Despite the changing seasons, Miami keeps dishing out the hottest parties and drawing the largest crowds. This situation was no different when palm trees were erected within the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and a combination of colored lights and smoke ushered more than 350 airline industry workers to the gala dinner for Cargo Facts' 12th Annual Aircraft Symposium, making this celebration one of the best attended in the organization's history.For the second year in a row, Edwin "Ned" Laird, managing director of Seattle-based Air Cargo Management Group, hired Ernie and Tyler Marchand of Marchand Northwest to help him create the perfect setting: one that was both professional and entertaining while suggestive of its South Beach locale.
"Laird asked for a South Beach-style atmosphere with a lot of Latin reveals, so that's what we aimed for," affirmed Ernie Marchand. "In fact, the reason for the two stages was so that we can get more interaction out of people by bringing the show out to them."
In order to do this, the Marchands took the two stages supplied by Loews—a 60- by 20-foot black main stage and an overhead-lit 10- by 10-foot satellite stage, just 20 feet apart—and dressed them with dozens of palm trees. In collaboration with lighting company Audio-Visual
Products Inc., they later lit these potted palms, as well as the rest of the room, with red, blue, green, and amber intelligent lights and high beams. Against the facility's walls, the same companies rigged flamingo pink lights to shoot upward like thick light sabers.
Gala attendees included a high-level group of airline executives ranging from subcontractors to operators to manufacturers, as well as people like financial brokers and managers of maintenance and modification centers. All were first treated to an hourlong cocktail reception. Later, as they entered the facility for the three-hour dinner event, spotlight operators flashed high beams on them, on-site entertainers helped walk them in, and smoke cut through the lights as it billowed from two synthetic smoke machines—one on the stage and one at the main entrance—both arranged by Marchand and requiring fire marshal supervision.
The night's entertainment, produced by Felix Vega of Mango's Tropical Cafe, was an eclectic combination of capoeira dancers, a Congo show, a 12-piece house band, a Tango couple, a master Flamenco guitarist, and a Batucada finale that brought everybody to their feet. The vibrantly costumed entertainers presented the many moods, songs, and cultures of the Americas over the course of four separate acts, only performing as people ate. When the music stopped, that meant a different course would soon be served.
Chef Jean Khoury and the rest of the Loews staff prepared a sumptuous feast that included a dual entrée of Chilean sea bass and grilled petite filet mignon with basil mousseline potatoes, a pinot noir reduction, and seasoned vegetables. Eventgoers were also treated to a chocolate-silked dome with a crème brulée center and .phpberry anglaise for dessert. JV Flowers supplied each table with a colorful Birds of Paradise floral centerpiece.
—Albert del Toral
Photos: Mango's Tropical Cafe
The costumes were vibrant and the percussion heavy as entertainers from Mango's Tropical Cafe performed in front of the dining crowd.
A master Flamenco guitarist and two dancers kicked off the second of four acts.
