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The Montage Laguna Beach is a stunning location to host a meeting for your most discerning guests. With a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean, the hotel offers guest rooms that feel like home, a beachfront spa, distinctive dining experiences, and access to the quaint town of Laguna Beach. Accompanying a group of 300 guests for a few days of meetings and leisure was a pleasure.

As the guests arrived at the Montage, they were treated to the customary Montage welcome and check-in with an overview of the property and an in-room check-in. As guests were walked to their rooms, the hotel staff pointed out The Studio, where we had our Welcome Reception that evening. The Studio is an excellent dining experience for a leisurely meal while staying on property, and the dinner for the group was no less enjoyable. We had cocktails outside on the lawn while listening to a three-piece jazz band, followed by dinner in The Studio, which was customized just for our group. In addition to dinner, guests were invited to walk through the kitchen gallery to watch as chefs prepped, prepared, and plated delicious food.

After an impressive start at the Welcome Reception, we had business meetings starting the following morning. In addition to making the guests feel at home through the accommodations and amenities offered at the hotel, the Montage also presents unique meeting space and exceptional service for groups. Our guests had every major newspaper and publication that was necessary for their industry, privacy for important conference calls, and, of course, state of the art equipment for the general session. In addition to taking care of the business at-hand, we staged a Presidential election where attendees voted by ballot during the general session, and the results were to be announced during the final evening dinner.

Following an intense morning of meetings, guests were invited to enjoy an activity of their choice in the afternoon. We had 80 people play golf for a shotgun start at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Golf Links, which offers year-round golf on ocean-view holes. Other guests who wanted to enjoy the unique atmosphere of Laguna Beach adventured on a guided tour of local artisan studios where they were able to see completed works as well as works in progress. At the final stop on the tour, guests were able to meet one of the artists for a brief question and answer session.

Appropriately planned during this politically charged year, our guest speaker for the final evening dinner was Paul Begala, political contributor for CNN. Guests were excited to hear him speak about his thoughts on the upcoming election, the anticipated effects on the economy, and how it will impact our client's industry. The results for the staged election were also revealed during the dinner. It was the perfect close to a week of industry-related business meetings.