Meeting Planners Guide 2011

GULF COAST

Business Review

MEETING PLANNERS’ guide 2011

Meeting Planners Guide

Gulf Coast Business Review

table of

guide

Corporate Speakers

Barbara glanz Communications 6140 Midnight Pass Rd. #802 Sarasota, FL 34242

941-312-9169

www.barbaraglanz.com

Event Planners Maestro events

941-807-0734

www.eventsbymaestro.com Marlene Hauck 7325 Meadowbrook Dr. Sarasota, FL 34243

941-504-6717

marlenemhauck@yahoo.com

Venues

Bentley’s resort Hotel 1660 S. Tamiami Trail Osprey, FL 34229

941-966-2121

www.bentleyssarasota.com the Centre Club 123 Southwest Shore Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33609

813-349-2747

www.clubcorp.com gulf Coast event and Conference Center Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida 4780 Cattleman Rd. Sarasota, FL 34233

941-921-5358 www.gsgcf.org

Hyatt regency Clearwater Beach resort & spa 301 S. Gulfview Blvd.

Clearwater Beach, FL 33767

727-373-4443

www.clearwaterbeach.hyatt.com intercontinental tampa 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33609

4 Events From Hell

www.manateeconventioncenter.com

Regardless of the time and effort spent to craft the perfect event, some things inevitably go wrong. Meeting planners confess their nightmare events and how they turned stress into success.

Powel Crosley estate 1 Haben Blvd.

Palmetto, FL 34221

941-722-3244

6 Cost of a Conference

www.crosleymuseum.com sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau 701 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34236

See how a conference budget is divided among expenses. Also, the economic contribution conferences make each year.

941-957-1877

8 Speak Easy

www.sarasotafl.org tradeWinds island resorts on st. Pete Beach St. Pete Beach, FL 33706

A keynote speaker could be the difference between a hit event and a bust. Joe Yazbeck offers some ways to ensure a hit.

727-363-2374

www.tradewindsresort.com

Catering

Morton’s gourmet Market 1924 So. Osprey Ave. Sarasota, FL 34239

941-955-9856

www.mortonsmarket.com tooJay’s gourmet Deli Westfield Southgate 3501 South Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34239

10 Logisitics: Key to the Convention

941-362-3692

www.toojays.com sundance Catering 365 Sarasota Center Blvd., Unit D Sarasota Fl, 34240-9302

Tampa’s The Victory Group provides local expertise to help manage and plan events surrounding the 2012 GOP National Convention for a Washington, D.C. firm’s clients.

941-341-0803

www.sundancecatering.com

Photography

12 Wild Meetings

swain Film & Video 1404 So. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota, FL 34239

Donovan and Tammy Smith’s wildanimal preserve provides a venue like no other for corporate events and parties in eastern Collier County.

941-365-8433

longboat Key Club 442 Gulf of Mexico Dr. Longboat Key, FL 34228

U.s. tent rental, inc.

2006 72nd Dr. E Sarasota, Fl. 34243

www.longboatkeyclub.com

After the recession took a toll on the meeting and conference industry, things are looking up in 2011.

941-722-3244

www.swainmedia.com

941-387-9449

3 Industry News

Manatee Convention Center 1 Haben Blvd.

Palmetto, FL 34221

813-286-4033

www.intercontampa.com

JULY 2011

CONTENTS

Meeting Planners

Event Rentals

13 Unique Venues

941-727-3311

www.ustentrental.com 60760

2

Show clients something different with these creative places.

JULY 2011

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industry NEWS

Corporate meetings lead the rebound

COMPARISON: Business visitors attracted in 2010 in three Florida metro areas

60

18.48%

50

Business Visitors Other Visitors

40

3,454

212%

33%

13%

The percentage increase in members’ corporate meetings from 2007 to 2010.

368

10 0

According to the latest poll of its members, the IAPCO says meetings are increasing, with corporate meetings leading the way in terms of growth. Below are some data collected from its survey.

The number of corporate meetings held internationally by IAPCO members in 2010.

30 20

3

The Great Recession caused many companies to cut back on budgets for meetings and events. But 2010 saw the industry start to rebound. Meeting Planners International forecasts that meetings volume, number of attendees and overall spending will grow by 8% in 2011. Similarly, the box to the right shows how well the industry is recovering, according to the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers, whose members plan events in more than 40 countries. The chart to the left shows how three Florida metro markets compare based on business visitors.

Tampa

Orlando

Miami

Average number of participants per event in 2010.

58674

Visitors (in millions)

Meeting Planners Guide

4

HELL

events from Meeting Planners Guide

Gulf Coast Business Review

Every meeting planner has been there. Events that took months to plan come to a screeching halt from a seemingly benign snag or a small detail, and turn it quickly into the event from hell.

Here are a few meeting planners’ stories about challenges they’ve had during their hellish events, what they did to fix it, and the lessons they learned … the hard way.

roll with it

to the wire

Culprit: Rain

CULPRIT: Time crunch

Business: Nan Summers, who spent more than 20 years in professional development with the Walt Disney Co. Summers served on the executive team at the Magic Kingdom and also ran training programs for Walt Disney World’s Imagineering Design Team. Summers now lives in Sarasota, where she works for a business-consulting firm.

Event from hell: Summers was with Disney in 1982, when the park held a grand opening ceremony event for Epcot Center. The ceremony, to celebrate Epcot’s global themes, involved flying in 2,500 performers from across the world.

“This wasn’t the kind of event you could duplicate somewhere else,” says Summers.

“It was a massive effort.”

Turns out there was also massive rain.

In fact, Summers says it was monsoonlike conditions for the October weekend.

Summers was in charge of the French delegation, which consisted of 45 stiltwalkers who spoke little or no English.

She herded the performers into a makeshift theater, where they set out for an act on stilts.

But one performer soon fell into another, which set off a domino-like collapse. One Frenchman even broke his arm in the fall.

Rod Millington

Lessons learned: Summers says preparation wasn’t necessarily the issue in the Epcot episode, though the rain clearly exacerbated any preparation issues. Other issues plagued the event, from walkietalkies that broke to a highly guarded Chinese delegation, whose superiors were more worried about defections than performances.

“We did everything we could to make this a success,” says Summers. “And still so many things went wrong that we couldn’t possibly imagine.”

Summers, however, did have one major takeaway from the experience: She’s able to laugh at things that seem disastrous, which has helped her get through other events that have gone awry. ­­— Mark Gordon

Business Meetings

MARLENE M. HAUCK,

Corporate Conferences

941.504.6717

Personal Events

P.O. Box 49201, Sarasota, FL 34230

Event from hell: The Baltimore Orioles hired Grondahl to plan Opening Day and Opening Night parties at the newly renovated Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota in the spring. Only she was brought into the process with merely a week left. “They had sent the invitations out,” says Grondahl, “but they didn’t have a party in place.”

Planning was a logistical nightmare. For one, construction of the renovation project wasn’t even finished. “We weren’t sure if the (VIP) suite was going to be finished,” Grondahl says. “It was pretty intense.”

Indeed, construction crews worked through 9 p.m. the night before the party, says Grondahl. She and her crew would pass them in the hallways. Both crews also worked together — party planners and structural engineers.

Finally, in a “what else could possibly go wrong moment,” Grondahl got stuck in an elevator with a bundle of plants.

Nancy DeNike

Business: Priority Marketing Event from hell: Years ago, Teri Hansen, president of Priority Marketing, organized a medieval-themed street carnival in a new neighborhood in Bonita Springs to promote the development for a builder. The carnival included a row of a dozen large tents, jugglers and stilt walkers. The elaborate fair took all day to set up, and each tent was filled with tables, chairs, linens and food preparation stations along the private two-lane road. Attendees could enjoy the fair and visit the model homes nearby. An hour before the event was scheduled to start, the local fire marshal appeared and ordered all the tents moved out of the street. As it turned out, a home at the end of the street had sold and because of that the road had to be clear enough to allow a fire truck to pass. Fortunately, everyone helped move the tents to the side of the road in time for the festival.

Lesson Learned: “It was a huge lesson for us because none of us thought of consulting the fire marshal,” says Hansen.

Beyond that, it was a lesson in thinking on your feet, the hallmark of any successful event planner. “Wherever possible, you want to have contingency plans in the event of unexpected things happening,” she says.

— Jean Gruss

MarleneMHauck@Yahoo.com 60315

three-ring circus

Business: Jennifer Grondahl runs Maestro Events, a Sarasota-based firm that specializes in corporate, private and philanthropic events. Grondahl launched Maestro in 2005 and has since been a leader behind the scenes of some of the most well known events in the SarasotaBradenton area. Grondahl worked for the American Cancer Society before she launched her own business.

EVENT & MEETING PLANNER

From concept through implementation...

— a value Grondahl has long held high in her business. “I didn’t want the guests to know what we had to go through to make it happen,” Grondahl says.

Another lesson is Grondahl will continue to seek work where there is a high level of trust between her and the clients. In the hectic planning for the Orioles party, Grondahl made several on-the-spot decisions. The Orioles gave Grondahl that flexibility.

“I think what I learned most,” Grondahl says, “is that had I encountered a client who didn’t have that trust, this couldn’t have been pulled off.”

— Mark Gordon

CULPRIT: The fire marshal

Lessons learned: One lesson was more of a recommitment to perseverance

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Meeting Planners Guide

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meeting

THE

Economy

According a study by the Convention Industry Council, the 1.8 million events the meeting industry produces each year generate $263 billion in spending. To the left is a breakdown of where dollars from those attendees are spent. Also, below you can see how the average costs are allocated for a conference of 300 people with a national speaker.

ECONOMY: Where attendees’ dollars go

Gas, Entertainment, Retail, Car Rental: $4.35 Billion each

Urban Transit: $1.45 Billion

3.7% Registration Materials

3.7% Collateral Materials

3.3% Advertising

12.5% Venue without food 2.5% A/V Rental

Air Transportation: $13.05 Billion Registration Fees: $66.7 Billion

22% Breakfast & Lunch

51% Speaker

Food and Beverage: $18.85 Billion

Costs of a conference

Accommodations: $24.65 Billion Source: Convention Industry Council

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crowd-buster CULPRIT: MISCOMMUNICATION Business: Linda Eure, coordinator with Jan Mitchell & Associates Event From Hell: Because of a miscommunication, a Spiderman 3 invitation-only, free preview for 350 people drew a crowd of 1,238 fans who wanted to see the movie before it opened nationwide the following day.

Lesson Learned: Double check the number of invitations being sent out with the capacity of the venue and stay flexible with your plan. Luckily the preview was at a multiplex, and the theater owner agreed to open up other theaters to accommodate the overflow. The studio didn’t pay for the extra seats, but everyone bought popcorn and drinks. Some even bought a ticket for the next showing.

“The other thing we learned was to keep track of the number of people coming through the door,” Eure says. “By the time we realized we were overbooked, everyone was already in the lobby.”

She stresses the importance of being nibble on “game day.” “If something goes wrong you have to look for a solution. The bottom line is you have to find a way to make the client happy.”

— Dan Ping

site unseen CULPRIT: Incorrect layout Business: Chris Doyle, owner, Meeting Planning for You Inc.; an independent full-service meeting and event management company Event From Hell: A final walkthrough of a large trade show and general assembly area revealed the giant video screens were incorrectly placed. Most of the 1,000 attendees would not be able to view the screens.

Lesson Learned: Ensure the setup crews understand the purpose of the layout. Don’t panic. Curveballs are the norm when it comes to events and meetings.

Moving the screens was out of the question at that point, so the general assembly room chairs were rearranged. Part of the new layout encroached on the trade show space, but vendors were happy because it generated more traffic. The client liked it so much they asked for the same set up the following year. “It’s hard to say that any event is a nightmare because you’re always adapting,” Doyle says. “No matter how much advanced planning that you do, there is always something you have to adjust to on the fly.”

— Dan Ping

7

Meeting Planners Guide

cutting it close CULPRIT: Tree limbs Business: Virginia Todd, senior planner, VRT Events Event From Hell: A large, high-profile event called for several satellite trucks to be parked on the grounds of a resort hotel. Dimensions for the trucks were obtained from the operators, but when they arrived at the resort they were too tall to park under the trees. No one had thought to find out the height of the trucks. Crews were out at 4:30 a.m. cutting branches so the trucks would fit.

Lesson Learned: When you ask dimensions, make sure you get ALL of the dimensions. For that matter, be sure you have the details for all aspects of the event.

You can never have too many details.

“We thought we had all of the information we needed. Clearly we didn’t,” Todd says. When dealing with a new situation, she advises checking with others in the industry who have experience and can point out possible issues that may be overlooked.

“Things happen, and you have to adjust,” Todd says. “The more information you have on the front end, the easier it is to make those adjustments.”

— Dan Ping

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Business: Before opening a private animal reserve east of Naples, Donovan Smith organized safari-themed events at hotels for corporate gatherings across Florida.

Event from hell: Smith transformed a hotel ballroom in Daytona Beach into a jungle theme for a meeting of 300 insurance executives, complete with a few wild animals inside special enclosures. But without warning Smith in advance, the insurance company’s CEO announced to the gathering that he had hidden $25,000 worth of gold coins throughout the ballroom.

“People went crazy,” Smith recalls. “I didn’t realize he did it until I saw a guy holding a plant out of a planter.” Thinking he’d had too much to drink, Smith told the tipsy treasure seeker: “Dude, you better go back to your room.” Insurance executives tore apart the ballroom looking for the gold coins, ripping curtains and upending tables. “It was like free candy at a parade, on the edge of a riot,” says Smith, who hurriedly moved his animals out of the ballroom, including a panther and a leopard.

Lesson Learned: Know exactly what the script of the event will be, especially if it involves wild animals and a large gathering of people who have been drinking. “It was totally not good planning,” says Smith.

— Jean Gruss

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Joe Yazbeck, a Largo-based public speaker who trains executives on their public speaking skills, says homework is key to a great speech — no matter the subject or place.

“The biggest pitfall is not being prepared,” Yazbeck says. Here are Yazbeck’s three tips for acing preparation: • Why am I here: There’s a big difference between a roast for a colleague and a conference on the finer points of the federal estate tax. Yazbeck sometimes tells clients to write down the purpose of a speech on top of every page, so it’s always there.

• Who is in the audience: Get to know the makeup of the audience early in the preparation process, says Yazbeck, because that can help set direction and tone.

That means an assessment of the politics, religion and other aspects of the audience, if possible. This helps avoid gaffes during the speech.

• What’s your product: The ultimate purpose of a speech, says Yazbeck, is key to preparation. For example, you could promote your company or sell something.

You could also deliver a call-to-action speech to solicit volunteers or donors for a cause.

JULY 2011

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A keynote speaker could be the difference between a hit event and a bust. Joe Yazbeck offers some ways to ensure a hit.

By Mark Gordon Deputy Managing Editor

A

fter 3,600 speeches, presentations and public salutations, it’s not a surprise that Joe Yazbeck has lots of advice for executives who are about to greet a podium.

The clearest counsel: Don’t think.

It might seem counterintuitive, but thinking could quickly lead to overthinking, which in turn can paralyze a speaker. “Thinking,” says Yazbeck, “is a destructive influence on speaking before a group.”

The founder and president of Largobased Prestige Leader Development, Yazbeck has built a three-decade career off public speaking and coaching others how to do it better. His clients have ranged from candidates for public office to business executives to a Broadway composer.

“Anybody can learn this,” says Yazbeck. “This is a talent that can be developed.”

While Yazbeck eschews thinking in the actual speech presentation, he wholly endorses it when in preparation mode. Indeed, before a speech, Yazbeck says the key is to prepare for everything and anything that could happen.

Yazbeck offers many other tips, from storytelling and spacing to tone of voice fluctuations and time spent on stage. Another tip: An oft-repeated suggestion to pretend all the people in the audience are naked in order to calm nerves is really a waste of time, says Yazbeck.

Instead, Yazbeck says to look around for details, from the color of some-

one’s sweater in the front row to the style of sunglasses on someone’s forehead in the last row. “Open your eyes and look at everything,” says Yazbeck.

“If you can perceive, you can present.”

A tip often repeated in public speaking that does hold true, says Yazbeck, is the one that says a public speaker should be a storyteller on stage. Don’t merely read words on a page.

“You don’t want to be monotonous,” says Yazbeck. “Speakers need to be conversational. Make it like you are sitting on your grandpa’s lap.”

Speaker’s beat

Yazbeck comes to public speaking from a career in theater and music.

He also runs Heartbeat Productions, a music recording firm with a focus on vocal coaching and artist production and marketing.

Despite his career, Joe Yazbeck says he was a shy kid when he grew up in the blue-collar town of WilkesBarre, Pa., about two hours north of Philadelphia. He came out of his shell when he was six years old at a family funeral. Some relatives knew he could sing well, and they asked him to perform Little Darlin’ by The Diamonds.

Yazbeck jumped on a table and belt-

Meeting Planners Guide

9

ed out the doo-wop hit.

“The whole group started feeling better,” says Yazbeck. “I thought, wow, I could make people happy just by doing this.”

The son of a World War II veteran, Yazbeck later trained for theater and public speaking in England. His sessions included being heckled on purpose, so he could improve his concentration skills. He even dodged a few apples. Says Yazbeck: “I was trained to not be disturbed by anything in front of me.”

Even Yazbeck, though, has had some regrettable moments on stage.

He recalls one time, in the early 1990s, he spoke before a large group of doctors and medical professionals at a conference. Yazbeck brought some of his personal beliefs about the flaws in medical insurance coverage to his speech, and he could see many in the audience weren’t amused.

The double lesson: One, know your audience. And two, honesty and sincerity in public speaking are admirable aspirations, but overdoing it can backfire. “I came off as too much against the grain,” says Yazbeck. “I was a little too extreme in my examples.”

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Key to the GOP Convention Events

Mark Wemple

Adam Goodman, president of Tampa-based The Victory Group, and Chief Operating Officer Renee Dabbs, partnered with Washinton D.C.-based GOP Convention Strategies to coordinate local planning and logistics for events tied to the 2012 GOP Convention.

Tampa’s The Victory Group partners with a Washington, D.C. firm to plan and organize events for the 2012 Republican National Convention.

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or companies who want more than just a presence at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, they’ll need venues, hotel rooms, transportation, security, media production, communications, staffing needs and more.

GOP Convention Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, knows this, and is looking to capitalize by creating a one-stop shop to fulfill companies’ needs for the convention.

Though the company organized in 2008 for the Minneapolis-St. Paul convention, members of the GOPCS team have convention event planning experience dating back to 1980.

But it was the 2008 experience, when GOPCS co-founder Darrell Henry partnered with Minnesotan Scott Cottington to bring local knowledge to national convention planning, that encouraged the company to do it again for 2012.

The convention runs from Aug. 2730, 2012 at the St. Pete Times Forum,

where delegates will gather, but many events will also happen at the nearby Tampa Convention Center and other venues throughout the region.

“A lot of our clients come out of D.C.,” notes Cottington. “Minnesota’s a little more off the beaten path. We guessed there would be people who would want to know what’s going on locally.

It turned out we were right,” he says.

That’s why the company has partnered with The Victory Group, a south Tampa firm known best in state political circles as multi-media savvy campaign strategists for Republican candidates.

But to run all those campaigns simultaneously requires strong time management and logistical skills to get all those candidates in the right places at the right times and on message.

Those talents are key to VGI’s role as the middleman between big-name clients and local meeting planners.

Headed by its president, Adam Goodman, VGI’s list of winning clients

JULY 2011

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Meeting Planners Guide

11

‘This is really a Florida convention, we really want Florida firms to play a major role in this.’

Renee Dabbs, COO of The Victory Group, Inc., Tampa Cottington and Dabbs plan to tap into that market by providing event planning and logistics at roughly 35 venues throughout the region — everything from rooftops to beaches.

“We’re in the planning phase of helping companies figure out what it means to them,” Dabbs says.

Dabbs and Goodman say the convention’s not just going to benefit Tampa Bay companies. “This is really a Florida convention,” says Dabbs. “We really want Florida firms to play a major role in this.” And that includes Florida meeting planners. “It’s not hard to find extremely strong event planners,” says Dabbs, who refers to the industry as “a core competency” in the state.

Asked what makes a good event planner, Dabbs rattles off her list: the ability to listen to clients, work through bureaucracy, optimize client resources, and understand business, all while showing a creative twist.

Meeting planners can expect plenty of work. In 2008, Cottington recalls, GOPCS helped clients with 24 separate events, and next year he thinks it will handle two or three times that number.

He says they’re in contact with their 2008 clients, including Amgen, Oracle, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and others, and Cottington thinks half his clients this time will be new.

“I think the Tampa convention will be a lot larger than the Minnesota convention was,” Cottington predicts.

Asked what advice he might offer, Cottington replies with his own question: “Other than to call us?,” he jokes.

“If you’re doing a small event, you can pretty much do it yourself. The more moving parts you have the trickier it gets. There are events you should do professionally; there’s a point at which you should farm it out.”

A national political convention brings additional concerns, such as security. “Our clients don’t want to spend all convention week worrying about their event,” says Cottington. “They want to enjoy the event.”

Dabbs agrees. “We want to have fun like everyone else.” And she also understands what it means economically and politically to the region. “Here’s the bottom line,” she says, “ … having a Tampa firm is imperative to success in this arena. We’re definitely excited about this. We get to showcase our hometown.”

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includes former Gov. Jeb Bush, State Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park.

Goodman, a Gulf Coast Business Review Power 50 member, says VGI will now also handle event planning logistics for mostly corporate and association clients looking to mingle with politicians and delegates while all eyes are trained on Tampa.

“This is the Super Bowl of politics at a time when politics matters greatly to the nation,” Goodman says. “It’s critical that Florida measure up.”

Goodman may be a household name among Florida’s political elite, but the name Renee Dabbs may become one to know for meeting planners who want their convention-related event to go right.

Consider Dabbs (pronounced Dobbs) the wizard behind the curtain operating “a six-dimensional war room.” A Procter & Gamble alumnae, she served as associate director of business development running a $220 million enterprise for the consumer products behemoth. Dabbs describes her background as “managing complex business situations.”

Now, as chief operating officer of VGI she’s in charge of knowing what venues are available when, for how much, how to get your people from place to place, and what other firms to partner with to ensure it all goes smoothly. “I know how to bring the best people together and identify talent and anyone who wants to come work with us,” she says. “I am not a meeting planner; we’ll hire meeting planners.”

Says Cottington: “I’ve worked with them over the years in a lot of political campaigns. I also know they’re relentless about logistics.” He adds, “Amateurs talk strategy and experts talk logistics. They’re very strong on logistics.”

To put it all together Dabbs relies on technology, including Constant Contact to stay in touch with customers, and Google Docs to share files across team members so everyone has the latest information.

The numbers explain why systems expertise becomes critical. According to Cottington, among the 35,000 to 40,000 off-season visitors expected by the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee to swarm the region, are 5,000 delegates and alternates, 15,000 general attendees, and up to 15,000 media.

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Meeting Planners Guide

JULY 2011

Gulf Coast Business Review

‘It was a really busy season.’

Donovan Smith, Ngala Private Reserve Nancy DeNikie

Tammy and Donovan Smith opened Ngala, a wild-animal reserve, in 2000. Donovan Smith says business is starting to come back to prerecession levels.

Donovan and Tammy Smith host corporate events at their private wildanimal reserve in eastern Collier County.

Business has picked up as corporations resume travel and entertainment.

D

Barbara works with organizations that want to improve morale, retention, and customer service. She is the author of 11 bestselling business books and has spoken on all 7 continents.

Her personal motto is

“Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™.”

Barbara’s clients include Southwest Airlines, Nordstrom, KFC, Publix, General Mills, AT&T, Honda, Hilton, Gap... and hundreds more.

• Voted “best keynote presenter you have heard or used” by Meetings & Conventions Magazine, July 2010 • Selected as a “Legend of the Speaking Profession” by the Veteran Speakers , August 2010

Barbara Glanz Communications, Inc. 6140 Midnight Pass Rd. #802 • Sarasota, FL 34242

www.BARBARAGLANZ.com

60321

Phone: 941-312-9169 • Fax: 941-349-8209 Email: bglanz@barbaraglanz.com

onovan Smith runs a wild-animal reserve on 42 acres east of Naples, but you’d probably never know it’s there unless your corporation paid for you to visit.

Guests are whisked from their Naples hotels in chauffeured limousines and buses and driven to the reserve, where African dancers and exotic animals entertain them under colonial-style tents.

Called Ngala, an African word for lion, the reserve isn’t open to the public, there’s no public parking, no signs pointing to its location and no directions on its website.

Most of its business is hosting corporate events for top executives in privacy.

Smith says business has finally recovered from the “AIG effect,” when politicians devastated the corporate-meetings market by publicly humiliating companies that hosted such events for clients and employees.

Now that a recovery is under way, companies are looking for unique venues such as Ngala to reward top employees and entertain clients. “They need to be motivated now more than ever,” Smith says.

This year, Ngala hosted several groups of as many as 800 to 1,000 people. “It was the year of the big group,” says Smith. “It was a really busy season, and it was a bit of a surprise because we’ve been talking to some of these groups for two years.”

In some cases, corporate groups booked at the last minute, taking advantage of hotel rooms that were less pricey than in previous years. “They’ve got availability they couldn’t get before,” Smith says.

Of course, Smith says many companies remain frugal. “Companies are still cutting back,” he says. Instead of three or four events a year, corporations may now host only a single meeting.

In response, Smith says he’s offering new programs, including eco-tours on camels.

“We got permission to ride on a couple thousand acres,” he says.

Smith says he’s eager to find new ways to entertain guests because he has to care for more than 45 different exotic animals, including a rhinoceros, a giraffe, zebras and the African crested porcupine that 12-year-old son Cody Smith looks after.

“I’ve got a product that’ll eat me if I don’t feed it, so it keeps me motivated,” Smith chuckles.

“The recession has been interesting for new-animal acquisition,” Smith adds. “We got a 450-pound tortoise that was a casualty of foreclosure.”

Smith is certainly resourceful. The Naples native started his company at age 17 with just $200 and a Florida panther he kept in his parents’ backyard. Smith started taking the panther to corporate events and grew the business by using the animal for photo shoots, product launches and movies.

He and his wife, Tammy, opened Ngala in 2000 after getting the idea from an African safari. Since then, the couple has hosted hundreds of corporate chiefs and events, pulling through cataclysmic travel-related events, including the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the recent recession.

—Jean Gruss

THE DETAILS Venue: Ngala Private Reserve Address: East Naples (by appointment only) Phone: 239-353-3572 Website: www.ngala.net Rooms: Three colonial-style tents Square footage: 1,600 to 19,725 Capacity: 50 to 1,000 What makes it unique: Ngala is a private reserve with wild animals that isn’t open to the public. Guests must be shuttled to the reserve, where African dancers will greet them under colonial-style tents.

JULY 2011

unique

Venues

It’s always hard to plan an event that will wow.

Here are some Florida venues designed to do just that.

Whether it’s dining with wild animals or chilling at an ice bar, there’s something for everyone.

www.review.net

S A R A S OTA M A N AT E E

Meeting Planners Guide

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Venue: South Florida Museum

Venue: DaySpring Conference Center Address: 8411 25th St. E., Parrish, 34219 Phone: 1-888-314-5744 or 941-776-1018 Website: www.dayspringfla.org Location: In east Manatee County, about three miles east of exit 224 off Interstate 75.

Rooms: Facility has 18 buildings spread through 92 acres. There are seven meeting rooms of various sizes.

Capacity: Meeting rooms can hold up to 350 people.

What makes it unique: Combines indoor and outdoor activities, including tennis and volleyball courts; a full-scale ropes course for team building; and canoeing and kayaking on the Manatee River.

Address: 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34205 Phone: (941) 746-4131 Website: www.southfloridamuseum.org Location: Downtown Bradenton Rooms: Events can be held in one of four rooms: the outdoor Spanish Plaza; an executive boardroom; the Bishop Planetarium theater; and the Bishop Planetarium lobby.

Capacity: The plaza can hold up to 225 people; the boardroom holds up to 55; the theater holds 125; and the lobby accommodates 70 for a seated event and 125 for a cocktail reception.

What makes it unique: The museum has a planetarium and an aquarium. A company can display visuals and other materials in the planetarium’s all-digital dome theater. And the executive boardroom has a private underwater view of the manatees in the aquarium.

See Unique on page 14

U.S. Tent Rental, Inc. is a for all your

corporate event, tent & party rental needs.

Whether it’s a small intimate dinner party, an elegant gala or a corporate company party for 5,000, our staff will be with you every step of the way, ensuring a beautiful and successful event. Beginning with our experienced and patient sales staff, to our courteous and thorough set-up crews, we take care of even the smallest details so you don’t have to.

At U.S. Tent Rental, Inc. the quality of our equipment is exceeded only by the quality of our service.

• Trade Show/Expo • Tents • Staging/Dance Floors • Table/Chairs • Chill Lounge Furniture

• China/Glassware/ Flatware • Linens/Skirting • CAD Design/Event Layout

Covering Florida since 1976

• Lighting/Décor • Catering Equipment

U.S. Tent Rental, Inc. 2006 72nd Drive East • Sarasota, FL 34243

Call 941.727.3311 ustentrental.com • exporental.com 60458

2008 Small Business of the Year Award Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

linensbythesea.com

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Meeting Planners Guide

unique

Venues

JULY 2011

Gulf Coast Business Review

Capacity: The ship can hold up to 700.

What makes it unique: The American Victory Ship is one of four fully operational WWII ships in the country. Located adjacent to the Florida Aquarium and the Tampa Bay Convention Center, the ship offers all the amenities you need for a meeting along with an opportunity for an exciting and unique event that clients will remember.

from page 13

Venue: Stardust Skate Center Address: 2571 12th St., Sarasota, FL 34237 Phone: 941-365-6888 Website: www.stardusteventcenter.com Location: Just off Fruitville Road, across the street from Ed Smith Stadium.

Rooms: One room, which totals 24,000 square feet. The center also features a 14,400 square foot dance/event floor.

Capacity: Facility holds up to 1,260 people. Most events have at least 250 or 300 people.

What makes it unique: Center has surround sound and a lighting system that includes, neon, laser, black light and spot lighting. There’s also mirrored disco ball lighting and strobe lights.

Venue: Powel Crosley Estate Address: One Seagate Drive, Sarasota, FL 34243 Phone: 941-722-3244 Website: www.crosleyestate.com Location: In Manatee County, just north of Sarasota County and west of University Parkway.

Gulfcoast

event &

of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc.

FLEXIBLE,

ACCOMMODATING & IN YOUR BUDGET!

Rooms: The estate has 10 rooms, with a few additional small rooms if necessary.

Capacity: Some rooms are fit for up to 15 people, set up like a boardroom.

Other rooms hold 50 people. The theater can hold up to 90 people.

What makes it unique: The estate is named for Powel Crosley Jr., a prominent 1930s inventor who built a winter home on the site in 1929. The estate is next to the John Ringling estate.

TA MPA B AY Venue: American Victory Ship Mariners Memorial Museum Address: 705 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813-228-8766 Website: www.americanvictory.org Rooms: Various areas of the ship depending on number of guests.

Venue: University of South Florida Botanical Gardens Address: 4202 E. Fowler Ave., NES107, Tampa, FL 33620 Phone: 813-974-2329 Website: www.cas.usf.edu/garden Rooms: The gardens feature several spaces, ranging from the Secret Garden for intimate groups to Lake Behnke for larger groups.

Capacity: Up to 500 What makes it unique: Located centrally in the Tampa Bay area, the gardens have seven acres of landscapes and lush vegetation that will surprise visitors and natives alike. Maintained by the university, the venue includes educational opportunities. Note that a special approval for alcohol is needed from the university.

 Features auditorium with large stage  Audio/visual equipment  Available for business meetings and conferences

Address: One Steinbrenner Drive, Tampa, FL 33614 Phone: 813-875-7753 Website: www.steinbrennerfield.com Spaces: Four areas based on number of people. Spaces include Pavillion, Power Alley, Dugout Club and Deck Capacity: The spaces can accommodate gatherings of 75 to 500 people.

What makes it unique: Home to the New York Yankees spring training, the field has identical dimensions to Yankee Stadium.

LEE-COLLIER Venue: Edison & Ford Winter Estates Address: 2350 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33901 Phone: 239-334-7419 Website: www.edisonfordwinterestates.org How many rooms: 3 Capacity: 600 What makes it unique: Set on 20 acres along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, the winter retreats of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford have been restored to their former grandeur.

The historic homes and buildings have been restored and include modern amenities necessary for business meetings. The carefully manicured botanic gardens are inspirational.

Venue: The Gasparilla Inn & Club

941-921-5358 www.gsgcf.org

Venue: Tampa Museum of Art

60447

4740 Cattlemen Road  Sarasota, Florida 34233 Conveniently located off I-75

Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field

Address: 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813-421-8379 Website: www.tampamuseum.org Rooms: Atrium lobby, terrace, lecture halls and exterior sculpture garden Capacity: The museum can accommodate lobby receptions of up to 400 people, seated dining of 200-250 people, and meeting rooms hold medium-size gatherings of up to 125 people.

What makes it unique: The new museum opened in February 2010, and has uniquely aesthetic settings for events.

Located in downtown Tampa, the museum features a central location to hotels and activities while accommodating the most modern meeting needs.

Address: 500 Palm Ave., Boca Grande, FL 33921 Phone: 941-964-4522 Website: www.gasparillainn.com Rooms: 5 Square footage: More than 6,000 Capacity: Up to 300 people What makes it unique: Located on chic Boca Grande, the Farish family recently restored the inn that once hosted business tycoons J.P. Morgan, Henry DuPont and Harvey Firestone. The inn has modern amenities without losing its Old Florida flavor. Its seaside golf course designed by Pete Dye offers a break from meetings.

Venue: Miromar Design Center Address: 10800 Corkscrew Road, Estero, FL 33928 Phone: 239-390-5111 Website: www.miromardesigncenter.com How many rooms: 4 Square footage: 835 to 7,200 Capacity: 50 to 1,500 What makes it unique: Miromar Design

JULY 2011

www.review.net

Capacity: Up to 450 people What makes it unique: The Naples Zoo is located in the heart of Naples and is easily accessible. It has a large animal collection, from lions to bears and monkeys. Corporate meeting spaces include a covered pavilion with room for 120 people, an amphitheater that can host 400 guests and a grove of giant fig trees that can seat 450 people under a giant tent.

Venue: Casa Feliz Address: 656 Park Ave. N., Winter Park, FL 32790 Phone: 407-628-0230 Website: www.casafeliz.us How many rooms: 2 – The Main House and the Garden Room Square footage: 5,545 Capacity: 120 in the Main House, 35 in the Garden Room What makes it unique: If you’re looking for a cozy spot to host a meeting, Casa Feliz, or “Happy House” in Spanish, is the idea spot. The house was built in 1932 and designed by architect James Gable Rogers II, who also designed the Florida Supreme Court Building. The building has been completely refurbished and overlooks a golf course.

ORLANDO Venue: IceBar Orlando Address: 8967 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 Phone: 407-426-7555 Center caters to interior-design profesWebsite: www.icebarorlando.com sionals and the public interested in upscale home furnishings. The three-story Location: In the heart of the convention district, less than one mile from the building includes showrooms for leading Orange County Convention Center designers and its public areas are large How many rooms: 2 – Fire Lounge enough to accommodate big gatherings.

(4,000 sf) and IceBar (1,215 sf) Square footage: 5,215 Venue: Naples Zoo Capacity: 875 at Caribbean Gardens What makes it unique: No need for an Address: 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road, “ice breaker” at IceBar Orlando. The Naples, FL 34102 50 tons of carved ice and the frosty Phone: 239-262-5409, ext. 127 27-degree temperate are enough of a Website: www.napleszoo.com conversation starter. It’s the largest permanent ice bar in the world. If it’s too How many rooms: The zoo has three Business_Review_Mtg_Planners_Guide_7_22_11 main venues for large corporate meetings. chill, check out the Fire Lounge.

Venue: Wayne M. Densch Discovery Center at the Central Florida Zoo Address: 3755 U.S. Hwy 17-92, Sanford, Fla., 32771 Phone: 407.323.4450 ext. 136 Website: www.centralfloridazoo.org Where is it located: Sanford, on the banks of the St. John’s River

Meeting Planners Guide

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How many rooms: 2 – The Main House and the Garden Room Capacity: 466 (250 for banquet seating) What makes it unique: You can put a little wild in your meeting by booking your event at the Central Florida Zoo. If the traditional meeting space of the Discovery Center is too tame, you can arrange to have zoo staff display some of the animals during your event. Want a great team building opportunity? The zoo also features ZOOm Air Adventure Park, an aerial adventure course.

Venue: Fantasy of Flight Address: 1400 Broadway Blvd. S.E., Polk City, Fla., 33868 Phone: 863-984-3500 Website: www.fantasyofflight.com Where is it located: Polk City, about half way between Tampa and Orlando How many rooms: 5 Square footage: 100,000 (including ramp space) Capacity: 5,000 What makes it unique: Historic aircraft and interactive flight exhibits will guarantee your event is a hit. With five unique spaces — including a 1930s-style art deco restaurant — there is something for every type of event.

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK! It’s time to take another look at TradeWinds Island Grand and our totally renovated guest rooms and meeting space.

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• The largest meeting facility on Florida’s west coast • Over 70,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting and function space • 585 guest rooms and suites, renovated in 2011 • Outstanding value and award-winning service • Conveniently located on the white sandy beach just 30 minutes from Tampa and St. Pete/Clearwater airports

58721

TRADEWINDSMEETINGS.COM | SALES@TWRESORT.COM | 800.345.6461

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Meeting Planners Guide

JULY 2011

Gulf Coast Business Review

Offering some of the most

unique Conference, Banquet & Meeting settings...

on Florida’s Gulf Coast; for groups from 20 - 400 Royce Room – When combined with the Rolls Room this becomes the Rolls Royce Ballroom seating up to 400 theater style or 325 dining at round tables. Separately Royce accommodates up to 320 in classroom or theatre style and 250 for dinner. This room opens onto a stunning, covered decked area, surrounding the amazing ‘Osprey Beach’ pool complex.

Rolls Room – Holding up to 80 people, this room is perfect for a smaller group meeting or

training seminar. 60 guests can be comfortably seated for dinner, using 8 person round tables.

JaguaR lounge – A room with its own private entrance and bar facility, allowing you to be totally secluded, if you so wish. Holding up to 50 people, this room can be transformed with clever use of lighting to give a stimulating setting. aston & maRtin meeting Rooms – Can be used individually or combined. Each can hold up to 30 in theatre style, 24 classroom style or 18 around a boardroom table. ‘ospRey Beach’ gazeBo & caBana complex – This outdoor area is the perfect location for an incredible team building experience, accommodating many hundreds of guests surrounding the pool area, dining in the main Gazebo and individual Cabanas throughout the Loggia and general decked area.

1660 South Tamiami Trail Osprey, FL 34229 call us at

941.966.2121

www.BentleysResort.com

• 140 bedroom 4 Star Resort Hotel • Business Center & Gymnasium • Morgan’s ‘Elegant Dining’ Restaurant • Seattle’s Best Coffee Lounge • 80’ Tiki Bar & Grille • Jaguar Lounge Nightclub

60320

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