Peterhof Palace

ANOTHER AMAZING EXPERIENCE

I've been away from the blog for sometime now, but its only because we've been busy. I've been traveling a good bit this summer, including a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, over the July 4th holiday. I had been there a couple of times before, but never had a chance to see many of the sites. This time we were given an opportunity to go on a tour of the Peterhof Palace. It is a beautiful place that's full of history from another time. I was surprised to learn that the Germans had destroyed the palace during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Fortunately, many of the artifacts from the Russian Czars were removed and hidden before the occupation. After the war, the palace was rebuilt using the original designs and construction techniques. The fountains are one of the most unique features of the palace. Each day at noon, a fabulous display delights tourists when the water flows through the elaborate system of pipes and ducts to bring the fountains to life. It was a great day, and it made me even more aware of the fantastic cultural treasures that await those who have the chance to see the world. Man, I love my job!

These are the fountains just before the water came on full force.

And here are the fountains after the water reached its full pressure.

June 17, 2009

A FABULOUS AFFAIR

Last weekend, GMP producer Bert Hensley spearheaded a huge project for country music giant Barbara Mandrell and her family. It was the wedding of her son, Nathan Dudney, to his beautiful bride Hannah Menefee. Our experienced event production team turned Nashville's Rocketown into a spectacular showplace for the rehearsal dinner. In addition to the elegant and exotic themed decor, the flowers were grown AND designed by Barbara Mandrell herself, with a little help from her famous sisters. The arrangements were truly stunning! We offered her a job, but I think she thought it would be too much work. Seriously, they were gorgeous.

The next evening, Bert, Jim Sheridan and team turned the reception hall of Nashville's Cathedral of the Incarnation into an amazing wedding reception and dinner. The theme was RED - and we do mean RED! The bride requested that we transform the simple hall into a room drenched in vivid red fabrics and crimson lighting effects, and we did not disappoint. Music was provided by Burning Las Vegas, one of the country's hottest show bands. Both events were huge successes. Thanks to all of the GMP team members who helped make it a once-in-a-lifetime memory for all who attended!

Here are some shots from the rehearsal dinner...

And here are photos from the wedding reception at the Cathedral...

May 26, 2009

TEARS AND CELEBRATIONS

Seventeen years of hard work, late night studying, hysterical laughter and great memories finally culminated in a night of joyous celebration last week when my youngest daughter, Eliza, graduated from high school. The ceremony was held in the world famous Grand Ole Opry House (one of the perks of living in Nashville!), and was filled with fond memories of the past and hopeful expectations for the many life adventures to come. Our whole family was there to help Eliza celebrate - even my parents who came down from Virginia. Most of our tears over her leaving were shed a few weeks ago during our church senior graduation dinner. So this week was mostly sweet and full of smiles. Her face in these photos says it all!

We love all our girls, and it was wonderful having them together again for the past week. Congratulations to all of you who have kids or brothers and sisters who graduated this month. Let the adventures begin!

I love this shot! This was taken right after her class marched in for the ceremony.

These are our three daughters...Anna, Mary Catherine, and Eliza. Mary Catherine will graduate from college at the end of June - whoo hoo! Anna will graduate from the University of Tennessee next year, and Eliza will be entering UT this fall. 

Saturday, May 23, 2009

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTORS 

2009 ANNUAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

We just returned from producing the 2009 Annual Leadership Summit for the National Association of Electrical Distributors. The three day meeting was held at the Westin Diplomat in Ft. Lauderdale. The Westin is a fantastic convention hotel right on the beach -, and it even has a ballroom that overlooks the ocean. As with most meetings this year, attendance was down due to the economy. However, the NAED staff did an amazing job of creating a program filled with great speakers and presentations on everything from the economy to political issues impacting the electrical distribution industry. NAED is one of my favorite clients, and this was our 45th meeting to produce for the association over the past 15 years (I think that's right...I sort of lost track after awhile!). Here are some shots from meeting.

This was the general session set up just prior to doors opening.

Here's the awards banquet set up. Each year the association closes their convention by honoring the outstanding achievements of their members.

This is a close up of the third general session. NAED invited several industry professionals to participate in a panel discussion related to important industry issues from a political and legislative perspective.

This is the view from the balcony just outside the ballroom. This is the Hallandale Beach area in south Ft. Lauderdale.

Here's our production team and our clients on stage just after the closing session. We had a great week together!

Sunday, May 2, 2009

PREMIERE AUCTION RAISES MONEY FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Last night, we produced Nashville's "Premiere Auction", one of the great annual events sponsored by "l'Ete' du Vin", the country's oldest charity wine auction. This is "l' Ete du Vin's" 30th anniversary year, and the Premiere Auction celebrated with a fabulous auction of wines, trips, artwork, jewelry and other items. Fourteen local restaurants provided incredible samples of their cuisine, while eight outstanding Napa Valley wineries showcased their vintages. This was our 10th consecutive year to produce the event, and it was another successful night for this great cause! We had a wonderful time working with the l' Ete du Vin staff; Mike Haney - Executive Director, Sara Moggio - Events Director, and Collin Husbands - Donations Director. GMC producer Brandon Thomas assisted Gary with the production and direction of the show, and Jim Sheridan and Jonathan Yeaworth managed the overall project. Special thanks to GMC staffers Keith Brogdan and Eric Cardwell for all the help with graphics and signage. Also, thanks to Marc Fragos and PSAV for assistance with lighting for the event.

The auction raised several hundred thousand dollars for the fight against cancer. Here are some shots taken at the event held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center...

Sunday, April 12, 2009

NORWEGIAN GEM REHEARSALS UNDERWAY!

The new cast of the Norwegian GEM joined us in Nashville for rehearsals two weeks ago. They have been working hard on their first two shows and doing great! We got to watch them in a run of "Get Down Tonight" yesterday. This is a seventies themed show featuring all kinds of popular music from that decade. They had stepped up the energy and performance level considerably since seeing them at them end of their first week. NCL's Robert Hertenstein and some very special guests came to visit rehearsals yesterday. The cast bumped up the energy for the run through and made a great impression on our guests (I would tell you who they were, but we are sworn to secrecy for now!).  

Here are some shots from last week's GEM rehearsal of another of their shows - "World Beat". Enjoy!

April 7, 2009

SPIRIT CAST HEADS TO THE SHIP FOR NEW CONTRACT!

The new cast of the Norwegian Spirit left Nashville last week to begin a 6-month contract performing in the Caribbean. This is a another great SPIRIT cast - they're loaded with talent, energy and experience.  And they'll have big shoes to fill, too. The outgoing cast of the SPIRIT got rave revues from our production team for their performances during the transition cruise. The Spirit is a ship with a great vibe, and I know this cast will have a blast performing there for the coming months. 

This photo was taken at their cast dinner just before leaving town. Great rehearsals, gang! Now show us what you can really do!!