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Additional possibility for Thursday evening - please share thoughts before next week's meeting

  • 1.  Additional possibility for Thursday evening - please share thoughts before next week's meeting

    Posted 01-20-2026 17:07

    Hi everyone!

    A colleague of Anne's from the events planning industry recently hired Blulite Bonfires for an event.

     She said her group raved about it, so Anne asked that we look into it for MOTM.

    Anne and I had a call with them today, and it sounds really cool, but we would need to look at maybe replacing game night with something less pricey and making this the primary activity for Thursday. We could have food served by the hotel on the beach, spend three or so hours there (5:30 - 8:30 including sunset) and then come back to the hotel for a scaled down after party.

    Here's a video they sent of their last party of a similar size to ours.

    The pricing is below, and it's pretty steep for our budget, but we're thinking if we can negotiate and get some sponsors it could be doable. Anne would like to have a decision from the group on this soon so please reply with your thoughts and/or questions.

    PRICING:

    Size: 180 guests

    March 5, 2026

    Time: 5:30-8:30pm

    Location Silver Strand Beach (directly in front of Loews Hotel)

    Permit: Included with event (food & alcohol) 

    **Blulite will allow Loews resort to come in and set up all necessary items for catering and beverages.**

    Peace officer: included (4 hours)

    Cost: $2,500

    •2 x 360° in-ground seating section

    •12 clean-burning smokeless bonfire pits (6 per in ground seating section)

    •70 cabana-style cushions (to fill 2 seating areas)

    Cost: $12,000

    •2 luxury lounges w/bonfire pits (seats 12-14 guests total)

    Complete setup and removal of equipment and trash  

    Cost: $500

    FREE GIFTS: 

    S'mores package and various beach games

    2 canopies (10ftx10ft)

    Solar accent lights & string lights 

    3 folding tables w/covers

    120 inch screen video game system. 1080p Full HD 4k projector. You can use to project company/sponsor logs and utilize as a video game system (Mario kart, Mario party, super smash bros)

    Total Cost: $15,000 (plus 7.75%)

    We understand that you're group was recommended so we added a bunch of free items and are willing to waive the 7.75% fee)

    As I mentioned on the call, the price is the same for a group of 150 so reducing certain items/seating may create a problem for a larger group. Normally a group size of 180-200 is around $20,000 but we are determined to make this work so please discuss with your team and let me know what they say. 

    In order to secure the permit and your date we require a 50% non-refundable deposit. The remaining balance will be due 10 days before the event date. 



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    Darcy Boerio
    Channel Relations
    DataSelf and CIMcloud
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  • 2.  RE: Additional possibility for Thursday evening - please share thoughts before next week's meeting

    Posted 01-20-2026 20:10

    I love the idea of a 'beach bonfire' night!  Anyone from So Cal knows the bonfire spots of Sunset Beach, Newport, and up the coast at Pismo. Grover and beyond. Great times!  

    The strands of the  Beach Boys' Coca-mo are running through my head...

    The unique qualities of BBN (Beach-Bonfire-Night) will make this an exclusive event, hard to beat, and near impossible to repeat outside of 90 Minds!  This may be just the event that replaces those who long for the harbor cruises.

    Did we have a firm budget for game night?  I was looking to see if BBN was higher or lower, maybe BBN's a bit higher?

    Here are my suggestions after looking it over:

    1. We need more seating. Our group may be enticing younger members, but a good portion of needs a more genteel way to sit and stand without our joints ringing out snap, crackle, pop! (We don't want to compete with bonfire ambiance.) 
    2. Send notice to attendees that the fire is real and a breezy evening will make a torch out of flowing haute couture.
    3. By all means, use that big screen!

    Promotions are grand, but I'd make a stand to have gaming night in the sand!

      1. If we do Gaming Night in the Sand, do we want to shift the raffle prizes to game-winner prizes?
        1. Note - Individual efforts vs teams. If this comes up, team prizes need to be distributed to the team (movie tickets, gift cards, etc.). Make that easier.
      2. Once 'gaming' is over, we can run a slide show of prior event pics, nostalgia under the stars, with a soundtrack of surf tunes to keep the energy up.  
    1. One last concern: Do we have an indoor alternative in case of inclement weather?  Can Bluelite use a fondue-style s'more if we're inside? 


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    Moira Goggin
    Chismet Consulting Corp.
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