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| C O N T E N T S |
Fall 2008 |
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COVER STORY
Rob’s Rules: Sitting Pretty
One might assume that creating a seating arrangement for an event would be easy. However, after all these years, I am still amazed at how much thought and preparation go into it. When I first started in the event industry, I relied on the facility staff to determine the room setup. Big mistake! Relying on people you don’t know can have you sweating harder than Whitney Houston going through customs. I quickly began noticing what worked and what didn’t. And it became clear that I needed to know what table size, what linen size, how much space and even what linen color I needed to make my event...
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| FEATURES |
| Features |
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Gone are the days when meeting planners had to pick one of a few available software packages, and hope that it met most of their requirements.
Today, with the help of the Internet, software providers say their industry is leaning toward customization. They say meeting planners shouldn’t
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The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Meetings
Also known as the American Competitiveness and Corporate Accountability Act of 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act came into being following the much-publicized accounting scandals that rocked companies such as Enron and WorldCom in the past
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Favazza’s
Missouri Meetings & Events is always on the prowl for ways to make its content more useful and enjoyable, so the magazine invited several St. Louis-based meeting planners in May 2008 to solicit their ideas for future issues.
Seated in comfortable
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| Facility Focus |
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Albrecht-Kemper Museum
The visual arts in Kansas City have experienced a renaissance that could only be imagined 10 years ago. In 1998, the city leaned on the venerable Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the four-year-old Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and a scattering of
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Marianist Retreat and Conference Center
With the rising cost of gas, getting your group away from the hustle and bustle of the city may seem to be a costly mission. However, it is often necessary to get out of the office to avoid the distractions that can keep your team from
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Centrally located in Missouri, with the Lake of the Ozarks as its backdrop, sits The Resort at Port Arrowhead. This premier facility has earned the distinction of being a meeting planners’ dream property. Situated on the banks of the Lake, the Resort at Port Arrowhead has moved to the top of the
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The Wildcat Glades and Conservation Center
The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center may be like the office in some ways. Activity abounds, and information fills the senses. Some soar, and others slither, while still others just try to blend into their surroundings.
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| Destinations |
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Fenton, Missouri
The City of Fenton, Missouri is known as the “City of Parks” because of the 350-plus acres of parks where residents and business people can relax during a busy day. Fenton could also be known as the “City of Meetings,” since the community is the hub of
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Liberty, Missouri
Downtown Liberty is the kind of place that just makes you take a deep breath. The old-fashioned square of a county seat; the tree-lined neighborhoods; a small college up the hill, with its 19th Century red-brick charm. You know you are in America when you
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| Events 101 |
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Generations X and Y Events
She’s the young executive at the end of the conference table, taking notes while secretly text messaging her friends about the weekend. He’s the newest VP, leading the account but ready to send out his résumé at the hint of company downsizing.
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| Meet Over Eats |
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Prime Events in Classic KC Jack Fiorella is a guy who goes his own way. And he doesn’t really mind butting up against some sacred cows along the route. So it’s not all that surprising that Fiorella decided to venture away from the family business and do his own thing more than 30 years ago. It
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Celebrations Restaurant
If you’re looking for gourmet dining with a seasonal focus, try Celebrations Restaurant and Bar in historic Cape Girardeau. The award-winning restaurant was started by James and Pat Allen in 1997 and boasts “elegant yet relaxed fine dining.”
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| GIFT GIVING 101 |
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Corporate gifts are a time-honored way to tell business partners you value them. But custom fine-art gifts are an increasingly popular way to say it with extra panache – and make a statement about your own good taste at the same time.
The goal is to create a memorable gift
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| Rob's Rules |
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One might assume that creating a seating arrangement for an event would be easy. However, after all these years, I am still amazed at how much thought and preparation go into it. When I first started in the event industry, I relied on the facility staff to determine the room setup. Big mistake!
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READ MORE
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| IN THIS ISSUE |
| People Update |
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Missouri Botanical Garden Announces New President of Human Resource Management
Rebecca Ingram-Kutey has joined the Missouri Botanical Garden staff as vice president of the Human Resource Management division. She will oversee diversity initiatives, recruitment, programs, and benefits for the
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The Kemp Foundation has recently added Rodger Van Ness as Executive Director. Prior to this appointment, Van Ness has been a board member of the Kemp Auto Museum and Foundation, and is currently serving as the National Vice President of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America.
The Foundation and Auto
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Mount Pleasant Winery, a 9,200 square-foot tasting and bottling experience in Branson, Missouri, celebrated its grand opening last April and has added two managers to its staff.
Joann Chamberlain has joined the winery as group sales manager, responsible for increasing tourism and group sales. She
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As part of the renovation and rebranding of the Sheraton Clayton Plaza St. Louis’ restaurant and lounge, Christian Gullet has been added to the staff as Executive Chef.
For more information on Chef Gullet or the hotel’s extensive renovations, please contact hotel General Manager Dwight
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Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, Missouri has announced the addition of Genny Vatterott Haas as a new marketing representative. Ms. Haas’ family connection—her parents currently own Cedar Creek and her grandparents were the original owners—underscores her dedication to this appointment.
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Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa, and Convention Center welcomes the return of Doug Knopp as Executive Chef of Branson, Missouri’s only AAA Four-Diamond resort. Rob’s career spans 20 years of culinary excellence, including 11 years at the Four Seasons Hotels in Toronto, Houston, Vancouver, and on
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The Sheraton® Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis and Marcus Hotels and Resorts announced the recent addition of Dwight Hopfauf as General Manager of the hotel. Hopfauf has more than twenty years of service within the Marcus Hotels and Resorts chain. He most recently served as General Manager with Hotel
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Tracy Kimberlin, president of the Springfield, Mo., Convention & Visitors Bureau, marked his 20th year of service on July 1, 2008. Prior to being hired in 1988, he served on the board of directors for six years and spent 10 months as executive director in 1987. When Kimberlin first joined the
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| Industry Update |
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The Jefferson City CVB recently added a page specifically for podcasts and videos about Jefferson City to its Web site. The Bureau currently has two podcasts and three videos on the page, with plans to add more in the future at the rate of about once a month.
Currently, the podcasts include
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The Branson Lakes Area CVB has been recognized for two major awards for their commitment to hospitality excellence. The Pinnacle Award was given through Successful Meeting Magazines and was awarded on the basis of the first-hand feedback (on a 10-point scale in four different areas) from meeting
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The Elms Resort & Spa, located in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, has a long and fascinating history—one that has included such famous (and infamous) guests as Jack Dempsey and the New York Giants; President Harry S. Truman; and crime figures Al Capone, Bugsy Moran, and “Pretty Boy” Floyd. For the
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The CoCo Key Water Resort, at the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel, held its Grand Opening to the public on May 21, 2008 and over the Memorial Day weekend (May 23–May 26). The hotel and water resort offer overnight, “triple play,” and group-rate packages to guests, as well as reservations
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Mount Pleasant Winery was founded in 1859 and is located in Augusta, Missouri. This winery, America’s first designated wine district, now provides another reason to head to Branson.
On April 11, 2008, the winery opened its brand-new 9,200 square-foot tasting and bottling facility. Besides
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As part of their community outreach efforts, The Omni Majestic Hotel of St. Louis recently partnered with Village Talent Academy for a dynamic music education initiative. The program is designed to cultivate the musical talent of youth by introduction to music theory, music history, and experience
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The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC, recently completed the purchase of the 910-room St. Louis Adam’s Mark Hotel—as part of its purchase of the 4,867-room Adam’s Mark Hotel portfolio—from HBE Corp. of St. Louis.
Chartres Lodging has also announced the $63-million renovation and reposition of
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The Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and ASTM International, one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world, have partnered in the important endeavor of defining what is “green” in the meetings and events industry. The immediate goal is
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As breathtaking as an Ozark mountain sunset, Branson Ridge Winery & Marketplace will offer a new winery experience to the Midwest. Perched on a scenic ridge just North of Branson, Missouri, this unique winery will feature state-of-the-art winemaking facilities, picturesque vineyards, a Bistro
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| Organizations & Associations |
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Walk through the halls of nearly every Fortune 500 company, and they will be there. Often overlooked and undervalued, their services keep international corporations running smoothly. This vital network of professionals known as administrative assistants is the life-blood of corporate America.
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| Faces & Places Captions |
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Dozens of exhibitors turned out for the Taste of Fenton on June 25, 2008 at the UAW Local 136 in Fenton Missouri. From left to right are Bob Berry, Rockwood Bank; Lisa Rackley and Jeannie Braun, Fenton Area Chamber of Commerce; and Julie Krapf, Midwest BankCentre.
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Missouri Meetings & Events was proud to be an exhibitor at the Taste of Fenton. Pictured are Ronald McDonald and MM&E’s Vikki Matthews.
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The new Lamborghini dealership in Chesterfield, MO was opened on June 19, 2008 by a wide range of VIP’s including Pietro Frigerio - COO of Automobili Lamborghini America LLC in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Daniele Fancello Regional Sales Manager USA – South East of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., in
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MM&E Publisher Joe Clote poses with St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger, Albert Pujols, at the grand opening of the new Lamborghini dealership in Chesterfield, MO.
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The 5th Annual HSMAI Missouri/MPI St. Louis Golf tournament was held on May 19 at Far Oaks Golf Club. The 1st Place winners of the A-Flight were (from left to right): Kelly Wylie (Nike Inc.), Nancy Acord (Monsanto Company), Bill Van Loon (Rocky Mountain Connections) and Doug Beckerle (Legacy
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The funds raised from this tournament support student scholarships program, monthly educational chapter meetings and the financial contribution to Hospitality’s Helping Hands. Winners of the B-Flight were John Bettag (St. Louis CVC) Corey Nappier, (independent planner), Brad Bronenkamp (Bronenkamp
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The 5th Annual President’s Dinner & Board Installation for ISES took place on June 17, 2008 at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis 2008 – 2009 ISES Board. In order from left to right is: Kelly Whitman, Director; Eric Habert, VP of Communications; Debbie Beckman, Director; Marianne Moore,
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Cameo Gerdes, Joplin CVB Director of Sales; Jim Murphy, Director of Interactive Media for Hoffman Lewis; and Martha Getz, Joplin CVB’s Convention and Tourism Assistant at the Sunday reception for the 2008 Annual MACVB Conference on June 1, 2008. The conference was held at the Sheraton Westport.
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CoCo the Parrott with Jim Jirik, Sales Manager for the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel at the grand opening of CoCo Keys Water Resort, located in the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel, on May 20, 2008.
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Joe Clote, MM&E Publisher; Julia Johnson, MM&E Assistant Editor; and Johnny Danrich III, CMP, Director of Sales for the Omni Majestic Hotel, meet at the meeting planner event hosted by the St. Louis Cardinals at the Busch Stadium in the Conference Center and Champions Club on April 29, 2008.
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Midwest Concerts & Events’ Gary Bartlett and MM&E’s Vikki Matthews with entertainer Bob Anderson on June 11, 2008. Anderson performs a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra and friends in the Club ‘57 at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater.
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The MM&E staff enjoyed a lunch outing at the Tenderloin Room in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel on May 9, 2008. From Left to Right are MM&E’s Joe Clote; Owner of the Tenderloin Room, Dino Karagiannis; and MM&E’s Vikki Matthews, Keith Wheeler and Mike Drury. For more information on the
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Missouri Meetings & Events hosted the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event May 29, 2008. The assembled group heard from a number of speakers, including Maria Maldonado, owner of Puckett Flooring. The event was held at MM&E’s south St. Louis city office.
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MM&E was a proud sponsor of the Hacemos Scholarship Golf Tournament held April 26, 2008 in Forest Park. HACEMOS, the St. Louis Chapter of the Hispanic/Latino Employee Association of AT&T, began a scholarship program in 2000.
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The Hacemos Scholarship Golf Tournament is now the main fundraising project to generate the revenue needed for these scholarships. Pictured are Luis Martinez, board member for the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and agent for LGM Professional Consulting Firm (left), with fellow golfers.
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