G R A P H Y; ( O P P O S I T E ) M A R M O N T E H O T E L ; S H E R AT O N S A N D I E G O H O T E L

CONRAD HOTEL COMING TO LOS ANGELES Conrad Hotels & Resorts, one of Hilton’s luxury hotel brands, will be making its California debut with Conrad Los Angeles.

The hotel will be part of Related Companies’ mixed-use development, The Grand LA, designed by Frank Gehry and located in downtown LA. “With Los Angeles experiencing its largest downtown development boom in nearly a century, we believe 2022 is the right time to introduce such a dynamic hotel and exciting development to this cultural epicenter,” says Danny Hughes, executive vice president and president, Americas, Hilton. “We’re thrilled to continue to expand Conrad’s footprint in the Americas and have the opportunity to bring this empowered and design-forward brand to a new market.”

Expected to open in spring 2022, the 28-story hotel will include 305 modern guest rooms, as well as a spa, an elevated indoor/ outdoor lobby with sweeping views of Walt Disney Concert Hall and a 16,000-squarefoot rooftop terrace complete with a private pool deck overlooking downtown. Dining outlets will offer locally inspired culinary experiences and feature expansive lounges and amenities that embrace California’s outdoor culture. Groups can tap the 12,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities with integrated technology capabilities. hilton.com/en/conrad

NEW MEETING SPACES COMPLETED AT SHERATON SAN DIEGO

SANTA BARBARA WELCOMES MAR MONTE HOTEL Featuring 10,000 square feet of meeting space with full oceanfront views of the Pacific, the newly opened Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara should be on every California planner’s radar. Part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, the 200room hotel is a reincarnation of the historic 1930s Vista Mar Monte. Thoroughly transformed in an extensive renovation project, Mar Monte has a modern design that is intended to mirror the rise of the tides with the hotel’s spaces flowing from indoors to outdoors across three acres of Spanish-influenced grounds.

The final phase of the multi-milliondollar makeover is the opening of costa Kitchen & Bar, the signature restaurant that offers a menu of seafood-driven CaliMediterranean cuisine, melding influences from coastal Italy and the eastern Mediterranean with an emphasis on purveyors from the central to southern California regions. The classically rooted craft cocktail bar juxtaposes lighter, refreshing drinks with more spirited, richer libations. Winemakers from the

Central Coast play a starring role in the well-rounded wine menu housed in an 800-bottle glass wine display.

“We are beyond thrilled to complete the final phase of Mar Monte Hotel’s reimagination with the opening of costa Kitchen & Bar,” says Ingrid Braun, general manager.

“It gives us great pleasure to welcome back the local community and our guests to a beautiful space that sparks joy and invites celebration. costa is a pivotal part of completing Mar Monte’s transformation. We’ve not only created an inspiring hotel and thought-provoking experiences for the spirited lifestyle traveler, but now also a culinary destination that invites wanderlust and celebrates the bounty of California.”

The guest experience at Mar Monte includes an in-house smoothie program; in-room yoga mats; custom maps for running or walking; Mar Monte Moments featuring live music poolside on Saturdays; and access to local tours and activities with Santa Barbara Sailing Center, Coastal Concierge, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and more.

Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina has completed the first phase of an $88 million renovation, upgrading and refurbishing 97,000 square feet of meeting space.

The renovation encompasses two main ballrooms, a new outdoor pavilion, a lowerlevel ballroom/foyer and multiple breakout rooms in the hotel’s Marina Tower.

To accommodate the increasing trend toward hybrid meetings, the 1,053-room waterfront resort located in the heart of San Diego harbor has partnered with local A/V integrator Fluid Sound to create a Zoom broadcast room allowing users to join a Zoom meeting by simply typing in a meeting code. Also featured are an 85-inch Samsung Flip screen (can also be used as a whiteboard), built-in ceiling microphone and speakers along with a camera for easy collaboration with a remote audience.

Other meeting rooms feature similar technology to support this new trend.

According to Sean Clancy, vice president and general manager of Sheraton San Diego, the revamped meeting spaces reflect Sheraton’s recently refreshed brand identity with well-lit spaces, neutral tones and bold accents. “Our goal was to create an airy coastal ambiance, enabling business and meetings guests to unwind and connect,” Clancy says. “These new upgrades are sleek yet welcoming with a cool coastal vibe and taking a cue from our spectacular harbor-front setting.” marriott.com

marmontehotel.com

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 27

IN DUSTRY U PDAT E Regional News

CANVAS Studio at Monterey Conference Center

CVBs //

“All Inspired” is the tagline for a new marketing campaign that Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau launched in November to encourage groups to plan an inspired meeting or event in the Central Coast destination. The tagline is a riff on a broader “All In” campaign that targets both business and leisure markets.

“People are looking forward to meeting face to face again, and Monterey County offers both a safe and stunning environment to do that,” says Chris Sommers, board chair at Monterey County CVB and managing director at Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. “Monterey County is the kind of place where feeling inspired is an indelible part of who we are, but it’s not just the place, it’s the people. Monterey County’s hospitality industry is wholly invested—All In—making every meeting an inspired experience for business to get done.”

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When meeting planners return to Monterey they’ll find several new offerings.

The 10,000-square-foot CANVAS Studio at Monterey Conference Center is located within Steinbeck Ballroom and is equipped with 360-degree wraparound screens and Immersive Design Studios’ CANVAS software platform. Meeting and event speakers can see thousands of remote attendees up on the screens at once, with the flexibility to zoom in on any individual for spontaneous and authentic interactions. For hybrid events, 80 guests can fit comfortably inside the studio space, joining the thousands more tuning in virtually.

Savvy, a new speakeasy tucked into a storefront underneath the Golden State Theatre, features Prohibition-era libations and is available for private events. A dress code makes this an elevated experience.

Stokes Adobe, located in a famously haunted historic adobe, opened its doors in late 2021. Offering modern California cuisine, an inventive craft cocktail menu and spacious outdoor patios with fire pits, Stokes Adobe is available for private events.

The Lodge at Pebble Beach has debuted the Sloat Building. Overlooking the famed 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, the addition features 26 guest rooms and expansive suites with more than 1,300 square feet of living space and panoramic ocean views.

Monterey Bay Aquarium will unveil Into the Deep: Exploring Our Undiscovered Ocean this spring. Years in the making, the ambitious exhibit will showcase some species that have never been on display before, from football-sized giant isopods to boneeating worms.

For more on what’s new in Monterey, visit seemonterey.com.

P H O T O S : I M M E R S I V E D E S I G N S T U D I O S ; ( O P P O S I T E ) V I C E R OY S A N TA M O N I C A

MONTEREY IS ALL IN FOR 2022 MEETINGS

Food & Beverage //

VICEROY SANTA MONICA WELCOMES NEW RESTAURANT Sugar Palm Ocean Avenue, an indoor/outdoor coastal dining concept, has opened at Viceroy Santa Monica. The restaurant includes an indoor lounge, outdoor patio, café and poolside bar scene and arrives on the cusp of a sweeping $21 million redesign of the beachside hotel by EDG, an awardwinning San Francisco design firm.

Intended to be the vibrant social hub of Viceroy, Sugar Palm features a California coastal menu crafted by Chef Jason Francisco, who takes inspiration from his diverse background living in Singapore, Italy, Germany, Holland, Turkey and Hawaii.

“After a year of social and emotional distancing, my hope is that Sugar Palm will be a place to come together and break bread,” says Francisco. “Given our location in Santa Monica, I wanted to create a menu and dining experience that is laid back

and fun but also sophisticated and luxurious. It’s a very personal menu to me since it’s influenced by the many places around the world that I’ve had the opportunity to live in and experience.”

Rooted in utilizing the freshest local ingredients possible, Francisco and his team use California purveyors like Niman

Ranch in Northern California, Fish King in Glendale, and Scarborough Farms in Oxnard. The restaurant also will be home to a variety of activations and collaborations with local businesses, including succulent workshops led by Juicy Leaf.

including The Mayor’s Table, Pacific Pub + Kitchen, and Topside, Newport Beach’s first rooftop bar.

Savastano also spearheaded the development and oversight of Hyatt’s only “hotel within the hotel” concept, The Reserve.

Michael Savastano has been appointed resort manager at Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas. Previously serving as the property’s director of operations, Savastano will now oversee and support the 130-room property’s daily operations, including all aspects of food and beverage, security, guest programming, and front- and back-of-house operations. He has worked within the Hyatt family for more than 15 years in several roles at properties that include Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

Matthew Ross has been appointed director of food and beverage at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills. In his new role, Ross oversees all culinary and beverage operations for the hotel’s signature restaurant, Boxwood, as well as the lobby bar, rooftop pool, in-room dining and on-site events. Ross joins The London West Hollywood as a seasoned hospitality professional with more than 15 years of industry experience. Prior to joining The London, Ross was director of food and beverage operations at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants and The Farmer’s Daughter Hotel in Los Angeles.

sugarpalmoceanave.com

People News //

The Hollywood Roosevelt has announced the appointment of four new team members: Nina Dela Fuente (pictured) as director of sales and marketing; Ed Anonas as director of finance; Meda Serban as director of revenue management; and Jesse O’Connell as general manager of The Spare Room, the hotel’s gaming parlor and cocktail lounge.

Lido House, an Autograph Collection, has appointed Davide Paduano as director of hotel food and beverage operations. A dedicated hotelier and sommelier with more than 15 years of expertise, Paduano oversees all culinary outlets at Lido House,

CA.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 29

S NAP S HOTS Visit California

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Visit California Media Event

It was a long-awaited milestone. On Oct. 28, 2021, Visit California held its first inperson media event since January 2020.

A total of 26 delegates from across the state and scores of journalists gathered at Culver City’s SmogShoppe, a former 1980s smog-check center that’s now a solar-powered, 6,500-square-foot indoor/outdoor event venue. Along with mingling, there were various Californiainspired experiences including a chocolate tasting, a photo booth that captured each guest’s unique and colorful aura, and a horizontal wine tasting, which involved tasting a range of wines from the same year.

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1. Ryan Becker, vice president of communications for Visit California. 2. Local provisions. 3. Guests were asked to download proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test on the CLEAR app.

4. Destinations represented at the event ranged from nearby Beverly Hills to San Francisco and two dozen other regions or properties. 5. Attendees who had their bingo card stamped by a delegate from each destination were eligible to win a staycation in Costa Mesa or Palm Springs. 6. There were many happy reunions. 7. A perfect SoCal evening!

To have your meeting or event photos featured here, contact the editor at Shelley.Levitt@tigeroak.com.

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PE OPLE PROF I L E Eva Nineuil

» FRENCH-BORN EVA NINEUIL has

been a public relations strategist, event producer and artistic programmer. Now based in Santa Monica, she combines this varied experience in her latest role for Proper Hospitality, which has boutique properties in Santa Monica, San Francisco and Los Angeles as well as Austin, Texas.

CAM+E: What does your job entail?

Nineuil: My main objective is to build Proper a cultural identity. On any given day, I might meet with potential new partners, gather with the event team to execute our on-site programming, and check in with the management team to make sure my creative work is aligned with Proper’s business needs. Other aspects of my job include overseeing public relations, social media, brand experience and content creation for the Proper portfolio.

CAM+E: How does Proper Hospitality differ from other hotel collections?

Nineuil: Our vision is to help people have a life well-lived, offering them something oneof-a-kind that they can’t experience anywhere else. We have so many incredible experiences, including a private tour of the Santa Monica farmers’ market, cooking classes with our award-winning food and beverage partners, sunrise yoga, beach bike tours, surf lessons, and the Sēfari Experience with Jobi Manson, which is a guided practice of inner exploration through water meditation and immersion that takes place at the beach.

CAM+E: What’s an example of Proper’s approach to meetings?

Nineuil: One option we offer at Santa Monica Proper is to begin an evening with cocktails at Palma, the gorgeous lobby bar that features a mural by local artist Ben Medansky. After drinks, guests can move on to a seated pool deck dinner party at Calabra Rooftop, with the ocean as a backdrop.

Cultural Connoisseur

Eva Nineuil shares a glimpse of her creative director role for Proper Hospitality. BY LAUREN PAHMEIER

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Nineuil: At Santa Monica Proper we’ve launched a pool deck party with cocktails

by Madre Mezcal and a DJ playing vinyl only; weekend brunch with a mimosa and bloody mary bar; acoustic music sessions in the rooftop lounge; and a pool deck dinner party with Scribe Winery featuring wine tasting and food pairings. properhotel.com

P H O T O : E VA N I N E U I L

CAM+E: You created virtual programming, including workout classes and sound bath sessions recorded on property, to share with the community through Instagram during the pandemic. What will guests experience in 2022?

Make a Plan. Make it Boise.

Centrally located in the heart of vibrant downtown Boise, the recently expanded Boise Centre has a variety of customizable meeting spaces, modern amenities, exceptional culinary services and a friendly and dedicated staff ready to make your next event an unforgettable experience. Explore Idaho’s premier convention center for yourself.

• Centralized, downtown location • Only seven minutes from Boise airport • Over 25 direct flights to and from Boise • Closely surrounded by more than 100 restaurants • Over 1,300 hotel rooms within walking distance • Close to outdoor recreation, including the The Boise Greenbelt

LEARN MORE: boisecentre.com

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