Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek

Type: Venue Review

Orlando, FL

Overview: Hilton Bonnet Creek has primarily taken over as the go to event venue at Disney. 

Ballrooms: There are two very large ballroom spaces.  The Bonnet Creek Ballroom and the Floridian Ballroom.  Both ballrooms share a side foyer so there needs to be attention given to audience flow if you have the Floridian Ballroom.  When we have worked in the entire Floridian, we have used the side foyer for entrances which works out well.  Some clients have used the connected foyer as an audience lounge area or vendor booths.

Event Space: Multiple breakout rooms are directly below the ballrooms and the dock is workable but is a shared space so coordination is key.  The hotel is connected to the Waldorf Astoria which also has ballroom and breakout space.

Challenge: The walk to the Floridian ballroom is a little far from the attendee elevators and you pass through the Bonnet Creek foyer. 

Solution: We have done some interesting displays (demonstrated above) to brand the Floridian space which we would be happy to share.

Producer’s Notes: Bonnet Creek is definitely a hotel that should be on your site visit list for larger events in Orlando.

KI Convention Center

Type: Venue Review

Overview:  There are not a lot of good options in the Green Bay market but the KI convention center is one to consider.

Ballrooms:  The property has a wide variety of ballroom space.  The original footprint includes a couple of good size ballrooms which can be divided into smaller breakout space as well as a large expo hall.  A recent renovation added a large upstairs ballroom with additional breakout space.

AV Staff and Equipment:  In house is currently PSAV and they are exclusive for rigging but we have never had an issue bringing in outside av to the venue

Location:  The convention center has two attached hotels which works well in the colder months.  The onsite restaurant is the basic bar/restaurant however, there are multiple good restaurants very close.  Lambeau Field (the Packers stadium) is a short drive away and is a highlight for attendees to visit.

Con:  The rigging in the upstairs ballroom has a few holes so any larger set-up needs to take into account the rigging options.  The expo hall on the first floor can get cold.  Load in is also something that needs to be coordinated as the dock is small and the push upstairs is not short.  We often will coordinate a load in using the expo hall and pull our trucks into the hall for load and unload.

Loews Chicago

Hotel:  Loews Chicago

Location: Chicago

Overview:  Great Chicago property for small to mid-sized shows.  This is a very popular property in a great location and it books far in advance. 

Ballroom:  The main ballroom is the Wright ballroom and it is only 109 x 78.  It is well suited for a mid-sized event and can be divided for smaller events.  The Sullivan ballroom Is right across the foyer and is a nice option for meals or breakouts.

The foyer around the Wright ballroom is great and offers opportunities for breaks and attendee networking.  The two ballrooms are next to the lobby but the entrance to the meeting space is built to provide separation from the main lobby.

If you do not have both ballrooms there will often be another event in the Sullivan ballroom which will require some coordination as the Sullivan foyer is not large and attendees will walk through the Wright foyer to get to their space.  This is not a big issue just something that should be addressed.

One important note.  The loading dock is a very long push through many hallways and dock space needs to be reserved and confirmed prior to arrival.

Breakouts:  On the other side of the lobby are the main breakout rooms.  They are on the second floor so there is great separation from the general public.  There are multiple rooms of varying sizes.

One note, many rooms have built in LED screens but the rental cost is fairly high so we often bring in monitors on rolling stands for these rooms.

Outdoor Terrace:  The outdoor terrace on the top floor is a great space with an amazing view.  Clients have used this space for meals, welcome receptions and parties.  If the terrace is a space you would use pay particular attention to any construction on adjacent properties as the noise can be an issue during the day.

Producer’s Notes:  Great property in a great location.

Rhode Island Convention Center

Hotel:  Rhode Island Convention Center

Location: Providence

Overview:  We had the opportunity to produce a conference at the RI Convention Center last month.  The audience size was approximately 300.  The conference was a combination of general session and multiple breakouts.  While the property is best suited for a large convention, it worked well for this mid sized conference.

Ballroom:  The main ballroom is 100’ x 200’ and can be broken into 5 sections.  We held the general session in the center largest ballroom which was 100’ x 100’ and used the other ballrooms for breakouts.  The main ballroom features 23 foot ceilings which is an advantage.  There also are 15 plus smaller rooms ideal for smaller breakouts.  We did not utilize the exhibit hall but it is 100,000 square feet and would be great for a trade show component of an event.

AV Staff and Equipment:  We provided the main audio and projection and utilized in house AV for the remainder of the equipment.  Breakout equipment was all handed by in house.  For show leads we provided the main General Session leads and supervised breakouts which were staffed by in house.

We have been partnering with in house av at a number of properties recently and it has worked well.  The key is to identify the strength of the in house department and utilize them to the best of their abilities.

Producer’s Notes:  If Rhode Island is a destination for your event then the RI Convention Center should be considered.  There is a nice hotel attached to the center and the city has great restaurants and options for off site events.

Palace Hotel

Type: Venue Reveiw

Location: San Francisco

Overview:  It is always fun to produce events in historical great hotels like the Palace.  Older hotels like this one are great for attendees and provide a great backdrop for events. However, they do offer some logistical challenges.

Ballroom:  There are a number of ballrooms on the first floor of the Palace, all of which are the same size. These are good for small to medium meetings. For this event we were in the Grand Ballroom.  The Gold Ballroom is very close the Grand and works great for attendee meals.  The foyer area is also very nice and offers a great location for registration and event support.

The second floor offers numerous ballrooms of various sizes.  In contrast to the historical look of the main ballrooms, the breakout space has a modern look and feel.

AV Staff and Equipment:  PSAV is in house. For this event we continued our trend on smaller events to partner with in house.  Main show leads were provided by Tri-Marq and primary audio and projection was shipped in.  PSAV provided support for the general session and all breakout rooms.

One note, PSAV has a union contract so if you use in house av you need to utilize local union techs.

The loading dock is very small and any trucking needs to be carefully coordinated.

Producer’s Notes:  Great hotel for smaller events in an amazing city.  Room rates can be expensive at this hotel but the attendee experience always seems very positive.

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 with the majority of the breakout space.

Ballrooms: The main ballroom is the Great Hall on the third floor.   This is a very flexible space that allows for even the largest stage design and production.  Rigging is ample here and the space works great.

The next largest ballroom is the Grand on the second floor.  This room features windows that run the complete length of the east section (a drape can close them off for sessions).  The biggest challenge with this ballroom is that rigging is very limited.  We have done some very creative stage designs in this space but it can be a challenge.

The remaining ballrooms are mostly used for large breakout rooms and they work well.

The Grand ballroom also features a nice registration area and a nice foyer.

Power and Rigging:  This hotel is constantly booked, and their rigging and power rates reflect the demand.  You will want to price out both power and rigging at the beginning of the budget process so as not to get sticker shock.

Power is handled by an outside vendor and needs to be ordered well in advance of the event.

Entrance to the Ballroom:  The Grand ballroom is accessed by taking an escalator that exits directly into the foyer.  We have done a really interesting LED arch unit at the entrance to the space.  See this blog post for more details.

Producer’s Notes: This is a very large property with lots to offer mid to large size meetings.

Johnny Cash Museum

Nashville, TN

Overview: Nashville is a great city. There are a lot of interesting venues to stage events here, but this is one of our favorites and one that you may not think of right away.

The Johnny Cash Museum is right in the heart of Nashville (3rd and Broadway). The main event space is directly next to the museum with a separate entrance for guests. Drinks and catering are available on site and the food for our event was fantastic. 

Ballroom: The event space has a great look with exposed brick and wood floors and beams. There is a small stage area for intimate performances where we had Joanne Cash talk about Johnny Cash and perform a few songs. This is not a large venue, but for a cocktail event or small dinner it would work very well.

Museum and Store: The museum is very interesting and the right size for attendees to take a quick walk through during the event. A private door from the event area can lead into the museum. 

There also is a museum store if attendees are interested, but it is separate from the event entrance so it is completely optional.

Con: The biggest problem we faced was the lack of bathrooms. The staff said this was something they were going to address but I don’t know if it has improved. This is something to take into consideration if you are looking at the venue. 

There is also not a lot of space for storage so a pre-arranged coat rack is something to look into.

Producer’s Notes:  A great venue that is not yet very well known. Attendees really enjoyed the experience and the staff was very easy to work with.

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 building and is more of a standard ballroom.

There also are quite a few breakout rooms but the ballrooms can be split into larger breakout rooms if needed.

Rigging was easy and the ballroom load-in was very easy as well. 

Location: Like everything else in Amelia Island, you are a little far from off-property activities.  The plus is that you are right on the ocean and the pool area is amazing.

Rooms: I don’t usually comment on hotel rooms, but I thought these were just all right. They reminded me more of a motel room than a luxury hotel, but we (as crew) often don’t get the best rooms, so there may be much better rooms available that we didn’t see. 

Signage: The signage at the hotel could use improvement. Many people seemed to be getting lost as they walked around, so good event signage (and a lot of it!) is a must for this property.

Producer’s Notes: From a production standpoint, I thought this was a great property. This is not a resort we see mentioned a lot on short lists for property searches and is one to consider. 

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 the ballroom is easy and the ballrooms themselves are beautiful. The main ballroom features street level doors for easy load-in and load-out.

Note: There is truck parking but make sure you arrange this ahead of time and confirm. This property is very aware of its image and trucks need to be in select designated areas. Deliveries from outside vendors also required some attention to detail, but was easy with the right amount of pre-production.

AV Staff and Equipment: We really didn’t use in-house AV for anything other than rigging.

Location: This is a destination resort so attendees really don’t have to leave the property for anything. While expensive, there are numerous restaurants and bars on the property and the areas for outdoor receptions are, like everything else, exceptionally beautiful.

Con: The cost. This is not an inexpensive property to stay or work at but if budget allows, this should definitely be a property to look at.

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 the largest property, the staff felt very focused on the attendees and meeting planners.

Ballroom: The main ballroom is the Meritage Grand Salon, which is approximately 8,000 square feet and sits directly off the main lobby. There are a couple of pre-function spaces and a terrace that connect the ballroom area to the main pool and offer beautiful views of the area.

A second ballroom is located in an adjacent building and is more of a standard ballroom.

An amazing cave space is also available for receptions and small events.

Location: The Napa area is beautiful but a site visit to this property is advised because the wine area is very large, and the Meritage is set at the far southern end of the area.

Con: The ballrooms are not very large, so the ceiling heights and power take some creativity to work for a larger event. A creative room and stage design is a must for these rooms.

Producer’s Notes: If Napa is the destination that you want, then the Meritage is a great and accommodating option.

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 great restaurants. Everything is a bit pricey, but that is to be expected from a classic hotel like this.

Ballrooms: There are a couple of ballrooms. Off the main lobby there is the ballroom called “The Ballroom”, which has an existing stage and windows that wrap around the room. This is a great room for food events or gala dinners. 

Another ballroom on the property is called the Crown Room. This is a beautiful wood-lined ballroom, which works great for meals and could be used for a small general session.

The final ballroom is the Grande Hall. It is located in an adjacent building and features an upstairs ballroom with multiple breakout rooms on the first floor.

Note: There is a large elevator stage that is ideal for load-in and load-out, but I’ve heard it breaks often. This means load-in to the Grand Hall can be an issue as there is only one other small elevator.

AV Staff and Equipment: In-house AV is expensive at this property. We mainly worked with them to handle a few breakout rooms, but the staff was attentive and the equipment was in good shape. 

Note that in-house AV is exclusive for AV on the garden lawn by the beach. Again, I thought the equipment cost was expensive but they set lighting out there often and provided some nice options for lighting and décor.

Producer’s Notes: The hotel is a historic hotel with a great vibe that is frequented by movie stars. For a destination trip, it would be fantastic. While the rooms for general session are not very large, there are a ton of breakout rooms so the hotel is well suited for a medium size show.

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 board room and many breakouts. The location provides a sense of being away from the Disney experience and focused on the event.

Rigging is a little challenging in the ballroom so a careful rig plan is required. The ballroom and foyer are attractive and offer great possibilities for branding and stage design.

As with all Disney properties, load-in and load-out requires some planning. PSAV handles in-house video and sound. They handle the breakout rooms set well but responsiveness can be a little slow, so a plan for support should be reviewed.

Breakout Rooms: The breakout rooms in the conference center work great. There are a few rooms outside the conference center that share a hallway along the main path to exit the hotel. Be aware that there is mixing of conference attendees and Disney vacationers during peak times, and can make for a crowded area.

Location: The hotel is located in the heart of Downtown Disney so attendees have many options for dinner and entertainment.

Producer’s Notes: Great property with a great location. Of the Disney properties in California it is in my opinion the nicest property.

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 work well for general sessions. The Exhibit Hall requires some creative stage design, as there are a couple of pillars that need to be worked around.

The Center Disneyland Ballroom has an existing stage and AV and works great for dinner functions.

In-house AV is handled by PSAV for video, and Disney Engineering handle lights and sound. PSAV seems to have a lot of turnover at the property. Many of the Disney Engineering staff have been on-site for many years and work well with outside production companies.

Internet is something to pay attention to, as it is expensive. We have had some issue with bandwidth as well. The on-site team is willing to work with you but you have to address this early and test immediately.

Loading docks: Disney has very particular loading dock requirements so careful attention to detail on load-in and load-out is required.

Breakout Rooms: There are a lot of breakout rooms but they differ greatly in location and size. There also are a number of rooms located in adjacent buildings which require attendees to walk outside. A thorough review of breakout rooms on the site visit is recommended and good show signage has proved valuable.

There are breakout rooms next to the Exhibit Hall, which can work well when moving back and forth between sessions, but not all rooms have air walls that go to the ceiling. This has not been an issue for us in the past but is something to look at.

Location: Downtown Disney is located next to the hotel so attendees have many options for dinner and entertainment.

Producer’s Notes: Great property with lots to offer. Some past experience working at the property definitely pays dividends and improves the overall working experience.

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 events.

Ballrooms: There are a lot of ballrooms on this property.

The Chantily Ballroom is my favorite at the property. It is large with great rigging, and the loading area is directly outside the ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is also nice and has the same good rigging.

The Imperial Ballroom is on an upper floor (the third I believe) and is my least favorite ballroom on property. The room, registration area and hallway leading into the room are great but there are a few challenges:

• The floor vibrates a little bit so you have to be careful with placement of the projection and screens.

• There is an elevator that leads directly to the room, but it is right next to the loading dock, which you usually can’t use. The push from the loading area travels through the busy dock area which can slow down the load-in and out.

• The elevator needs to be locked off or controlled carefully during the show because it is loud and would be a disturbance.

• Note: We have always asked for and gotten control of the elevator, but I have heard this is sometimes an issue on other shows.

There also is a Trinity Ballroom next to the exhibit hall, but this is more of a tradeshow area than a ballroom. If you are using this room for a general session, pay attention to the house lighting in the room.

Breakout Rooms:

• The best breakout rooms: above the Chantily Ballroom.

• The West Wing of the hotel has good breakout rooms as well but it is a little off the beaten path, so signage is a must.

• The breakout rooms in the Atrium are small and definitely require signage for attendees to find as well.

Note: The dock at this property is very busy with food delivery and use of it is very restricted.  The main loading area does not have a dock, so trucks need a lift gate or forklift to load and unload. We have used the dock in the past, but it was negotiated in advance and was not easy.

Producer’s Notes: Great property in a great location with tons of general session and breakout rooms. Especially with a little experience, this is a property we like to work at.

Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel

Rosemont, IL

Overview:  This is a very nice property that has been recently totally remodeled. Its management is very event friendly and understands what it takes to put on a good show. There are four medium sized ballrooms and plenty of breakout rooms.

Ballroom: Ballrooms and breakout rooms are divided into two sections on either side of the hotel, which is a plus if you only require enough space to be on one side. You will definitely own that side of the property. If your breakout room requires you to use both sides of the hotel, then signage is helpful for the attendees who will have to pass the lobby and walk to the other side of the property. We have worked more than one event that was large enough to require both sides and the attendees handled the walk without complaint.

One important note: The loading dock is very event friendly but it is a long push through narrow hallways to get to the other side of the property. There is a pull up street level loading door next to the Avadon Ballroom that can be used if you pre-arrange with the hotel and limit the amount of time you have the door open.

There are many branding opportunities at the property and the hotel is open to working with clients to maximize branding opportunities.

Producer’s Notes:  Great property in a great location.

The Roosevelt Hotel

New Orleans, LA

Overview: The Roosevelt is a Waldorf Astoria property in the heart of the French Quarter. The lobby, guest rooms and restaurants are what you would expect from a Waldorf hotel: historic, expensive and a little small.

Ballroom: The main ballroom, The Roosevelt Ballroom, is around 18,000 square feet and it can be divided into sections. For the conference that we were working, the ballroom was split to create a pre-function area that wrapped around the general session space. The layout was a little strange but worked for this conference.

AV Staff and Equipment: The in-house AV staff members were nice and attentive, but I would say they are more suited for small events and breakouts. The in-house company is willing to bring in freelance leads for events, which is helpful. The equipment available from in-house had some wear, and again is more suited for breakouts or small events.

Producer’s Notes: The hotel comes with everything you would expect from a Waldorf. The ballrooms and AV staff are also what you would expect from a Waldorf. They are kind and helpful, but the star of the property is the hotel—not the event space. The attendees always love the property but it is a space where we (the production side) have to get a little creative with stage design and layout.