California Meetings + Events Magazine

 A pioneer in community drumming demonstrates that rhythm is the key to corporate team-building.

On June 21, the MPI Southern California Chapter marked its 40th anniversary as members gathered for their annual installation gala at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. After a welcome reception in the Wetherly Garden, where cocktails were hosted by Mulholland Distilling and sparkling wine by South Coast Winery, guests moved into the ballroom for the awards program and dinner and the swearing in of the 2018-19 Board of Directors. The evening concluded with a lavish dessert reception in the Orchid Room.

Gather your group for tropical cocktails and vintage vibes.

A new luxury property in Sacramento County offers an easy and comfortable escape for retreats and corporate groups. 

A Sudsy Milestone

Shira Steiger discovered the smileinducing fun of Segways—those self-balancing, electric-powered transportation machines—a decade ago when she tried one for a tour in San Francisco and got hooked. Now, with a fleet of 16 Segways, she’s introducing corporate groups and leisure travelers to the “human transporters” through her company, Segway Tours of Healdsburg.

The San Francisco-based company tinyB Chocolate produces “brigadeiros,” a heavenly Brazilian cousin to the chocolate truffle that has a smooth, creamy texture but no hard shell. tinyB founder Renata Stoica is a São Paolo native who’s using her old family recipes to bring the tradition to America. She infuses the brigadeiros with flavors that remind her of home, like passion fruit, pineapple, cayenne pepper and Brazilian coffee.

Mortar & Pestle, the Bay Area craft cocktail bars, are known for their globally inspired drinks that feature traditional Indian flavors. The Bangalore Old Fashioned is an Indian-inspired take on the classic Old Fashioned, made with an Indian rum blend, housemade garam masala syrup, and Bittercube’s Blackstrap and Jamaican #2 bitters. A staple in Indian cooking, garam masala is a mix of warm winter spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. That makes this cocktail perfect for imbibing around the fireplace during the holidays.  

Just in time for its 10-year anniversary, the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills has unveiled a reimagined look that includes a complete redesign of all 234 guest rooms and 63 suites, as well as new group offerings. Small groups can enjoy an exclusive and customizable hotel-within-the-hotel experience that centers around the new updated private terrace.

From wildfires to floods, earthquakes, storms and other disasters, it takes teamwork to craft an effective image recovery