Eventful

(photo from Platinum Productions)

Several posts ago, I teased about some of the reasons for our busy and busier weeks at the hotel, so I guess I better follow through on that tease, eh?  I had mentioned previously why going "unplugged" was necessary after the the wild weeks we've been having.  The reason for the wild are multiple, multi-faceted events at the hotel that have kept us happily hopping.  It is also an interesting thing to be in my position at the hotel and to also be such a die-hard fan of the Elms, because it often presents a perplexing dichotomy that is difficult to reconcile at times. I thrill at these ever-more intriguing events our talented sales team book, but the increasing opportunity for....well, let's say mishaps...make these events a bit of a nail-biter for the guy who also has to make whatever calls might (hopefully and typically not, but might) be necessary to the insurance company for any accidents that may occur. On the other hand, when your Spa Director also runs a fire-spinning troupe called the PyroSapiens in his spare time, you also learn to just stop, drop and roll with the punches, as it were.



(photo of Quixotic by Platinum Productions)





In the past two weeks, we've seen a little bit of everything in our hallways and event spaces.  Amongst the weddings and meetings and sold-out spa days were some group events that had some fascinating aspects to them. One group had a mystery dinner train-style set up and performance in their ballroom event. The entertainment for another group included everything from Kevin's fire-spinning to an illusionist and a medium to a plethora of exotic animals including a chinchilla, a lynx, a lemur, a South American armadillo and the most adorable baby kangaroo you've ever seen. Yet another mega-event was hosted by Verizon and between the gorgeous setup from Platinum Productions, the hip-hop violinist throwing down in the Regent Ballroom and the ethereal, stunning performances by Quixotic, it was wonderful to witness.

That said, when aerialists perform, there is always a bit of breath-holding going on, but when the aerialists are spinning from your ballroom ceiling; the exhale doesn't happen until its all said and done.

In the end, the amazing Quixotic artists were breathtaking in the absolute best way. Of course, holding all of these events together is our dedicated, hard-working staff who I literally believe can handle just about anything at this point.  Kudos to all of their phenomenal hard work these past few weeks.

It also goes without saying that the brilliant food put out from Chef Jordan and the kitchen crew certainly helped showcase these events as well. Sometimes, even the grounds and elements themselves appear to anticipate these moments for the Elms to shine; if one were to judge by the welcoming patio weather and the perfectly-timed blooms on the magnolia trees for the Verizon event. 

Its very gratifying to see our beloved Elms decked to the nines for all of these exciting events.  Can't wait to see what the future holds...

(above two photos of Quixotic by Platinum Productions)