Tag Archives: fairplex

Event Industry News: The Golden Globes, the parties that followed, Facebook reveals new element, CES recap

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Event Season: Sunday marked the official start of the event season in Los Angeles with the Golden Globes. Tina Fey and Amy Pohler made for brilliant hosts, Jodie Foster’s speech is fast becoming infamous and Argo took a lot of awards. So did Les Miserables.  Next up are the Grammys and the Oscars.

P.S.: In case you were interested, BizBash covered the best of the best in after parties.

CES: Despite news reports predicting (and reporting) the conference to be unexciting and irrelevant to technology and the general public, crowds of over 150,000 showed up to take in over 20,000 new gadgets and wander for hours in the 1.92 million square feet of the Consumer Electronics Show, held in Vegas. Top trends included smart cars, on-the-go mobile charging devices, an overdose of television screens, a variety of transportation devices including motorized skateboards and unicycles and home alarm systems (activated via smartphone) that monitor everything from doors opening to the medicine you take.

Bringing it back to Fairplex: The Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center celebrated its first anniversary this past week. As the company continues to grow as a regional leader in the hospitality industry it was a great feeling to look back and see what an asset the conference center and hotel have been to us.

Social Media: Today Facebook revealed their next big installation to the site: Graph Search. More info here.

Heads up: Make-a-thons have arrived:  Innovative minds come together at an event to build and design items for a purpose. In other words, they use their talents to benefit the social good. Julius Solaris wrote a fantastic blog post on some of the newest in event concept design.

3 things to know about this weekend’s Tattoo & Body Art Expo

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The Tattoo & Body Art Expo is back at Fairplex this weekend (Jan 11-13) and it is the mecca of all meccas for anyone with an itch for the ink.

It used  to be that tattoos were only for the rebellious and wild at heart, but it is an increasingly common outlet of self expression. The Pew Research Center did a survey in 2012 announcing that 40% of adults ages 26-40 have at least one tattoo.

Tattoos don’t have to be full-on sleeves. Plenty of college kids (and older!) have smaller tattoos representing a piece of themselves to the world. Not convinced? Here are my top 3 reasons to check out the convention yourself:

1. Diversity: The Tattoo & Body Art Expo caters to all ages and all walks of life. Of course those under the age of 18 won’t be getting inked here but it is great exposure to a unique artistic culture. You will see things and meet people you didn’t know existed. That is a solid guarantee.

2. Get Inked: Over 200 tattoo artists are setting up shop just for you. Some of the most professional and skilled artists will be on hand including experts from New York Ink and L.A. Ink. Booking appointments with your favorite artists is advised.

3. Plenty of entertainment: Best Tattoo of the Day Contest, live bands, the Enigma Freak Show and the Miss Body Art Expo Competition are just a few of the events going on throughout the day. Plus the KROQ promo crew will be blasting their tunes on Saturday afternoon.

If tattoos are your thing or you just have a penchant for novelty, stop by Fairplex this weekend and see the creativity for yourself. Purchase a ticket at the door, grab a beer and stroll through the aisles of talent and enjoy the sights.

For information on ticket prices, hours and more, click here.

Upcoming Fairplex Events in 2013

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…And we are back!

As usual, the holiday season was jam-packed with parties. Fairplex and the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center played host to a number of events towards the end of December and we aren’t slowing down in the slightest with 2013!

Some of our upcoming events include…

ArtReach 2013 (The Art of Food): The second annual regional high school art exhibition will showcase the artwork and talent of local students in the form of visual art work, the theme being food! Parents, friends and others in the community can check out the creativity at the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts.

Upland Lemon Festival: On the last weekend of April, the Upland Lemon Festival brings  the Upland community and surrounding areas together to celebrate the agricultural history of the town. Swing by downtown Upland and check out the rides, food competitions, Lemon Idol and other fun activities.


Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition: 2013 marks the 75th annual wine competition at Fairplex with entries from around the world. We can’t wait to see (and taste!) the different wines, spirits and olive oils this year’s competitors will bring.

 

Kaboom!: Celebrate the 4th of July with us for a day full of motorcross, monster trucks and a spectacular fireworks show. Fairplex also offers a buffet to guests. It’s a great way to kick off the summer festivities.

 

L.A. County Fair 2013: It’s hard to picture the Fair now, with snow on the mountain tops and the heater on high, but before you know it, the L.A. County Fair will be up and running and the smell of deep-fried everything will float through the air.

 

Looks like 2013 will be full of fun and excitement for Fairplex!

 

Holiday Fun in the Inland Empire

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As winter break nears, the holiday spirit seems to infect everyone. There are plenty of festive events happening as we close out 2012. Here are some of our top choices for the Inland Empire area:

1. Holiday Cookie Decorating Party at Fairplex

Join us at the Flower & Garden Pavilion this Thursday (Dec. 13) for an afternoon of cookies, frosting, sprinkles, hot chocolate, arts & crafts, games and fun!

Whether you decide to save your cookies for dessert with the family or to demolish them on the spot (by way of teeth and tummy), it is up to you.

Unleash the creative side of your brain and decorate a cookie and spend some time with the IE community over a cup of hot chocolate!

 

2. Mission Inn Festival of Lights

MissionInn.com

For the past 20 years, the owners of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa have opened their holiday-eager arms to the community by way of lighting up their resort with over 3.6 million Christmas lights, opening an outdoor ice skating rink (available until Dec. 20), setting up a fully ornamented Christmas tree, bringing Santa Claus to the kids and unleashing the talents of Dickensian carolers.

3. Christmas In The Colonies
Those who grew up in Southern California might remember field trips to Riley’s Farm during the fall and spring months to learn all about log building, square dancing, apple picking and essentially being  transported into a world devoid of television, electricity and the comforts of modern day living. During the holiday season Riley’s Farm transforms into colonial Virginia with Christmas in the Colonies complete with a Christmas feast, carols and “old-school” dancing.

4. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. The Inland Empire is just minutes away from the snowy mountains! If you are so inclined, take the family up for a time of sledding, snowball fights, snowman building and for those who have  the skill, ski and snowboard before the short season comes to an end.

The past month has been full of Christmas and holiday celebrations, parades and festivals. If there are any you would like to give a shout-out to, just leave a comment below and we’ll add it to this post!

10 tips for making your client happy

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Fairplex is more than just the L.A. County Fair. The Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Conference Center as well as several areas of the campus are utilized for events throughout the year, from conferences to trade shows, dinner parties to weddings.

I sat down with Beth Gallagher, director of food and beverage at Fairplex to ask what she does to ensure her clients the best event experience possible. Here are some of her most helpful tips:

1. Understand client expectations. What may seem like a small part of the event for you can be a stressful ordeal for the client. Know what your client’s priorities are and what they are worried about and attend each task accordingly.

2. Get the basic blueprint. During the initial conversation Beth makes sure to get basic information from the client before any detailed planning. How many people are attending, what time of day the event is and the nature of the event are all questions she gets answered before deciding what space would be most accommodating to them.

3. Uncover the details.This goes back to listening to clients. Sometimes a client won’t verbalize a clear picture of what they want or they just glaze over the details. Uncover their tastes and pick up on clues as you prepare to draft your proposal to them.

4. Customize, customize, customize. Not every hotel has the flexibility to do this, but at Fairplex, Beth makes it a top priority to customize the event packages, meals and venue as exactly to the client’s preferences as possible. Whether it’s lighting, color schemes or bringing in additional furniture or decor, try to make the event as unique to your client as possible. Make them feel like they matter.

5. Know your real estate. Sell your event space as real estate. “The zip code for one of our ballrooms on a Saturday night is the equivalent of Beverly Hills,” Beth said. The price per square foot is higher when the space is in demand. The price changes from day to day, season to season.

6. On decorating… Fairplex staff tries to meet all client needs as much as possible. This includes not only catering and lights but decorating the event space as well. Beth collaborates with her team and, based off the agenda and theme given to her by the clients, transforms the facilities into a space worthy of mention. “We evolve what we have into what they want,” Beth said. So far that has meant everything from a ballroom into a night club, an expo hall into an ice rink and a lawn into a jazz lounge.

7. Make sure your teams work well together–or at least get the job done. “We work like siblings,” Beth says. “Sometimes teams don’t agree on the way something should be done, but at the end of the day we have the same goal. Whatever we do, we make sure there is a constant line of communication.” Your client will be most happy when the job is done.

8. Be a perfectionist but know when to let go. The success is in the details. It’s important to care about the little things as well as see the big picture. At the same time it’s essential to know when to let something go. If you–the perfectionist event planner–are the only one who notices it, and your client and his/her guests are having a good time, just let it go.

9. Keep diversity (especially culture) in mind when it comes to food.When it comes to food the first thing to do is figure out how important it is to a client. In some cultures the quality of food is a way of displaying a client’s status. In other cultures it is the main form of showing hospitality. The bottom line is that realizing food preferences and level of importance differs with each client. See what works best for that particular scenario.

10. Know your venue’s strengths and capitalize on them. Fairplex and the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Conference Center excels in customizable space, high quality food and excellent customer service. The first thing Beth shows potential clients is the flexibility each space has. This can be anything from setting up a mock wine tasting to an elaborate table display during the initial visit.

Beth entered the event industry working for a small party rental company. Since then she has spent time working on sales and event operations for the Olympics, sports arenas throughout the nation and professional golf and tennis tournaments. She also owned her own catering company prior to joining the team at Fairplex.

Thank you, Huell Howser

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Earlier this week news broke that Huell Howser will be retiring from his beloved show “Calfornia’s Gold” at the end of 2012.

For 19 years Huell has taken viewers up, down and throughout California, taking the time to showcase people and places that might be overlooked otherwise.

He has even come to Fairplex a couple times, most notably to check out the Fairplex Garden Railroad and the Railroad Museum. We are honored to have been featured on the genuine, fun show that captured the eyes and hearts of many in California and beyond.

Thank you Huell! We were happy to be a part of California’s Gold we will definitely miss you! We wish you a happy retirement.

Thanksgiving has ended, but the feast has just begun!

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Our annual Table to Farm Dinner is this weekend and preparations are almost completed. We are excited to welcome guest chef Fabrizia Lanza to Fairplex. Fabrizia is a professional chef at the world-famous Anna Tasca-Lanza cooking school in Sicily, Italy.

The evening includes cocktail hour meet & greet with Ms. Lanza,
a family-style dinner celebrating recipes from Ms. Lanza’s new
cookbook paired with wines from the Regaleali estate, Tasca d’Almerita, and medal winners from the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition.

 

We are eager to “travel” to Sicily and experience her fine dishes for ourselves!

Celebrating Dads and Cars

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It’s Father’s Day weekend and that means the annual L.A. Roadsters Show is here. A 48-year tradition, the Roadsters Show offers two days full of fun for the car-loving dad in your house (or mom!). Check out our web page for tickets and hours, www.fairplex.com, and don’t miss the Dad’s Backyard BBQ at the Longboard Bar on Sunday. To whet your appetite, here is some eye candy from the show:

 

Dr. Detail’s Journey to Pomona

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Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show is this Sunday. We have a guest blog about Dr. Detail written by Tony Barthel from the Curbside Auto Column and Car Show Calendar, who writes for Pomona Swap Meet’s Blog.

This issue of the Swap Meet newsletter has a thread that weaves through the stories, where people get their start because life has thrown them a curve ball and they step up to the plate and knock that curve ball right out of the park. Such is also the case with Dr. Detail, who started his business for his mom 40 years ago, after she got put out to pasture at just 70 years young.

In those days he was already coming to Pomona with the 240Z club and, as a research chemist, he set mom Margaret (Peggy) Loomis up with the detail business. Oh, that’s right, you all know her as Swap Meet Mom. “She was a bookkeeper, but she could sell as well as I can,” said son Wayne Loomis of the lady who inspired Dr. Detail. So what we’re saying here, is that a research chemist sets up a detailing supply company for his mom, who finds customers at the Pomona Swap Meet. Yeah, that’s about right. But what makes Dr. Detail different is that Wayne knows about the ingredients in the products he sells, so he can spot the winners. Wait, maybe it’s the winners that don’t spot, after all, it is the detail biz. Anyhow, Dr. Detail researches his products and also loves the Pomona Swap Meet because he can listen to what customers are asking for. From there, he visits with the manufacturers and develops a line of products that help detailers all over the world to do a fantastic job. “I not only set them up, but spend time with them on choosing products and how to use them – how to start, how to price. I’ll help them to whatever degree it takes to get into the business,” states Wayne. These products include cleaning products, pinstriping supplies, pressure washers and much, much more.

One of the more interesting things is that Wayne, er, Dr. Detail, is seeing more and more people stop by his booth at Pomona and ask about getting into the detailing business. Unlike so many opportunities nowadays, you can step into the detailing business with almost no money and get started. “All you need is a bucket and a hose,” joked Wayne. Well, actually, that’s not far from the truth. But you can step up and get a very professional rig that can be towed behind most vehicles for well under $5000 and that will mean you’ve got a very high-quality detailing machine. So here’s a business with small starting capital, where you can really clean up. Insert rim shot here.

In all seriousness, it is a good business and having someone who has your back is certainly a very good thing. In fact, Dr. Detail is holding a class sponsored by the County of Orange next month to help detailers deal with runoff. Presently, a lot of governmental bodies are clamping down on what runs into our storm drains and these workshops help detailers mitigate runoff, which helps both in compliance with local regulations, but also means they’re greener. Hey, that’s a good thing!

While Swap Meet Mom has since passed away, Dr. Detail continues with his stakehold at the Pomona Swap Meet. “It’s the best – I’d never miss a Pomona Swap Meet. People come from all over the world,” Wayne says fondly. That’s not a stretch, either. Dr. Detail has met people from countries like Australia, New Zealand and Japan and, in some cases, sold them entire container loads of detailing supplies. “It ends up being cheaper to buy and ship from here, than to buy on their home turf. Plus they get a trip to America as well.”

Dr. Detail is also available at his store in Fullerton, CA.,which is located at 1115 W. Orangethorpe. You can also reach him by phone at (714) 870-8555 or on the Internet at http://drdetailforless.com/. Of course you can find him at the Pomona Swap Meet, on Road 23, Spaces 12, 14, 16 and 18 at each and every event, where he listens to his many repeat and new customers and helps them with their own success.
If you don’t find Dr. Detail behind his booth, you’ll likely have the pleasure of meeting one of the kids he meets at church, who generally have their first jobs working Dr. Detail’s booth. “I like to give back to the community and help people get their start,” asserts Dr. Detail.

It’s nice to meet someone who likes to give back – that puts a positive spin on the story for sure.