Harry P. Leu Gardens – Orlando’s Secret

-->

I don’t often write about a single venue but as we head into October and a little break in the heat and humidity I thought I’d share one of the ‘tourist capital of the world’s’ secrets. It’s Harry P. Leu Gardens located less than a mile north of the heart of downtown Orlando. This 50-acre former residence of local business leader H.P. Leu and his wife Mary Jane was donated to the city of Orlando in 1961 and is now open to the public for tours, special events, and rental for private events.

Having grown up less than 4 blocks from Leu Gardens I have seen it transform from what we used to call ‘the big house’ with surrounding gardens and orange groves to one of Orlando’s best-kept secrets. The beautifully landscaped gardens containing what seems like hundreds of different varieties of camellias unfold to a gentle sloping hill leading to the shores of Lake Rowena. Yes, that’s the lake across the street from Loch Haven Park! As you can see, this is truly in the heart of downtown Orlando. In addition to the gardens there is a museum that depicts life on the property in the early 1900’s when Orlando was just beginning to grow. Of course Orlando didn’t really catch on until the wide use of indoor air conditioning in the early 1950s.

With a break in the heat and the secret out, Leu Gardens is the place to visit if you want to capture the beauty of the natural side of Orlando. Special events are planned throughout the autumn months starting in October with Storytime, Date Night, Jazz ‘n Blues Stroll (my personal favorite), and of course Halloween week would not be complete without Ghost Stories at Leu Gardens. General admission is less than $10 dollars, parking is free, and I’ll let you in on one final secret...daytime admission is free on the first Monday of each month.

Harry P. Leu Gardens is a real crown jewel for the city of Orlando and I have certainly enjoyed it most of my life. The secret is out – the first Monday in October is tomorrow and admission is free, go enjoy one of Orlando’s secrets!

Interview with Pat Doyle - International Talent Booking

I recently had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes and talk to Pat Doyle, owner of one of Central Florida’s busiest talent booking agencies, International Talent Booking located in Orlando, Fl. ITB has been in business for over thirty years providing talent of all kinds to the local and international marketplace. With this track record of successful accomplishments I thought Pat would be the perfect person to ask about negotiating agreements with all kinds of clients from performers to promoters.

My first question to Pat was; “As a talent broker you actually have to negotiate at least two agreements with each performance, one with the talent that you are acting as the booking agent for and one for the customer buying the talent services. How do you bring all the parties together?”

Pat Doyle: “The very first job as a successful negotiator is to establish the mutual benefit of consummating an agreement between all parties. Everyone has to be comfortable with knowing that his or her needs are being met. I try to build a relationship with the parties in order to understand those needs first and then offer solutions. Everyone has to benefit from the final outcome and that’s how to start the process.”

In furthering that subject I asked Pat; “So, without disclosing any trade secrets, how do you establish the opening offer of terms and conditions when negotiating with such a wide range of clients? Is there some standard that you use?”

Pat: “Absolutely, and the only trade secret here is establishing and maintaining the relationships that allow us to continue to be successful. In beginning negotiations with clients one of the earliest conditions we agree to is the objective standard we are going to use to determine many of the remaining terms and conditions of the contract. The great news is that literally thousands of talent contracts are signed each week in this industry and between union standards and past practices, establishing that standard should be routine. Determining the promoter’s budget and the talent’s perceived market value are the two standards much harder to establish.”

My final question to Pat was; “What is BATNA?”

With a slight chuckle, Pat Doyle: “BATNA, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement is what that acronym stands for and especially during the talent to promoter discussions, I make sure the talent I represent knows what’s at stake in case we are not able to reach an agreement. I most cases, promoters/customers will let us know what their budget is for a specific appearance and once all the ancillary costs are calculated, it’s the talent side we turn our attention to. I’ll be the first to admit that compared to thirty years ago, our current talent list has a much better understanding of the business behind the scenes than ever before. Being able to decide what happens if we are unable to reach an agreement is near the format of that understanding.”

These are great tips to remember when negotiating any agreement whether you’re the promoter or the performer. Knowing how to reach an agreement is one of the first steps to success!

A great summer of live events

It is a summertime full of live entertainment right here in the entertainment capital of the world Orlando, Florida and the surrounding area. Since our last update I attended the Lindsey Buckingham concert at the Plaza Live last week and it was a fantastic show by a very talented musician. I attended the event with a life-long friend that is an accomplished guitarist and it was great to see his reaction as Buckingham wowed the audience with some of his recent material and took many of us back in time with his Grammy Awarding hits from the ‘70s. One of my friend’s most memorable comments was, “this guy is a musician’s musician”. I guess that’s about the highest compliment you can pay a professional musician.

Speaking of the Plaza Live, I was checking their website looking for this weekend’s lineup and noted with pleasure that the Plaza Live will be temporarily closed beginning Monday, 8/20 for long awaited roof repairs to the sixty year old former movie theater. Their final concert before the renovation is a free gig this Sunday night. Plaza Live is a great venue offering a wide variety of live events that is building a loyal following among the locals. The Plaza Live will reopen in mid-September with what is sure to be a great rap-up to the summer of 2012.

In searching for activities for the weekend I stumbled upon what looks like my calendar entry for Saturday afternoon. Another local landmark, the Orlando Museum of Art is presenting the, ‘Southernmost Art and Literary Portraits’ photography exhibition by Orlando resident Jimm Roberts. The Orlando Sentinel reports Roberts’s presentation this way, “It’s an unparalleled collection of black-and-white photographic portraits by Jimm Roberts, the longtime Orlando resident who from behind his camera has created an archive of Florida’s cultural royalty.” Whether you are a Florida native, a transplant resident, or a first time visitor, this walk through a piece of Florida history sounds rewarding. General admission tickets are $8 with discounts provided to students and seniors and the exhibition runs through October 28^th.

On a related note, the Orlando Museum of Art is located just south of downtown Orlando at Loch Haven Park. Along with OMA the park is home to many other cultural attractions including, the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Science Center, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando Fire Museum, and the Mennello Museum of American Art. With this one stop you can spend all weekend enjoying live entertainment.

Take a look around and get out there and enjoy a live event this weekend.

Great events in Central Florida in August

It has been a great couple of weeks for live entertainment in the area and as the summer continues there are more great events to come. Although I did not have the opportunity to catch The Heart and Soul Tour last night at the Amway Center, several members of the production crew worked the show and the early morning report today was all good news. According to the crew, the show was almost sold out and one observer said that the audience was a great mix of parents with their adult children. Excellent marketing mix on this one!

In an ironic display of scheduling, happening this Tuesday night in the intimate surroundings of the Plaza Live for one night only, one show only is the truly remarkable talent of Lindsey Buckingham. For those not in the know, Lindsey Buckingham is the former lead guitarist for Fleetwood Mac who along with last night’s The Heart and Soul Tour opener Stevie Nicks, created some of the best sounds of the 1970s. The unorthodox playing style and dynamic vocals of Lindsey Buckingham will surely rock the house down in Orlando on Tuesday. Unlike the high ticket and concession prices at last night’s gig, Tuesday at the Plaza Live offers very reasonable prices, an intimate atmosphere, free parking, and a great little coffee house directly across the street named the Drunken Monkey for some refreshment before or after the show. Makes a perfect summer night out.

Like me, if waiting until Tuesday for some live entertainment is too long, tomorrow I’m checking out something I just heard of, Nerdapalooza 2012. They’re celebrating their 5^th anniversary this year and the event runs this weekend in downtown Orlando. According to a preview in the Orlando Sentinel, “Since conceiving the notion of a Nerdapalooza festival in 2007, founder John “Hex” Carter has taken the event to California and London, but seems to have established permanent roots in Orlando.” The event is three days and is located at the Beacham and Social clubs on Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. I’m not really sure what to expect from a festival that is ‘everything nerd’ but one thing is for sure, almost any live event beats any virtual event any time, any day.

Now, get out there and enjoy some live entertainment.

Excellent Speaker - Simon Sinek

This week I had the opportunity to assist a local talent booking agency locate a motivational speaker for a leadership conference being held in Central Florida. After determining all the details I made a list of speakers that I had heard of or had contact with that would be a good fit for the client. I recalled a great presentation I had seen sometime earlier on Ted.com by Simon Sinek about how very successful leaders think and do things completely opposite from the rest of us.

Mr. Sinek has a very calm and compassionate speaking persona that draws the audience directly to his observations. Sinek, a graduate professor of communications at Columbia University and adjunct staff member of the RAND Corporation, has discovered a biologically based concept that drives each of us to make decisions in what he calls, “The Golden Circle.” Sinek describes how effective leaders all have one common trait regardless of what product, service, or message they sell or present. Sinek concludes that the common trait these unique leaders posses is their ability to master the concept that human beings, “don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Sinek uses some great historical leaders to illustrate his point. Starting with one that would seem pretty obvious is the late Steve Jobs from Apple while others are a little more obscure leaders like the Wright Brothers. We may view the latter as inventors and innovators which of course they certainly were but, perhaps hidden in their glory of invention, the Wright Brothers where able to clearly relate exceptional leadership qualities in explaining “Why” they were working to create motorized flight and keeping the ‘what and how’ they were going to attain that as secondary messages. Sinek concludes his examples by quoting part of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s world famous speech in reminding the audience that after all, “Martin Luther King, Jr. started his speech with ‘I have a dream’, not I have a plan.” People have dreams and share dreams, that’s a much greater motivator than just following a plan.

Watching this presentation has helped me develop better leadership qualities in presenting my passion and compassion in producing the best events ever for my clients. Passion is contagious, and having the clients share the “Why” I do things has increased my business. I hope you get the opportunity take a look at the short video of Professor Sinek’s presentation. If the schedules work out, maybe I’ll finally get to meet him at the leadership conference.

International Special Events Society - Great for the Industry

The International Special Events Society (ISES) provides an unparalleled opportunity for the industry professional to gain insight to the Special Events industry and the other segments of the entertainment industry related to the production of live events. From small family events like weddings and anniversaries to international film and music award ceremonies almost every segment of the industry relies on special event professionals to present their brand in the best image possible. According to their official website, “The Mission of ISES is to educate, advance and promote the special events industry and its network of professionals along with related industries. To that end, we strive to…

▪ Uphold the integrity of the special events profession to the general public through our "Principles of Professional Conduct and Ethics"

▪ Acquire and disseminate useful business information

▪ Foster a spirit of cooperation among its members and other special events professionals, and…Cultivate high standards of business practices.”

Based in Chicago, Illinois, ISES is the international standard bearer for professional event planners with official chapters located on every continent worldwide. Education is a very important component of an ISES membership program; the society offers numerous special event industry recognized certifications to their members and the opportunity to participate in a myriad of educational conferences, seminars, webinars, and workshops to ensure their members maintain the high standards set by the society. This dedication is further evidenced by the opportunity of a student membership to the society for the very reasonable price of $35.00. This is a great opportunity for any aspiring student to establish contact with other industry professional around the world.

Education and industry certifications are not the only benefits offered by ISES. Other services offered to their members and the general public include the broadcast of current industry news, international, regional, and local political decisions that affect the production of special events, and annual awards ceremonies to recognize industry professionals that excelled in their field of expertise. Another ISES benefit to its members through subscription and the general public through both subscription and newsstand sales is their monthly publication of Special Events Magazine (SEM). This is how I was originally introduced to the Society and their impact on the industry. SEM is an outstanding resource for in-depth articles on the international happenings in the industry and almost as beneficial as the reporting is the international brand advertisements located throughout the publication. The powerful combination of education and access to competitive, international, state-of-the-art brands will help ensure the success of the committed special event planner.

A Great Summer of Live Events Ahead

We attended the World Ballet Competition’s production of All Stars of Dance at Orlando’s Bob Carr Performing Arts Center this past week and WOW is a good word to describe the experience. We had a great evening of dance by some of the best upcoming and current ballet stars from Cuba, France, Japan, Russia, and around the US. Congratulations to WBC’s Founder and Executive Director Vasile Petrutiu for a fantastic performance and thank you for bringing your international dance competition to Orlando.

We have plans to attend two great live events happening this week in Central Florida the first is tomorrow evening, Thursday, June 14^th on the Winter Park campus of Full Sail University. World WrestlingEntertainment (WWE) NXT and Full Sail University team up to present a great night of wrestling entertainment and the event is open to the public. This is a video taped event to be broadcast at a future date. The box office at Full Sail Live opens a 4p, doors at 545p and the show starts at 630p general admission tickets are $10.

The other event we have tickets for is the live production of Roger Waters: The Wall at the Amway Center in Orlando this Saturday night. Although currently persona non gratia with the remaining members of Pink Floyd this is certainly going to be a fantastic theatrical event with some memorable rock and roll music along for the ride. One interesting side note to this 2012 tour line-up is that Roger Waters (lead vocals and bass guitar) is joined on stage by his son Harry Waters playing keyboards. A couple of stage hands from my old crew will be setting up the scenic and we hope to have a few candid photos to share in an upcoming post. To see the set and scenic design of this truly unique show is an opportunity we don’t want to miss. The show is scheduled for 8p and tickets prices start at $60 and are still available.  

A fantastic start to a fun summer of entertainment, try to get out and enjoy some of it.