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Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa
Type: Venue Review Overview: For a mid size event this is a great property. The largest ballroom is only 14,000 square feet. Ballrooms: The main ballroom is the Calusa and is a nice ballroom which has been remodeled since the last time I was there. There is a very nice foyer directly in front of […]
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Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood
Type: Venue Review Location: Hollywood, FL Overview: This is a very busy hotel with lots of meeting space and a great location. There are lots of ballrooms with different levels of features and challenges. The hotel is also split into two areas, the convention center with all of the large ballrooms and the main hotel […]
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Doobie Brothers
Type: Speaker Review Overview: Great band that really connects with the audience. They play all of their hits and told quite a few interesting stories. Producer’s Notes: Sound check was very straightforward and the audience loved the show.
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Rick Perry
Type: Speaker Review Overview: Rick Perry was a very entertaining speaker. He had lots of energy on stage. His presentation centered around his experience as a governor and he touched on current politics. The audience was mostly company executives, so part of his speech covered his views on the current business climate and his experience […]
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Walt Coleman
Type: Speaker Review Overview: If your audience likes stories about the NFL, then Walt Coleman is a great choice for a presenter. The message of his presentation was centered on turning boos into cheers. Drawing on stories from his experience being booed on the football field, Walt presents a positive message about how to turn […]
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Polly LaBarre
Type: Speaker Review Overview: Polly LaBarre is a founding member of Fast Company magazine and author of the book Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win. Her presentation is primarily about leadership. She includes many stories about successful CEO’s and large companies. Her message seemed to resonate with the audience. Her […]
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Erik Qualman
Type: Keynote Speaker Overview: Eric Qualman speaks about digital leadership and innovation. We have worked with Erik many times over the years. The client has always been happy with the message and the audiences’ have been engaged and entertained. The audience size has ranged from 150 to 900. Pros: His presentation is a combination of […]
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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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Be a Creative Morning Person
In a creative industry, I think we are always keeping our eye out for inspiration. We’re looking for a moment that sparks an idea or fires us up about a project. Recently I’ve noticed that these moments come from collaborating and surrounding myself with other creatives—those people that have the same but completely opposite brain […]
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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 […]