Event Production

durand productions

by Michael Durand

As an event producer, I take responsibility for the coordination, logistics and production of every aspect of every event. Each detail counts, and I count the details.

Corporate Conventions

Meetings

Parties

Special Events and Celebrations

Incentive Travel Programs

Tours

Theatrical Performances

Gatherings of any Kind and Size

Your project is important and you need to trust that everything is in the hands of a professional producer with a long record of proven success. A seasoned veteran with a creative AND practical mind.

Please call me for a free consultation.

Michael Durand in Miami. November, 2005.

Even after 27 years of handling large corporate events - still no grey hair!

"If you love what you do, it isn't work."

CLIENT LIST

ICS (Incentives, Conventions and Seminars)

IBM

Avon

Shaklee Corporation

Incentive Dimensions

The Concept Group

Sun Microsystems

Triad Systems Corporation

Resonex

Ungermann-Bass

Headland Technology

3-Com

National Advanced Systems

Hitachi

Acuson

Valid International

Grubb & Ellis

Rosenbluth International

Oracle

FNIC

Chevron

Catholic Healthcare West

Governor's Conference on Tourism

Steak and Ale and Bennigans Restaurants

Syntex

United Nations 50th Anniversary

Venture Law Group

Silicon Valley Bank

Governor's Conference on Women

BMC Software

Communications West

VeriFone

Hewlett Packard

Siemens

May, 2006

Puerto Vallarta Mexico - Michael Durand assisted Creative Planning of Los Altos with the Siemen's President's Circle of Excellence at the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort near Perto Vallarta, Mexico. Michael was able to take a break with swim with some local mammals.

Here is a partial list of a Meeting Planner's scope of responsibility:

- Create and maintain a detailed timeline and budget

- Conduct comprehensive research for event site selection

- Plan and direct site inspections

- Negotiate hotel/venue and vendor contracts

- Contribute theme ideas

- Coordination of artwork and production of program related materials

- Create and maintain the invitation and registration database

- Design and produce attendee registration forms

- Participant invitation mailing

- Coordinate all travel arrangements

- Plan meeting/event locations

theme, set-up, decorations, a/v, lighting, etc.

- Oversee all audio/visual productions and presentations

- Manage all technology, communications and engineering needs

- Plan menu selections

- Create and maintain a comprehensive program agenda

listing details of every event and the responsibilities of the on-site staff

- Review, revise and approve the hotel's Banquet Event Orders

- Schedule and supervise on-site staff

- Produce a detailed hotel rooming list

- Research, interview, hire and supervise local destination management companies and vendors

- Arrange for all theme parties and off-site activities

- Create signs/banners, printed materials

- Research, purchase and coordinate room gifts/give-aways

- Produce name badges

- Research, review and recommend bands, speakers and entertainment

- Manage food and beverage guarantees

- Set up and lead the pre-convention meeting

- Oversee all on-site activities

- Manage all changes before and throughout the program

- Handle all emergencies

- Arrange and distribute gratuities

- Coordinate and review all accounting, billing, invoicing, payments and reconciliation

Each project is different, and every detail of each event receives personalized, experienced attention.

Call durand productions at 626-584-3899 for more information about event planning.

Career Highlights

by Michael Durand

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite career highlights so far:

Project Manager for a 2,700 person Chevron convention

Four years as Senior Meeting Planner and Supervisor of the Meeting Planning department

of the San Francisco Meeting and Incentive division of Rosenbluth International

Project Manager for St. Anthony Foundation's year-long celebration of their fiftieth anniversary

of feeding the hungry in San Francisco, culminating in a block party in the heart of the city

for over 6,000 people

Event Producer for Catholic Healthcare West for 15 years,

coordinating the planning and logistics for a total of over 10,000 participants and guests

Project Manager for the annual convention for

Financial Network Investment Corporation (FNIC) handling groups growing from

800 to 1,100 to 1,300 to 1,700 participants

Two 350-person incentive programs for Triad Systems

to the Maui Marriott and the Westin Kauai, Hawaii

A series of ever improving career highlights comes from durand productions'

long time support for Creative Planning with incentive travel programs to

some amazing destinations, including:

Four Seasons Punta Mita, Mexico / Four Seasons Hualalai, Island of Hawaii /

Corfu, Greece / Hilton Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida (x 4) /

Sicily, Italy / Marrakech, Morrocco / Kapalua Bay Hotel, Maui /

Caribbean cruise on Windsurf: Barbados, Bequia, Iles de Saintes, St. Lucia and Mayreau /

Dubrovnik and Rabb Island, Croatia /

Grand Wailea Resort, Maui (3x) / Ritz Carlton, San Juan, Puerto Rico /

Westin Regina, Los Cabos, Mexico /

The Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Inn at Spanish Bay /

Venice, Italy / A Windstar cruise around the islands of

Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea (photo below), Huihine and Raetea

and much more.

Special Thanks to Peter Miller for all of his support and friendship.

Michael Durand on a cruise to see spinner dolphin off

the coast of Moorea, near Tahiti, 2003

There have been so many great highlights that the complete list will be too long to read. Here, in no particular order, is a list of companies for which I have managed or supported meetings, conventions, incentives or special events, each with countless stories and thousands of wonderful people.

Testimonials

Michael Durand - a background of planning experience

1979: "ICS Years" Michael's first job in San Francisco was with ICS: Incentives, Conventions and Seminars. Mail room, registration, on-site support. Major clients included IBM, Avon and Shaklee, working with most of the people who later became "Incentive Dimensions."

1980 - 1987 "The Shaklee Years." Amazing events, hundreds of them. Shaklee Travel Planning. Michael worked in "registration" processing detailed information for each conference attendee. On site support at dozens of conventions.

1988 - 90 "The Concept Group Years" Incredible 18 months as a project manager/meeting planner with groups to: Honolulu; Maui; Carmel Valley Ranch; Ritz-Carlton, Naples; St. Croix; Santa Clara, California; Innisbrook, Florida; San Francisco, twice; Maui, again; La Costa and Kauai. Oh, and don't forget to add in the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco ...

1991 - 1994 "The Rosenbluth Years" From Meeting Planner to Senior Meeting Planner to the Supervisor of the Meeting Planning Department, Michael Durand helped the San Francisco office of Rosenbluth Travel's Meeting and Incentive Division grow from six employees to 22. Michael was an important part of the team that won the 2,700 person Chevron convention and was the Program Manager for the huge meeting. The greatest success was having Chevron sign up again to have us handle the program for the following year.

Another great show was the February '93 program with Steak and Ale and Bennigans restaurants in Cancun, Mexico. The hotel was too small for 1,100 people, so we divided participants into four groups, then staggered arrivals, and repeated each event for each new group. There are a lot of stories from "The Rosenbluth Years."

1995 - "durand productions" See experience for details.

MEETING PLANNER'S STORIES

by Michael Durand

It was the biggest project of my career, so far: a sales meeting for 750 people from 21 countries around the world.

It was the fall of 1989 and Hitachi was formally announcing the purchase

of National Advanced Systems. This was my first use of e-mail. I still marvel at the

ability to communicate around the world in an instant. I sent out registration forms to Latin America,

Asia/Pacific, Europe and throughout the U.S. and started handling registrations in minutes.

The project took months of planning. Down the final few days, we were right

at the deadline to get the international airline tickets out to the participants. The tickets

were issued, bundled and ready for the FedEx agent (Federal Express, back then).

It was 5:04 pm, as the FedEx agent was in our office scanning the bar codes of

the packages, on October 17, 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake

rocked San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Book shelves were knocked over, pencil cups went flying, people scattered into doorways,

lights went out, computers shut down - it was a huge shake.

We helped the FedEx agent carry the packages down the nine flights

of stairs, which were covered in plaster dust from the cracked walls of the stairwell.

The earthquake closed San Francisco airport for a day, but the tickets

got out the next day and the participants received them the day before they left for the program.

Our building was red tagged for a day, meaning we couldn't enter even for a minute.

I was playing golf on what should have been the busiest day of to project.

We were able to enter the building (on Market at Geary - in the heart of San Francisco)

grab our files, then head to the airport to fly to Florida for the event.

Hitachi Data Systems was so happy with how the program went

at the Innisbrook Resort that the client wanted to double all the gratuities.

California governor Pete Wilson and I were just about

the only two males among 6,000 females at the Governor's Conference for Women in Long Beach.

I enjoyed sitting in on a television interview with First Lady Betty Ford.

Moving governor Gray Davis out of an ambassador's seat at the United Nation's 50th Anniversary Ceremonies

at the Opera House in San Francisco was a memorable moment. (Sorry, Gray!). I was an escort

and led a group of ambassadors across the stage and down to their soon to be unoccupied seats.

My photo was on page 5 of the New York Times the next day.

I'll never forget being upgraded to first class on a flight home from a 17 day program in Cancun, Mexico.

The flight attendant bumped Evander Holyfield and his very angry wife into coach. (Sorry, sorry, sorry!!!)

For those unfamiliar, Mr. Holyfield was a boxer and was the heavyweight champion of the world.

It was a gorgeous day on a tiny Tahitian island

when, as I was watching and videotaping them,

two boys from Bora Bora climbed a palm tree barefoot. As they neared the top,

the tree collapsed under them into the ocean. They were fine. The tree submerged.

Sitting backstage at the Syntex sales meeting at the Peabody in Orlando

on headset getting the signal to cue the band leader and the composer of

the "Love Boat" theme to play the song. At the same program, we hired the cast

of Cirque de Soleil to stage a performance in the ballroom and I was

recruited as a last-minute stage hand.

In November, 2005, I worked with Peter Miller of Creative Planning on a VeriFone group to Miami, just days after power and air conditioning were restored to the Sheraton Bal Harbour. Signs of hurricane Wilma where everywhere - lots of broken tree limbs, ripped awnings, blown down signs, blue-tarped roofs. The hotel also housed electrical workers recruited from around the country brought in to restore power.

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