Destination Planning Corporation and the Florida House Inn have joined forces to create event perfection in historic Fernandina Beach. Florida House Inn is the oldest surviving hotel in Florida as it originally opened back in 1857 as a boarding house for railroad workers. Originally built by David Yulee, this hotel and event venue was modified by its many owners over the years.  Throughout time it has been visited by many historic figures such as General Ulysses S. Grant, The Rockefellers, The Carnegies and Henry Ford to name a few.  

Recently it has been completely renovated to restore its southern grace and charm. The original 25 rooms (with no indoor plumbing), have now been created into 16 comfortable rooms with indoor plumbing and all the amenities needed. In its new condition and the fantastic outdoor patio/courtyard area, it is now a popular historic hot spot for weddings, receptions, corporate dinners, rehearsal dinners, and other special events.  DPC is excited to be working with this venue in creating memorable events with full catering, coordination, decor, entertainment and any other event need as their in-house event planning company.

 For more information on the Florida House Inn, visit www.floridahouseinn.com.

Some of DPC's key players had the honor of attending the 16th Annual Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME) Conference in Las Vegas this Spring.

DPC rubbed elbows with fellow members of the CONTACT DMC Group (pictured above) while enjoying the amazing educational sessions and Vegas Sites! As our gift to you, we want to share some of the key tips we learned!

• Allow your attendees to tell you what they want to learn at your next conference through Social Networking. Take a poll or question your fans (attendees) to see what education sessions they are interested in. The more you know about your audience, the better the sessions, the better attendance and ROI for your conference.
• Don't spread the decor budget too thin! Planners tend to want to get the most bang for their buck for decor by spreading the focus of the decor throughout the room.  Many times this leaves the decor looking skimpy or unfinished.  Most often, smaller budgets, if focused on a few key areas such as centerpieces or stage decor (depending on the type of the event), can really create a powerful look in your event space.
• Create the BUZZ! Before the big event, be sure to keep your attendees guessing with continuous event marketing that entices them and excites them to attend. Perhaps announcing surprise guest speakers, additional educational sessions or networker events that have unique entertainment that will make your event THE BUZZ! 

CONTACT DMC is a unique consortium of some of our nation's best and most prominent DMC's. This partnership allows our clients to have DMC excellence no matter what city they are travling to. Let DPC assist you in North and Central Florida and then when you are off to another state and city, let us help you find the best DMC in the area with our partners across the country!

www.contactdmcgroup.com 

 DPC decor keeps getting curiouser and curiouser!  At an event at the Hammock Beach Resort, our design team transformed the putt putt golf course into a Madhatter Tea Party and the ballroom into the whimsical world of Wonderland. We used an assortment of different patterns, colors and shapes to create an atmosphere that made guests feel like they had just fallen through the looking glass!  

Wacky Wonderland is one of our new themes that is sure to leave your guests in awe! Try a Madhatter Tea Party for your next corporate luncheon or bridal shower. Or, give us a call and see how we can tailor this theme to fit your event perfectly.