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Michael Phelps
Type: Keynote It has been a while since my last post. I have been on the road constantly the last month or so going from one event to the next. Lots of reviews and posts will follow. I am excited about today’s post because it is a review of an exciting and very new person […]
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My Preference vs. Venue Preference
Search Google for in-house AV versus outside production company and you get a long list of articles and blog posts complaining about venues requiring the use of their preferred in-house AV company. Our opinion is a little different from many of those writing these articles and posts because we don’t own AV equipment. As event […]
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Guy Kawasaki
Type: Keynote, Former Chief Evangelist at Apple Pros: Guy Kawasaki is said to be one of the only people in the world to have worked for Steve Jobs twice and survived. Stories and anecdotes about the early days of Apple like this are mixed in throughout Guy’s presentation. These stories alone may make him a […]
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Bandaloop
Type: Opening Act – Vertical Dance Overview: After a performance by Bandaloop, the audience had only amazing things to say. If you are looking for reactions like “breath-taking” and “amazing” after a performance, then Bandaloop is an act worth considering. Performers from Bandaloop (a vertical dance company) dance on the sides of buildings or suspended […]
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Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort
Amelia Island, FL Overview: For an Amelia Island property, there is quite a bit of ballroom and meeting space available at this hotel. Ballrooms: There are three ballrooms ranging from the largest, the Magnolia, to the Cumberland, which is the smallest, and a mid-size ballroom called the Amelia Ballroom. A second ballroom is located in an adjacent […]
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Meritage Resort & Spa
Napa, CA Overview: There are not a lot of properties in Napa that can host a corporate event. The Meritage in Napa is one that works well for small or medium sized events. One of the things I liked best about this property was that it felt like the event “owned” the property. I think because it isn’t […]
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Terranea Resort
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (near Los Angeles) Overview: When I need a high-end resort to hold an event, this is the first place that comes to mind. Located about 40 miles from LAX (closer to Long Beach airport) this is truly a gorgeous property. Ballrooms: The property has a couple of large ballrooms and multiple breakout rooms. Rigging in […]
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David Marquet
Type: Keynote, expert on leadership and organizational design David is an energetic speaker whose claim to fame is his success as a Navy Captain. During his time in the Navy, he took over the lowest ranked submarine, and through superb leadership skills, turned it into the highest performing sub in the US Navy. Pros: Very […]
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Hotel del Coronado
San Diego, CA Overview: This is a historic hotel right by the water in San Diego. The rooms in the main hotel are the best rooms—the rooms in the adjacent buildings are a little dated. There are a couple of nice restaurants and shops right on the property and you are within walking distance to a number of […]
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Under the Streetlamp
Type: Evening Entertainment Pros: Under the Streetlamp is kind of like booking the musical performances from “Jersey Boys”. Four singers backed by a good band perform the classic American radio hits from the 1950s and 1960s. From the moment they take the stage, the performers remind you of the classic music style of 1950’s American […]
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How to be Creative with a Small Ballroom
Smaller ballrooms, especially ones in boutique hotels, always present challenges when we are designing creative staging plans. Low ceiling heights, minimal rigging or small room sizes are common in these properties. We are always looking to find creative uses for existing technology to combat these challenges. Recently we found that LED wall technology has been a huge […]
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Disneyland Grand Californian
Anaheim, CA Overview: Located in the heart of Downtown Disney the Grand hotel is the upscale cousin to the original Disneyland Hotel. Ballrooms: The Sequoia ballroom is very nice and is located in an enclosed conference section, which also includes many of the breakout rooms. The enclosed space includes a couple of registration desks as well as a […]
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Catchbox Review Is In
Overview: We have had the opportunity to use the Catchbox on a couple of shows. Here’s our review! Technically: The Catchbox works exactly as advertised. The sound quality was very good and the foam cube protected the microphone well. Audience Reaction: If you are looking for a fun way to engage Q&A this is a good product but […]
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Disneyland
Anaheim, CA Overview: Who doesn’t love Disney? We have produced multiple meetings at the Disneyland hotel in all of the ballrooms. The event staff is responsive, the ballrooms are a good size and the attendees always seem to respond well to the property. Ballrooms: The Magic Kingdom and Disneyland ballrooms (as well as the Disneyland Exhibit Hall) all […]
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Brian Regan
Type: Entertainment, Comedian Pros: He is very funny. His style is similar to Jim Gaffigan’s and he had the audience laughing the entire time. His performance is very much like a typical standup performance so it works well for a large audience. Brian is known for being one of the “clean” comedians, so the typical concerns about […]
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The Three Painters
Type: Opening act, speed painting Pros: The audience enters to a blank, dark canvas and within a couple of minutes three painters create a masterpiece. The painting starts with a series of brush strokes and over time grows to be a full caricature portrait of a famous person. As an option, one of the painters […]
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Improve your Site Surveys
Conducting a Standard Site Survey When an event planner conducts a site inspection and evaluates a property, they often try to look at the property through the eyes of an event attendee. What does the lobby look like and is it clean? Is the front-of-house staff friendly and attentive? What does a typical guest room look like? […]
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Hilton Anatole
Dallas, TX Overview: I have heard that this is one of the busiest conference hotels in the Hilton chain, and after working here I believe it. This is a very large property so it has some quirks that can definitely influence the success of an event, but that size also makes it a great hotel for […]
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Mark King
Type: Keynote Pros: Mark is not someone who we see very often at events. There always seem to be a couple of “hot” speakers every year who either present at the meetings we produce or are on the short list to be a presenter. Our client identified Mark as a presenter with a good message who they […]
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Importance of Technical Site Surveys
There are too many occasions when we (as the production company) have to convince clients to allow us to conduct a technical site visit. I had a fascinating exchange with a conference service manager (CSM) on a recent site visit that helped prove why these site surveys are so important. We were hired to manage […]
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Managing the Rock Band Sound
Whenever clients hire rock bands for corporate shows, we always add a drum shield onto the equipment list. These are almost never on riders and many bands hate them, but when the lead singer, production manager and most importantly the client hears how loud the percussion sounds in a corporate ballroom, the hate quickly goes away. […]
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Tri-Marq Sponsors Lanyon Live 2015
Lanyon Live featured informative, inspirational speeches from some of the meeting planning industry’s leading minds and most compelling personalities. The latest trends in the meetings, events, travel, and hotel industries were discussed while picking up best practices that inspired everyone. The event was held at the Fairmont Dallas, Dallas TX. Tri-Marq Communications, Inc. was honored […]
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The “Five Minute Drill” with Old Rock Bands
We have had the interesting experience with a couple of rock rands from the 60’s and 70’s who still think it is “cool” to make the audience wait in anticipation for their grand entrance on stage. At a recent corporate event, the stage manager for a “rock band” listened to the rehearsed band introduction by […]
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Headshots for Everyone
One of the services that we offer at events is show photography. Many events feature a photographer to capture the key highlights and events, but one of our event photographers also happens to shoot unbelievable portrait shots and is often hired to shoot headshots for artists and performers. Bonus Feature As a fun, added feature […]
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Mike Eruzione
Type: Keynote, Captain of 1980 Olympic Hockey team Pros: I have worked with Mike Eruzione a number of times as a keynote or featured speaker. On every occasion, you can feel the excitement and energy coming from the audience when he talks about the 1980 Olympic Hockey team. Mike always connects the presentation to the theme […]
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Ron Blackmore: Someone you Should Know
Ron Blackmore is a talent agent/broker and runs a company called NextLevel, which contracts talent for private events. I have worked with Ron for over 10 years and always feel that he puts the clients’ interest first every time. One of the things I most appreciate about Ron is his ability to present a group of […]
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When the Band Van Breaks Down
The Saturday afternoon before a large corporate show that we were producing, I looked down to see my cell phone ringing—not always a good thing this close to a show. The call was from the production manager for the band scheduled to be the Tuesday night entertainment. Three previous calls had planned this part of the show […]
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But No Brown M&Ms
Rock bands have long been famous with their specific and lengthy backstage requirements. These demands are found in a rider attached to their contract and can detail anything from a band’s snacking needs to lighting and sound equipment requirements. This list of requirements can be short or can go on for pages—in perhaps the most […]
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Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel
Rosemont, IL Overview: This is a very nice property that has been recently totally remodeled. Its management is very event friendly and understands what it takes to put on a good show. There are four medium sized ballrooms and plenty of breakout rooms. Ballroom: Ballrooms and breakout rooms are divided into two sections on either side […]
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Steve Forbes
Type: Keynote Pros: When it comes to the topics of business and economics, the name Steve Forbes carries a ton of name recognition. His presentation was focused on the economy but he did mix in a few interesting stories about politics. He did a question and answer session and answered every question very directly. One note, the […]
Category: Event Production
Read up on all things event production: from set design to working with celebrities to venue review, we’re sharing all our tips and tricks of the trade.