A Secret Family Reunion for Event Professionals Promises to Surprise and Delight

July 25, 2019

Haute Dokimazo, known for its “Spontaneous Think Tank” event format and eponymous Signature Events, is launching its first Secret Family Reunion this fall. 

Participants will be whisked away to a secret destination, where they will spend a week engaging with and learning from peers. The all-inclusive fee covers airfare, accommodations, food and beverage as well as registration.

“All attendees will know is to show up at JFK at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 2, and the weather to pack for,” says Haute Dokimazo president Nicole Osibodu. “We’ll have the long-awaited reveal party that will bring on the Oprah cries, and then we’ll board our chartered plane for our destination.”

HD is known for following the surprise-and-delight model employed by a number of innovative, customer-focused organizations — and the destination won’t be the only reveal in store for attendees.

Osibodu says the entire trip will be filled with fun, creativity, innovation and surprises. She bubbles with excitement when discussing SFR, saying the secrecy is part of the fun, but that she’s constantly worried about accidentally blabbing the destination because it’s so amazing. 

“We love to grant first-ever wishes for our Hauties,” Osibodu says. “We’re asking the attendees to send us one first-ever wish they have, and we will try and grant it on the trip.”

Haute Dokimazo Secret Family Reunion
Image courtesy of Haute Dokimazo

Liz Lathan, Haute Dokimazo’s executive vice president of global events, says the team has been interviewing flight attendants and pilots for the past year, asking them what fun ideas they have executed on planes or what they would do if they were allowed.

“We’ve chartered a 737 and are filling it with event professionals, so we have to make this an epic experience,” Lathan says. “Needless to say, we’re going to be throwing a party on the plane.”

If you've attended a Haute Dokimazo event before — whether an HD Signature Event, a workshop, your own HD takeover or an event like the one meeting automation platform provider Jifflenow recently sponsored for event planners in San Francisco — you're pre-qualified to attend the Secret Family Reunion, although space is limited and you do still need to submit an application. And if you haven't yet had the opportunity to experience the magic of HD, there will be at least one more opportunity to qualify, in Austin on Sept. 9 (more information will be shared when it is available).

Haute Dokimazo events draw rave reviews from participants. Designed to help connect people to share knowledge and foster relationships, the events are typically held two or three times each year. 

“At all four of the HD events I've attended in the past, I've learned so much, met so many amazing people and had so much fun; signing up for the Secret Family Reunion just seemed like a no-brainer,” says Seth Burstein, director of operations and co-founder of Trade Show Internet.

Despite the secrecy surrounding the event, all will be revealed once the event starts. Osibudo says that everything will be captured by a professional video team from Show Imaging. And as Haute Dokimazo’s media partner, Corporate Event News will be on-site reporting through social media, articles and (infrastructure dependent) maybe even live streaming. Even we don’t know where SFR will be held or what the itinerary will hold — so you’ll see the story unfold along with us.

This video offers a taste of what attendees can expect, both from the event and from the experience.

If you work for an agency or supplier and are interested in attending and bringing a brand-side event professional client, please reach out to Nicole Osibodu. The HD team thrives on creativity, so if you're a supplier interested in sponsoring anything from a workshop on the plane to offering a discounted rate on services they'd love to hear your ideas — and you might even be able to score one of the few coveted supplier slots to attend the event.

For more information, go here.

 

Don't miss any event-related news: sign up for our weekly e-Newsletter HERE and engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram!

Add new comment

Expert Profile
Off
Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.  Remodeled Guest Rooms MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las more