Swag bags

Guests left with swag bags filled with goods from sponsors including Benefit cosmetics, Grey Goose vodka, Pop Chips, Red Bull, and more.

The welcome totes also included a trifold vanity kit. Each day of the conference had its own corresponding pouch of items. The “Get Ready” section included bath salts, an aromatherapy candle, and a box of matches. The “Engage” pouch had a tube of mints, lip balm, and massage cream. The “Glow” pouch featured items intended for use at the gala event, like nail polish, a mirror, and a portable kit with Band-Aids, blotting papers, and fashion tape.

The boxes included pencils, sticky notes, a journal, mints and candy, and “Thinking Putty," a Silly Putty-like product to keep guests’ hands engaged. “We wanted to make all of the gifts as lightweight as possible so that people would be able to take them home in their luggage,” says Susan Arak-Turnock. To that end, the boxes were made from thick paper board.

Guests picked up their elaborately packaged welcome totes, designed by Gifts for the Good Life, at the registration area. The branded bags were packed with Southern treats, as well as Prohibition-themed items. A linen bag printed with the words “Portable Pantry” included jars of locally made caramel candies, smoky almonds, and peach-flavored cookies. The calligraphy on the gifts and printed materials was provided by Deborah Nadel Design.

Nodding to the Prohibition theme, the gift bag contained a box designed to look like a book, which opened up to reveal a cocktail-making kit. The items inside included a miniature bottle of bitters, a jar of bourbon-soaked cherries, a branded muddler, and a tiny cocktail shaker.

Also included in the swag bags: an apothecary tin holding file folders containing 12 items guests might need to "prepare" and "recover," such as Advil, Band-Aids, lip balm, and bug repellent.

After checking in, guests could get a mini massage from the Biltmore spa's staff—a much-appreciated perk for weary travelers.

Guests were also invited to pick up a "Gala Prep" kit to help them get ready for the Gatsby-themed closing party. The women's version included blotting papers and flapper-style bobby pins. The men's kits (pictured) contained collar stays, shoeshine wipes, and mustache wax.

At the opening session, organizers placed custom clipboards and pencils from Gifts for the Good Life on guests' chairs. The custom-designed notepads by Trisha Hay Design included an area for attendees to jot down their "top takeaways" from speakers.

Kicking things off on Sunday was a Southern-hospitality-infused barnyard bash at the estate's historic Antler Hill Barn. A chalkboard map, created by Brent Holloman for Pressed Cotton, outlined the four-part event, which included cocktail hour in the garden, a field-to-table feast in the barn, desserts by the campfire, and a chance to meet the farmyard animals.

As the exclusive design partner for the evening, online event decor and accessory company Pressed Cotton provided the party’s rustic-chic details. Wooden picnic tables were lined with Kraft paper runners printed with illustrations of vintage silverware, and glass cloches housed homemade honey, jams, and pickled veggies.

Local distillery Troy & Sons provided an interactive whiskey bar. As noted on a hanging wooden sign created by Dana Cochran of A Fine Line Studio, guests could select two words—such as "spicy," "bold," and "fizzy"—to tell the bartender, who then whipped up a drink to match the description.

Custom napkins created by Gifts for the Good Life explained the choose-two-words bar setup in further detail.

The dinner stations, provided by the Biltmore's catering team, offered Southern specialties, like fried green tomatoes, crab hush puppies, and pulled pork sandwiches with house-made barbecue sauce and blue cheese coleslaw. The sandwich buns were imprinted with the Engage! logo.

Pressed Cotton put together “Midnight Munchies” bags containing cake pops, popcorn, and cookies for guests to take with them at the end of the welcome party.

The half-day meeting sessions were held in an open-air tent on the Biltmore grounds.

On Monday, the morning snack spread included granola bars, fresh-fruit skewers, and homemade raspberry Pop Tarts.

Following one of the morning breaks, organizers passed out custom-printed bamboo fans in case the tents got too warm. Attached was a vial of aromatherapy smelling salts, for a "breath of fresh air," as the tag noted.

The Biltmore catering team put together a North Carolina state-fair-themed afternoon break spread that included butler-passed corn dogs, whoopie pies, caramel apples, cotton candy, and cheddar popcorn, as well as some healthy options such as almonds and fresh North Carolina apples.

On Monday afternoon, guests could choose from an extensive list of small-group experiences, including horseback riding, archery lessons, winery tours, and rafting. Before heading out, every guest received a branded gift bag relating to his or her chosen activity. For example, those taking part in outdoor activities got drawstring backpacks, packs of granola, and reusable water bottles (pictured).

On Monday night, guests attended a dessert party that had an eclectic vintage look, with vintage china from Upstyled Setting and lush florals by the Bloom Room presented in antique vases.

Later on, an after-party was held in hotel’s ballroom, which was transformed into a speakeasy for the evening. A faux brick façade and door, equipped with a sliding peephole and bouncer, signaled the party's "secret" location.

On the second day of meeting sessions, guests found packages at their seats containing the day's speaker lineup and Boogie Board LCD ewriters, which save notes and drawings as electronic files.

The second day's meeting break spread included fresh-squeezed lemonade and sugar cookies shaped like Mason jars and lemons.

The picnic lunches—presented in baskets provided by Gifts for the Good Life—included orzo pasta, fried apple pie, a fresh pear, and a choice of a turkey-and-provolone sandwich or a Southern-style vegetable bánh mì sandwich.

The Gatsby-themed closing-night gala was held in an airy white tent set up on the estate's South Terrace and Italian Garden.

Guests entered through a tented hallway lined with candelabras and rose petals before emerging into the main space, where an array of entertainment offerings packed the party, including vintage burlesque and cabaret dancers.

Charleston's Production Design Associates lit up the Biltmore House by projecting the custom-designed gala logo, created by Heather Arak-Kanofsky and Deborah Nadel, onto the façade.