CONVENE ON SITE Get Your Kicks at Cars Land’s Route 66 W

alking into a media and meet- ing planner preview of Cars Land, in the reimagined Dis-

ney California Adventure Park at Disney- land, triggered flashbacks to a family trip along Route 66 when I was seven. That’s how well the 12-acre attraction recreates the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs from the movie “Cars,” complete with a wigwam-themed motel, and pastel-hued Southwestern panoramas. Cars Land is part of a $1.1-billion

reinvention of the California Adven- ture Park. It tells the story of “Cars,” but it’s about more than the movie

— “it’s really about immersive storytell- ing,” said Robert Donohue, director of resort sales and services for Disneyland

Resort. “And when you think about it, every conference has its story to tell.” The preview party, where guests

enjoyed “roadside” food-and-beverage stations, entertainment, and rides like Radiator Spring Racers, illustrated the possibilities for private events at the new attraction. Planners can leverage Disneyland’s assets, Donohue said, to “tell your story the way you want.” During the preview, we stayed at the

1,019-room Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and had an al fresco breakfast at the recently renovated, 973-room Dis- neyland Hotel, whose new amenities include the interactive Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. Back at the Cali- fornia Adventure Park, there’s also a

On Cars Land’s main drag

new Mad T Party nighttime dance party, inspired by Tim Burton’s film version of

“Alice in Wonderland.” “Disney,” said corporate planner

Beth Cooper-Zobott, “makes a meeting planner look like a star.”

. —Barbara Palmer For more information: carsland.com

+

PCMA.ORG

AUGUST 2012 PCMA CONVENE

25