Last Tuesday the ISES group climbed on the new Double Decker PDX bus and headed out to the gorge. Rick from Wild Bill’s provided team building entertaiment on our ride.   Our first stop was Cathedral Ridge Winery where Hudson gave us a tour and we were able to sample many of their wines. Our next stop was the beautiful Columbia Cliff Villas. Sara with White Buffalo Catering provided tons of delicious food for us to snack on while enjoying the spectacular view.  We went over to the Columbia Gorge Hotel for champagne and chocolate and a tour of their grounds. We had a great time! Paul Rich was our photographer and he took some great shots. Check them out his blog.

 Looking for a place to hold a corporate retreat? Beautiful Five Pine Lodge in Sisters, Oregon has a conference center and accomodations for your next event. The Teresa Conference Center is behind the lodge and has a variety of meeting spaces to accomodate your needs. The Chef will customize your menu for you. Shibui spa is onsite as well as Sisters Athletic Club. Group activities can be added to enhance your next meeting or event. Three Creeks Brewery and the Sisters Movie House are also on the property.

Your attendees can stay in a lodge room or in a private cabin. Each room has a waterfall soaking tub and Italian tile shower.  I had the luxury of staying in a private cabin and it was fantastic. Five Pine Lodge has thought of everything to make your stay perfect.  Your attendees will leave feeling refreshed and energized. For more information check out www.fivepinelodge.com.

I had the opportunity to check out a fantastic new event space acquired by West Coast Event Productions. The space is located at NW 14th and Overton, on the outer edges of the Pearl District.

This space can be used for events or weddings, with a capacity up to 999. There is a lower and upper space available. West Coast can provide you with many ways to decorate the space.

Planners and brides can bring their choice of vendors to the space.

Beautiful Windows cover the exterior of the building.

For more information contact Danette at 503.294.0412 or danette@wcep.com.

Themes and more Themes!
The majority of planners always (47%) or sometimes (48%) use themes for their events. However, only 37 % feel extremely comfortable coming up with creative themes. Meeting & Conventions magazine have created a list of suggestions for your next event.

No Data Left Behind
“Oh, the Places You’ll Go” (Dr. Seuss)
Are You Ready for the Turnaround?
Mission Possible
No Small Role in Big Change
Plan. Protect. Prevail
CSI: Common Sense Ideas
Up, Up and Away
Capital Pursuit (Tivial Pursuit)
Driving Your Business to Success (Car-Racing School)
Coloring Outside the Lines
Winners at the Game of Business (Game show theme)

For more great ideas check out Bravoevent.com for Interactive Entertainment Ideas, Casino Parties, Team Building Activites and much more.

Meetings & Conventions Magazine, March 2010

For the third year, WCEP is proud to be in good company with the “30 Top Event Rental Companies” worldwide, as recognized in Special Events magazine’s November/December 2009 issue.

For more information: http://wcep.com/newsletter/SpecialEvents_Nov:Dec09.pdf

GreenLight Creative LLC “hits the ground running” as the Northwest’s new, premiere event lighting resource.

Finally, event planners in the Northwest have a way to go “straight to the source” for award-winning creative design, visual concepting, and AFFORDABLE, worry-free lighting solutions….and do it with minimal impact on the environment!

Greenlight who?

Dwayne Thomas, who for over 23 years steered the creative lighting “ship” at Hollywood Lighting Services and Superior Stage Lighting, has started an exciting new venture:  GreenLight Creative.  This organization will provide full service, turnkey lighting design and production for events of all types and sizes, focusing on low-energy sustainable operations.

What they offer

Rest easy….you can afford it! GreenLight will take care of the lighting nuances and technicalities so that you can focus on what you do best.  They feature a wide range of equipment through our wholesale rental partners, including watt-miserly LED, CFL, and HID fixtures.  They will also provide delivery and labor services, all tailored to fit the specific needs of each event they light:  You don’t need to lift a finger!

Expertise?  Of course. When you hire GreenLight Creative, you’ll know you are in the hands of the Northwest’s foremost expert in creative lighting solutions….so worrying about “did I pick the right equipment?” will be a thing of the past.

Sustainable?  Absolutely. GreenLight not only offers low-energy lighting solutions, but also robust “reduce/reuse/recycle” practices in its operational procedures, including purchasing clean wind power, buying earth-friendly materials wherever possible, and a constantly evolving recycling strategy.

You need RESULTS. But most importantly, they will help you deliver the results you need at your next event:  Whether you are engaging a room full of bidders at an auction, uniting a sales team at a corporate meeting, making a splash for your brand, or just trying to plan a gorgeous wedding or gala, GreenLight Creative will create a breathtaking lighting solution that you can afford!

Where to find them

Contact Dwayne for a friendly, free, no-hassle consultation at 503-970-0246 or dt@greenlight-creative.com.

Please join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portland-OR/GreenLight-Creative/150319623675?v=wall .

Their website will be coming soon at www.greenlight-creative.com

Join us for the ISES Holiday Party on December 1st from 11:30am-1:30pm at The Treasury Ballroom.

You’ll  enjoy a delicious lunch from Vibrant Table, important “first to know” announcements about upcoming ISES events, and of course friendly and valuable networking with the area’s premier event professionals.

ISES Portland is thrilled to announce our Holiday Gala will include a competitive Gingerbread House Building Competition. This will be one of the most memorable holiday activities you’ll enjoy this year–aside from a visit by a certain jolly red-suited fellow, that is.
Please bring an unwrapped toy to give to the Foster Children Program of Portland.

Members: $20.00
Non-Members: $35.00

Hurry!  Registration Closes on Friday, November 27th at 12:00 noon.

Register Here:

Planners that attended the Bravo! Live Showcase of the Hospitality and Meeting Industry voted for their favorite booths in the following categories:

Most Memorable Booth: Peter Corvallis Productions

Friendliest Booth: Team Casino

Best Catering Booth: Crave Catering

Congratulations to the winners!

September’s ISES Portland meeting will be an interactive display and panel discussion:  “What’s New in Swag?”  We want our panel of expert promotional product distributors to give us their best pointers on when and how branded giveaways can best be utilized, so we’ll be asking the hard questions, as usual!  Each of our panelists will also be bringing a wide display of the latest “giveaway” products, and even telling us which ones we could order AT THIS EVENT and have ready in time for, say, the Bravo show in October!

The event will be on September 29th from 11:30 to 1:30, at the brand new Urban Studios in the heart of the Pearl District at 206 NW 10th Avenue.  Lunch will be provided by Pearl Catering.  

Join us at this very special new venue for great networking, food, and education.  Click HERE to register.

Monday, August 17th at 7:00pm

Enjoy an evening at the spa!
*Free Organic Airbrush Tanning
*Free Make-up Applications
*Free Skin Rejuvenation demos

Enjoy complimentary wine and cheese as you get to experience one of Portland’s leading full-day spas!

Please feel free to bring any Event Planner friends you may know. Please kindly RSVP by Friday, August 14th!

  
   

    
Portland Spa & Boutique
0315 SW Montgomery Street,
Suite 390, Portland, OR 97201

     
      

Take a tour of our website: www.portlandspa.net <http://www.apple.com>
Phone: 503-222-0105 Fax: 503-222-0134