January 29, 2009

Arkansas Destinations was pleased that on last Thursday the Arkansas Hospitality Association awarded Jana Cohen, President, with the AHA President's Award for years of service in the Hospitality Industry.

It was a great night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at a really fantastic event.  Thanks to AHA for a great night and a lovely plaque!

Arkansas Destinations Staff

January 5, 2009

Well, I suppose 2008 was such a busy year that we didn't "blog" for almost the whole year.  Anyone who has been keeping up with ARKANSAS DESTINATIONS knows that there was a lot going on, and no time to write about it.  As January, winter and a recession sneaks up on us, we have a little time to reflect on some of the fun we had while working during 2008!

Earlier this year we took on the names ARKANSAS EVENTS and ARKANSAS WEDDINGS to better explain what we do in the different markets where we work.  

This year we have done some great THEME PARTIES!  Recently we did a surprise 40th Birthday party at one of our favorite venues THE RIVER MARKET.  The theme was CHEESEBURGERS IN PARADISE, or you could say "MARGARITAVILLE".  Nevertheless, there was plenty of Jimmy Buffett music to go around, plus a signed, framed Jimmy Buffett guitar.

Our event staff also pulled off a great NEW ORLEANS theme party in November at the River Market as well - complete with King Cake, a trolley ride and plenty of gumbo!

Earlier this year we did all the decor for the Little Rock Zoo's WILD WINES OF THE WORLD event.  There we had a booth from all six continents that have wine.  Sorry Antarctica! - Australia - with kangaroos and boomerangs, the Asia Pavilion with red satin and lot of oriental effect lighting, Europe featured grapes, wine and cheeses of the Mediterranean, South American had a rain forest theme, Africa focused on the wild animas like cheetas and zebras, and North American finished out the event with a Western/Cowboy theme.  Wow, what a night!

  Wild Wines of The World

ARKANSAS WEDDINGS put on some great events at some wonderful venues around Arkansas.  In February we had a wedding fit for a Princess with midnight blue and cream, ending in a romantic horse and carriage get-a-way at the end.  A wonderful outdoor wedding in April featured Black, White and Yellow...what an awesome color combination!  In December we had a Winter Wonderland theme in Hot Springs complete with diamonds, crystals, silver, and white roses.  We had our first same-sex wedding in November with a touching ceremony and a gorgeous party afterward where a garage was transformed into a tree-lined, light-filled dance floor! 

We worked on some amazing conventions this year, including the LAST huge Alltel Convention in February.  That has been an interesting, large client, and we will miss having their headquarters in Little Rock as Verizon takes them over on January 9, 2009. 

We also worked with several celebrity-themed events in 2008, including the "Words of Wisdom" with Maya Angelou, President Clinton's "Alliance for a Healthier Generation" and the Third Annual Sean Fister Classic and the grand opening of P. Allen Smith's Garden Retreat.

Of course, the large conventions are our specialty, and we had a few big ones we like to brag about. The National Conference of Editorial Writers kept us busy for months planning a lot of events and tours, including their Clinton Library Event, which was themed "Black and White and Red all Over".  Other Clinton Library events included a South of the Border night and a book themed event for ProLiteracy, complete with books, apples and colorful ribbons.  Hadassah had their Southern Region Conference here, and we put on several events, including an Italian event including various pastas and tiramisu!

Some of the tours we did in 2008 included the following:  Historic Little Rock Churches, visits to the Governor's Mansion with the Women's Democratic Committee, tours for the Central High Class of 1958 Reunion, Clinton Library tours for many clients like USA Rice Federation, and my personal favorite, a private visit to President Clinton's private living quarters in Little Rock, which just happen to be next to an amazing "green" roof garden, complete with putting green! 

Outbound trips included a wonderful St. Louis 4-day excursion, several Branson and Memphis trips, many New Orleans and Dallas jaunts for our various athletic, musical, professional and religious groups.

Destination Management continues to be a big part of our business, as we welcome groups of people at the Little Rock Airport from around the world to our beautiful state, and take them to their hotels and meetings in Little Rock, Hot Springs and even Hope, AR!  

And last, but not least, we have our new additions to our fleet, Polly and Dolly! 

Our shuttling has just gone "historic" with the addition of these two adorable trolley buses!  Popular with the weddings and the Christmas Tours, Polly and Dolly have been adding a bit of fun to the various shuttle jobs we have done - like Greek Food Fest, Holiday House, Rally on the Rock, 2nd Friday Art Night and Boo at the Zoo!

So, 2008 was quite a year for Arkansas Destinations.  We appreciate your business, your enthusiasm, your encouragement and your smiles.  Happy 2009!

Jana

January 18, 2008

Mary and I just returned from "The Special Event" in Atlanta, and we are so excited about all the things we learned and saw - we can't wait to use them for your events!

It even snowed in "Hot" lanta, but that didn't keep us from spending all day Wednesday in the Exhibit Hall.  Below are some pictures of some of the coolest things we saw...

Wouldn't you love to have this tree at your event?  We can get it for you!

How about a "singing in the rain" themed table?

Confetti adds drama to your event.  This was the opening ceremonies.

Here's me in front of the show.

...and here's Mary.  We learned so much!  We can't wait to share it all with our clients in 2008!

Jana

August 30, 2007

We haven't updated this blog with event information in a while, but we sure had a great one a couple of weeks ago.  The "Golf Ball", which is the social event connected with the Sean Fister Classic-Long Drive Contest, was a great success.  For those of you who don't know, Long Drivers are really big guys who hit golf balls an obscenely long distance for lots of money. 

If you haven't heard of Sean Fister, he is our local Long Drive Champion, who finds time in his busy schedule to raise money for the Miracle Field and First Tee through Rotary Club 99.   Over 350 people came to the event, which featured a performance by Johnny Lee.  Remember, "Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places?".  Well, he made that one famous.  And I'll never forget Johnny because he announced that I had cute dimples in front of the whole crowd.  Well, I was smiling at the time, and facing him, so no snide comments folks.

We transported pro golfers and decorated these tables with these very affordable centerpieces.  It is a charity event, so we can't splurge on fancy flowers when there are kids needing their sports!  Above are some of the good-looking attendees having a great time at the Golf Ball.  Maybe you can make it next year and help these worthy causes.

Jana

August 16, 2007

We have been so busy with our latest bus that we have forgotten to tell most of you about it!  We call it "Jack".  Our little bus is KC, but more on that later...  This latest bus seats 25 passengers very comfortably.  There is plenty of luggage space, and there are 5 seats across the back that kids love to flop on (trust me - I know this first hand!)

Jack has been with us since May, and has been rolling ever since!  This weekend Jack goes to Arkansas Post where the Delta Queen is docking with passengers who have been traveling up the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers.  Don will have some posts from there as he travels to the Delta during August.  Yum!

Anyway, if you have a group of 25 or fewer, this is just the bus for you.   We're waiting for that cool front to come in when it will only be 97 degrees.  Yeah!

Jana

August 14, 2007

Dear Friends:

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sure had a great show this Sunday at Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock!  Arkansas Destinations was there with our Wedding Specialist, Anndrea Wyrick and driver Mike Shoptaw decked out in full limo attire!   They said the place was packed with future brides.  The booth was swamped when Anndrea decided to cut the cake, and the delicious white cake was consumed in a matter of minutes by all the hungry 20-somethings ready for a good snack.

Recently we have done weddings at Curran Hall, the DoubleTree Hotel and the Historic Albert Pike.   We have special packages arranged for all price-ranges.  Give us a call! 

Jana

August 13, 2007

Dear Friends:

Did you know that they make Skippy Peanut Butter in Little Rock?  Did you know you can tour the factory?  Actually it is known as Best Foods and it has that big U in the front that I think stands for Unilever.  Don't you love corporate America?

Our 14 passenger mini bus made the trek there last week with a day camp Arkansas Destinations has been taking on field trips for the last month.  The group has had tours all over Little Rock, with a lot of stops at Wild River Country and the Museum of Discovery.

The best part is they give you samples!  All the kids received jars of crunchy and smooth...plus the usual PR documents they hand out. 

It is over 100 degrees every day here right now, and all of us are trying to stay cool, positive and focused on cooler days ahead.  Need to rent this mini bus?  Our drivers are great, and the air conditioning works perfectly!

Jana 

August 8, 2007

Dear Friends:

This is the official site of our blog!  Why have a web log?  Because our business is fun and people want to know about the ins and outs of the cool events we help coordinate, the wonderful places we take our customers on tours and the important people that we see in our day to day business!

You'll get updates from various staff members as we chronicle our exploits throughout Little Rock and Arkansas and beyond.

Lately we have been busy with a lot of family reunions, and this weekend we'll be at the Bridal Show at Statehouse Convention Center!  Maybe we'll see you there!

Below is a picture from a recent family reunion we worked with.  This was very touching, as some of the family members posed with the Little Rock Nine Statues near the Arkansas State Capitol.

I look forward to keeping up this blog and letting you all know about the travels, exploits and adventures of Arkansas Destinations! 

Jana