Colorado Springs Meetings | The Broadmoor Blog

THE BRO^ADMOOR MEETINGS BLOG

Mar

Colorado Best Of 2013

Presented by Colorado Meetings + Events

With Colorado Meetings + Events’ Best of Colorado readers’ choice voting, there are no hanging chads, although some winners and finalists have hangnails from working so hard. There are no elephants and donkeys (except in the zoos) and no parties, unless you count those thrown by meeting and event planners. This year’s winners, duly and fairly elected by their peers, are the standing representatives in the state’s meetings and events industry.

Congratulations to some of our very favorites!

Best Attraction Outside Denver Metro Area
THE WINNER IS:
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN ZOO
RUNNERS-UP // Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, Rocky Mountain National Park

Best Destination Marketing Organization in Town/Area 25,000+ Population
THE WINNER IS:
VISIT DENVER
RUNNERS-UP // Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau

Best Destination Management Company (DMC)
THE WINNER IS:
CONVENTION DESIGNS
RUNNERS-UP // Arrangers, Destination Services Corporation (DSC)

Best Audio-visual/Visual Presentation Provider
THE WINNER IS:
J&S AUDIO VISUAL

Best Event Décor/Florist
THE WINNER IS:
DESIGNWORKS

Best Rental Service Provider
THE WINNER IS:
EVENT RENTS

Best Hotel or Resort with Meeting/ Event Space Outside Denver Metro
THE WINNER IS:
THE BROADMOOR

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Feb

Great Ideas Around The Corner

Each year, we’re privileged to play host to ASAE’s Great Ideas! Conference. This amazing event brings together professionals in the meeting and association industries to exchange the latest and greatest concepts and advancements. This event is a fantastic catalyst for making changes and moving organizations forward. We really can’t say enough about how inspiring the programming and networking can be (we’re not just saying that – promise). You’ll definitely walk away with new ideas and action items to make your events, and even your own professional skills, even better.

This year’s conference (it happens to be the 10th anniversary) will be held here at
The Broadmoor March 10 – 12.

If you’re interested, check out the event website and some of the programming available.

From ASAE:

What’s new at the Great Ideas Conference this year? We’ve added many different and exciting educational formats, networking opportunities, and special events.

Make more meaningful connections using the guidelines and suggestions provided by Thom Singer, the Conference Catalyst. Hear tips and tricks about all that mobile devices can offer you from experts at Mobile Playground sessions. There are also Micro-Skills Sessions in the Snap Learning Spot, hosted by the Canadian Tourism Commission. These sessions will give you tools you need outside of the typical Idea Labs.

Get access to all of the above programming and save $100 when registering by the Thursday, February 14 early-bird deadline. And, don’t forget to register for the ASAE Foundation Wine Pour while you’re at it (additional registration fee required)!

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Jan

Rock and Roll

A short time ago, we experimented with a new event theme with help from our friends at DSC. We’re happy to report it was a huge success and so much fun!

As guests arrived, they had the full red carpet treatment complete with the flashing bulbs of the paparazzi.

Along with dinner and drink service, a number of fun activities for guests meant that the party rocked on and on.

Not to miss were the airbrush tattoos, photo booth, t-shirt painting, electronic games, live rock band, and tons of fun giveaways.

Setting the stage…

Prepping the Bar

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Nov

Announcing $60 Million in Enhancements

Great properties that stand the test of time are those that continually evolve while keeping a careful eye on the past. We are pleased to share some exciting improvements that we believe will enhance the overall experience of our guests and allow us remain one of the preeminent resorts in America.

Unveiling Latest Suite Enhancements
Constructed and opened with The Broadmoor in 1918, the two-story Southlake building has stood the test of time. Nestled along the southeast curve of Cheyenne Lake between Broadmoor Main and the South Tower, these series of rooms and suites are perennial favorites.

An enhancement project completed this summer now brings a new look to Southlake with the addition of balconies, a new entry foyer, lighting, carpeting and furnishings. Southlake maintains its historic appeal, but the rooms and suites have a new distinctive flair.

Call Reservations at 866.837.9520 to book these suites now.

A New Look for Cheyenne Lodge

The Broadmoor’s 6,300 square-foot Cheyenne Lodge, adjacent to the Mountain golf course, offers both indoor and outdoor event and conference space. In addition to the views overlooking the mountains and Colorado Springs, the lodge now has a new look that features a handsome, rustic exterior with timbers and split logs, capturing the true essence of Colorado.

Restoration of Historic Pauline Chapel

In 1918, while The Broadmoor was taking form, a chapel was built across from Cheyenne Lake under the supervision of Julie Penrose. It was designed as a “rest” chapel for the use of hotel guests. After a careful restoration, Pauline Chapel is now, once again, a place of prayer and meditation for guests.

Upcoming Projects for Spring 2013

• The Tavern’s Garden Room is currently being rebuilt to give it a European conservatory feel with an abundance of florals added to the plant life. The Tavern remains open for dining during this renovation.

• The popular dining destination and watering hole for locals and guests alike, The Golden Bee, will have an expanded interior, as well as debut a new façade and tented rooftop, reminiscent of a 19th century London pub. Construction is underway.

• “PlAy,” a restaurant and family activity center will be added to Broadmoor West. The space will feature bowling lanes, board games, electronic games, and a room for private events. The activity center is designed to appeal to families, teens and individuals, as well as special events and private group functions.

Broadmoor West Renovation Spring 2014
• Broadmoor West will experience a comprehensive renovation, expanding the rooms and baths, along with redesigning the exterior of the building to give it the character and charm of our historic main building.
• A new Italian restaurant designed by Adam D. Tihany, will be added with decor reminiscent of a historic Italian villa with a focus on fresh ingredients and authenticity in the food offerings.
• The current West Lobby Bar will be transformed and include works of art by Western Masters, a living room with fireplace and an outdoor terrace.

For updates on all of these projects stay connected here and through The Broadmoor’s LinkedIn page and Twitter feed.

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Nov

DSC Presents: Giving Back

This week, our friends at DSC give us a look at a particularly impactful corporate social responsibility event that they planned here at the hotel.

One of The Broadmoor’s largest groups of the year held its annual meeting at the hotel last month. DSC had the opportunity and great pleasure to work with a number of the event’s subgroups to create unique receptions and hosted dinners.

The Broadmoor, DSC and the entire Colorado Springs community was heavily impacted by the severity of the Waldo Canyon Fire this past summer. Over 300 families lost their residences and several within our Broadmoor – DSC family were impacted by this tragic loss. One meeting planner with the large group had a vision to use her dinner event as a platform to bring greater awareness to the fire victims, and to pay respect to the many firefighter heroes that fought to save lives and homes over that month of fiery inferno. This is one of the most exceptional events we have designed.

The DSC account team brainstormed with the planner about what type of event would have the most impact – both financially for the Colorado Springs community, and emotionally for her invited guests. The event took place at The Broadmoor’s beautiful mountain top venue, Cheyenne Lodge. This provided a perfect setting to create a high-impact event combining amazing Colorado views, exceptional food, and a truly memorable experience for the guests. We decorated the Lodge with photo collages from the fire, and lined the perimeter of the room with 8 live juniper trees. The centerpieces for cocktail and dinner tables showcased 15 Colorado Blue Spruce seedlings and 15 Limber Pine seedlings. All 38 trees were donated to the El Paso County Park system to aid in the reforestation of the impacted fire zone.

To create the “experience”, we invited both the Manitou Springs Volunteer Fire Department and the El Paso County Wildland Crew to the event. Several of the fire department emergency responders were in full gear greeting clients as they arrived to the dinner. This made a huge statement right out of the gate and piqued guest’s curiosity about how and why the firemen were a part of their event. We staged photo story boards around the room which were manned by more uniformed firemen and provided an informal way for guests to learn about the fires, and hear stories from the fireman – many of which were incredibly emotional. Guests also had keepsake photos taken with the handsome firemen.

During dinner, the group made a generous donation of $ 2500 to the El Paso County Wildland Fire Crew and an additional $2500 to the Manitou Springs Volunteer Fire Department.

We are so thankful to everyone involved in planning this event and their prestigious guests for taking an interest in Colorado, our community and for their innovative approach to creating an elegant dinner that also met their corporate social responsibility objectives. What an amazing success story!

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Oct

DSC Presents: Out With The Chairs?

This week, our friends at DSC pick out some new trends they’ve been seeing in the ‘seating area.’ We’re moving away from the tradional, but not talking musical chairs events or anything. So, feel free to get creative when it comes to your group’s setups. Enjoy!

Event Design Trend: Non-Traditional Seating

We’re seeing that clients are moving away from the norm when it comes to seating at their events. Instead of always relying on traditional guest seating like folding chairs or chiavaris, try using an 8-by-8-foot daybed fashioned from staging elements.

Additionally, we have found you can buck the trend and mix and match different chair options around one table. You could do this by having different styles on each side.

Another way to change the look of your event; rather than relying on standard hotel rounds for guest seating, create a new twist by incorporating two or more rectangular banquet tables and placing them together to form large, square tables.

The sky’s the limit and at DSC we are always looking to help our clients design something that they have never done before.

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Oct

Best Wishes

Next week will mark a special time for us as we say a bittersweet goodbye and wish a happy retirement to a Broadmoor legend, Jack Gage, Director of Insurance and Incentive Sales.

SEND HIM YOUR WISHES

Jack’s presence will certainly be missed here in the Broadmoor Sales and Conference offices. After close to 35 years with us, Jack is looking forward to the time that he’ll spend in the coming years with family and friends and enjoying the outdoors of the Colorado Rockies. He leaves behind an army of more-than-satisfied customers who have grown to know and trust Jack and consistently recognize him for all of his extremely hard work.

After previously running a Bed & Breakfast in North Georgia and graduating from Alfred University with a degree in Ceramic Engineering, Jack began working for The Broadmoor as a Bellman in the winter of 1978. He quickly moved into the Conferences department where he held a few different positions in following years. In 1994, he became our Director of Conference and Catering and in 1997 moved into the position of Director of Insurance and Incentive Sales. His dedication and long hours devoted to The Broadmoor have been met with much success and are hard not to recognize. Now who will be the first in to unlock the Sales Office doors in morning?!

Jack’s Original Broadmoor ID

Jack and some of his clients visit the summit of Pikes Peak in July.

We’re sad to see him go, but wish him the very best and hope he’ll stop by to check up on us every once and awhile.

We’ll miss you Jack!

Send him your good wishes by posting a message here on our Facebook page.

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Sep

DSC Presents: Let’s Glow!

This week, we hear from our friends at DSC about a fun new party idea they’ve put together. We’re already thinking of ways to customize this type of event for different groups. Let us know what you think below.

Let the creative juices flow!

As planners isn’t it true that we are always looking for something new and different? Just recently, we pitched a glow-in-the-dark event and our clients were ecstatic to offer something to their attendees that was ‘out of the box’. With a lot of creativity and work this event went off without a hitch.

How fun would it be to host a glow in the dark event at The Broadmoor? The skies the limit. We can even incorporate glow-in-the-dark games and activities!

Contact DSC at 719.540.2010 and we’ll create an event that will wow your clients and leave them talking!

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Aug

Dining Developments

The Broadmoor’s new executive chef, Derin Moore and chefs David Codney and Bertrand Bouquin took their talents on the road recently to beautiful Los Angeles. That evening, they revealed some great new menu ideas and showed off their amazing talent.

Take a look at some of their tasty creations from that evening and get inspired to enhance your group’s menus. There are plenty more new food and beverage ideas to come, so stay tuned!

Rabbit Rillettes with Pickled Carrot and Micro Lettuce

Steamed Bun, Turnip Kim Chee

Barbecue Pork Belly Slider, SavoryScone, Apple Horseradish

Paneer and Curried Chick Peas

Chilled Sweet Corn Soup, Garden Herb Chantilly

Truffled Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Smoked Mountain Trout

Burrata, Olive Oil Poached Heirloom Tomato, Micro Basil, Focaccia

Smoked lamb ham “Reuben”, House Made Kraut, Mini Rye, Tomato Caraway Aioli

Of course, no dinner would be complete without dessert!

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Aug

DSC Presents: Holiday Planning

As the summer season comes to a close, our friends at DSC let us know that when you start putting your holiday party wishlist together now, it reduces the inevitable stress when that time of year rolls around. Let’s get started…

If you’re like the rest of us, the holidays always seem to sneak up on you. With this being the case, it’s never too early to start planning your holiday party at The Broadmoor. We’ve put together a couple different holiday ‘theme’ options depending on what type of event you are looking to host. Here at DSC we can create anything from a traditional holiday to an employee appreciation party or holiday giveback event.

Take a look at just some of the themes that we’ve put together at The Broadmoor.

Traditional Holiday: