Grand Connection

Concerts. Can they make you a better event planner?

2011-10-12T11:54:38-04:00

Speaking of art as inspiration (per my last post). I was lucky enough to see this tour over the summer and I will never look at general session lighting and staging the same. Peter Gabriel is a master at staging and lighting, I try not to miss his shows. Ever. It's just good food for the creative soul, at least that's how I justify expensing the tickets (just kidding). Not much more to add, just watch the clip, it's pretty cool, huh?

Artprize Top 10: An Event Planner's Pick

2011-10-02T11:37:58-04:00

Artprize, the American Idol competition for the art world happens right here in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. There is so much inspiration going on this week for event professionals that I should keep it all to myself and spring it on the event world in a big shock and awe reveal. I'm just to proud of my city not to share what magical things are transpiring here. Incorporating artists into my work has always been a priority; I understand that my strengths are more in the logistics of an event. I stand in awe of these artists. Pictures do not do them justice, you need to come to Grand Rapids and see for yourself. There's inspiration just waiting for you. Inspiration found in the LIKELIEST of places, and best of all....it's totally free. For tips on planning your trip check out our visitor's bureau website http://www.experiencegr.com/events/artprize/. You can click on these photos to get a better/larger view.

This container unfolds to offer up the most amazing pop-up hipster bar. I walked by as it was opening and there was smoke coming out! All of a sudden like magic there was a bar, stools and servers.

This is just so beautiful in person it moves, shimmers and shines. I don't know how I might use something like this yet but I'm sure I'll figure something out.

There's some discussion about whether these guys are really art...Hey as an event planner...LOVE 'EM. Can't wait for the next construction theme. Oh, these are real dudes playing an elaborite game of statues.

I love these sunflowers made with re purposed water bottles. Now this is decor I can feel good about. I hear the artist is selling these off on the final day of Artprize...would love a few.

Ever plan a beach theme event? Oh wouldn't this be great to have on display...hard to see here but the placement is great...complete with sand and simulated water on the floor of the convention center.

How about something like this as the entrance to your next lawn party. It just makes me smile.

Hang these little critters from your ballroom truss? I dare you! Who does not love Monkeys in a Barrel? Scatter the game around on the tables for conversation starter. Wallah--party in a barrel.

And then there's Yellow Man. Never thought of doing a Lego build as team building until I saw this. I'm sure others had different thoughts but that's how my brain works.

You can bet I picked up this guy's contact information. I saw him do a bust of a local broadcaster in under 30 minutes. I thought hey, I'm gonna remember this guy.

Last but not least check out this amazing ceiling treatment. Why didn't I ever think of this? This takes my breath away.

If you've stopped by here and been inspired, please do me a favor and follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook

No really. THIS was the best Team Building event ever!

2011-03-15T08:46:25-04:00

First of all I just have to say how we do love technology! You have to understand that when we started in the travel industry we were still handwriting airline tickets, receiving curly paper faxes, keeping track of event information in binders and the secretary (yes, that was me...) was the only one that knew how to retrieve the email. So back in the day when we would do a photo road rally we had teams use Polaroid cameras. Times have certainly changed. Christina just ran a team-building photo scavenger hunt for a client who was celebrating a milestone business anniversary. Now that almost everyone has smart phones the teams were able to take the pictures and email them to Christina back in the office in real time. When the teams checked back in with her at the end, she was able to gather the paperwork, score the teams & put the photos on a thumb drive and deliver them to the company dinner within 30 minutes where they were shown in a slide show while the winner was announced. Some of the photos were really crazy; teams in hot tubs, with a horse, in shopping carts & cooking at restaurants...fun stuff! Another fun activity we arranged was setting up the Rock Band Wii ON STAGE. I know they have day jobs, but I think a few of these people were meant to be Rock Stars! This was really cost effective way to provide fun entertainment.

You may not know the way we really make our money is by booking the hotel rooms for conferences and building websites to register the attendees (remember, 10 or more rooms...call us). But this is the fun stuff that we can do as a bonus for your next sales meeting or customer training! For events like this I'm always willing to share my resources and time, so if you don't have the budget to hire us, just give me a call and we can help you put together a fun event just like this one. I forgot to mention that I also designed some word searches and word puzzles about the company history for bonus points. This was a photo worth 10 points, cartwheels in front of one of the companies old locations.

Blogger = Bragger

2011-02-11T15:15:21-05:00

I always feel a little conflicted when I blog, like what do I really have to say that is THAT interesting you know? It always ends up sounding like bragging. Growing up there was a saying around my house that I'll twist to fit my thoughts..."if you have to tell someone you're the best at something then you probably aren't". So how do you balance those beliefs living in this world of social media marketing? Time will tell. With that said, here I go!!! I'm just so proud of the work our meeting planners do here at GC and I can't help from sharing some exciting news. It's really because of them that we qualified as a finalist for the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s biennial issue of "Top Women-Owned Businesses" due out later this month. I should also mention that we just received national certification as a Women's Business Enterprise. The WBENC certification for women-owned businesses is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the nation. And while I'm at it I should share this nice article below where Leah and Holly discuss current trends in the meetings industry (click on the image).

We've come a long way from the days of working from my basement...oh wait, I still do that! Nope we didn't spend all our money on credit lines and over financed commerical real estate for overhead. It's kinda funny seeing everyone else just figuring something out that we have known for 10 years here at GC. Project based labor makes the most sense. Exceptional nible staff can deal with short lead times and help clients manage ebbs and flows of their businesss...it's finally accepted and getting recognized and rewarded.

The Best Team Building Event EVER!

2011-01-11T09:13:22-05:00

This team building event was designed for a corporate client who needed a fun dinner event during a recent meeting in which they brought together staff from all over the world. We put together several ideas but ended up going with an iron-chef like food challenge where each team designed, cooked, plated and finally presented the meal to a competing team. Everyone completed evaluation cards rating their dinner and several other aspects of the meal. After dinner, we had each team decorate and present a cake dessert to their assigned guests/table, to earn bonus points. The overall winners of the event (and the lovely cooking medals) were the Blue Smerfs. By the way, each team comes up with their own name. I should mention the gift baskets we put together; mixing bowls with goodies and cooking tools. Christina was a hilarious emcee and does a great job of commenting and building the competition. Not only was she travel staff but also emcee AND photographer!! See how our staff is SO multi-talented!?

CONNECTIONS

2010-10-07T12:08:34-04:00

I've been thinking a while about this blog entry and how to share how Grand Connection came to have our name and what it really means. It all started 11 years ago with a meeting we had with Tom Walker. Tom is someone Tracy and I have known our entire career and it' scary to admit, but that's over 20 years! Yikes. Tom recently had a mild stroke and it started me thinking how much I appreciated his support and advice, especially in the early years when we were trying to think of just the right name. Tracy and I recently recalled the meeting with Tom in which we were doing a little "market research" on the feasibility of opening a DMC/Meeting firm in Grand Rapids. We were stalled on a name for our company, that's when Tom shared his idea "Grand Connection". Tracy and I looked at each other and looked at Tom and boom, instantly we all knew we had the name! Grand Connection it is and has been --- and boy have we been making connections ever since. I'm happy to add that Tom's recovered from his stroke and is working away at Reagan Marketing + Design. Which brings me to how things recently came full circle and I was able to help Tom make some connections for Jimmy Buffet tix in Long Island + help him secure rooms at the Waldorf Astoria and limo transfers for a project he was working on. Hey it's the least I can do for an old friend and the guy who named our company!

Here are some other connections we've made this past few months, since I've not been able to post to the blog lately....

We created and implemented "Paint the Town Red", an art themed party for 700+ attendees of the National Lottery Convention in our hometown, Grand Rapids (pictured below).
Negotiating and booking a large conference (500+ rooms) at the newly renovated Fontainebleau hotel in Miami beach for February 2011.
Hotel rooms and ground transfers to and from (and in) Chicago for a Grand Rapids based company's guests from China and France.
Arranging elegant VIP dinners at executive homes and cottages along the lakeshore of West Michigan, also arranging all ground and air logistics including surprise private jet departures.
Implementing downtown shuttle route and arrangements for Artprize, the "American Idol" of the art world, held here in Grand Rapids.
Booking and planning sales forums, launches and meetings in Atlanta, Rancho Bernardo, Laguna Beach, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco.
Planning some VIP trips for convention planners in Grand Rapids, including private area, decor & food at outdoor concerts (pictured below).
Registering thousands of people for these and other events....creating the websites, managing the bookings, confirmations, reservations, etc.

I know I'm leaving out tons of stuff...so if anyone on GC team wants to comment on their exploits, please do! Otherwise I'll catch 'ya next time I blog.

Surviving the Rain

2010-06-23T08:54:51-04:00

The rain didn’t stop our Director of Business Development, Holly from hosting Hole 12 with a smile at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing on June 15th. Together with our friends at DeVos Place Convention Center she developed a fun theme for the hole – which won the honor of being voted “Best Hole” by the golfers.

At the "Survivor" themed hole, golfers would have to win immunity. Inspired in part by the game show "Minute to Win It", each of the golfers had an empty tissue box with 5 ping pong balls in it strapped to their back with a belt. They had 60 seconds try to bounce these balls out of the box (to music of course). Depending on the number of people that passed the challenge, the entire group got to tee off from a numbered, pre-set flag somewhere out on the par 5. If all 4 players passed the challenge, they got to tee off from flag 4, which was located 100 yards from the hole.

Holly is so creative with her ideas, she really better be careful or we might pull her off her sales role and put her to work planning events! Not only did Holly pull all this off on a rainy day but she was the LONE STAR back home while the rest of Grand Connection worked a large event in Chicago (more on that later... if I get time).

p.s. special thanks to Mike at Nimlok for getting us the banner and to Lesley at Good Work for rushing the layout to print!

Aloha, want Humuhumunukunukuapua'a for dinner? I can arrange that...

2010-04-22T11:49:05-04:00

Last fall I visited Hawaii for a Buyer's Education Trip - I have to admit that although I have been a meeting planner for 20 years I had never been to Hawaii. Back in my travel director days I broke my leg the week before I was scheduled to leave for 21 days in Maui, I had to cancel the trip. But recently fate brought me back to the Island after all (this is where I admit to watching Lost). The Grand Wailea and my friend Erin Reichert from Hilton's Waldorf Astoria Collection were such amazing hosts, and did such a great job educating me, that I just booked a small incentive with them for next February! I also pitched Maui to another client recently - this proposal included such once in a lifetime experiences that I can't even begin to describe them here...you'll have to contact me to hear those first hand (top secret stuff, I can't share EVERYTHING I know on the blog).

So, if you want me to arrange for your group to visit Hawaii, I can do that - I can also arrange an Iron Chef competition where you can cook fish that has a really big name (my 5th grader says it's the longest English word). And while you are there, if you want to get married or renew your vows, I can help arrange that as well! I don't know many hotels with a chapel like this onsite. Something else I learned while in Maui - besides the fact I should move there when I retire - Duck breast is delicious! I feel the island's pull, it wants me back - I have unfinished business.

Sleepless in Seattle - The Site Visit

2010-02-23T15:20:01-05:00

Lynne just returned from a site visit in Seattle last week - not sure how she saw 8 hotels in 1 1/2 days!There are great options in Seattle for groups of all sizes, it's a SUPER GREEN city - one of the most progressive she's seen. Another option she recently booked for a small incentive was Puerto Rico and I believe she's off to Vail/Aspen next month. If your interested in these destinations contact me here through the comment section or email. Here's a little picture she took from her phone. Sunset from the Edgewater hotel over Puget Sound.

Just so we all know - I do get fanmail for others around here besides Leah:-) This just in regarding Lynne's coordination of a Cruise Incentive..."Thank you for your help on this adventure - you've been wonderful". "Lynne's wonderful and is continually juggling many balls - she makes it seem so easy". Also, "Lynne from Grand Connection truly allows for a great experience that allows you to sit back and enjoy. Knowing that she's the one behind the scenes coordinating things makes me feel at ease. Look forward to Cabo next year"!

Leah Fanfest 2010

2010-02-09T14:35:30-05:00

From Los Angeles showroom openings to a small national sales meetings here in Grand Rapids - Leah's got it covered. Honestly, I'm a little backlogged handling all the fan mail for her lately...wow! Girl has some fans out there - from LA to Kansas City and probably places in between. I know when Scott sends an invoice to a client and the response is "worth every penny" that we are definitely doing something right around here. Just to give you an idea of the kinds of things that fall under the caption "project management" for one of these meetings..here's a few of the things she did: arranging for payment of speakers, managing all transportation to and from hotel to meeting, ordering decor for retirement party during the meeting, ordering cakes, hiring dance instructors, booking unique meeting spaces, designing the website and managing attendance, booking hotels, etc.

Snippets from Leah's fan mail collection:

"Your expertise, organization, CALMNESS, patience - you were just great and I cannot thank you enough. Had you not been involved - well, I don't even want to think about how things might have turned out!".--regarding coordination of a western area sales meeting in Los Angeles

"I wanted to share that Leah went above an beyond today in helping me out when I left my phone behind. She ran the phone to me at the airport + ensured our shuttle was ready for a noon run to the airport to make my 1pm means a lot to me. I have to be in STL and am en route to KC - Leah saved me time and worry. Thank you for having people like Leah representing you and taking care of people like me." --attendee of national sales meeting

I like this photo taken at a dinner Leah and I coordinated (okay she did most of the work). I ordered these special drink menus with clever drink names from the printer and I gave them the frame dimensions WxLxH instead of LxWxH. So actually the sign was supposed to be longer than taller. But I actually ended up liking them better this way - so I guess you could say this mistake turned out okay. It's the nature of the business...there are many things that happen behind the scenes and the key is making sure nobody knows the difference (well, unless you decide to blog about it!).