A Message From President Ilona Hobbs

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Clifford Wallace, a great leader of ISES. Clifford hailed from Australia and was very active on the international front. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a lunch meeting this past year where I felt the presence of a sincere and compassionate person. I have read many emails reflecting on Clifford's ability to touch people's lives. I believe David Spear, the Immediate Past President of ISES International, stated it most eloquently:

"In reflecting on my friendship with Clifford through the years in ISES, I cannot remember a cross word or a derogatory comment coming from this man. He was a true gentleman, a respected ambassador to both of his "home" countries of New Zealand and Australia, and an incredible asset to the special events profession. My heart aches at the loss of Clifford and for the grief his many friends and his family must be experiencing. I pray that God's strong and loving arms would encompass all of us who feel this loss and that we would remember the handsome, upbeat statesman singer with an angel's voice who taught us much about being a gentleman."

On the home front, through communications generated by Brenda Schwerin, member of ISES Board of Governors, I have learned that while there were some close calls, none of our Los Angeles or our San Diego members were harmed by the devastating fires that surrounded our communities. Please let us know if there are members who may need a lending hand as a result of the fires. I do hope that all is well with our great chapter members.

Let all these tragedies be a sharp reminder to be kind to one another and hold those dear to you close. Family and friends are irreplaceable. Take care.

Ilona Hobbs
President, ISES-LA

11/19/03 Meeting-Discover the Ebell Club, Long Beach

By Brian Leslie, Visionsinlight.com

It's time to rediscover Long Beach. In the early 1920's oil gushed from Signal Hill and in 1924 The Ebell Club, one of three women's clubs, was built by the Ebell Sisters. This big old-fashioned hall with Churrigueresque-style accents sets the scene for this month's mixer. The Ebell is located at 290 Cerritos Avenue in the heart of all that is Long Beach. The Ebell Club is a stones throw from The East Village Arts District, Shoreline Village and the rest of beautiful downtown Long Beach.

The Ebell offers a Spanish style canvas with ornamented archways, restored fountain, terracotta and wood floors and an accessible second floor with a balcony overlooking its indoor courtyard. In addition, there is an in-house photography studio. This is a great space and lends itself to the imagination of the event professional.

Come hungry! Spaghettini Catering and Event Planning is going to WOW our palate with a dinner you won't soon forget! Start with a complimentary "Spag-a-tini" martini then enjoy appetizers including a selection of bruschetta and eggplant tapenade. Then feast on a dinner buffet of six salads, butternut squash ravioli, pasta with spicy grilled chicken, shrimp and artichoke linquine, parmesan crusted sea bass, sirloin filet...on and on! Desserts and a deluxe coffee station? You bet!

The educational portion of this month's mixer from 5-6pm, will include a panel discussion regarding the changing role of Entertainment Specialists in the Special Event Industry. Listen to some of the brightest ISES entertainment companies discuss the range of services they provide, from music to full service event production.

Pop onto the 710 to Shoreline Drive and you are on your way to The Ebell Club. Click the online registration form for detailed directions Ebell Registration. Valet parking is $6.00

High Octane Fun at Universal CityWalk!

For those who attended last months mixer, the winners circle was merely a lap away. Universal CityWalk was all kinds of fun. We began the festivities at NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway for some high-speed simulated action as we hit 194 MPH, racing our industry friends and associates to the checkered flag in real time. Starz Entertainment led the way to our next destination - The Hardrock Cafe, CityWalk style.

After putting the pedal to the metal, we were famished. We refueled and got back on track with Starz Entertainment, who had us on the move once again. We gathered on the second level for some fun and games in the form of an ISES game show with some silly consequences for wrong answers, of course.

Finally, we made it to Howl At The Moon for some dueling piano nightclub fun. Universal CityWalk is an accommodating multi - venue location offering something for everyone. Thanks Dwayne!

We would like to thank these great Showcasers:

Venues and Catering - Universal CityWalk, NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway, Hardrock Cafe, Howl At The Moon

Entertainment - Starz Entertainment

For more fabulous photos from HM&P Photography, check out the monthly gallery on the ISES LA website www.ises-la.com!

11/16/03 Monthly Mixer-The Ebell Club, Long Beach

12/3/03 Holiday Gathering Luxe Sumit Hotel Bel Air

1/21/04 Monthly Mixer-Showcase Your Venue Contact Ryan Zynger at rzynger@cscmail.org

2/18/04 Monthly Mixer-The Derby

3/17/04 The FUNdraiser 2004 Location TBA

4/21/04 Monthly Mixer

5/19/04 Monthly Mixer

6/16/04 Monthly Mixer

7/21/04 Monthly Mixer

8/18/04 The JAM 2004

If you have information you would like to share with ISES LA members please contact Bill Hodge, ISES Ezine Editor, at whodge@hmp-photo.com or call (562) 596-8999.