Classic Southeast Roadshow Spotlight: Hyatt Centric, Charlotte, NC

On our second stop on our Classic Southeast Roadshow we will meet you at the boutique hotel, Hyatt Centric Charlotte. Set in the hip SouthPark neighborhood, close to all that Charlotte has to offer in upscale retail and businesses. The hotel opened in 2021 with 175 guest rooms, a 3700 square foot ballroom, a rooftop bar and restaurant with outdoor terrace.

On the roof sits Asian restaurant, Mizu, where we will end our day with lunch and conversation.

Inspired by the wood-fired Robata grills of Japan, Mizu offers a seafood-focused menu composed of wood-fired, raw and chilled dishes, sushi and shareable plates.

Come join us on Wednesday, October 23rd at Hyatt Centric Charlotte. Join us early from 9:00 am – 10:00 am for a special presentation led by Kelly McAlister of Maui Jim and Gil Sheehan of Barrington Gifts, who will illustrate how elevating your gifting experience is paramount to making lasting impressions on your event guests. From 10:00 am – 2:00 pm meet with our destination partners for our luxury Destination Showcase then stay and be our guest for a delicious lunch on the rooftop restaurant Mizu.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com

We look forward to welcoming you to Charlotte and the second stop on the 2024 Classic Southeast Roadshow!

 

Classic Southeast Roadshow Spotlight: Perry’s Steakhouse, Raleigh, NC

Hey y’all! We are back in our own backyard swinging thru our home states for our Classic Southeast Roadshow.

We return to an old favorite, Perry’s Steakhouse, for our first stop in Raleigh on October 22nd. Perry’s boasts a gorgeous main dining room that showcases a wine wall and provides a view of the chefs creating in a live kitchen. Perry’s in Raleigh also offers four beautiful private dining rooms for meetings and celebrations.

Bar 79 features a beautiful island bar with glass walls that open into patio dining allowing guests to enjoy beautiful Raleigh nights. From the vibrant color palette to the use of textures including glass and lighting, every detail of the restaurant was curated to create an inviting environment inspired by the local community.

Come join us on Tuesday, October 22nd at Perry’s Steakhouse in Raleigh. Join us early from 9:00 am – 10:00 am for a special presentation led by Kelly McAlister of Maui Jim and Gil Sheehan of Barrington Gifts, who will illustrate how elevating your gifting experience is paramount to making lasting impressions on your event guests. From 10:00 am – 2:00 pm meet with our destination partners for our luxury Destination Showcase then stay and be our guest for lunch to continue networking.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com

We look forward to welcoming you to Raleigh and the first stop on the 2024 Classic Southeast Roadshow!

 

Midwest Incentive Blitz Spotlight: Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse and Bourbon Bar, St. Louis

Hey there, St. Louis! Last but certainly not least, you will be our final stop on our Midwest Incentive Blitz on Thursday, September 26th.

Located in the heart of downtown St. Louis, Hamilton’s Steakhouse focuses on a menu that features 100% Heritage-Breed Premium Black Angus beef as well as produce from Hamilton Hospitality’s on-site hydroponic greenhouse.

It is the ultimate midwestern farm to table experience. On top of the amazing fresh top quality food experience Hamilton’s also features a wide variety of bourbon and specialty cocktails to complement the experience.

Come join us on Thursday, September 26th at Hamilton’s Steakhouse from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm for our Destination Showcase, followed by our Luncheon.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hamilton Steakhouse and the final stop on the Midwest Incentive Blitz!

Midwest Incentive Blitz Spotlight: Coquette Wine Bar & Restaurant and Bambola Restaurant, Chicago

Hello, Chicago! We are back on the road and you are our second stop on our Midwest Incentive Blitz on Wednesday, September 25th. And for you, we have two very special venues lined up that will take you on a very colorful international journey for your senses.

Our first stop, Chicago’s cutest little Parisian bistro, featuring our Destination Showcase, is a pink, Parisian dream. Coquette pays tribute to style, with a vibrant interior, using bold colors and geometric shapes to express a postmodern aesthetic sensibility. We thought the layout would be perfect for our Destination Showcase!

Our second stop takes us to Bambola Restaurant for our Luncheon. Located in the Fulton Market District, Bambola is a restaurant and cocktail bar inspired by the allure of the legendary Silk Road in Chicago. Multiple spaces and menus are bursting with dishes, drinks and furnishings sourced from Italy to Turkey and beyond with a mix of influences from the East and the West, in both food and design of the restaurant.

With the visual ambiance of a museum, although more welcoming, with textiles and chandeliers from Italy, along with 18th and 19th Century antiques and furnishings sourced from China, Thailand, Burma, Pakistan and India will take you on a colorful visual journey.

Come join us on Wednesday, September 25th at Coquette Wine Bar and Restaurant from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm for our Destination Showcase, followed by our Luncheon at nearby Bambola Restaurant from 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm. We look forward to being back in the Windy City!

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Coquette Wine Bar & Restaurant and Bambola Restaurant and the second stop on the Midwest Incentive Blitz!

Midwest Incentive Blitz Spotlight: Mr. Paul’s Supper Club, Minneapolis

Hey there, Minneapolis! We are back on the road and you are our first stop on our Midwest Incentive Blitz on Tuesday, September 24th.

Located in the heart of Edina, Mr. Paul’s Supper Club features the cuisine and vibrancy of New Orleans. With a present-day supper club vibe serving up steaks, chops, seafood and Cajun favorites with Chef Tommy Begnaud’s style. Chef Tommy’s grandfather, Mr. Paul, was known for his freedom in artistic expression, warmth, and impeccable taste. Mr. Paul knew how to be a good host and have a good time. In the loving spirit of Chef’s grandfather you can expect an experience dedicated to Mr. Paul’s eccentric and loving spirit.

“Laissez les bon temps rouler” – Mr. Paul

“If people are coming to spend their hard-earned money with us, we’re going to make sure they have a damn good time” – Chef Begnaud

Come join us on Tuesday, September 24th at Mr. Paul’s Supper Club from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm for our Destination Showcase and Luncheon. We know this is just our second visit to Minneapolis but as you get to know us, you will learn we also like to offer experiences much in the spirit of Mr. Paul, those filled with good food and good fun.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Mr. Paul’s Supper Club and the first stop on the Midwest Incentive Blitz!

Northeast Roadshow Spotlight: Kokos at Pearl Alley and Lower Manhattan Cruise, NYC

Well, New York, we decided to do things a little differently for this one. We decided we really liked you and would stay awhile. You were our second, third and now our final stop on the Northeast Roadshow!

Our final stop takes us to the Seaport in lower Manhattan. We will start off with our signature Destination Showcase at Kokos at Pearl Alley, which will allow Meeting and Event Planners to have 1:1 time with our Destination Partners.

Kokos at Pearl Alley is a new bar within The Seaport at Pier 17. It is where the tropics meets New York, with cozy cabanas and urban waterfront views, surrounded by tropical accents and lush greenery in this concrete jungle.

From there we will move our post-showcase cocktail reception to an evening cruise on a clipper ship, featuring jazz and other goodies, while we take a sail around lower Manhattan and cruise over to say hello to Lady Liberty and take in the iconic views of NYC  that you can only get from the water.

Come join us on Thursday, August 29th at Kokos at Pearl Alley from 3:00 – 4:45 pm for our Destination Showcase. From there we will board our private clipper ship at 4:45 pm, sail out around Lower Manhattan towards the Statue of Liberty, and return to the Seaport at 6:30 pm.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kokos at Pearl and aboard the jazz cruise around lower Manhattan, which is sure to be an unforgettable evening. and make this final stop on the Northeast Roadshow one to remember.

Northeast Roadshow Spotlight: Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn

Hold on, NYC, we aren’t leaving just yet….we have one more option for you to come out and meet us on August 28th. That evening we will be heading over to Brooklyn after our Luxury Destination Showcase wraps in mid-town Manhattan and hosting a networking cocktail reception at the hip Wythe Hotel.

We wanted the chance to show off this historic Brooklyn factory turned luxury hotel, so we decided to throw ourselves a little party. Join us from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm for a cocktail reception in the Penthouse Suite. Come out and see this beauty of a hotel plus we promise we are fun, too!

(note: there is no Destination Showcase at this event, just good old fashioned networking.)

Built in 1901 to manufacture barrels for the sugar refiners that lined the East River and later in the century, the building that is now Wythe Hotel spent time as a textile factory which produced acoustic fabrics and specialty fabrics for the Space Program.

When renovations began in 2008 to repurpose the building into a hotel, it was important that as much of the original beauty and unique features were preserved to highlight the building’s origins and purpose while also creating a chic, inviting space for a memorable stay in Brooklyn.

And oh yah, it’s also pet friendly and you know how we love that!

Come join us and see for yourself this unique and stunning property on Wednesday, August 28th.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com

We look forward to welcoming you to this historic Williamsburg hotel and the third stop on the Northeast Roadshow!

Northeast Roadshow Spotlight: The Lambs Club at The Chatwal, NYC

How you doin’, New York City? We are coming to see you for our second stop on the Northeast Roadshow on August 28th.

Located in the historic building built by Stanford White in 1905, the Lambs Club seeks to reimagine the purpose of the original private members club for Broadway and film actors and actresses, known as “The Lambs”, now open as a public restaurant, bar and event space in the Chatwal Hotel. The purpose remains the same as it did in its private club days, however, to offer a space to eat, drink, and be taken care of in the bustling energy of New York.

We will start off with our signature Destination Showcase which will allow Meeting and Event Planners to have 1:1 time with our Destination Partners followed by a luncheon open to all attendees.

Come join us on Wednesday, August 28th in the Club Room at the Lambs Club from 10:00 am – 12:15 pm for our Destination Showcase, followed by lunch at the Lambs Club from 12:15 – 1:45 pm. Following lunch we have an exciting optional session if you wish to stay, AI 101 presented by Alexa Berube from Reposite will be held in the Stanford White Studio from 2:00 – 2:45 pm.

Registration is open now on our website and our events are free for meeting and event professionals to attend – www.retreatsresources.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Lambs Club and the second stop on the Northeast Roadshow!

(but our first stop in NYC….stay tuned for more.)

Olympic Fever!

Raise your hand if you are fully invested in the Paris Olympics right now. Even if you aren’t a sports fan its hard not to find the scenes being featured around Paris completely mesmerizing. What a perfect host city to welcome the Olympics back to full capacity since the days of the Pandemic. If you didn’t have a vacation in Europe already this summer I bet you are planning one for the near future.

It has us thinking, though, about Olympic themed events – venues, past host cities, décor, keynote speakers. What Olympians accomplish and spend their life training for is sometimes hard to wrap your head around if you stop to think about it too long. You could be at the top of your field and be at a loss to comprehend the dedication and discipline that goes into training just to make it to the Olympics, not to mention how to get your feet on the podium. Even harder is to comprehend that they spend years working towards a moment that might last only a couple hours, a couple minutes, or 45 seconds. But when they do accomplish this goal, we the audience, beam with pride on behalf of these perfect strangers representing our country with so much dedication, strength and enthusiasm. We remember where we were when they won, when they were defeated or when an unexpected moment happened. We remember their names, their faces, their legacy. There is something about the Olympics that brings us so much joy.

There are venues like the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs who allow private events to be held there. These events are often paired with a tour of the facility lead by an Olympic hopeful who gets to share their story with the group as well as a demonstration by athletes from the various sports that train there, including fencing and men’s gymnastics. It gives your guests exclusive access to be able to stand just a few feet away from these athletes and watch them do incredibly powerful things with their bodies then be able to interact and ask questions. Talk about a WOW moment.

Or you can bring in your own WOW athletic demos, like the high-energy Flying Ace All-Stars aerialists out of Park City, Utah! Talk about mesmerizing.

Afterwards you will find your attendees will follow that Olympic hopeful’s journey, or even invest in it with a donation towards their training, as the U.S. is one of three countries in the world who does not fund Olympians. It is up to the athlete to find a way to fund their training. Talk about having a drive to succeed!

There are so many former host cities that have space and activities available at the former Olympic sites – Atlanta, Munich, Sydney, Salt Lake City (Park City), Lake Placid, to name a few. These cities have their own Olympic stories they can tell and set your event up in an easy way to incorporate the theme.

Munich, Germany
Lake Placid, New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the U.S. decorating for an Olympic themed event takes your mind straight to the red, white and blue, which is never a wrong choice.

But what about the colors of the medals instead? How about bronze, silver and gold themed tables, which is a particularly apropos choice for an awards gala.

There are stories to be told by Olympians, too. If you are lucky enough to get them in a setting that is intimate enough they may just share the secrets of the Olympic Village with you. Or walk you thru what happens to their body when they are coming down from the high of a race. Or share with you what happened when they had a bad performance. Or fall deep into thought sharing with you what it meant to them to represent their country….even if they are a pro! You will see them relive it before your eyes as they recount their Olympic stories for your audience. Even members of the original 1992 Dream Team pinch themselves when they recount their Olympic experience playing on a team with some of their biggest rivals professionally. The unique spirit of the Olympics was cause to put all that aside and embrace the moment.

Magic Johnson, 1992 Men’s Basketball
Alicia Sacramone, 2008 Women’s Gymnastics

The Advisory Board at Retreats Resources was fortunate enough to have former Olympic speed skater, Apolo Ohno, come speak at a virtual meeting last September giving our board members access to ask questions and interact in person, thru chat or thru a moderator. To have that rare kind of access can be a thrill for the deep thinkers in the group. When thinking about a keynote speaker for a business meeting, what better motivation than to have someone who has reached the top, who has experienced the highs and the lows, who has had to learn how to navigate change when their Olympic career and training ends, and something Apolo is a big advocate for, talk about the importance of prioritizing mental health. All of these topics translate well to business and everyday life. And Apolo is one who can deliver all of these topics with eloquence and humor.

So as you fall into an Olympic rabbit hole for the next couple of weeks, while also falling in love with Paris, think about how the spirit of the Olympics can live on thru your own events. It doesn’t have to be an Olympic year to incorporate the theme, but having that kind of momentum behind you, as the Clark Kent of the Pommel Horse said, sure does help.

Magical Moments: Connoisseurs Connections Summer Conference 2024

It is hard to believe it has been a month since we were descending on Riviera Maya, Mexico for the Connoisseurs Connections Summer Conference. It has been a month contemplating the soulful experience we had at our host property, Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection.

For our summer conference we, along with our Advisory Board, our Destination Partners, and our invited Meeting and Event Planners, all arrived to this peaceful oasis greeted with blessings by a Shaman to begin our stay; washing away our pain and fears and opening our hearts for all the magic we were about to experience.

Sitting over the mangroves with overwater walkways to find your way around parts of the resort, and a white sand beach at its edge, Etéreo set the stage for the story that was to unfold over the next few days. Designed with natural colors and décor, serving up authentic food, blessings at your door upon arrival, room drops with traditional messaging and Mayan storytelling, the resort was the perfect setting for our theme of Honor the Past, Live in the Present and Create the Future.

Etéreo provided us the base to embrace things with intention. Rooms, décor, seating areas, even rooms keys blended into the natural surroundings and everything had intention.

After weeks of rain, the sun arrived in sync with our attendees, giving us a warm open air welcome reception on property at ITZAM Restaurant and Terrace. With beautiful tablescapes and entertainment provided by Maritur DMC.

For our sunseekers there was a hat bar provided by the DMC as well as a sunglass fitting by our gifting partner, Maui Jim.

The following morning we hit the ground running with Day One of programming including one of our favorite “why’s”, our charitable beneficiary and partner, Doc Hendley, founder of Wine to Water. Doc delivered a memorable keynote while he took us thru his story of starting his non-profit, Wine to Water, captivating our audience with his experience watching the difference he is making in the world by implementing fresh water for drinking and household chores in hard to reach locations.

If listening to his story wasn’t inspiration enough it was followed with programming from Dear World, and Executive Storyteller Khatdija Meghjani, who took our attendees step by step thru the process of telling a story from their own lives that has had meaningful impact.

Some went down a road of overcoming adversity or challenges in their lives while others went towards the more light-hearted, bright lights of their life. Step by step we learned to sift through it all and come up with a “brain tattoo”. What is a brain tattoo, you ask? It is a short saying, set of words or anecdotal reference to your own story, something personal, something that may only mean something to you. Attendees then had the option to write this brain tattoo somewhere on their bodies and be photographed by our staff photographer, Kelli Price. The final product would be revealed the following day.

After a very emotional and intimate morning, our afternoon was spent at our Destination Showcase, where meeting and event professionals had the chance to sit one on one with our Destination Partners and take notes, discuss program leads and learn more about some pretty fabulous destinations and properties.

With whimsical king’s tables and décor in purples and greens and golds, the Midsummer Night’s Dream themed evening brought us our annual gala and auction. Our attendees knew the assignment and came prepared!

They were treated to a multi-course meal, followed by a live auction of donated travel packages to motivate our guest’s competitive sides. The auction brought in a mouth-dropping $50,000 to benefit Wine to Water, bringing our auction total for the year to $95,000. With a goal for the year to raise $100,000 for charity to say we are pleased to be this close halfway thru the year is an understatement. We are always blown away at the generosity of our attendees, as well as the generosity of our Destination Partners who donate the travel packages. We feel so blessed when this all comes together in such a way that allows us to give back to such a worthwhile cause.

Day Two brought us back together for roundtable discussions about hot industry topics. Pairing off our Meeting Planners with one another and our Destination Partners with one another at first, before round two mixed the groups together for thought-provoking discussion. Putting together heads from across the industry is always eye opening when you can collaborate on solutions or put minds at ease with discussion.

To close and come full circle we invited three attendees to stand up and tell their story from our Dear World exercise from the day prior. There were cheers, there was laughter, there were tears. Told with such composure, each speaker shared their own personal story with the room, and we closed with a stunning slideshow of portraits of brain tattoos from the group, shot by the talented Kelli Price Photography.

But it wouldn’t be a Retreats Resources event if we didn’t continue our conversation and spend the afternoon networking in the pool!

The grand finale evening took us to the beach. With cocktails and entertainment on the pier followed by dinner on the beach where we could sink our toes into the soft white sand, enjoy a final night of camaraderie and conversation under the stars as we dined at one long, beautiful table provided by Maritur DMC. The word magical was used over and over again. Indeed, it was a magical evening to top off a magical few days.

Finally, we bid hasta luego to the beautiful Riviera Maya, the lovely (and magical!) Etéreo and another Connoisseurs Connections Conference.