While as a general rule, I do not blog about my job, this experience is a result of my job and one I thought you might enjoy. 
I am very fortunate to have a job that matches my passion as not everyone is that lucky. As a meeting planner, I get to partner with clients to create memorable events for their guests and frequently get to experience what attendees will experience before the event through site visits. Often times on these visits, I will have tastings to select the menu, participate in activities to select the activities will offer (not going to lie, my favorite is when I do QC on hotel spas!), spend time with Destination Management Companies (DMC) to get the lay of the land and meet with hotel staff to discuss our objectives and ensure the function space will meet all our needs to produce the results my clients require.
A few months ago, we began sourcing hotels for a June 2020 program for 350 executives from North and South America. One of the hotels under consideration is The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA. Imagine my surprise when the sales manager asked if my client and I would like to attend the Golden Globes experience for a behind the scenes tour of what it takes to make this event happen and see what the hotel can do. Unfortunately my client was not able to attend but I happily took one for the team and headed out to LA on Thursday, January 3 for what has turned out to be one of the most memorable experience in my professional life.
From taking care of booking my flight to ground transportation to a great room overlooking the building of the HBO party on top of the pool (divers installing the 2x4s holding up the decking and all) to the wonderful gifts (personally think our swag was way better than what the celebs received and I don’t even know what all they received) to the dinners around town to the exclusive behind the scenes tour and educational experience to the hair, make-up and mani/pedi to the Globes viewing and After Party, The Beverly Hilton really hit it out of the park. I love all the site visits I have the privilege of participating in and remember them all in great detail (helps I drive my sales managers crazy by taking so many pics but how else can you remember everything) but this is one I will most definitely never forget.
The Golden Globes is the only awards ceremony that takes place at a hotel...all other take place at places like the Kodak Theatre, Staples Center, Grand Ole Opry, etc. The Beverly Hilton turns over hotel to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA - owners of the Golden Globes) so for us to be able to see and experience many of the things we did over the three days is pretty unusual. As I approached the hotel, I began to experience some of the magic that goes into pulling off this event. Typically I would arrive at the hotel's circular drive but the HFPA had begun the build for the red carpet so we entered through the parking garage where the normally one way exit ramp was turned into two-way traffic. The staff did an excellent job of orchestrating the cars going up and down the single lane ramp and I soon found myself in the hotel lobby where there was a frenzy of activity already taking place.
I was greeted by one of the hotel sales managers, Seana, who admitted picking me out from stalking me on LinkedIn. Totally loved her as I'm all about doing some recon before meeting folks for the first time as well. Upon arriving in my room, I found a personalized robe and some chocolates.
After checking out my room, I stepped out on my balcony to find I was overlooking the site of the HBO After Party and the FOX After Party for Sunday night. For the HBO party, they had divers in the pool placing 2x4s to support the deck that would be built over the pool so that the tent could be erected. Over the next three days, I was able to watch it turn into the party site. To the right of my room was the parking garage where the FOX party would take place on the roof top. The tent was massive and included very very large steel framing which caused them to shut down Wilshire Boulevard so that cranes could lift the tent to the roof top. Later in the post you'll get to see inside the party as the General Manager, Sandy, was able to score us tickets to the party (one of those things I mentioned that was unusual as the parties are generally only for those in the industry).
Friday morning I met up with the Director of Sales, Ann, and the sales manager from Maui Jim, Karen, for breakfast. After breakfast, Ann took us on a little tour of some of the space they are proposing for my client's meeting as today would probably be the only time I'd be able to see is before everything went on lock down.
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| Still Photo Room for winners to pose for pics only |
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| HFPA ultra fancy step and repeat banner |
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Our Golden Globes Experience officially began at noon with a champagne toast in the Courtyard and to our surprise a new pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. I mean we are in Hollywood and need to be incognito so what better way than with a pair of the latest Maui Jim's?
This was a pretty exclusive group of meeting planners and clients invited to this program...there were only nine of us so we all had a chance to get to know each other over the three days. Also part of the party were our friends from The Beverly Hilton, Antwon, Ann, Anna and Seana as well as our friends from 360 Destination Group (DMC), Jackie and Michael (who you can actually see in a scene in VICE). What a fun group!!
For lunch, we headed to one of the places to be seen in Beverly Hills, AVRA. We had a prime table and we looked like were famous apparently as a tour bus full of tourists was taking our photos when they stopped in front of the restaurant. We did spot Kendall Jenner and friends while we had our amazing lunch. The afternoon was free for us to hang out on Rodeo Drive or go back to the hotel for free time. Having lived in LA, I opted to go back and get a little work done so I could enjoy the weekend. |
| A few truckloads of these will be used on Sunday |
Tonight's dinner was at Tesse, a new hot spot on Sunset Boulevard. They've been open for six months and it is definitely the place to be as it was hopping. One of the items on our special menu was served with bone marrow. Once the server scrapes the marrow into the dish, they leave the bone on a plate so that you can do a bone luge after dinner. A bone luge consists of the sommelier placing a napkin around your neck and you raising the bone at a 45 degree angle over your mouth. The sommelier then pours Madiera at the top and it picks up the remaining fats and acids in the bone which enhances the flavor of the Madiera. After a fabulous dinner, we headed to Tao for after dinner drinks where we had a reserved spot right in the middle of the action.
When we returned to our rooms, we had yet another surprise from our friends at 360 Destination Group. Before most hotel visits, the hotel will send you a form to complete so they can learn a little more about you and know what amenities to place in your room. The "get to know you" form for the Golden Globes Experience was a little more extensive and 360 Destination Group used the information to personalize our bags. Mine said Italy Adventures, Vino Rosso and Home Cook and we all had Beverly Hills as the final line. Inside the bag was all sorts of snacks and treats based upon what was listed on our form. Pretty cool and definitely a great gift idea for a meeting.
Saturday morning began with a 6:30am wake-up call in time for our 7:00am appointment at Upgrade Labs in The Beverly Hilton. While I was definitely looking forward to the red carpet experience, I must admit I was pretty jazzed about Upgrade Labs as this is where we got to experience cryotherapy! Upgrade Labs is a Biohacking Health and Fitness facility and their trainers are called hackers.
Prior to starting my cryotherpy, I had a PEMF and REDcharger treatment. The PEMF is a chair and ottoman that recharges your body as it targets the parts in need of help. The closest thing to compare it to is stim therapy at a chiropractor's office except it is the entire chair. The really cool part is your body attracts the pulses to the exact spot where you need healing. Apparently I'm pretty hard core as my hacker said she had it turned almost all the way up and I was just giving it a 7 on scale of 1-10. While the PEMF treatment is taking place, so is the REDcharger. For this, you sit under a infrared light that aids in muscle recovery, reduces inflammation and boots mitochondrial functions.
Admittedly, I was a little anxious about stepping into the cryo chamber but when my two minutes were up, I was high fiving the hackers and wishing I could go for another round! It was the most exhilarating experience and in spite of being -165 degrees, it really wasn't that cold...it was a dry cold. At Upgrade Labs, they can pipe in music and it really does make the time fly by.
To prepare for the chamber, they provide you with socks and slippers, mask for your mouth & nose, earmuffs, mittens and a wrap if you don't have a metal free bra (you definitely want to cover any parts that you don't want to be frozen off). The hackers are in the room the entire time and door is magnetic so you don't have to worry if you get freaked or claustrophobic...you can push it open any time. I'm not prone to claustrophobia but will say the chamber was very spacious and it didn't get foggy so it really shouldn't be an issue. Would definitely recommend taking them up on the music as it really does make it seem like two minutes was two seconds.
There is nothing special you need to do after the treatment except enjoy the feeling of all the endorphins released into your system. I felt more clear headed than I have felt in years. It really is amazing! Cryotherapy helps your body heal itself, boosts your immune system, reduces inflammation in your body and releases endorphins to give you boost of energy like nothing I've ever felt.
Now it was time for my cryofacial! During this treatment, the hacker uses a wand that uses vaporized nitrogen of -165 degrees. They sweep the wand over your face and throat to exfoliate dead cells, reduce inflammation and strengthen the skin. Because they are constantly moving the wand, you just have a cool feeling and don't feel like your face is freezing. Once again, it was a rejuvenating and refreshing feeling. My time in Upgrade Labs was by far one the best spa-type experiences I've ever had and I'm definitely going to look into cryotherapy in Charleston. Prior to my cryo tank experience, I had been suffering with tendinitis for about four months...haven't had a problem since the treatment! 
Breakfast today was at Jean-Georges at the Waldorf Astoria as it is the sister property to The Beverly Hilton. After breakfast, we had a tour of the hotel and spa. We got to check out one of the suites one of the nominees for Sunday will occupy...try as we might, we could not get them to tell us who it was. The hotel was gorgeous and had some amazing views from the rooftop.
Next we got a great behind the scenes tour of The Beverly Hilton...at HFPA request we were not able to take pictures of some of the space. Thanks to some smooth talking by Michael, hotel manager, we were able to get into the International Ballroom (location of the Golden Globes and would also be the general session space for my client's meeting). From there, we walked the path of the award winners which included a stroll through the kitchen where we got to talk with Chef. We were able to snag a few pics in front of the step and repeat for the still photos stage. Only thing missing are our Globes.
On Sunday, Chef and his team 11 chefs, 100 cooks and 150 stewards will prepare and serve 10,000 meals between the awards dinner, after parties and staff/crews meals! One would think with all the prep involved with preparing that many meals, the kitchen would be a place of chaos. Quite the opposite, it was one of the calmest and most efficient kitchens I've ever seen. Not only does Chef have a color coding system for his team to follow for all foods prepped, he engages all the vendors to follow the same system so when each box arrives it is already color coded to match the appropriate meal location so they can store in the designated spot in the kitchen.
Some pics of the red carpet build...
Given it had been about 3 hours since we last ate, it was of course time for another fabulous meal in Beverly Hills so we headed to Eatlay LA. Eatlay is an Italian market and food court concept where you can get just about anything Italian. I've been to the original Eatlay in NYC and the one in Chicago and while each are similar, their signature restaurants in each are different. We ate at Terra today and it was delish! Apparenlty one the trendy drinks in LA now is warm honey lemon water wtih firewater bitters...definitely had a little kick to it.
After lunch, we were treated to a VIP shopping experience at Bloomingdale's at the Beverly Center. Two of their personal shoppers showed us some the trends we'd see on the red carpet and then assisted us with our shopping needs. The Beverly Hilton and Bloomingdale's treated us with a gift certificate to use while we were in town. I picked up a fabulous Tory Burch bag that I can use on-site for meetings...will definitely remind me of the weekend every time I use it.
After a late night on Friday and the early wake-up call Saturday, it was nice to be able to go back to the hotel for a little nap before dinner at Mastro's Beverly Hills. Once again, they picked a happening spot as the place was crowded. We had a private room and its a good thing as we were pretty rowdy...you'd expect nothing less from a group of planners! By the time we finished dinner and got back to the hotel, it was close to midnight so it was bedtime as the next day was the big day.
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| Tonight's gift was a cool backpack that included an official Golden Globes key ring...this will make an awesome Christmas tree ornament! |
The Beverly Hilton arrange for all of us to have hair, make-up and a mani/pedi to ensure we were red carpet ready. My appointment was at 9:00am when Vee and Joel began working their magic. First stop was Vee for hair and I think I'm now responsible for a new hole in the ozone layer with all the hair spray used on me. There were giant round brushes, water spritzers, flat irons, curling irons, hair dryers and teasing combs involved...all while I sipped champagne.
Next stop was Joel for make-up. There was Chanel and NARS products along with false eyelashes (a first for me!), lip liner, gloss, glitter and all other fun stuff involved to get me ready for the big day.
Jamie took care of getting my toes all prettied up for the red carpet and then it was time for me to head up to my room to rest before getting all gussied up for the red carpet.
Before heading to our spot on the red carpet, we met up in the lobby bar and had champange (the drink of the weekend) and of course possed for pics. I must say we all cleaned up real good! |
| The Beautiful Ladies |
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| The Handsome Gentlemen |
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| Ann - Director of Sales Extraordinaire |
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| Mystery Brunette |
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| Mario spotted watching football before heading to the red carpet |
It was finally time for us to go to our reserved spot on the side of the red carpet where we had splits of Moet and appetizers all afternoon. We were right across from the EXTRA stage and behind IMDb and a crew from a German station so we saw everyone up close and personal. Again The Beverly Hilton out did themselves in securing us a spot on the red carpet as we were the only folks that were not media. Here's some pics from the afternoon...
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| That time I was in a scene with Amy Adams |
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Some fun facts:
- The Hollywood Foreign Press Association owns the Golden Globes
- Dick Clark Productions produces the Golden Globes
- NBC airs the Golden Globes
- Celebrities approach the hotel in their limos along Wilshire Boulevard where their cars are swept before they get into the loading zone
- Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards are closed beginning on Saturday afternoon
- After parties actually begin while the Golden Globes are taking place as folks from the various studios are expected to attend to promote their shows/movies that are not represented at the Golden Globes
- For these 3,000 After Party only attendees, they are transported in from a special parking area in Century City
- Hazmat, Bomb Squad and Homeland Security are all present along with the Beverly Hills and LA Police Departments
- The Golden Globes has been at The Beverly Hilton for 44 consecutive years
- When you see folks sitting in the bleachers on the red carpet, they have paid between $3200 - $5000 for those seats. They get 2 seats and 2 nights hotel accommodations at The Beverly Hilton but they are not allowed on the red carpet or any of the other weekend functions.
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| Mario and the Ladies...and Tom |
We then had our turn for a walk down the red carpet and iconic photo in front of the Golden Globes sign before heading up to the Presidental Suite for our private dinner (part of those 10,000 meals prepared) and viewing party of the Golden Globes. The Beverly Hilton thought of everything as when we arrived they had slippers for us to change into since we had been on our feet for four hours.
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| Our fabulous hosts for the weekend Anna, Ann, Antwon & Seana |
Antwon got some good back of house pics of Lady Gaga after "Shallow" won Best Original Song...he also got to meet Denzel Washington (not that I'm bitter or anything).
We had a live feed into the show so we could hear the directors talking...a true behind the scenes experience for sure. During dinner, we found out Sandy scored us tickets to the FOX After Party so once the show was over, headed down to the party.
We had a live feed into the show so we could hear the directors talking...a true behind the scenes experience for sure. During dinner, we found out Sandy scored us tickets to the FOX After Party so once the show was over, headed down to the party. |
| Spotted the credentials key for the FOX party |
What a fun time dancing and star gazing (both human and celestial as it was a clear tent). Seana and I were convinced Willem DaFoe was stalking us because every time we turned around, there he was.
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| Me & Antonio Banderas...though he didn't realize we were taking a pic together |
After a couple hours, it was time for Cinderella to turn in as I had an early flight the next day to go back to reality. This was an unbeleivable experience and one I will never forget.
That's a wrap folks!
