Bored of traditional theater- or classroom-style room setups? Designing a arrangement with an assortment of furniture "is an ideal way to provide flexibility and choices for attendees’ different personalities," says Michele Wilde, the resort's director of conference services and event sales.
Comfort is a priority, especially during lengthy meetings, Wilde says. Offering multiple seating options can keep attendees engaged and also suit different personalities.
A threesided set up gives attendees a sense of proximity to the speakers.
Bags that attendees received at registration had various charts taken from Quartz stories that could serve as conversation starters.
Not every event wants to meet at a hotel. Variety and WWD chose Smashbox Studios for a different feel.
The MGM Grand Spa in Las Vegas has 24 treatment rooms offering massages and skin and nail services. Groups can make arrangements to use the facility before and after traditional hours. In addition to full buyouts, smaller groups can reserve the V.I.P. suite, where services can be provided for 10 people. The spa menu includes specialty treatments such as the “Dreaming Ritual” that includes a foot bath, desert rose salt scrub, mud wrap, and massage, as well as a variety of express services that can be done between meetings. The spa’s fitness trainers can lead customized group classes for any skill level. The facility also has a whirlpool, sauna, steam room, lockers, and showers.
The Spa at Red Rock by Well & Being opened June 6 at Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. The facility can accommodate 230 spa treatments per day, and planners can reserve the entire facility for 450 people. In addition to traditional treatments for the face and body, the spa offers fitness classes, nutrition guidance, mind-body therapies, and integrative medicine. Management can also create a custom program that includes activities such as vertical wall yoga, outdoor hiking, and stress-management workshops.
A variety of wellness classes are available for groups at the Carillon Miami Beach. The hotel’s 70,000-square-foot spa and fitness center offers “Sip N Spin” spinning classes before and after drinks, as well as boot camps, yoga, rock climbing, Shamanic Journeys, group sound and color acupuncture sessions, guided meditation, progressive nutrition and wellness lectures, juice mixology classes, and tastings. The facility also has four pools and five movement studios, including one that is outside.
The spa at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, has 28 treatment rooms, an adults-only spa garden, and a European-inspired aqua thermal suite where guests can experience the extremes of hot and cold therapies. The spa also gives guests an opportunity to experience natural hot springs that flow from the Allegheny Mountains onto the property. There’s a large fitness facility that offers classes in aerobics, weight training, yoga, meditation, and more, as well as exercise physiologists who can do fitness assessments and create custom programs. The resort is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year.
The Eforea Spa at Hilton Orlando houses a spa, salon, and fitness center. The 15,000-square-foot facility has 15 treatment rooms, two couples rooms, three facial rooms, a steam room, and a 3,900-square-foot fitness facility. For large groups, the staff can offer about 150 50-minute massages, 36 50-minute facials, and 60 manicures and pedicures during a 12-hour day. The spa can also provide group classes such as yoga, Zumba, and water aerobics, and game-based activities such as scavenger hunts.
The Spa at Trump at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago is a 23,000-square-foot facility with 12 treatment suites for massages and body treatments. Amenities within each suite vary but can include a Vichy shower, a Swiss shower, and air jet tubs. The facility also has a 95-foot pool, saunas, steam rooms, and a fitness center. The spa’s group coordinator can create a custom menu of services to meet attendees’ needs.
Avanti Fort Worth, the Fort Worth outpost of one of Dallas’ most long-lived Italian restaurants, opened in April in downtown’s City Place development. Chef Mario Sanchez’s menu leans toward the traditional, with an Italian-centric wine list, and it’s as pricey as its Dallas counterpart. A private dining room is available with seating for about 60 guests.
The 96-suite SpringHill Suites Fort Worth Fossil Creek, which includes four luxury suites, opened in April in north Fort Worth’s Fossil Creek neighborhood, just minutes from downtown Fort Worth and even closer to the city’s historic Stockyards and Texas Motor Speedway. The hotel features 1,600 square feet of meeting space that can be configured to accommodate as many as 100 people in theater-style seating. Also available: an indoor swimming pool with whirlpool and a fitness center.
In July, Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra located in the Berkshires, hosted its Tanglewood Opening Night Gala. The event, which raised $475,000 and was attended by 410 guests, featured oversize wreath-like installations made of greenery and cascading blooms, along with a mix of floral and herb centerpieces.
Pasadena, California-based events and experiential marketing agency Innovate Marketing Group created a glam gala for local nonprofit Five Acres in June. Inspired by the historic Pasadena Gamble House, the agency designed a 1900s-theme event called “Soiree Under the Stars,” with cigar girls, vintage cars, and a jazz band. The annual fund-raiser also included silent and live auctions, a wine raffle, and a chance to win a diamond necklace.
