Local Venue Spotlight: The Hagerty Center

Traverse City has many venues to choose from when planning an event, but we want to give a shout out to one of our favorite local venues: The Hagerty Center. 

The Hagerty Center is outstanding for many reasons: it is a great setting for anything from a meeting to a networking luncheon to a wedding (In fact, Events North owner Allison Beers had her wedding here...it was the "Moore Beers" wedding. No, we're not joking.).

Outside of The Hagerty Center via NMC

We've held a plethora of events at The Hagerty Center, and Nate Glidden and his staff are always superb to work with. They are on top of their game, are extremely attentive to details, and let's just be honest here...they have the best food.

In case you're not familiar with The Hagerty Center, here are a few fun facts for you:
1. Readers of Michigan Meetings + Events magazine have named the Hagerty Conference Center Michigan's Best Meeting/Event Venue (no hotel) outside metro Detroit for 2012 and 2011. Voted runner-up for Michigan's Best Meeting/Event Venue (no hotel) outside metro Detroit for 2009.
2. The conference center offers views of the Grand Traverse Bay -- there really is not a bad seat in the room.
3. Provides seating for up to 400 in their flexible meeting space (they can also accommodate smaller parties. They're very flexible.
4. All rooms feature the latest audio and visual technology.
5. 2012 the conference center was awarded the three star designation as a Certified Recycler by the Michigan Recycling Coalition by following a comprehensive recycling plan that leads to virtually waste-free events. (As avid recyclers ourselves, we say: Go Green! Go Hagerty Center!)
     The Hagerty Conference Center is the first conference center and first community college based center to earn the award.
     During their busy time they are recycling around 1,500 to 1,800 pounds of waste each week.

     This new recycling program has reduced their waste that will end up in landfills by 70 percent. 

A snippit of The Hagerty Center's amazing view via NMC

We recently utilized The Hagerty Center for the 20% Breakfast and will be back again next Wednesday for The Junior Achievement Youth Summit for Future Entrepreneurs.

Book your next event at The Hagerty Center and make sure to tell Nate and his staff that we say hello!

Canstruction Zone!

One of the best parts of our job is that we get to work with some amazing organizations. Not only do we get to work with these organizations, we get to help them collect donations to make sure that the cause they are striving for is supported.

We want to dedicate this week's blog post to the latest event we got the opportunity to execute, Canstruction Traverse City 2013 benefitting The Father Fred Foundation. We were fortunate enough to work on all aspects of this event -- from securing teams and sponsors to watching the very last can be loaded onto the Meijer semi-truck.

For those of you who do not know, Canstruction is a fantastic food-raising event where teams use canned goods to create giant structures. The structures stay on display at a local venue (in our case, the Grand Traverse Mall) for around a week and then they are "De-canstructed," packed into boxes, loaded onto a giant semi-truck (Meijer donated the use of a huge heated semi for us) and taken to the local food pantry (The Father Fred Foundation Food Pantry!).

This year we had 14 teams competing, ranging from corporations to middle school aged students. We collected around 25,000 cans, aka 17.66 pallets of food, aka 3/4 of a semi-truck, aka almost $30,000 worth of food! We were overjoyed to see what an amazing turn out we had for this event. Especially since all of the cans raised are going to help members of the Traverse City community.

It was an amazing event that supported an even more amazing cause. We are so blessed to have been a part of it! Check out some of the photos from the event:

A Helicopter by The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Spouses

Michigan -- note the cherry to represent TC! -- by Save-A-Lot

A light bulb by Consumers Energy

A film reel by Grand Traverse Academy

There are photos of all the structures on The Father Fred Facebook Page -- check them out!

How Technology is Changing Events

We've mentioned this in quite a few posts, but times...they are a-changing. Gone are the days when paper brochures and traveling all over the State/Country/World to attend meetings and seminars. Now, there is basically an app for everything (seriously -- I recently downloaded an app where I can plug in three items sitting in my fridge and it will tell me what meals I can create. Ridiculous...but still pretty fantastic) and we can simply attend "webinars" from the comfort of our own offices, saving us both time and mileage.

When we stumbled across this infographic from Event Manager Blog, we had to share. It's a really easy and accurate look into exactly how much technology is changing in the world of event management.

See the entire info graphic right here!

What are your thoughts? Are you excited for these changes or are you still clinging to the old-standards?

Local Vendor Spotlight: Aunt B's Cakes & Desserts

So, we have a confession...

we love cake. Not just any cake, however. We love a gorgeously decorated cake that tastes as phenomenal as it looks. We are also lucky enough to have a vendor in Traverse City who is able to fulfill all of our (and our client's) cake dreams. Ever. Single. Time.

We would like to dedicate this blog post to a woman who is always fabulous, always professional, and always able to provide mouth-watering desserts: Ann Barraclough, owner of Aunt B's Cakes & Desserts. We asked Ann a couple of questions and also asked her to provide some examples of her absolute favorite cakes. Enjoy!

1. How long have you been in business? 

I have had my commercial kitchen since 2006, but have been making cakes and desserts for as long as I can remember. I have always loved to be in the kitchen creating baked goods as well yummy dinners.

A Cheetah-licious Purse Cake. Purrrr-fect!

2. What is your favorite flavor of wedding cake?

I love all cakes, but I would have to say that if I were going to pick a favorite it would be almond white with fresh berries and vanilla bean buttercream. (editor's note: uhhhh....yum. I had to stop typing for a quick minute so I could focus on making my mouth stop watering in the office)

Every Cake is Unique!

3. What makes Aunt B's Cakes unique?

Aunt B's is unique in the fact that I try to make each special occasion cake personalized and sculpting is one of my favorite things to do. As for wedding cakes, I like to meet with the couple and figure out what there inspiration points are for their wedding and try to make a cake that they and their guests will remember for the beauty as well as taste.

Elegant and Fun.

4. Your favorite cakes you ever created?

As far as some of my favorite creations, I think I have done some truly gorgeous wedding cakes with the help of the bride and groom in creating a great design. For birthday cakes I think some of my favorites would be the frog prince, yellow submarine and Captain Morgan girl.

The Frog Prince!

5. What made you start a Cake company in Traverse City?

I love working with clients here in the Traverse City area. We have so many local weddings as well as destination weddings. I also really enjoy getting to know locals here in the TC area.

The cake "leaves" us breathless...get it?

6. So...do you make your own Birthday cakes?

Our family chooses to have pies for our birthday's. We are fortunate enough to be able to eat cake almost everyday.

It's a girl...and an adorable cake!