World's top 10 life changing restaurants for your corporate event

Here are the world's top 10 life changing restaurants you could use for your next corporate event or social program. http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/worlds-top-10-life-changing-restaurants/1. Although I'm very surprised to see that neither Alinea and Moto, both located in Chicago, didn't make the cut.

20 Ways to save money on your next meeting

1. Use online invitations/registrations, this also eliminates tracking manual emails
2. Use social media, networking sites to invite attendees
3. Host meetings/conferences in less expensive cities with alternative airports to fly into
4. Shuttle attendees or share a ride and/or offer limited hours instead of as and when guests arrive
5. Select less expensive venues: Art Gallery over museum or University auditorium over well known event facility
6. Look for a member of a Private club in your organization. Members have great incentives to spend in house with group events. Clubs often have multiple locations and are willing to offer a discount for hosting a series of meetings
7. A restaurant buyout can be cheaper than renting an event venue
8. Piggy back with shouldering groups by sharing speakers, entertainment, audio visual and decor
9. Use outside audio visual instead of in-house
10. Use local entertainment such as music schools, church groups, music clubs, and multi-cultural groups saving on travel expenses.
11. Use in house or produce reusable signage
12. Instead of room drops have a manned registration desk to give out materials, gifts etc
13. Base F&B on consumption instead of pp cost and offer wine and beer only, with maybe one specialty drink instead of an open bar
14. Order less expensive wines by comparing wine lists with online wine rating websites
15. Use water pitchers with glassware instead of bottled water
16. Use a semi private room which won’t have an F&B min and room rental
17. Select non-floral centerpieces or reuse floral over multiple days
18. Look at shipping linens to more expensive cities
19. Have a wireless cyber lounge: a designated "break out room", negotiate it for free with the hotel. Place signage ‘with compliments’ with the hotel as sponsor
20. Meeting planners usually can obtain further discounts on meetings rooms and ask them to deduct their sleeping room commission from their management fee

Ground Transportation taxes increased in Chicago starting 9/1/2010

As of September 1, 2010, ground transportation taxes are doubling. Keep that in mind when booking your ground or check your contract/budget.

Le Bistrol Hotel Paris, France for your corporate retreat

Le Bistrol, the ultimate in elegance, is adding 60 more rooms and suites to their property. Room rates start at $885 a night. The hotel is also doubling the size of its space. Planning your destination wedding at this property is like a dream come true.

Renowned for its exquisite French garden, Hotel Le Bristol is ideally located on the rue du Faubourg Saint Honore. Famous for its fashion boutiques and art galleries, it is only steps away from the Champs-Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Louvre and Orsay museums in Paris. Filled with soft hues, refined woodwork and sumptuous fabrics, the spacious rooms and suites of this 5 star luxury hotel are further enhanced by 18th century furniture and original paintings, combined with ultra modern comfort such as air conditioning and high speed Internet connection.

Le Meurice Paris for your destination wedding

Hotel Le Meurice in Paris 1st arrondisement has started a complete redesign and refurbishment of its rooms and suites. The work is expected to be finished in April 2011. Room rates start at $725. Perfect location for your destination wedding or corporate retreat.

 

Four Seasons Hotel re-opening for your next corporate event

After being closed for 2 years and following a $200 million dollar transformation, the hotel is reopening December 2010 and ready for your next corporate event, board meeting or destination wedding. Room rates start at $700 per night. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703632304575451751543427516.html

For your next corporate event, the famous London Savoy Hotel is back

The 121-year old Savoy Hotel in London has started accepting reservations again with a check in date beginning October 10. The $340 million restoration job, overhauled the entire hotel. Nearly 200 of the rooms are being decorated in the Edwardian Style and the balance in the Art Deco style. Savoy is also re-introducing butler service. For more information on this historic hotel, visit www.the-savoy.com. For your next corporate event or wedding, consider the Savoy. Room rates start at $540 per night.

New Orleans for your next meeting, conference or destination wedding?

According to the Wall Street Journal article of Thursday August 26, on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has attracted in 2009 more visitors than the previous years. The recording breaking year was in 2004 when 10.1 million visitors came to the Crescent City. The year following Katrina, only 3.7 million made it to New Orleans. New Orleans is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and in 2009, it ranked as second highest in growth of revenue of the top 25 destinations in the country.

Of all the hotels in New Orleans, it is the Hyatt, near the Superdome, who had sufferend the most damage, but that hotel started last week with a $275 million restoration project and is expted to reopen in 2011.

So if you were thinking of planning your next conference, meeting or destination wedding in this beautiful city at the Mississippi River, now is the time.

 

 

Is your non-profit fundraising group in compliance with the IRS?

Are you as a non-profit fundraising organization in compliance with the IRS? The deadline for filing the 990N form has been extended from May 17 to October 15. However more than 320,000 charities, with annual gross receipts under $25,000, right now have not completed the 990N form and are at risk of losing their tax exemption. Read more in this article by Laura Sanders in the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704913704575453522353605044.html

 

Former Bush Campaign Chief coming out and supportive of gay weddings

Former Bush Campaign Chief Ken Mehlman comes out of the closest and declares his support for gay weddings: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/bush-campaign-chief-and-former-rnc-chair-ken-mehlman-im-gay/62065/