Successful Meetings - October 2008 - 50

Special Events A Cast Ellen DeGeneres, Gwen Stefani, and Suzanne Somers Warner Bros. event mogul Hillary Harris creates affairs to remember By Andrea Doyle andrea.doyle@nielsen.com There on a Warner Bros. back lot were 675 guests, mostly celebrities, roaming among 10-foot elephant topiaries, a 100foot Ferris wheel, a carousel, a custombuilt house of mirrors, bumper cars, and poker tables. New York Street was the site of Ellen DeGeneres’ 50th birthday party in May. Pink was the headline entertainer of this carnival-and-casino-themed bash that ended with fireworks, the last one exploding in the words, “Happy Birthday Ellen.” This is just one of the 300 spectacular events that Hillary Harris, the visionary at the helm of Warner Bros. Special Events, plans every year. Not only were there buffet stations throughout the back lot, but hands-on activities as well. “The more technologically-advanced we get with our BlackBerrys, cell phones, e- mail, the more important it becomes that we give people a sensory experience. I call it party ADD. Gone are the days when you just have lovely food, drinks, and some background music. Gone are the 50-foot buffet tables. Today, it’s about having food that is fresh, organic, and healthy, successfulmeetings.com and that is presented in a hip manner. You do three or four things in one buffet, then three or four things in another, and so on. The event has to stimulate all five senses. Attendees do not want to observe entertainment, they want to participate in it,” explains Harris. “The ADD event experience these days is not about sitting at a round table in a traditional chair and staying there all night. I can’t remember the last event I did that had place cards. It’s all OCTOBER 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS PHOTOS: NADINE FROGER 50

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - October 2008

Successful Meetings - October 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Supplier News
On the Record
Calendar
Planner News
Planner Spotlight
Personal Success
Technology Talk
Food &�Beverage
Pre-Event
Tools of the Trade
On Site
Technology for Modern Meetings
A Tale of Two Cities
A Cast of Thousands
Places & Spaces
Mexican Destination Resorts
Spain
Austin
New Orleans
Lake Tahoe / Reno

Successful Meetings - October 2008