The Vinny

GMP Producer Bert Hensley oversaw the production of two events for Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill at his annual charity golf tournament, The Vinny. On Saturday, a pairings party took place at the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs. The theme for the event was “Bling It On, Baby!” and the room was definitely “blinged out”. A giant diamond wrapped golf ball served as the centerpiece of the stage set, with mirror balls hung over head. Vince and the amazingly talented western swing band The Time Jumpers provided entertainment for the evening. The event raises money for the First Tee and provides scholarships to deserving individuals across Tennessee.

At the conclusion of the tournament, which features celebrities and PGA tour professionals playing along with junior players and guests, Vince and wife Amy Grant hosted a Celebrity-VIP party at their Nashville home. This casual event took place in a tent in the Gill’s back yard, and carried a 1950s Route 66 Diner theme. Complete with a rotating “Vinny’s Route 66 Roadhouse” sign at the center of the tent, the theme was carried through with neon signs, 1950s style cars, and diner booths for seating.

GMP would like to thank Vince Gill and the team of great people involved in making The Vinny such a successful event, and look forward to next year when the event celebrates its 20^th anniversary.

Pre-Con With a Twist

Here's a very cool idea for all you meeting planners and facility event planners, brought to you courtesy of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Instead of staging another tedious facility pre-con meeting before your next large event, why not do the meeting while taking a tour through the venue!? It's a unique approach and highly engaging for the planner. Our Hilton Bayfront event manager, Heather Wellong, took our client (National Association of Electrical Distributors) on an informative, fun, and tasty back-of-house tour of the hotel's operations to personally experience the inner workings of this large and innovative property. From the reservations department, to hotel communications, to the amazing laundry operation, we saw it all! The well choreographed journey included brief tours hosted by department heads operating in their own backyards. Perhaps most impressive were our stops in the hotel's banquet and room service kitchens. In each area, chefs had prepared a sampling of the actual menu items to be served during the meeting along with favorites from the hotel's restaurants. This allowed the customer to converse with chefs about menu and presentation questions in a very personal and informative format. Of course the highlight of the tour was the pastry kitchen. The hotel's award-winning pastry chef had prepared an impressive chocolate and spun sugar interpretation of the client's logo surrounded by a stunning selection of pastries and desserts from the banquet menu. It was a brilliant way to end the tour!

The pre-con ended with the hotel GM and executive team hosting a brief pinning ceremony accompanied by refreshing smoothies served high atop the hotel's 30 story tower. Of course we eventually did go through the BEO reviews, but even that seemed less tedious in light of our insightful tour. My compliments to the Hilton Bayfront for creating an innovative approach to building customer relationships!

National Association of Electrical Distributors National Educational Leadership Summit 2011

Several of our GMP team members spent the last few days in San Diego producing the National Electrical Leadership Summit for our long-time client, the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED). The conference brings together top management from the nation's largest electrical distributors with the world's leading manufacturers of electrical products. The Summit was headquartered at the beautiful new Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The Hilton Bayfront is adjacent to the San Diego Convention Center and offers an amazing view of the bay area and the downtown Gaslamp District.

GMP worked with NAED planners Becky Burgess and Lesley Wall to create a dynamic environment for education, networking, and customer interaction through two days of general sessions, educational speakers, and recognition programs. We supported communication guru Stacy Brown's general session content with three wide-format projection screens used for video playback, live I-Mag, and Keynote presentations. The business session stage set featured large 16' tall sogi screen panels used for elaborate lighting effects that changed throughout the conference. NAED attendees represent cutting edge manufacturers of LED lighting products, so our technical approach incorporated (pun intended) the use of state-of-the art LED instruments. The closing awards banquet decor was also designed and executed by our GMP team, incorporating chocolate and copper linens with southwest-themed centerpieces that complimented the hotel's color palette. It was a beautiful night!

We always enjoy working with the NAED staff and members as evidenced by this being our 60th conference produced for them. In fact, the NAED management team surprised us backstage with a champagne toast in appreciation of our long and successful relationship. I was totally shocked and flattered by this awesome gesture! A heartfelt thanks goes to NAED for allowing us to support your efforts for so many years!

NAED meeting planning team Lesley Wall and Becky Burgess present plaque of appreciation to Gary at NAED's NELS event.

Eco Energy Best Cellars Benefit Another Success

Monday night our GMP team produced the Eco Energy Best Cellars Dinner at Nashville's Hutton Hotel. The unique evening benefited the T.J. Martell Foundation's work in AIDS, cancer, and leukemia research. The Best Cellars exclusive guest list included many of the music industry's biggest celebrities along with Nashville's most celebrated wine enthusiasts. Hence the clever use of "sellers" (recording artists) and "cellars" (wine connoisseurs). Under the leadership of GMP producer Bert Hensley, GMP has provided decor and audiovisual support for this stunning annual event for the past 12 years since the event's inception. A special thanks goes to Executive Director Laura Heatherly, and title sponsors Jamie and Larry Beckwith. For more information on the work of the T.J. Martell Foundation, go to tjmartellfoundation.org

Here are some shots taken at Monday night's wine themed gala dinner.

Auditions

Brentwood Star Gala

Saturday evening, Brentwood/Cool Spring's premier social event of the year, the Star Gala, took place at the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs. The theme of the night was "An Evening at the Acropolis" complete with Greek themed props and food.

Gary Musick Productions own, Brandon Scott Thomas, was the scenic producer for the Star Gala. Kudos to all the crew for a great show and a lot of hard work!
Here are some pictures from the event--

 Gary Musick Producer, Brandon Scott Thomas with wife, Sheryl and John and Melissa Lowry

One of our artists painted the Gala logo onto the header "An Evening at the Acropolis"



Brandon and Sheryl Thomas


It was a lovely evening. Thanks to Anna, Tressia, Connie and all those at the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce for asking us to be a part of this event. Thanks to all the Gary Musick Productions scenic crew and others for your hard work!

SAYING "THANK YOU" TO FIRST TENNESSEE'S STAR PERFORMERS

The financial services industry has experienced incredibly challenging times over the past few years. One of our clients, First Tennessee Bank, has successfully returned to profitability in just two short years. FTB is an outstanding bank and is known for offering remarkable customer service. GMP is a customer of First Tennessee, and I can attest to the outstanding service we receive every day. The bank has found a way to reward its top employees who helped achieve a return to profitability through a recognition program called the "Horizon Awards". Over the past 3 weeks, the bank's top sales performers were honored at 5 Horizon Awards dinner events in the bank's key market areas across Tennessee. Our GMP team staged the production and decor for all five events, including audiovisuals, room decor, draping, centerpieces, linens and seating. All five events were identical in design and execution. This "road show" approach helped the client manage costs and control the quality of the events while offering an outstanding recognition experience to their top performers.

Here's what Connie Washburn, First Tennessee's event planner, had to say about the programs...

" I can’t thank you and your staff enough for everything. It’s always such a pleasure working with you guys. Everything you do is top notch and you make it fun along the way. Your professionalism and expertise in every element of the event planning is why I come back year after year. I’ve said it so many times but it’s so true – I wouldn’t even want to think about doing an event without you. I’ve gotten so many compliments on the décor and the event itself and I know that’s because of you and your team. We’ll have to get together soon to review everything and possibly lay the ground work for next year’s event. I’m already getting lots of calls and emails from a very excited sales force."

Thanks to Connie Washburn and First Tennessee for continuing to include us as partners in their recognition events. Their program is a model for maintaining employee morale and encouraging sales performance through special - yet affordable - recognition events.

Here are some shots from the Johnson City, Knoxville, and Memphis events...