News

Houston…We have a New Speaker

The Space Agency, which provides astronaut speakers’ appearances for keynote speeches, corporate meetings, conventions and academic commencements, has signed former Space Shuttle commander James Wetherbee for speaker and endorsement representation.

Wetherbee spent 28 years as a naval aviator, including 20 as an astronaut. He is the only American to have commanded five missions in space, has traveled over 27 million miles in earth orbit and has commanded Space Shuttle missions to both the International Space Station Alpha and the Russian Space Station Mir.

Wetherbee joins the agency as a motivational speaker and safety expert. “When leaders in organizations tap into the magic of people working together, production increases, accidents are prevented, and the long-term viability of the company is enhanced,” Wetherbee said.

The Houston-based agency team includes former NASA Shuttle astronauts, Shuttle commanders, Apollo astronauts, moonwalkers, flight directors and International Space Station inhabitants.

For more information, visit www.thespaceagency.org.

Marketers ‘Dream’ up Wedding Event

Mix a couple of marketing pros with a desire for a non-traditional wedding, and you never know what will come of it. In this case, one New York couple found a way to have their wedding cake, and eat it, too.

Dave Kerpen, a school teacher and marketing consultant from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Caroline Fisher, a sales manager at a Long Island, N.Y., radio station, are both baseball fans. So naturally, when they decided to get married, they approached Steve Cohen, general manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Class A affiliate of the New York Mets, about a sponsored event tied to a Cyclones game.

His blessing secured, the couple set up a website and began securing promotional partners.

While sponsored weddings have received a lot of media attention — both positive and negative — this stunt is more accurately described as selling a sports promotion that happens to feature a wedding.
The first major “Our Field of Dreams” partner was the Broadway Mall in Long Island. The mall signed on as presenting sponsor and funded bride/groom bobbleheads, which were given to the first 2,500 fans in attendance at the July 8 game. 1-800Flowers.com presented a bridal bouquet toss into the crowd. After Hours Formalwear provided tuxedos for the groomsmen, while Ariana Studios and the Wedding Plaza provided bridesmaid dresses. Event planning firm Red Carpet Events rolled out the red carpet for family and close friends, and the Staten Island Hotel provided out-of-town guests with accommodations.

For more information, visit www.ourfieldofdreams.us.

Simon Says

Entertainers Jon Wee and Owen Morse of The Passing Zone were sighted in a July 5 episode of the new NBC show “America’s Got Talent.” The event-industry veterans have performed for hundreds of corporations and at trade shows and association meetings worldwide for 18 years. The outcome of their appearance in Simon Cowell’s latest production isn’t yet known, and Wee says they’re not allowed to say anything.

For more information, visit www.passingzone.com.

Palace Resorts Introduces Online Game

Miami, Fla.-based Palace Resorts has been renovating properties and building new hotels, and now, to help market them, has introduced a new Web-based “Meetings Game.”

The website serves the function of teaching meeting planners about Palace Resorts’ facilities, but does so in a game environment.

The first featured game was called Golf-Cart Rally, which required meeting planners to move their attendees to their designated locations on time. (As challenging online as it is in real life!)
Four more games will be introduced in coming months.

Every meeting planner who registers and plays all five games automatically wins two nights for two at any Palace Resort and is entered into the drawing for the Grand Prize, which is an all-expenses-paid, seven-night vacation for two at any all-inclusive Palace Resort. Air and transfers are included and the prize is transferable.

Game one launched in June, so it’s too late for new entrants for the grand prize, but several prizes, gold, spa treatments and more, are given away in each round.

“The ‘Meetings Game’ is our way of loosening the tie a bit,” said Ginny Davito, vice president of group and incentive sales for Palace Resorts.
Including some fun in the education process was a natural progression. “Not only are they fun to play,” she said, “but they also continue the education process.”

For more information, visit www.palacemeetingsgame.com.

Disney Cruises go Continental

For the first time, Disney Cruise Line is adding Europe to its offerings.

During the summer of 2007, the Disney Magic will take up a new home port at the Port of Barcelona in Spain and offer alternating 10- and 11-night Mediterranean cruises.

Disney Cruise officials say they are marketing the new service to the meetings industry with a host of new onboard amenities.

The eight European ports of call include Florence, Rome, Pisa and Cannes.

“Guests who’ve sailed with us continue to look for new reasons to return, and this new itinerary responds to that overwhelming demand,” said George Aguel, senior vice president of Disney Resort Destinations. “These itineraries offer a completely new Disney incentive experience for individuals and groups.”

The four 11-night itineraries will depart on Saturdays: May 26, June 16, July 7 and July 28; while the four 10-night itineraries will depart on Wednesdays: June 6, June 27, July 18 and Aug. 8.
Two 14-night trans-Atlantic sailings bookend the 10- and 11-night adventures, with the eastbound itinerary scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral, Fla., on May 12, and the westbound departing from Barcelona on August 18.

For more information, visit www.disneymeetings.com.

Classic Party Rentals Acquires Prime Event

Classic Party Rentals has bought out Prime Event Group, a provider of European-style structures and turnkey event solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Officials said the purchase furthers Classic Party Rentals’ growth in the events industry and adds new capabilities and geographic coverage to the Classic network.

Prime’s services include tent structures, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), power generation, electrical distribution, interior lining, lighting, flooring, technical design, site management and event management support.

“This acquisition immediately provides Classic Party Rentals with additional resources and expertise, which will allow us to better serve our clients,” said John Campanelli, CEO of Classic Party Rentals. “From a strategic perspective, the addition of Prime Event Group to our network strengthens our position in Arizona, initiates our expansion into the Florida market, and further supports our existing locations in California, New Mexico and Texas.”
Classic, based in El Segundo, Calif., now has 16 locations and generates combined annual revenue of $170 million. The company provides china, glassware, flatware, linens, designer furniture, tables, chairs and kitchen equipment.
Classic Party Rentals’ network of locations now includes its Southern California offices and warehouses in El Segundo, Culver City, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Palm Desert; Northern California offices and warehouses in San Francisco, Modesto and Sacramento; Tri-Rentals locations in Phoenix, Ariz., and Albuquerque, N.M.; and Ducky-Bob’s Party & Tent Rentals in Dallas.

For more information, visit www.classicpartyrentals.com.