Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank was the site of Prevue’s Visionary Summit in November.
From start to finish, Prevue’s Experiential Meeting Design Summit November 17 to 20 showcased ways to create an authentic LA experience for groups.
We’ll begin with the grand finale: an evening at the American Music Awards on November 19. After a morning of brunch, hair and makeup appointments, and overall pampering, attendees were whisked away to the Microsoft Theater at LA Live for an exclusive cocktail party on the red carpet, where they had the chance to watch the stars—from Pink to the Korean boy band BTS—arrive and pose for photos before the show. A special surprise was when Diana Ross, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, heard the group call her name, stopped and shared a full-on smile and wave. Only in LA!
We just knew our meeting at Warner Bros. Studios the day before would be anything but boring—and we were right. The morning sessions—Busting Your Event Assumptions with Sharon Fisher of Play With a Purpose, an experience mapping workshop led by Carina Hessmer of Entire Productions and Using Meeting Apps to Engage Attendees by Jeannie Power of Power Event Group—were held in the Commissary Fine Dining Room, which can accommodate up to 200 guests. It is in use during the week but was available since our meeting was on a Saturday and was specially decorated with big B&W glam shots of movie stars like Bette Davis who had passed through this historic lot over the years. For lunch, guests stepped outside to Brownstone Street, a replica of old New York (and the same street where E.R. was filmed), to a bright and colorful Mexican fiesta (below), and then the afternoon was held in the screening room. There, a panel discussion by some of LA’s top event experts—Elizabeth Giron of Bixel & Co, Russell Harris of Russell Harris Productions and Clint Upchurch of Extraordinary Events—showcased experiences they created for client companies and sparked some frank dialog with the attendees. The final session by Brent Bushnell followed his journey growing up as the son of Nolan Bushnell, creator of Atari, to his position today as a thought leader in the world of immersive entertainment and CEO of Two Bit Circus.
Attendees were able to sample three LA hotels: the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport, which hosted the group; The Garland, where we stopped for cocktails and tasty hors d’oeuvres; and Hilton Universal City, which hosted a beautiful seasonal dinner. The Hyatt Regency, just coming off a two-year redesign, does not even slightly feel like an airport property but rather a chic, stylish downtown hotel.The rooms are slick and contemporary, there’s an outdoor pool with cabanas and fire pits and the only place where you remember you are at the airport is in the penthouse fitness center, watching the planes take off as you work out. The hotel is already becoming known for its F&B, with its restaurant, unity la, serving up local plates such as drunken noodles from Thai Town and fish tacos from Santa Monica. The Garland, a 257-room hidden gem in North Hollywood inspired by actress Beverly Garland (of My Three Sons fame), charmed the attendees with its glittering outdoor garden, crackling fireplace and pops of orange and red in the distinctly 60s/70s retro furnishings. The Hilton Los Angeles Universal City, which sits literally steps away from Universal Studios and Citywalk, showed off its lovely recent renovation of the massive meeting space (60,000 sf).
An airport hotel, really? The new Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport hosted attendees.
Many thanks to the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, which sponsored the Summit along with Caesars Entertainment; to Dianne Katzman Design, which created a jewelry amenity experience where attendees designed their own music-themed bracelets during the opening reception; and to Bixel & Co for its flawless execution and customer service as the event’s DMC partner. Sign up now for Prevue’s 2018 Summits here, space is limited.
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