In each issue of the magazine we highlight a different facility that offers space for meetings and events. In the Spaces section of our summer issue, we featured Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul. Aside from its 72-par, 18-hole course, the private club also offers a number of flexible, year-round function spaces for both members and non-members.
Each space has something different to offer, whether it is casual or formal ambiance, views of the course or access to outdoor space. The Fireside Room can accommodate groups as large as 60 and offers wide-ranging views of the golf course as well as entry to the patio and screened porch. The President's Boardroom, which also has access to the patio, is a great option for private meetings with its leather chairs, conference table and audiovisual and teleconferencing capabilities. The room fits 40, but 12 seated at the conference table. The HIllcrest Grill, which regularly serves upscale grill fare, can be used to host groups as large as 60. For bigger parties, the renovated Ballroom has space for 120 people, but can be adjoined with the Hillcrest Grill and Fireside Room to seat groups as large as 240.
In addition to function space, the club also offers wireless Internet and audiovisual packages, which can include an easel, flip chart pad, podium, television and LCD projector and screen. Aside from the food served at Hillcrest Grill, there are a number of break, lunch and dinner packages available to groups as well.
Located within minutes of downtown St. Paul, Hillcrest Golf Club is a great spot to combine work with leisure.
--Molly Schelper Assistant Editor
[Top photo courtesy of Hillcrest Golf Club; bottom photos courtesy of Morrissey Hospitality]
If there’s a mantra that should apply to the work
force, it’s this: pleasant jobs call for pleasant people. The hospitality
industry has and will always need friendly people. People are everything to a
business–no matter the size, the location, or the product. Setting a strategy
for who will make your business successful, what kind of culture and how that
culture is shared and embedded, and what ongoing training, support, education
and growth will occur is paramount to a business’s success.
The hospitality industry, including but not limited
to meeting venues, hotels and restaurants is growing exponentially. According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 11.2 million people work in the
hospitality industry today, consisting of 8.6 percent of all employment. Some people
shy away from the hospitality industry for reasons such as long, night or
weekend hours, often unaware of benefits including opportunities for advancement,
six-figure incomes and the experience of creating a memorable guest
experience. The hospitality industry is a vibrant and glamorous field, if your
staff is passionate, committed and well-trained.
The entire company should always be looking for
those who believe they have the passion to outperform the competition and
deliver on your brand promise. At Morrissey Hospitality Companies, we strive to be
the employer of choice. This practice enables our properties to enjoy turnover
rates far below normal industry standards and creates a culture where respect,
innovation and longevity are paramount to the long-term success of the
companies we manage. It also supports transferability of employees to mitigate
employee loss or promotional opportunity.
How can
your company become the employer of choice?
Empower your employees in the workplace. Give your staff and your team the
freedom to take guest-friendly, business sensitive actions to ensure your
guests are 100 percent satisfied.
Give your employees the right and pride to be involved at work and in
the community, provide feedback, influence decision-making and help your brand
improve.
Listen, listen and listen to the employees and people making your brand
real and alive in the minds and hearts of your guests.
Staff grow more confident, secure and
conversely more pleasant through your commitment to them. Instill and live your
brand’s culture each and every day. Pleasant staff will create a pleasant
experience for you and your guests.
-- Rita Pesavento Human Resources Manager Morrissey Hospitality Companies, Inc.
If you haven't taken our survey yet, please do! You could be a winner of one of four gift cards to any Parasole restaurant, like Chino Latino, Manny's, Pittsburgh Blue, Mozza Mia and more! Here's your news:
+ The Minnesota Zoo has launched a new fall acoustic concert series, featuring some great Minnesota artists and set in its new indoor theater, the Target Learning Center.
+ Finally, did you see Meet Minneapolis' new video on fall in the Twin Cities? It's pretty fun!
It's that time of year again, when summer sadly comes to an end, but luckily it never leaves us without an over the top send-off: the Minnesota State Fair. Today is the first day of the get-together, which happens to be the largest 12-day event in North America and the second largest state fair in the country. Each year, nearly 1.8 million people make their way to the grounds to eat food on a stick, people watch, see touring acts on the Grandstand stage and take part in the countless other entertainment options offered. To me, one of the best things about the fair is being able to mix these old traditions with new ones. Here's the scoop on some of the new things to expect this year.
+ The Mighty Midway has seven new rides this year. So whether you want to rotate 360 degrees vertically and horizontally, be flung in a revolving gondala or suspended in a spinning car, there are plenty of new options for adrenaline junkies. For the younger crowd, kids can choose to take a ride on a tractor or be led by a mouse through a parade of flying elephants on the two new rides at Kidway.
+ Also at the Mighty Midway, you can be blasted back to the days of sideshow entertainment at the World of Wonders Palace of Illusions. See sword swallowers, fire breathers, escape artists and more.
+ Explore the state's brewing past and present at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. There will be sample flights made up from more than 15 craft beers, as well as presentations by the brewers themselves.
+ Watch colorful, high-powered aerial laser beams move above you to the beat of classic rock and pop hits. Lasertainment's Laser Hitz Show takes place outside nightly.
+ Let's face it, does it get any better then fair food? With more than 450 foods to choose from (including more than 60 on a stick), there's no shortage of options. In addition to favorites like corn on the cobb, Sweet Martha's cookies and cheese curds, here are just some of the many new options to try.
Bacon ice cream
Beef tongue caramelos (tacos)
Breakfast sliders
Camel burger sliders
Cereal killer ice cream
Cheeseburger sticks
Chicken nachos on a stick
Cranberry wontons
Duke's Poutine
Eggplant fries
Grilled wild Alaskan salmon sandwich
Lamb chop on a stick
Ole's Cannoli
Red velvet funnel cake
Risotto poppers (gluten-free)
Spaghetti sticks
So put on your walking shoes, come well rested and with an empty stomach and say goodbye to summer in an only-in-Minnesota way.
We all know that A/V is the necessary evil in any meeting or
event. It's a mystery as to why they
have to charge what they do and how they really determine what you
need. Early on my career I actually
worked in audiovisual sales. I still can’t figure out how to connect the
DVD to the DVR to the TV and make the correct remote control work, but I did
learn enough to be a dangerous negotiator in regards
to A/V.
Let’s start with a few basic fundamentals about some of
the basic gear.
Wireless Microphone Kit: It's called a kit because it
offers you a choice of two microphones (either a handheld microphone or a
wireless lavalier microphone). You can
only use one of the mics at a time though. Because they are wireless, they run on a wireless signal and that signal
is the same for both mics. Therefore, if
you try to use them both at the same time they will cancel each other out. They are beneficial in that if you don’t know
the preferences of the speaker or your agenda has a variety of speakers and
audience Q&A, they provide you with the ability to be versatile.
Mixer (and I’m not talking about the one that is in your
kitchen!): This is an essential piece of
equipment if you have more than one microphone in use. In most hotels you can plug one microphone
in to the house sound and there should still be a volume control in the room for
the mic. If you are using more than one
mic, you need to have a mixer. Think of
it as a “power strip” of sorts where you will plug multiple mics into this box
and then this box will connect to the house sound. Mixers can come in several ‘sizes’ or 'channels.' You will most
often see four-channel mixers, but they can go up to 22-channels…think of how many
mics you would have for U2 or some other band!
Plasma vs. LCD: A plasma screen is a combination of neon-xenon gas which is
sealed in plasma. The gas is electronically
charged and when the charges strike the red, green and blue phosphorus it
creates the image you see on the screen. They are also called ‘pixels’. Plasmas are similar to the old-fashioned tube-style TVs in that they
generate heat but are more streamlined since they are flat.
An LCD (or liquid crystal display) is made up of two transparent
labels that are polarized and glued together. One layer is treated with a polymer that ‘holds’ the liquid crystals. An electric current is passed through the
crystals. The crystals will either pass
or block the light to create the image you will see. They use less power than a plasma and
therefore, generate less heat.
Both Plasmas and LCDs present their own set of pros and
cons. Plasmas are not as bright as LCDs
so if you are in a very bright location (meeting room with lots of windows or
outside, perhaps) an LCD is a better choice. Hence, why most outdoor screens and those new fancy billboards are all
LCD.
Next month: How do you decipher the A/V proposal from the hotel?
Please take 10 minutes to complete our State of the Industry survey and you'll be put into a drawing for four gift cards to any Parasole restaurant. Delicious! Here's your news:
When I was considering topics for this blog post, I thought it would be fun and fairly relevant to talk about the trend towards TED-type conferences. And then just as I sat down to write it, TED founder Richard Saul Wurman announced that “TED was pretty good for the 20th century” and that he was busy creating a whole new conference paradigm. Dang.
However, despite Mr. Wurman’s desire to move on, I still think there are a number of lessons we as event planners and producers can take away from the original TED model. After all, high-priced TED conferences still sell out and the average video on TED.com gets 40,000 views within 24 hours, so they must be doing something right.
Here are a few (but certainly not all) lessons I think we can learn from TED:
1. Focus, focus, focus. Gone are the days of the 60-minute rambling keynote, and thank goodness for that. Shorter presentations mean presenters really need to focus on their content, and strip things down to the core. The result? A content-rich, targeted presentation that says what it needs to say, and no more. If you need to (or are able to) fill more time, follow the presentation with Q&A to get the audience involved.
2. Practice, practice, practice. And by this I mean rehearse. One first-time TED presenter admitted he’d rehearsed his speech–in front of anyone who would listen–more than 400 times. In addition, TED presenters work with a number of TED conference “curators” to design and refine their presentations for content and style, and ensure they work for both the live and virtual (read “international”) audiences.
3. Leave ‘em wanting more. An 18-minute TED speech will not make you an expert on quantum mechanics or creativity, but it may (and in all probability, will) inspire you to go out and do a little research on your own. In the corporate event world, that thinking might translate to a series of short (even, say, five-minute) presentations that tee up the next day’s breakout sessions, whetting the audience’s appetite and maybe even making it deliciously hard for them to choose which sessions to attend!
4. Mix it up. A typical TED conference covers a wide range of topics and presentation styles, collects a varied group of attendees, and regularly changes up seating configurations. Individual presentations combine authentic emotion with facts, and often include an “aha” moment–an unexpected, memorable way to drive a point home.
Delivering the unexpected or coming at things from different angles is a great way to keep your audience engaged. In the event world, this can be accomplished through careful crafting of individual presentations or creative agenda planning.
And don’t forget to look outside your industry for ideas that will help your attendees change the way they think. For instance, if your conference deals with working within constraints, shake things up by having someone from a different discipline talk about their experiences ... like Adam Sadowsky discussing how he engineered the wildly-creative OK GO! Rube Goldberg video despite a host of restrictions (see below).
So, the next time you’re designing a conference, take a lesson from TED: Keep it crisp, clean, authentic, emotional, thought-provoking, branded and intelligent. Sounds like a winning recipe to me!
Mirrors are a trendy way to define a space, a brand or a theme for an event. They can evoke a feeling ranging from vintage ambiance to modern luxury .
On the grand side, a mirror tabletop can be a spectacular event piece. However, the difficulty and cost in transporting and installing actual mirror tabletop is formidable.
Enter glassless mirror finish. Even more reflective than a mirror, this lightweight film duplicates the look of a mirror without the delicate handling and cost. Shown here in a mirrored bar, glassless mirror finish has revolutionized the event industry.
It's hard to believe it's been 20 years! Mall of America celebrates two decades this Saturday, Aug. 11, and the venue has some big events happening to commemorate the milestone. First off, tomorrow night catch American Idol winner Jordin Sparks as she performs and signs autographs.
On Saturday, the mall gives away 20 different party favors (500 of each item) to guests throughout the property. Nab mini-golf passes, Nickelodeon Universe ride passes, food samples, admission to Sea Life, Aeropostale gift bags and much more.
Cake Boss Buddy Valastro has designed an eight-foot-tall birthday cake that will be on display on Saturday, and served to 2,000 hungry guests at 2 p.m.
Then from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., head across the street to Twin Cities Beer Fest, where hundreds of beers from around the world are served up, local food trucks offer bites to eat, live music is played, and birthday fun ensues.
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