Destination Southwest participants volunteered at a local food bank. Photo Credit: All by Matt Klinger/MadPixPro
Long a Texas favorite for meetings, The Woodlands Resort, now a Curio Collection property from Hilton, hosted Northstar Meetings Group's Destination Southwest hosted-buyer event Dec. 4-6. Many thanks to Visit The Woodlands, which welcomed all arrivals and made sure the group had plenty to do around the city.
A delicious Tex-Mex reception the first night sponsored by the 402-room resort offered the opportunity for the group of about 100 meeting professionals to get to know each other. Another sponsor, Scentrifugal Events, used a corner of The Glass, the natural-light-filled special-event space, to set up their Fragrance Bar. Attendees were invited to create their a personal scent using the natural oils that Scentrifugal Events provides.
Day two started with an enlightening presentation, "How Can Event F&B Support DEIA Efforts?," by food and allergy expert, and culinary concierge Tracy Stuckrath of Thrive! Meetings & Events. "You have the opportunity to make somebody's day at every single meeting," she told the group. "You need to look at your menu as a whole and say, 'Let's eliminate as many dietary needs as we possibly can from the start.' And then you design the menu from that point, eliminating the need for personalized plates."
After the first round of hosted-buyer appointments, an impressive lunch was held at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel, followed by a tour of its 66,500 square feet of meeting space and the presidential suite. The group then split up, as some set off to explore The Woodlands' downtown and get some holiday shopping in, while the rest went to the Montgomery County Food Bank. There, the participants were set up in an assembly line to fill bags for 150 food-insecure children; the group was so efficient, they filled 225 bags, processing 2,250 pounds of donated items.
In the evening, Bosscat Kitchen hosted Destination Southwest for bourbon and bites, and more networking. Two artists from Rendered Moments were on hand to make quick-drawn portraits of participants, who were also able to get their names sewn on a custom bandana.
On the schedule for the final morning was a "Spontaneous Think Tank for Meeting Professionals," facilitated by Liz Lathan and Nicole Osibodu of Club Ichi, a membership club for B2B marketers. Participants were invited to put their current challenges on (huge) Post-It notes, from which topics of discussion were chosen for the lively session. Among the issues discussed were how people are using AI and which tools they are using; what to do when attendees don't show up for sessions they have chosen; and how planners are adjusting to rising A/V and F&B costs.
Northstar's generous sponsors helped make Destination Southwest a success. Along with The Woodlands Resort and Visit The Woodlands, sponsors included The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, Scentrifugal Events, Access DMC, AVmedia, PC/Nametag, STOVA and Madison Avenue.
The following photographs by Matt Klinger/MadPixPro capture some highlights from the event.
Check back on our NMG Events page soon to mark your interest in Destination Southwest 2025. There, you can also view the full roster of upcoming Northstar events to register your interest as a hosted buyer or supplier.