Behind the Scenes (Open to Planners Only)
Steve van der Molen, Vice President of Meeting Operations, Atlantic City Region
What makes this center State of the Art, Silver Leeds certified and Sustainable as well as things to consider for planners when choosing their venue.
Learner Outcomes:
- Experience $ 126 Million, 100,000 sq.ft and 2,000 airwalls working harmoniously to create 60 breakouts and hundreds of combinations
- Learn how Six Sigma’s & Kaizen supports efficient meetings in the Waterfront Conference Center
- Explore Harrahs Atlantic City’s Waterfront Conference Center Silver Leed Certification status and the impact on greener meetings
- Gain insight in the Caesars Entertainment Meeting Planner Customer Service Philosophy
About The Speaker
Steve van der Molen is responsible for all meeting and events operations for the Atlantic City region, particularly the opening of the Harrah's Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center in September 2015. Van der Molen began his hospitality career at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. After various experiences in catering and convention services both domestically and internationally, including five years as the Director of Catering & Convention Services for Starwood Hotels, van der Molen joined Caesars Entertainment in 2002 as the Assistant Director of Convention Operations at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. In 2012, he became the Director of On Property Sales for all of Caesars Entertainment's Las Vegas properties, a role he held until his most current position in Atlantic City. Van der Molen holds a bachelors in hotel business administration from The Hague International University in The Netherlands.
Breaking through the Bandwidth Barrier (Open to All Attendees)
Jeannie Power, CM, Co-Founder & Event Technologist, Power Event Group
Have you found yourself trying to avoid the ‘bandwidth’ conversation when planning your event because you don’t understand it? Have you simply hoped or assumed that all your internet needs will magically be solved by simply “having Wi-Fi”? In today’s ever-increasing connected and data-hungry world, these conversations are crucial. Understanding the basics of bandwidth has become everyone’s responsibility. Discover what you need to know before, during, and after the event to be proactive and ensure a smooth digital experience.
Learner Outcomes:
- Learn bandwidth terminology and why it’s important to your event
- Discover how to estimate your event bandwidth needs
- Learn how to build an event bandwidth history to estimate future needs and growth
- Determine questions venues and planners should discuss to aid in bandwidth planning
About The Speaker
Jeannie is a dynamic player in the event industry, with almost 20 years of experience. She started her first company, Event Elements, in upstate New York in 2004. Jeannie is a leading expert in the rapidly changing event technology field. With both event planning and technology expertise (and obsession with the newest tech gadgets!), Jeannie is able to speak to language of the event planner, and bridge the gap when it comes to event technology.
She earned her CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) from the Convention Industry Council in 2007. Jeannie enjoys the challenge of creating a customized and engaging attendee experience by thoughtfully integrating event technology. She has over 10 years of experience in online event registration management using a variety of software systems. Jeannie also has extensive experience integrating mobile apps and gamification into meetings and event design and has a Level 1 certification in Gamification Design. She is intrigued by the psychology behind integrating game thinking and mechanics into non-game contexts to solve problems and achieve goals. Jeannie is also a social media fangirl and is addicted to sharing information to improve the hospitality industry.
Viking Cooking School (Open to Planners Only)
Creative Session and Unique Gifting in partnership with Toffee to Go
Lisa and Jim Schalk, owners of Toffee to Go
You’re in for a sweet treat! Lisa and Jim Schalk, owners of Toffee to Go will not only entertain you with hilarious banter about their toffee business, they will actually be cooking their award-winning toffee in front of you in Harrah’s Viking Cooking School. From a family recipe to family business, Toffee to Go continues to make each batch of their incredible toffee by hand. How awesome is their toffee? We love it, but don’t just take our word for it! Toffee to Go has won Best Chocolate, Best Candy, Best Dessert, and Editor’s Choice awards. “O” but there’s more! Their business really boomed when Oprah Winfrey gave their toffee her gold seal of approval by choosing Toffee to Go as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2013! WARNING: Toffee to Go is highly addictive and we cannot be held responsible for toffee cravings that may occur during this presentation.