With the majesty of the one of the country's deepest lakes as a backdrop, Northstar's Small & Boutique Meetings – Fall event took place Oct. 27-30 at the Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Blue Event Center, in partnership with Visit Lake Tahoe.
The air was filled with "changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes" as the 142 meeting buyers and suppliers started getting to know each other during an elegant and delicious reception their first night at the 399-room host property.
Sustainable event menus were the focus of the next morning's education, as Matthew Beaudin, executive chef at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, among other roles, spoke about the many partnerships he has created with his vendors to use more sustainable seafood, cut extra plastic out of the fresh-produce supply chain, use salts sifted from seawater and more. "We love sitting down with planners, with partners, with clients, and coming up with menus to tell the story and hit all the marks, so that when you leave, you know you've made a difference," he said. "When you leave our events, you get the sustainability sheet. It tells you what you saved, who you partnered with and the difference you made. The most important thing for me is how cool it is to know just by showing up and going to dinner, you made a difference. Mindful meetings and mindful menus, they go hand in hand."
A sample sustainability sheet from the Monterey Bay Aquarium demonstrates the impact an event can have. Photo Credit: Matthew BeaudinAfter enjoying a rustic buffet lunch at the lakeside Riva Grill, most attendees boarded the Tahoe Star or the Spirit of Tahoe to spend the afternoon on the water, while some went off to try their hands at fishing. All were treated to the first real snow of the season as the excursions headed across the lake, particularly to Emerald Bay and around Fannette Island, where the snowflakes made the island's tea house look straight out of a fairy tale.
A tour of Caesars Entertainment's Harvey's and Harrah's Tahoe casinos was followed by an elegant and congenial dinner at Friday's Station Steak and Seafood Grill in Harrah's.
The third day's education, "Leadership Lessons From the World's Highest Peaks," was presented by Adrian Ballinger of Alpenglow Expeditions. Ballinger is a big-mountain climber and skier, and a certified mountain guide, whose company runs trips up Everest and other extreme spots, but also guides visitors around Tahoe's natural beauties. "I love big mountains, the tallest mountains in the world, because expeditions there, they're like these intense little life laboratories," Ballinger told the crowd. "They might be like some of the events you put on — very high pressure. You know, I don't think the things we do are that different from the rest of life, but everything is just compressed and intense."
Both mornings featured one-on-one, prescheduled appointments between buyers and suppliers, where plenty of business was done on the Tahoe Blue Event Center's main show floor.
Northstar's generous sponsors helped make Small & Boutique Meetings – Fall a success. Along with Visit Lake Tahoe, the Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Blue Event Center, sponsors included Visit California, Visit Reno Tahoe, Caesar's Entertainment, Terramar DMC Network, Oakview Group, HALO, Amadore Stage Lines, Memento, ATL Airport District, Encore, PC/Nametag, STOVA and Madison Avenue.
The following photographs, made by and to be credited to Ketara Gedahn/Studio Alani, capture some highlights from the event.
Check back on our NMG Events page soon to mark your interest in Small & Boutique Meetings – Fall 2025. You can also view the full roster of upcoming Northstar events there to register your interest as a hosted buyer or supplier.