p50-56 DITS 16/1/09 12:06 Page 54
DINNER IN THE SKY
players. They also had some members of the tribe
experience the opportunity.
For a casino it is multi-faceted, in that they can
wine and dine current and potential VIPs, they can
run a big promotion in the casino around being able
to win an opportunity to Dine In The Sky, and if they
are promoting a restaurant, food, a new bar service or
anything along those lines, Dinner In The Sky is a
terrific medium for doing that.
The signage facilitates marketing and advertising
opportunities on board the unit and include a four
foot by twenty foot banner on the underside of the say enough about the experience – you can’t pay to
table to allow a purchasing partner to use for their get the reaction that happens from guests when they
signage. The can also put signage on the headrests, come off this table. The experience itself is
the seat belts, the roof and we even have plasma TVs magical…it’s exhilarating, it’s soothing. If you are a
on board the unit which allows us to accommodate big company that is launching a product and you
companies that want to show sales or marketing want to put media up there, what better way to WOW
pieces to guests. the media. If you have VIP guests that have done and
seen it all, the wealthiest at the casino who spend all
sorts of money and are used to a high-end
experience, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. These people get off the table, and to
hear them talk about it, to rave about it, makes it
worth it for the purchasing partner.
CI: How long are people usually up there for?
MG: The length of the experience can fluctuate.
Nokia used it at a convention, where they had a new
Nokia cell phone at the table and they took people
up in the air, had a sales person in the centre of the
table, and the sales person talked to them about the
features of the new Nokia cell phone. That
CI: Where are you based? experience might have lasted 20 minutes. Recently,
MG: Orlando, Florida. The unit is completely when we were down at Coconut Creek, we did a
mobile and can go anywhere in the United States. We breakfast experience that might have been 30
have it in a 40-foot container, put the table on the minutes, but also did a five-course dinner that might
back of a flatbed truck, and we can drive it to any
destination. We handle all the logistical elements,
which include getting the table to the location and
confirming the crane for the location. Once we are
on site, we just need an area about 45 feet by 90 feet
that can accommodate a crane – we call this
footprint the safety zone beneath the table, which
stops any spectators going beneath the table.
CI: Is there anything that hirers need to do,
apart from simply hiring you?
MG: Each client wants different levels of
involvement. Technically we can handle all logistics
of an event. Most of the time clients are involved
with selecting menus, proofing signage and assisting
with site selection. Our website
www.dinnerintheskyevents.com highlights common
questions asked by clients and puts their mind at
ease with us handling most details.
CI: Is it expensive to hire for an organization?
MG: Pricing starts at $25,000, which includes the
insurance, and depending on the duration of the
event, how long they want to do it, what they want to
do for food, what they want to do for signage –
things along those lines can change the price. I can’t
54 FEBRUARY 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70