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Financial Company Meeting Attendees Break The Ice
November 03, 2009
By Michael B. Baker
At a time when many companies are facing meeting budget freezes, a financial planning company found a way to cut costs from an annual seminar and mixer by literally putting the event on ice.
The group, usually about 20 guests, traditionally had hosted the events in private dining rooms at upscale steakhouses. This year, however, as part of an effort to cut costs and ensure spiked attendance, the company is moving the event to Minus 5, a venue in Mandalay Place in Las Vegas that features an all-ice lounge.
"They wanted something different and fun and had attended an event we had here before, so they thought of us," said Heather Coldwell, Minus 5's director of sales. "They're a small group on a tight budget, so they had specific needs."
Minus 5 features about 2,000 square feet of space, including the ice lounge and a lodge area. With the lodge is capable of a maximum capacity of 150 guests, the company, which Coldwell did not identify, saved money by reserving just a section of the lodge for the event, she said. The section is private enough to avoid walkthrough traffic, but allowed the company to avoid room rental fees and minimums with the event.
Most large groups prefer to rent out an entire venue, but a partial rental is often a tactic for smaller groups, Coldwell said.
"It's great to have privacy, but in Las Vegas, some people want to have that little bit of excitement that can be brought by having other people around," she said. "They're both options we can play with."
The group cut costs further by agreeing to provide its own audiovisual equipment for the presentations, Coldwell said.
The ice lounge, Coldwell said, gives the meeting a unique touch. The lounge, which has a maximum capacity of 50 guests, is made completely out of ice: the walls, the bar, the décor and even the cocktail glasses. Following vodka-based cocktails in the lounge, the guests return to the lodge for hors d'oeuvres, she said.
"It makes for great conversation," she said. "Instead of being in another ballroom banquet spaces, this gives the attendees something exciting to talk about."
Guests at the event are provided with lockers for their personal items, like purses, so they don't have to bring them into the bar, Coldwell said. So that guests don't have to bring cold weather gear to the desert, the venue provides them with a parka, boots and gloves to wear into the ice lounge. Guests also have the option to upgrade their winter wear to faux fur coats.
Choosing a location with a unique décor further saved the company money because it did not have to spend extra for its own decorations, flowers or lighting, which can ratchet up the cost of an event, Coldwell said. For those groups that want to spend a little extra, however, the venue does have an in-house ice artist who can create sculptures appropriate to an event. A beverage company, for example, is working with the venue to redesign the lounge with the company's colors and designs and feature ice sculptures shaped like soda bottles, she said.
"We can customize with logos, mascots or anything else the client can dream up, even re-theming the entire ice lounge," Coldwell said. "We can actualize it in ice, and they don't have to worry about it melting."
Nielsen Business Media
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