Regional Sales Manager
Florida’s Natural
Rocklin, Calif.
Describe your event.
Every year in August we’ve held Customer Appreciation Weekend for Florida’s Natural. We bring in customers and their spouses or significant others from Friday through Sunday. Our attendees vary from 60 to 120, and we stay at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Lake Tahoe.
Why did you decide to host the meeting in Lake Tahoe?
The Resort at Squaw Creek is gorgeous. Also, I want to stay away from gambling.
What did your attendees seem to enjoy the most?
Ninety-eight percent of the people who come are “flatlanders,” so the mountains are the draw. They love that they can go bike riding and do anything up there that they want to.
Was anybody particularly helpful?
Tahoe/Reno Experience, a local DMC. People fly into Reno, and Barry Isola, owner of Tahoe/Reno Experience, handles all the transportation and off-property activities.
What were some of the unique off-site venues that you used?
This year we did Saturday-evening cocktails and dinner on the Tahoe Gal, a paddle wheel boat—about a three-hour deal with a phenomenal dinner.
What outdoor excursions, activities or team-building programs did you incorporate into the agenda?
On Saturday I give them an option of four activities, one being golf, one being massage and then things like helicopter rides, white-water rafting or ATVs going up the Rubicon Trail.
How does Lake Tahoe compare to other destinations where you have hosted meetings?
I’ve had this event at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, Calif., and at Silverado in Napa Valley, Calif., but the guests love Tahoe.
Would you return?
Yes. In fact, I booked Squaw for ’08 and ’09.