‘Months of Plans Up in Flames’
Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 2/8/2008 11:25:00 AM
Picture this: You’re flying into Las Vegas for the first conference you’ve ever organized, which is scheduled to start in two days. As your plane descends over the Strip, flames are billowing into the sky from atop the hotel you’ve booked for the conference. As soon as you land, you turn on your cell phone and get a call from a colleague who’s already on the ground, watching CNN: Yes, the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino, the site of your meeting, is on fire …
That was the situation Jan. 25 for Victoria Palmer, executive director of the Natl. Redesign Institute, which held its first conference in Las Vegas Jan. 27-30. Just before leaving town, at the end of what had to be one of the most stressful meeting launches in history, Palmer recapped the experience in a conversation with TSW Las Vegas Editor Heidi Genoist.
Question: How are you holding up? Answer: Oh my goodness (laughs). Well, pretty good now.
Q: What went through your mind when you realized what was going on? A: You hit town and your months of plans are going up in flames – it’s unbelievable. We not only had no place to stay, but we had no place for our meet-and-greet, no conference rooms, no catering for people coming in and our presenters were scheduled to stay there.
Q: What was the first thing you did? A: Call the Monte Carlo.
Q: What did they say? A: They bent over backwards to accommodate us, which was no easy feat, because of the 40 attendees we had coming in from all over. We were all, for the most part, staying at the Monte Carlo. We were all together as a group.
Q: Where did you go? A: We (organizers) came in a couple days early and stayed at Mandalay Bay (Resort & Casino) the first night. Then they moved us to the Signature (a luxury condo-hotel at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino). The Monte Carlo worked very hard to secure rooms for the guests coming in. That was really our first consideration to have resolved. I didn’t want to see our group end up all over town.
Q: Where did they end up? A: They put us all here at the Signature.
Q: Well, you could’ve done worse. A: Yes, it’s beautiful.
Q: So, what did you do next? A: We’re pretty resourceful: We regrouped, the four of us (organizers), and we went forward. I rented a hospitality suite here at the Signature, so we could have our meet-and-greet, which was scheduled Sunday night (Jan. 27).
Q: Where did you hold the actual conference? A: The only place we could find for it was the Tropicana (Resort & Casino). They bent over backwards for us as well, for such short notice. I mean, what were the chances of finding a room large enough to hold us, and the catering we needed, and the AV and everything?
Q: Did all the attendees you were expecting come, despite the news of the fire? A: I believe there was one who couldn’t make it due to weather. They were troopers.
Q: So, they handled the confusion well? A: Yes, in fact, I think that we were a huge success, because they couldn’t believe we pulled it off. Everybody was so accommodating.
Q: What was the biggest inconvenience? A: Well, it doesn’t seem like much when you consider there was a fire, but the Signature had no shuttles, so we all shared taxis back and forth (between the Signature and Tropicana). Everybody was very good natured about it.
Q: What was the tensest part? A: The communication was crazy. I couldn’t remember who we had called, who we hadn’t called, who we had to call. I was worried about Sherwin Williams (whose group included a speaker). I wasn’t sure where they were, but all the speakers made it, even them.
Q: Will you do it again next year? A: I think so, yes.
Q: Here in Las Vegas? A: Maybe. On our last day, we had planned an excursion to the World Market
Center for the Las Vegas Market. We passed out an extensive evaluation to ask attendees how much they based coming here on the market. We haven’t had time to look at those, but from the reaction of the attendees that stayed for part of today, who went to the market, I certainly think Vegas might still be in the cards – excuse the pun.
Q: What is redesign, exactly? A: It’s something that the average client absolutely loves. We go into your home, and using existing furnishings and accessories, and based on what you’re trying to achieve with a certain space, we give it a completely new look.
