HSMAI Arizona - Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, Arizona Chapter

December, 2004
"Winter Wonderland…Arizona Style"
HSMAI Annual Holiday Celebration


At this year’s holiday celebration and awards gala – we certainly celebrated the season in style! The event was held at the picture perfect Waterfront, located in The Lakes in Tempe. For many years, the Waterfront operated as a restaurant, and now caters to private parties and events.

The theme of this year’s event was an Arizona style winter wonderland. Winter cactus décor provided by Merestone productions accented this lakefront location. When guests entered the reception area, they were greeted by a giant cactus ice sculpture donated by Artistic Ice. Photographer Eric Baer donated his services to capture the evening on film, with many guests opting for formal portraits by the stone fireplace. To bring a special holiday feeling to the evening, the choir from Fremont Jr. High School performed a number of holiday classics. The group of boys and girls, dressed in formal outfits, is under the direction of………….

The evening progressed to the upper seating area, where the room was set with elegant table linens and chair covers, donated by BBJ Linens. Finishing off the touch were fabulous centerpieces incorporating the white of winter and the desert cactus, donated by McDonald Florists. Finally, for a special touch, small gift boxes tied with ribbon were set at each place setting, which held festive southwestern ornaments donated by Karen May with Destination Services.

Aventura Catering provided a wonderful meal, which was served buffet style. One of the best parts of a meal is dessert, and this was no exception as chefs prepared flaming bananas foster for everyone!

After dinner, President Linda Rudy presented our annual Chapter Awards and was assisted with the 2005 Board of Director Installation by special guest Fran Brasseux from HSMAI International. Congratulations to our award winners:

Member of the Year::
Sandy Rimmer, Ranger Resources

Board Member of the Year:
Bob Holman, Brede Exposition Services

Sponsor of the Year:
America West Airlines

Committee of the Year:
Special Projects Committee

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Linda Ruby, CMP, CHME, Radisson Ft. McDowell Resort & Casino

Hospitality Sales & Marketing Professional of the Year:
Clark Rowley, RRP, Scottsdale Camelback Resort

Host Property of the Year:
The Wyndham Buttes Resort

General Manager of the Year:
John Secrest, SuperShuttle/ExecuCar

Welcome to Cheryl Street, our incoming President for 2005! For those who still wanted to boogie into the night, dance music was provided by Windy City DJ’s.

On behalf of the Gala Committee, special thanks to all who filled the sleigh with toys and gifts to be donated to the HSMAI Charity of the year, the Children’s Angel Foundation. In addition to the wonderful assortment of donated items, President Linda Rudy presented Staci Bishop-Glass with a check for the foundation in the amount of $1500.00

Congratulations to all the award recipients and a special thank you to the hardworking Awards Gala Committee for their dedication to the success of this event. Finally, a special thank you to the many sponsors and donors who continually step up and help our Chapter. Your support benefits not only this event, but also our many programs throughout the year!

Awards Gala Sponsors:
America West Airlines
Artistic Ice
Aventura … A Premier Catering Company
Bahr Photography
BBJ Linen
Brede Exposition Services
Destination Arizona
Fremont High School Choir
McDonald Floral & Gifts
Merestone
Paper Crazy
Ranger Resources
Scottsdale Camelback Resort
SuperShuttle/ExecuCar
The Waterfront
Windy City DJ’s


HSMAI’s 2005 Board of Directors

Students from Fremont Jr. High School entertain guests.

Linda Ruby (l) and Fran Brasseux (r) present John Secrest
with the General Manager of the Year Award.



Sandy Rimmer Receives the Member of the Year Award
From Linda Ruby, Allison Reynolds (last year winner) and
Fran Brasseux.

 

 

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