 |  New Venue, New Approach for San Jose
17 Jan 2005
The newly renovated California Theatre celebrated its grand
re-opening on September 17. Originally built in 1927, the 1,119
seat movie palace, located in the heart of San Jose's downtown, has
been transformed into not only a major performing arts center but
also a lavish conference and meeting facility. Additional meeting
rooms, with state-of-the-art audio and video technology, have been
added to the original structure. With its majestic marble columns
and gold leaf cornices, the California Theatre was the area's first
true movie palace. Architects Weeks and Day, who designed the
California Theatre, were also responsible for landmark structures
like the Mark Hopkins and St. Francis hotels in San Francisco. The
progressive public/private partnership, which is Team San Jose, is
another welcome addition to the city. Team San Jose offers meeting
and event planners a single point of contact when booking an event
and a one-stop shopping experience. Comprised of four distinct
stakeholder groups, Team San Jose is represented by a 27-member
board, including local hoteliers, arts groups, the Convention and
Visitors Bureau and organized labor. "Having these groups working
together enables the meeting planner to have each of these
organizations affiliated with and cooperating on their event from
the onset," said Dan Fenton, President and CEO of the San Jose
Convention & Visitors Bureau, and chairman of the board of Team
San Jose. "The idea is to provide this team effort which will boost
our appeal to visitors." Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Vice Chair of Team
San Jose and the Executive Officer of South Bay AFL/CIO Labor
Council, feels involvement of organized labor in the planning
stages of a project will be beneficial to all parties involved.
"We'll have a quicker response time to any problems that arise, be
able to cut through red-tape and ultimately push jobs through,"
Lamkins stated. "Working with Team San Jose, we expect to have
major events running like a well-oiled machine." In addition to the
California Theatre, Team San Jose manages the San Jose McEnery
Convention Center, the Civic Auditorium, Parkside Hall, Center for
Performing Arts and the Montgomery Theater. To even further
simplify event planning, Team San Jose partnered with Centerplate,
a provider of catering, concessions, management and merchandise
services to ensure a successful execution from booking to move out.
Planners work directly with an event services team made up of
experienced professionals who have been trained to coordinate all
aspects of planning a successful event from F&B, A/V, decor,
electric, and network communications, saving the planner time and
the confusion of working with several contractors. With its
moderate climate, safe streets, a smart, walkable downtown and
close proximity to an international airport, San Jose has always
been a prime convention and meeting destination. Now, with Team San
Jose's progressive client-centric event coordination process and a
one-of-a-kind movie palace meeting facility, San Jose is more
attractive than ever. California Theatre -- A Unique Venue For Any
Occasion Since its opening in September, the California Theatre has
been brimming with business from its seasonal tenants Opera San
Jose and Symphony Silicon Valley to the Packard Humanities
Institute's Classic Movies to holiday parties and corporate press
junkets. Below is a snapshot of some high-profile events that
recently took place at the California: -- Corporate icon, Apple,
unveiled its Special Edition U2 iPod at the California Theatre in
October, which included a show-stopping performance by U2. --
College Track held a fundraiser featuring a special screening of
Pixar Animation Studios' new film "The Incredibles." -- Debut
performances for the Firebird Chinese Youth Orchestra, the San Jose
Symphonic Choir and the Stanford Theatre Foundation's Classic Movie
showing of "Casablanca." -- The Silicon Valley Football Classic's
5th Anniversary VIP Holiday Party In addition to hosting private
events and community tours, the California Theatre's elegance and
classy ambiance is also an ideal venue for weddings and other
special receptions. About Team San Jose Team San Jose, a public
benefit corporation, was founded in December 2003, for the
exclusive purpose of ensuring that the City of San Jose's six
convention and cultural facilities are managed more efficiently and
responsive to customer needs. The Team San Jose Board of Directors
is composed of local community stakeholders, including hoteliers,
organized labor, cultural arts groups and the convention and
visitors bureau. These stakeholders share in the sales and
marketing of the facilities, and ultimately, the collaboration will
enhance customer experience, reduce operating costs and improve the
overall economic impact to San Jose businesses. |
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