If anyone knows how to create memorable corporate events that have a lasting
impact on the client, it’s Carl Mahnke, director of corporate events for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. He began his career in the hospitality industry at Hyatt Regency Crown
Center in 1982. Jobs at Hyatt hotels in Princeton and New Brunswick, N.J.,
eventually led Mahnke to the position of senior director of catering and
convention services at Grand Hyatt Denver, where he earned Certified Meeting
Professional and Learning Environment Specialist designations in 1995, and
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.
What’s the key need for corporate events and how do you address it?
People are always looking for the next big “wow.” We’ve become accustomed to an experience-based culture, which means for us that you
have to tie an emotional bond into your meetings somehow. You’ve got to get people involved so that they remember what’s going on, they get to really be a part of the experience and a part of your
own goals. It’s got to be memorable.
What's the most imaginative theme you've used for a recent corporate/client
event?
In Dallas, we did an event at an art studio called 7Senses. Every room was
designed with a different theme, and one was “Alice in Wonderland.” I challenged my team to come up with food that stimulated the senses and
maintained the “fantasy world.” We ended up having visually stunning, delicious bites to eat, such as
brightly-colored ceviche in colored martini
glasses, three kinds of gazpacho shooters—grape, strawberry and yellow tomato—and pots de crème served in polka-dot teacups.
Which inventive ideas that you've used have had a particularly positive effect
on an event?
Anything that makes the event stand out. In January, we did the MPI Leadership
Reception in Houston at Beyoncé’s world headquarters, a cool club-like venue. With 90 minutes to make an
emotional impact on these VIPs, we knew we had to jump-start their convention
experience. As the guests entered, a very upbeat Beyoncé music video enveloped them as it played on 12 flat-screen TVs, plus a two-story
projection screen, which immediately established the excitement of the event.
Hyatt Regency Houston catered the food and beverages and created Beyoncé WOW! food presentations that included vertical sushi on chopsticks and seared
scallops on twisted handled spoons. The centerpieces were bouquets of long stem
white flowers in clear glass vases up to four feet in height—all spot-lit by the club’s stage lights, which made them really pop. The finale was when Matthew Knowles,
Beyoncé’s father, made a surprise visit and addressed the group. As the guests, their
departure gift was, what else? – a Beyoncé CD.
