Event Report: We Built It - And They Came.

The Event: A 4-Day Luxury Incentive Event Guest Count: 51 VIPs The Location: The Resort at Paws Up, Montana Our Task: Creating a "Glamping" Western Experience for three distinct evening events.

We ❤ Montana and especially Paws Up! The countryside's beauty is the best event backdrop anyone could ever imagine! We were tasked to produce three separate Western Ranch themed evening galas. Our final night was a true celebration of locally sourced food. We centered the evening around a long table, family style, for the ultimate farm-to-table experience to our guests in an open field at Paws Up. This was capped off by an entertaining performance. In order to turn ideas into reality we had to turn the field into an event space. For starters, we needed to build a bridge! The planned guest drop-off was adjacent to the event field but separated from the venue by a creek!

A fair amount of discussion with resort management ensued as we planned the bridge construction. Eventually Paws Up's management liked the idea of adding value by turning the open field into an accessible ready-to-go event space so much that they consented to the bridge construction and actually assigned their in-house construction team to the task of building it themselves." Kristen Rensch: "This was the first time that we worked at a resort that provided an in-house team of craftsmen and builders. Considering the distance to the next town, 2 hours drive at least in any direction, this was heaven sent!"

Since the field was in it's completely natural state the surface was uneven. In order to create an even platform for the communal table we went about creating a 96-foot long imperial table deck. Part of that project:  a grass mowing plan to ensure that the space would be functional while it retained its natural character. Kristen: "It is one of those details one has to think about when working in nature. There was a cast of many that played a role in the mow plan decision."

The main kitchen was much too far from the event location. We solved the issue by building a 24x36 foot catering wing.

The Country and Western band needed a stage. We created a new fire pit in the center to fend off the chill.

As they say in Montana: "If you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes." We kept a keen eye on Accuweather reports. We had moved one event indoors on short notice because cold rain had been forecast. As a result we had sacks of river rocks, enough to build a 100-foot path, available for another purpose. On our last day the forecast once again contained wind, cold and rain.

Our river rocks became the basis for a brand new fire pit! Paws Up sent the excavator at 10am. By 3pm we had our 6-foot wide pit finished.

Ted Bowers: "As the temperature kept dropping it became clear that we needed more than the fire pit to keep the guests comfortable. We had to make a number of calls but managed to source a 40x100 clear top tent with five side walls that could be delivered in time."

During the evening the outside temperature dropped to 38 degrees! However, our guests were protected from wind and rain. They danced for 2 hours to the live music of the band! The program ended on a high note in Big Sky Country.

Kate Brack embellished natural beauty with gorgeous, locally sourced floral design.

This event for 51 guests took a long time in planning and a lot of infrastructure building. We are really proud that our client was happy. It is also very satisfying to know that the venue loved the results so much that a number of the new features became a permanent part of Paws Up. We can't wait to go back on vacation!