Hello, LAS VEGAS NACE!

I am so fortunate that I can call the majority of our NACE members  my colleagues, if not friends.  However, I remember when I first started attending NACE events about 8 years ago (maybe 8 1/2).  I remember the theme had to do with Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and I wore a light blue suit that just hangs in the closet in my spare bedroom because it doesn't fit anymore and really, the color is awful!  I remember driving to the first event I went to at Lake Las Vegas and thinking to myself, "How am I going to start conversations with total strangers?"

I can't imagine that I am the only person that experienced this trepidation going to a networking event, whether it be their first or fifteenth.  It's hard to mix, meet and mingle sometimes! 

My Top 11 Favorite Ice Breaker Questions!   

                 1)  What is a nice person like you doing at a place like this?

                2)  How long have you lived in Vegas?

                3)  Are you on Facebook?

                4)  What?  You REALLY don't know who I am?

                5)  You're new here aren't you?  Would you like to be on a committee or join the board?

                6)  Are you getting beaten up by your clients as much as I am?

                7)   Do you need another drink?  Can you get me one while you are at the bar?

                8)  Have you met our NACE Board ?  These are the brother's Lam - the heart, soul, and pocketbook of the group.

                9)  Now that we can't blame the economy and the rapture for the decline in revenue, what are you going to do to increase sales for 2012?

                10)  Are you going to eat that?

                11)  Are you single?  So is he, over there. 

 I'd love to get some of your answers!  Send them to me: Shauna.Lederman@StationCasinos.com.

Shout out to Michael Testagrossa for his inspiration and assistance for this month's Top 11!

Where did the last six months go?  It amazes me how fast time flies when you are having fun; and, summer should prove to be even better.

Looking back over the last few months we've learned so much:

• January taught us how the LVCVA can work with us whether you are an event professional or in the catering arena at The Platinum.
• February brought us to the MGM for an amazing lunch and the MGM/Mirage Events team shared with us on The Art of Event Design.
• Spicing up your Menu was the topic of our March meeting with Chef Adam Cho at Loews Lake Las Vegas. No one who attended that meeting left hungry and I think we were all amazed at the simple ways to add a little flavor to our menus.
• Neen James talked to us about how to be more productive at our Annual Assistants Day Lunch held at Paris Las Vegas. We were pleasantly surprised at how much new information she shared on the topic. My favorite "take-away" was her suggestion to do a "tele-coffee" which is a new twist on the age-old teleconference.
• With May, we were all able to put on our "poker face" and learn how to play the crazy popular game of Texas Hold-em. Canyon Gate Country Club was a great place to host this meeting with a separate room for poker & black-jack and the ultra-lounge available for those who didn't want to play poker.
• On June 8^th, we will be at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip where we will be learning the Art of Mixology.  Make sure you mark you calendars now so you don't miss this great opportunity to learn more about your favorite libations.
• July brings us to Experience! 2011 in Reno.  With the efforts made by last year's Astronomy meets Gastronomy Fundraiser and this year's continued CaterSource bus tours we are able provide the following NACE Las Vegas members with a scholarship to assist them in attending this year's conference: Lisa Lynn Backus, Amy Payer-Dyke, Tim Lam, Donnell Bayot, Marcus Lam, Kathy Baldieri, Michael Testagrossa, Jodi Harris and Shauna Lederman.

The Student Chapter is also able to send three scholarship recipients as well as, the current student chapter president, Jennifer Corenblith. Their continued hard work managing the CaterSource event,in February at the Cosmo, allowed them to receive scholarship funds to assist them in attending.

The most rewarding thing about the scholarship process this year was we were able to award every member who applied scholarship funds to assist them in attending. 

 Get involved!  It really does pay off in the end!  I know for me it has and it has been such a rewarding few months as the chapter president; I cannot express how each of you has enriched my life.

 Take care,

 

Wendy L. Weisgerber, CPCE

President, Las Vegas Chapter of NACE

TIRED OF THOSE PESKY CLIPS FOR YOUR NAMETAG?

The Hospitality Committee is looking for a NACE Member or Company to sponsor $300.00 for new nametag lanyards.  Your company logo will be printed on all new lanyards for the upcoming NACE Meetings in 2011-2012. 

Contact Hospitality Chairs, Randee Dickman or Nancy Rodriguez for more information!

rdickman@loewshotels.com

nancy@agrlasvegas.com

Guess who's been in the cookie jar?

Members of NACE and the sweet children of The Shade Tree, that's who!

Thirty little ones spent the evening decorating cookies to surprise their mommys with a box of love for Mother's Day. NACE members Staci Kirk, John Morris, Toni Reiser, Cheryl Sgovio, and the Board President Wendy Weisgerber arrived at the shelter home on the 5th of May with cookies galore.

Special thanks to our sponsors: the Chefs at Caesars Entertainment for the delicious floral shaped confections, to 1st Impressions Invitations for the precious custom designed greeting cards, and to John Morris Photography for capturing all the tender moments. Each child was given his or her own chef's hat for the occasion courtesy of Caesars Entertainment and John provided the photos for each mom to keep that memorable day forever.

The Shade Tree provides a safe shelter to homeless and abused women and children in crisis and offers life-changing services promoting stability, dignity, and self-reliance. To make a donation, please contact the organization's coordinator Brandi Lopez at 702 385-0072 x 105.

The Student Chapter is "Slidin' Thru" with their 2nd Educational Seminar!

The topic will be entrepreneurship and how social media affects your business. Special guests presenting the meeting will be the Slidin’ Thru Slider Truck Guys and they will serve their famous sliders and fries for the first half of the session and speak during the second half.

Cost: $20 per person – open to anyone. The price will include (2) sliders, fries, a soft drink, and the presentation.

Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Time: 6:00pm -8:00 pm

Where: TISOH (The International School of Hospitality) 3614 East Sunset Road, Suite 110 Las Vegas, NV 89120

All proceeds will benefit the NACE Student Chapter.

We appreciate everyone’s support in our effort for continuous education.

If you are not familiar with Slidin’ Thru please visit their website at: http://slidinthru.com/

Submitted by Michael Testagrossa, Secretary

 Administrative Assistant's day is a time to show our appreciation to those who support our efforts throughout the year.  This year, we had the pleasure to meet at Paris Hotel for a luncheon featuring Neen James.  Neen James is an International Productivity Expert.  She looks at how people spend their time and energy - and where they focus their attention - and then helps them rocket-charge their productivity and performance. She is a master networker who has built her whole business on networking. 

Neen provided guidance on how to best utilize time and be more productive.  The focus of her presentation was avoiding distractions and also prioritizing work based on the time of day when you are most productive.  Morning bird (7am-11am) is your best time?  Make sure to get the bulk of your tasks done when you first arrive at work.  Hummingbird (11am - 5pm)?   Then focus on the bulk of your tasks after lunch. Night owl (2pm - 8pm)?  Then focus your attention later in the day.  The main idea is to take care of "other" tasks and time takers (meetings and networking) during your less productive times and keep the work that needs more of your focus to the time when you are most alert.  The main thing is to focus on how to best utilize your time to accomplish the most you can in our very hectic days. 

How this translates to our assistants, be aware that they also have a task list to complete and that their times of productivity may be different from yours. 

Mixology in Events

Anthony Alba of Liquidity Global will discuss and provide a demonstration on how to feature mixology in events ranging from corporate to weddings.

Mixology can differentiate an event and be used as a significant competitive advantage. As you savor and learn, enjoy an evening featuring a decadent food & beverage presentation by the Hard Rock Café while taking in the dramatic view of the Strip.

Anthony started bartending in 1999 and in 2005, was named the Executive Mixologist for the entire Harrah's Entertainment. He is currently the Executive Mixologist for Liquidity Global, a beverage consulting firm. Anthony creates cocktails, trains beverage staff and works with spirit brands all around the world. With awards ranging from Best Garnish to USA Draught Master of 2008 and many places in between, Anthony has been the official representative of the United States in three international competitions including the Cocktail World Cup in 2007 where together with his teammates, took home the first place trophy. He currently is one of only six people that are certified to proctor the tests of the Guild's Master Accreditation Program. The "MA" is the bar and spirits equivalent to the Court of Master Sommelier's accreditation.

June 08, 2011

6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip

3771 S. Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89109

$35.00 NACE Members/$40.00 after June 7

$45.00 Guest/$50.00 after June 7

A Message from Our National President

Dear NACE Member,

As we all head into the busy spring and summer season producing more outdoor events, we have new challenges that come with them: wind, rain, heat and insects! We never know what we are getting into and that's what makes the catering and events business so much fun! We are continually thrown curve balls that we need to deal with. There is never a way to prepare for every problem that may come our way, we can only be mentally and physically ready for the job at hand.

And since we are talking about outside, I want to suggest that you all do something for yourselves outside in the fresh air! We spend so much time working because we love what we do, but we can't forget to make time for ourselves and our families. Balance is important, moving our bodies helps move our minds and there is no better time than now to start an exercise program, begin a new hobby or just start taking walks each evening. It doesn't have to be big, we just need to start moving.

Mentally, we need to be more than ready for those daily work challenges, it's not just how much you know, but it's the attitude we bring every day to our jobs. Our Experience! conference is the ideal attitude adjustment. We get to learn new things, take home great ideas, and probably most often relearn what we already knew but have forgotten. The comments I most often hear about our Experience is "I really needed this." The connection to others in our industry to share our successes and failures, helps us go back to our real lives energized and ready to take on any challenge!

Summer is just around the corner and so is our Experience! 2011 conference hosted by the Reno Tahoe chapter of NACE. If you haven't signed up for your attitude adjustment then I highly recommend you do it today, for yourself and for those around you!

Greg Casella, CPCE
Owner, Catered Too
12 South First Street, Suite 229
San Jose, CA 95113
T 408.295.1563
F 408.295.1665