What does your job entail?
Planning fundraising and donor relation events for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.
Describe your recent meeting in Lake Geneva?
We host our annual Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare event, which centers around golf and spa, at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa.
Our most recent event, which attracted over 250 golfers, 20 spa guests and over 300 for dinner, was struck by an event planner’s worst nightmare—severe weather. We took a direct hit of severe storms with reports of tornadoes within miles of Lake Geneva about 20 minutes before our scheduled shotgun time.
With about 95 percent of our attendees already on-site, the Grand Geneva staff went out of their way to make sure everyone was safe, and also ensured everyone was having a good time despite the weather. We had a lunch buffet and a create-your-own Bloody Mary bar that guests really enjoyed.
In the end, the outing was rescheduled for two months later. Almost all of our attendees returned for the second outing and we were even able to attract additional sponsors, which I think speaks to the allure of the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa and Lake Geneva.
What did your attendees seem to enjoy the most?
Our golfers love the Brute and Highlands golf courses. We feature three specialty cocktail holes on each course, which has become very popular. At our most recent outing, the featured cocktails were mojitos, craft beers, vodka lemonade and Arnold Palmers.
Also, being a Catholic healthcare organization, we feature a contest called Beat the Nun. Four of our Wheaton Franciscan Sisters are avid golfers, and they challenge each of our golfers on a par-three hole. The contest functions much like a Beat the Pro, and the nuns out-drive a fair number of golfers. It’s also a great way for each attendee to have a personal conversation about our mission and what the event is raising money for.
How does Lake Geneva compare to other places where you have hosted meetings?
Lake Geneva is a wonderful place to host a meeting or event. It is about an hour outside of Milwaukee, and the environment is a great place to reset and refocus without worrying about traffic, construction or parking, while still being close to home.
Would you return/recommend Lake Geneva to other planners?
Definitely, we are booked at the Grand Geneva through 2017.