Client Objective:
Design a fantastic corporate conference in San Antonio with flawless airport transportation, VIP amenities, a unique offsite event for an awards ceremony, and a winery tour in Fredericksburg, all while including touches of the local destination and finding the options that fit best with the company attributes.
Challenges:
- Weather – The offsite event we designed included an outdoor reception, but the wind was stronger than expected, and the temperature was forecasted to be cooler than normal.
- Flight Delays – Guests for this event often come from remote or small towns, and had to connect in larger airports in order to get to the destination. Weather events caused multiple flight delays and cancellations, which in turn required up-to-the minute adjustments on our end for guest arrival transportation.
The Blue Spark Plan:
Here is how we achieved the client’s conference goals. They did not want to repeat a recent location and they wanted to intrigue the guests so attendance would be high. For this event, they chose San Antonio, Texas at the The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio.
Day 1
We orchestrated airport arrival transportation for 300 guests utilizing shuttles based on the group’s manifests, and provided a high-touch service level by having staff stationed at the airport to assist guests in finding their baggage carousels and escorting them to the waiting shuttles.
Because both Blue Spark and our transportation partner stayed on top of all the flight delays and changes, the guests felt their arrival process was quite easy and convenient.
Meanwhile, the VIP amenities that we had designed were assembled and then distributed to guest rooms during the welcome reception that evening. The amenities were filled with elements that showcased a flair of the local area – from salsa to nuts to locally made popcorn, each guest received a custom taste of San Antonio to enjoy during their week.
Day 2
The client wanted their offsite event held at a venue with strong San Antonio attributes, so we arranged for them to have it at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.
The reception in the McNutt Sculpture Garden, was adorned with colorful table linens and beautiful centerpieces, and a live band provided just the right entertainment for cocktails. Guests enjoyed an amazingly delicious plated meal inside the Riverview room, which proved to be a fabulous place for their awards presentations.
Day 3
On the final day of the conference, most of the group headed to the airport for their departure flights, but a smaller group of higher sales level associates were invited to partake in a private local winery tour in Fredericksburg.
The group was split into two smaller groups, and the tour alternated between the pre-determined boutique wineries. Lunch was served at the first stop for both groups, and then they split off to tour and taste as separate groups.
This allowed each guest a much better experience at each stop without overwhelming the wineries. Both groups then met up back at the host hotel.
Services we provided:
- Arrival and Departure Management
- Entertainment (need more info on entertainment riders?)
- Custom Event Decor
- Event Design & Graphics
- Local and Exclusive Experiences
- Onsite Meeting Producers
Result:
The guests enjoyed their time in San Antonio!
For the weather challenge, we added mushroom heaters to the outdoor event at the Briscoe to keep the temperature reasonable for mingling.
For the flight changes on arrival day, we relied on our expert team to track flights and follow up with both the client and the guest to make sure every guests had transportation to the hotel.
The Blue Spark Event Design Difference:
The client loved everything about their San Antonio conference. From the VIP amenities to the offsite event to the winery tours and the ease of transportation, they were very happy.
They felt it offered a great guest experience and they will be reaching out for their next conference soon! (We love happy clients!)