BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE Don’t sweat the details, let us help plan your next get-together BY HANNAH BURKE
F
or Kevin Rosa, Director of Sales & Marketing at Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, selecting a venue for an important meeting or event is akin to buying a house. “It’s all about location, location, location,” he says. Beyond the location, you want to ensure there is enough room to accommodate your family and that it’s equipped with the proper amenities to support your needs. From its gorgeous, Gulf Coast vistas and ample assembly space to a consistently reliable event management team, Hilton Sandestin Beach checks all the boxes. “This property has a rich, 37-year history of meetings and events,” said Rosa. “I’ve been a hospitality executive for over 30 years now and have rarely seen annual group business like this property manages. The fact that, year after year, dozens of entities choose us repeatedly is a testament to our team and should be celebrated.” A huge draw, Rosa said, is Hilton Sandestin Beach’s “flexible and functional” meeting space. Larger conferences and events have their pick of ballrooms — Emerald, Coral and Coastal. Each ballroom lies adjacent to one another, and though they remain separate and vary in size and capacity, all have access to around 80 HILTON SANDESTIN BEACH 2022
14,000 square feet of pre-function areas, ideal for cocktail receptions, registration sites and midday breaks. Each ballroom is equipped with state-of-the-art technological facilities capable of supporting your audio/visual presentation needs, though smaller groups may opt for the resort’s 1,260-square-foot theater, which boasts tiered seating and individual writing desks for those wishing to take notes. More intimate gatherings will find privacy in the Pelican and Heron Rooms, both just under 1,000 square feet, whose seating seamlessly accommodates smaller organizations. For those crucial executivelevel meetings, though, Rosa recommends the Boardroom, a stylish and sophisticated conference space that seats up to 12 and includes a self-contained bathroom, balcony and foyer. Of course, you’d be remiss not to treat your attendees to the sweeping, sandywhite shores just outside the conference room doors. Rosa said it’s not uncommon to host events and receptions on the pool deck to add a literal breath of fresh air to your schedule and get those creative juices flowing. Meeting planners should consider outdoor team-building activities such as yoga on the Sunrise Deck, beach Olympics directly in the sand and beach volleyball or
