Engage!14 Bachelor Gulch The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch on Beaver Creek Mountain in Colorado
The rugged Rocky Mountain setting lent the June 2014 event the unofficial title of “Camp Engage!.” The tone was set by whimsical touches (customized Field Notes notebooks, wooden nametags and retro-style pin-on buttons), a mountain-chic theme heavy on cowhide and dark wood by planner Aimee Monihan and DesignWorks of Denver, and the first-ever Engage! branded oxygen bar to combat the altitude. The branding and gifting inspiration was Summer Camp, Mountain Glamp with hip backpacks, “elevated” essentials and retro care packages.
Main-stage sessions included a welcome from Vail Valley residents (and original Bachelorette) Trista and Ryan Sutter, and a surprise appearance by Wolfgang Puck, who delighted with tales of his philosophies on business and his own wedding(s).
On the business front, Debbie Geller shared her strategies for bold-faced clients, BizBash founder David Adler talked about the business of events, and tech maven Kfir Gavrieli shared the story behind Tieks’ success.
A stellar slew of planners shared insights from recent business ventures, and Engagees had their choice of nine breakouts covering everything from gay weddings to best practices for websites.
After a picnic lunch on the Mountain Terrace catered by Wolfgang Puck, select speakers led intimate “tent talks” under stylish furnished canvas from Shelter Co., getting into the nuts and bolts of business and addressing specific questions and challenges.
But it wasn’t all work. The welcome party, designed under the direction of planner Emily Campbell was held under a clear tent in Beaver Creek Village and featured antler-and-rose accents, artisanal cocktails from The Grand Bevy, a Veuve Cliquot champagne tower and color-coordinated cowboy hats. Dine-arounds throughout Beaver Creek were followed by a fireside dessert party complete with a John Denver sing-along, and a gifting lounge included treats from Plum Pretty Sugar, Newlywish, Artifact Uprising, SBG Designs and Wedding Paper Divas.
The stunning Farewell Gala featured Engage’s first flash mob, rehearsed secretly in advance to the theme from Dirty Dancing, with Paige Chenault and Brian Worley playing the leads. Suffice to say, everyone had the time of their lives.
