Who's News in Special Events for March 24, 2022

Venue News

Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, located on the Santa Ana Pueblo between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, debuts an updated menu of teambuilding experiences for groups. The updated menu of group experiences includes hybrid guided bike rides through the Bosque riverside with views of the Sandia Mountains, Rio Grande River, and surrounding high-desert scenery.  Groups can also enjoy outdoor culinary experiences including green chile roasting sessions where groups can learn how to properly roast New Mexico’s famous chile pepper, as well as pueblo bread baking classes led by a Santa Ana Pueblo tribal member teaching the recipes and techniques used in making traditional oven bread. Additionally, wellness experiences are available for groups with custom body scrub making classes, private group yoga sessions overlooking the Sandia Mountains, guided meditation, and more. Groups can also learn more about the distinctive culture of the Santa Ana Pueblo through cultural experiences led by members of the Santa Ana Pueblo including Native American flute performances, traditional pueblo dances, artisan demonstrators and more. The resort also features group hot air balloon rides, wine and watercolor classes, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and volunteer work through the resort’s Tamaya Horse Rehabilitation program, a 501(c)3 organization that provides shelter and care to unwanted horses throughout the state.  Other teambuilding experiences include golf scrambles and tournaments, classes in mixology, wine tasting and cigar and spirits tasting. 

Circa Resort & Casino, downtown Las Vegas’ first new resort in four decades, will debut 35,000 square feet of meeting and convention space this September. When the property opened in late 2020, it changed the downtown landscape with unmatched amenities and architecture. The opening of its new event space marks the next phase in Circa’s evolution and delivers a completely new option for planners seeking an upscale and lively Las Vegas experience off the Strip. Circa’s meeting and convention offerings will feature a ballroom, breakout rooms and banquet space, adjacent pre-function space and a robust 1,600-square-foot outdoor terrace. Outfitted to complement Circa’s mid-century, art deco and modern design motifs, the spaces were designed by JCJ Architecture with the original design concept from Steelman Partners.    

The Gabriel Miami is now accepting group reservations in Downtown Miami with the launch of its new event space on the hotel’s third floor. The new meeting rooms, totaling at 2,117 sq. ft. of indoor space on the third floor, boast natural light and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto The Magic City’s sparkling skyline and Biscayne Bay. The 129-room high-rise is optimally situated minutes away from Miami’s vibrant art scene in Wynwood, the Design District and Miami Beach. Within walking distance from the FTX Arena, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and other cultural attractions, The Gabriel Miami is an ideal hotel gathering place with stylish rooms and chic design crafted for open interaction and enlightened conversations. Constellation Culinary Group, which leads culinary operations at Frost Science, PAMM and Adrienne Arsht Center, can provide a customized catering experience to complement any occasion at their respective locations or at The Gabriel Miami.  

People on the Move

THesis Hotel Miami is pleased to announce the appointment of Marijana Simmons as its new director of sales and marketing. Simmons assumes the position immediately, leading the hotel’s sales and marketing team, devising strategic sales and marketing plans, and overseeing revenue management. Simmons joins THesis Hotel with more than 15 years of notable experience in hospitality sales, hotel management, and real estate. Most recently, she served as the director of sales and marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group at EVEN Hotel in New York City, where she led the group sales team in reaching aggressive goals, secured over 50 local and global accounts, and increased overall sales for the property. Prior to her role at EVEN Hotel, Simmons served as director of sales and marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group’s Hotel Indigo in Downtown Brooklyn, where she oversaw sales, managed and trained incoming staff members, exceeded budgeted sales, and developed new local business partnerships. Simmons also held roles at real estate firms the Bouklis Group and Douglas Elliman, where she coordinated residential rentals and sales throughout the New York City area. 

Products on the Market

ChargerGoGo, the world’s leading network of on-demand, portable phone charging systems for commercial venues of all kinds, will exhibit at Booth No. 1351 during the Bar & Restaurant Expo held at the Las Vegas Convention Center March 21 – 23. ChargerGogo offers benefits for bars, lounges and restaurants, including boosted foot traffic, elevated customer experiences, increased sales and earned passive income through the company’s revenue-sharing model. Unlike static charging stations, ChargerGoGo allows customers to pick up a portable battery, charge their phones and then return the battery to any nearby ChargerGoGo kiosk, a first-of-its-kind service to debut at this scale. Ideal for installation at restaurants, bars, nightclubs and coffee shops as well stadiums, convention centers, hotels, hospitals and retail centers, ChargerGoGo allows users to charge their phones on the go, without wasting time or missing important notifications. Emerging as an essential amenity at a fast-growing number of businesses, ChargerGoGo’s kiosks may be found in Las Vegas at the Miracle Mile Shops, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, Las Vegas Convention Center, MGM Grand Garden Arena and AREA15 and in Southern California at Westfield Century City and Westfield Santa Anita among hundreds of others. In addition to its portable batteries, other features unique to ChargerGoGo include the kiosks’ customizable LED screens that can display the host’s promotional messages and a compact, modern design with custom wrapping options so the host venue can brand them with their logos or other imagery. ChargerGoGo also offers 24/7 customer support as well as charging station monitoring, enabling venues to monitor charging sales in real time.

OVG360 today announced that Gregory A. O’Dell is joining the full-service venue management and hospitality company as President, Venue Management. O’Dell will start his new role in April as he departs his position at the helm of Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia. He will report to Chris Granger, Chief Executive Officer of OVG360, which is the third-party, service-oriented division of  Oak View Group (OVG), the leading global venue development, advisory, and investment company for both the sports and live entertainment industries. With more than 25 years of experience, O’Dell will lead the venue management line of business within OVG360, overseeing venue operations for more than 230 properties across the globe, including stadiums, arenas, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairgrounds. He will be responsible for setting strategy to bolster sustainable operations, booking and content development, premium & sponsorship sales, public safety, public health & sanitization, parking & transportation, and many other venue competencies. O’Dell’s appointment follows OVG’s acquisition of Spectra, one of the industry’s leading venue management and hospitality providers, to create a leading full-service live events company. He has extensive experience in development and management of a diverse portfolio of venues, from the 2.3 million-square-foot Washington Convention Center to the Washington Nationals’ 41,000-seat, major league baseball stadium to a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena. In his prior role as president and CEO of Events DC, O’Dell oversaw three lines of business: conventions and meetings, sports and entertainment, and special events. His primary responsibilities included oversight of the creation and promotion of hospitality, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities that generate economic and community benefits for the residents and businesses of District of Columbia. He also managed Events DC’s development portfolio, with active projects that include a new multipurpose entertainment and sports arena on the campus of St. Elizabeths East in Congress Heights, the redevelopment of the RFK Stadium/Armory campus, a comprehensive streetscaping project around the 9-block exterior of the Convention Center and the redevelopment of the Carnegie Library inclusive of a primary tenant lease for Apple’s global flagship store. 

Hot Off the Presses

EUROPALCO, the largest provider of solutions for events and shows in Southern Europe, turns 25 and continues to grow and consolidate its country of origin, Portugal, as a privileged destination for the greatest corporate conferences on the continent. The Portugal-based company plans to continue growing in number of clients, employees and, above all, in number of solutions. “My main wish is to maintain the stability and growth of the company, and to ensure a motivated, united and happy team. I believe that EUROPALCO has no limits and its future depends on everyone”, concludes Magalhães. EUROPALCO turns 25 and continues to look forward; for the Portuguese company, when creativity is associated with the full potential of technological evolution, the possibilities are endless. EUROPALCO makes possible all the impossible events.