| EVENT REPORT 05.18.09 5:23 PM |
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| Welcome to Miami, Bienvenidos a Miami |
| The 41st annual International Pow Wow event for the travel industry kicked off with a beach party in Lummus Park designed to help Miami promote itself to attendees. |
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The travel industry buyers and exhibitors attending the U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow at the Miami Beach Convention Center took over Lummus Park Sunday night for the travel marketplace’s kickoff event. Each year, the annual conference’s nightly events (a restaurant night is scheduled for tomorrow, a final wrap-up party downtown for Wednesday) are coordinated by the host city’s convention and visitor’s bureau and intended to showcase the city’s culture and woo future travel business.
The Miami Beach Convention and Visitor’s bureau enlisted Randi Freeman, president and owner of event production company Logistics Management Group, to design and produce the outdoor event, which garnered nearly 5,000 guests. Freeman contracted Florida Fence Rental Inc. to fence in the event's footprint—the park between 7th and 9th Streets—later dividing the space into three areas with Miami-centric themes: tropical, SoBe nightclub, and Deco jazz. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Barton G. served blueberry, strawberry, and mandarin orange tartlets—among many desserts—at themed stations.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | Team Sandtastic created an animal sand sculpture in the tropical area, where guests took pictures throughout the night.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | The main stage was home to entertainers from C&J Productions, including contortionists and other circus-style performers.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | Logistics Management Group president Randi Freeman designed the tropical area with two small tented lounges that sat about six people each.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | Barton G. set up Asian wok stations in each of the themed areas and served the stir fry in takeout boxes.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | The event took over two blocks of Lummus Park on the beach from 7th to 9th Streets.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | Freeman set up a sunglasses decorating station in the Deco jazz area.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | Dancers in 1920s-style costumes performed on a two-foot-high platform situated amid tables in the Deco jazz area.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | The majority of attendees dressed in white, as requested by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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 | Sparktacular wrapped up the night with a five-minute fireworks show.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash |
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Barton G. provided themed decor for each of the spaces, including tiki bars in the tropical area, sparkling pink and purple linens on tables in the SoBe nightclub section, and small silver beaded lamps on tables in the jazz area. Tables, highboys, wood folding chairs, bar stools, and themed lounge groupings from Panache provided seating in each of the three spaces.
A variety of entertainment acts performed throughout the night, including salsa, hip hop, and break dancers from C&J Productions in the SoBe section, jazz singer Nicole Henry in the Deco space, and Jimmy Buffett-style band Jimmy Stowe and the Stowaways in the tropical area. The crowd gravitated towards the SoBe central stage as the evening progressed, with a few guests joining the dancers on stage near the end of the night.
Freeman set up activities in each of the themed spaces, including hermit crab racing, a decorate-your-own sunglasses station, and photo opportunities with snakes, parrots, skunks, and baby alligators from Jungle Island. Additionally, four caricaturists and two tarot card readers attracted lines throughout the night.
Sparktacular coordinated a five-minute finale fireworks show over the beach around 10:30 that stopped foot traffic inside the event and on Ocean Drive.
—D. Channing Muller
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