Event Profile: Unified Design

Event pros came together to show the true power of collaboration for this Arizona meeting

Using the Orpheum Theatre stage for dining space, along with its refurbished theater organ, created the ambiance of live entertainment in every detail.

Cocktails and wine, plus passed hors d’oeuvres by Aventura Catering, were served in the spacious Orpheum lobby, allowing attendees to network and mingle. A classical guitarist from Duo Felice serenaded the group at a level that enhanced conversation.

Hand’s presentation emphasized critical steps for a successful show.

Event pros came together to show the true power of collaboration for this Arizona meeting

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The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1929 with the affectionate title “The Pride of Phoenix.” Originally created as a vaudeville house, it became a movie palace, then a performance arts theater. The Orpheum was added to the National Register of Historic Places following the completion of a $14.5 million restoration completed in 1997. The elegant theater now hosts performances by internationally celebrated entertainers and Broadway-style show productions.
The Orpheum is also a popular venue for corporate meetings and events as well as social functions, offering a selection of smaller meeting spaces in addition to the luxurious auditorium, designed to offer the ambiance of a Spanish courtyard. The auditorium’s ceiling lighting mimics the movement of the sun across the sky, complete with moving clouds and ending with a navy blue night sky. Original, restored murals of Arizona’s natural scenery further create the feel of being in the desert. Custom stage lighting designs complete the look for diners enjoying dinner on the stage.
The Arizona Chapter of the International Special Events Society selected the Orpheum for its August meeting. Executive producer Michael Stavros and his team took full advantage of the theater’s amenities and charm.
Collaborating with featured speaker Steve Hand, principal of Burbank, Calif.-based The HAND Company, the meeting illustrated in actions the major points Hand made in his presentation, “Award Shows (or Any Show) that Will Keep Them Applauding.”
Stavros’ production of the event was true to the concept, down to the most minute details. The entire evening demonstrated to the assembled event crowd what collaboration between dedicated professionals and cohesiveness of a unified design can accomplish — and had everyone in the theater calling for an encore.