Take Me Out To The Ball Game... For A Meeting?

I like to think out of the box for meetings – and by box, I mean a normal meeting space. I am a true product of my surroundings, and the more creative the space I am in, the more excited I get about the topic! Here’s the newest location I have seen for a meeting: The Fifth Third Ballpark. Fans flock there for a great baseball game or festival, but did you know that they have a great space for holding meetings? Break out sessions can be in the suites and Expo tables and/or large group sessions in the Pepsi Stadium Club (they all look out over the field). Have a key note speaker? How about a podium on home plate! Just don’t forget to let your attendees get that 7th inning (or session) stretch!

Nature vs. Nurture

I’m a girl whose garden consists of a large pot with some pansies on my balcony. When I visit anything with natural features, I’m in love! This week, I had a meeting at the Prince Conference Center, located on the Calvin College campus in GR.

Set in the midst of a nature trail system with beautiful flowers and trees, it certainly beats the idea of meeting in room with four walls and some tables! Large windows look out to great views wake you up from the caffeine comatose that you can find yourself in after a long day of meetings (or is that just me?). Guests receive the nurture of great catering and the comforting design – including two fireplaces!

Did I mention that there are 69 hotel rooms attached to this space? Who needs a big garden when I can just visit the Prince Conference Center? Now that’s low maintenance!

So Much For That New Car Smell...

On a sunny day here in GR, I am reminded of my first real “services” experience at the CVB. Last summer we had a large convention that provides youth activities for younger attendees. Tim Nelson, our Services Manager, noticed some changes in their program when they arrived and thought others in the community may have been in the dark on the new plans.

We discovered that the John Ball Park Zoo was not aware that 200 kids were coming to their facility - all with plans for buying lunch at their concession stands and meeting in a pavilion that was already reserved for another group! In about two days, with the help of the Zoo staff, a new pavilion was reserved and tickets were purchased and distributed ahead of time for a fast admission.

We had 400 hotdogs, two hundred bags of chips, and four giant lemonade dispensers ready for the kids to dive right in. Of course, the picnic feast was transported to the pavilion in my brand new car - I was craving hot dogs all week!

I Can Explain...

Sometimes my office feels like those quips at the end of a Readers Digest article. I share an office with Andie, another coordinator, and we often overhear each others phone conversations – some of them are begging for an explanation. Here are some of my favorites:

“Do you have anything that can explode indoors – legally?”
I was ordering confetti shooting centerpieces – look at the picture, you don’t even know they are in there! Surprise!

“Can I reserve an isle seat? But only on the right side of the isle”
The left-handed passenger requested that their left hand be in the isle for ease in writing. That’s detail!

“I don’t think he will go for surfing on Lake Michigan, its just not his thing”
One Attendance Building tool we have is Streaming Video e-mail, where we film a group’s leader talking about why they should come to GR – usually this isn't done on the lake!

“Do you have a Bob Barker?”
A game show themed event needs a game show (impersonator) host!

“I just talked to the squirrel”
Okay, the squirrel’s handler – Twiggy the Waterskiing Squirrel was unavailable to chat.

No matter how odd the question, it’s always fun to help find the solution for our clients!

(Not So) Lost in Translation

After four unsuccessful years of Spanish, I have moved on to a new language: Hospitality Industry. Here's what I have learned:

Housing
English: A place where you live
Hospitality: Managing rooms reserved at a hotel for a conference

Pipe and Drape:
English: Something that holds water & something that you don’t want water on
Hospitality: Temporary walls set at an event (usually an expo) using piping to hang cloth

Badge:
English: Something a police officer has
Hospitality: Name tag that gets you into the conference (I bet a Police Badge would do the trick too)

Room Block:
English: A space and something babies play with
Hospitality: Rooms reserved at a hotel for a group (“Their room block is 300” means they have reserved 300 rooms)

Crescent Rounds:
English: Isn’t this something the Pillsbury Doughboy sells?
Hospitality: Seats set around 2/3 of a round table with the space in front of the stage open for better viewing

Who needs flashcards? More definitions will be published in my Event Planning in GR Guidebook - it's currently in the works!