What Did You Think Of The Bellagio Setup This Year?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:05 pm

I was a little worried about the second weekend Main Event at the Bellagio this year because we had a unique setup unlike anything we've done before. That damn ConExpo had the Bellagio packed to the gills and meeting room space was little to non existent all week long. I got space in the DaVinci and Raphael rooms in January and was just happy to keep the drafts at the Bellagio both weekends, but I knew this second weekend could be tricky.

I was projecting eight leagues in Vegas and without the Grand Ballroom available, I decided to run 4 leagues in the four DaVinci's and then host the buffet in the foyer between the DaVinci and the Raphael rooms. I had planned for four drafts in the Raphaels, but we wound up with 3 and 3.

I liked the setup right away, but I wasn't sure what everyone else would say. I also wanted to honor Shawn and Steve and I knew I had to coax everyone out of the Raphael back into the DaVinci to hear our fine speeches. At the end of the day I think everything worked very well and some people even appreciated the setup because you couldn't hear every single pick being echoed throughout the room. But I'm sure it was different for some folks.

I'm pretty sure most folks liked the buffet spread. The Bellagio really had some nice spreads the beer was nice and cold, too!!

No complaints there, but provide some if you have any. I stayed away from the pizza because last year that was the worst pizza I ever had!!

But this year everything was solid.

Give me some feedback on the Bellagio and the room setup for the Main Events. I'm very eager to go back there again for football and baseball in 2012, but let me know what you think of that hotel, staying on the Strip in Las Vegas and the two different room setup. I'm interested in all of it.

Some folks like cheaper hotels. Some folks love the upscale feel of the Bellagio. Others want no food with no costs. Others understand the $50 Events Fee and a buffet and drinks that go with it. We can't have an overwhelming consensus, I know that, but provide your feedback and it will help me in my future decisions. We'll set up an online survey for a lot of things soon and really analyze things more closely. Thanks all.

Oaktown · Post by **Oaktown** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:26 pm

It was a great 2 days of drafting. I thought the setup for the Main was fantastic, was nice to have everyone there, but not have to hear every draft at once and we also had a good amount of space.

Halfway through the Main, I thought about how close we were to not having the games this year, thanks for not letting that happen!

ScottieBaseball · Post by **ScottieBaseball** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:38 pm

I echo the previous comment, thanks Greg for a great first week in Vegas. I was only there for the Double Play Live draft but it was a blast!

I have no problems regarding the Bellagio, actually getting used to walking the long hallway now to our rooms in September and March!

I understand the need for the events fee and don't mind paying for it. I think some people need to understand that if we didn't pay for the fee, which includes covering some of the cost of the meeting space, food and especially the drinks. If we didn't have an open bar, you could probably expect to pay $10-$12 for one drink at the Bellagio anyway.

fwicker · Post by **fwicker** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:58 pm

No complaints at all.... I thought that everything went very smoothly including the rooms, the food and the administration of the drafts. Given the Fanball kerfuffle this was a very impressive effort by Greg and team. Thanks!

Doug Atkins · Post by **Doug Atkins** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:11 pm

I thought the setup at the Bellagio was fantastic. I could only attend the first weekend, but the food was WAY better than last year (especially the lemon meringue tarts for dessert), the facilitators were great, and I had a blast. It was great to see everybody, and I would have been there both weekends, but I had to get home for my local draft.......

King of Queens · Post by **King of Queens** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:53 am

My only recommendation would be to mix up the menu a bit. Other than that, perfect in every way. I'll be back next March...and hopefully in September as well!

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:59 am

Originally posted by King of Queens:

My only recommendation would be to mix up the menu a bit. Other than that, perfect in every way. I'll be back next March...and hopefully in September as well! I know, I went with the steak and chicken too many times!!

I let my hostess pick the menu and I didn't look too closely at the varieties; I was instead focused on the cost!!

Next year I'll mix them up a little better, but you have to admit at least I made sure you ate your vegetables at each meal. Potatoes, carrots, meat at every meal!!!

Not bad for Vegas.

King of Queens · Post by **King of Queens** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:11 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by King of Queens:

My only recommendation would be to mix up the menu a bit. Other than that, perfect in every way. I'll be back next March...and hopefully in September as well! I know, I went with the steak and chicken too many times!!

I let my hostess pick the menu and I didn't look too closely at the varieties; I was instead focused on the cost!!

Next year I'll mix them up a little better, but you have to admit at least I made sure you ate your vegetables at each meal. Potatoes, carrots, meat at every meal!!!

Not bad for Vegas. [/QUOTE]Very good point regarding a semi-square meal -- on some of my previous trips to Vegas, I consumed nothing besides scotch and energy bars.

Okay, strike the previous post: officially I have no complaints!

Fourslot40 · Post by **Fourslot40** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:04 am

Greg,

Everything was fantastic. I always enjoy the Auction layout and the Main layout seemed to work out great as well. The lunch meat spread during the first day was 'really' good. I thought that the Bellagio did a great job of keeping up with the food and the cleanup. I needed an extra drink ticket after drafting Manny Ramirez, but hopefully that all works out.

The only slightly negative feedback that I have has absolutely nothing to do with the contests. I don't stay at the Bellagio simply because they do not comp rooms like other hotels so the cost is too high in comparison. Also, the sportsbook lines take forever and the TV viewing area is tight. I have no problem staying nearby and commuting to the events.

Thanks to Greg and the facilitators on a great first weekend. Thanks also to the guys that I had the pleasure of sitting near and meeting during the event. One of the best parts about these live events is meeting fellow fantasy addicts like myself!

Quahogs · Post by **Quahogs** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:33 am

Shoot.. where else can you host 50 yard track meets after shooting the chit and drinking hours after the draft itself was complete ? Childs is easily the fastest player in the HOF I can say that for sure

And Fleming looks like Brandon Jacobs coming down the hall - scary stuff

All day long there was always a draft going on to stick your head into (and steal a water

) players roaming around to chat with, huge foyers to chill out in. That was just the drafting aspect of the 4 day weekend. Throw in the Bellagio itself, good friends new and old, and there was never a reason to leave the campus.

I never made it to Vegas pre Bellagio so I have nothing to compare it to but it's hard to imagine the setup being better than it is now.

There's no doubt I'll be back again for week2 next season !

Matthewwood · Post by **Matthewwood** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:38 am

I had a great time, and the room and food were perfect!

thanks for all your hard work!

Cowboy Joe · Post by **Cowboy Joe** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:51 am

My only suggestion is to change the timing of lunch during the Main Event. Rather than wolf down my food during a 10 minute break in the middle of the draft, I'd rather have lunch when the draft is finished. It would give folks a chance to stick around a bit and discuss the draft results.

gigglin marlin · Post by **gigglin marlin** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:31 am

Please please please keep Bellagio. If I would knit pick I would really enjoy a little more space for the Ultimate that was held weekend one, it was cramped.

But the bottom line near perfection. You had pretzels and that is all I ask . I know in upcoming years you may say to yourself "we could save some money going back to the pink bird" when that happens please call me. It was just an amazing two weekends, Give yourselves a pat on the back.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:33 am

Originally posted by gigglin marlin:

Please please please keep Bellagio. If I would knit pick I would really enjoy a little more space for the Ultimate that was held weekend one, it was cramped.

But the bottom line near perfection. You had pretzels and that is all I ask . I know in upcoming years you may say to yourself "we could save some money going back to the pink bird" when that happens please call me. It was just an amazing two weekends, Give yourselves a pat on the back. LOL!!! You honestly had me laughing out loud with the Pink Bird comment, Chris!!

Nah, I'm with you. I LOVE the Bellagio and I think everyone now knows where the convention center is and where each room is. It's a long walk, but what major hotel doesn't have a long walk to their convention center? They want us to return and we want to return there, so let's see if we can make it happen again.

One of the cool things about hosting this event over eight years is seeing some guys who came with their children in 2004 and now seeing those kids as grownups. That's certainly the case here with you and Colin. He came in those early years as a teenager and now he's all grown up, dad!!

Great to see you and him still drafting together and I'm also glad to see your dad drafting as well. I think all of them had fun when they were drafting. Thanks again and no Pink Bird if we can help it!!

We have higher hopes with sponsors and other events tied to the drafts and the Bellagio is the right place for those plans. Stay tuned.

Gekko · Post by **Gekko** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:44 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

I was a little worried about the second weekend Main Event at the Bellagio this year because we had a unique setup unlike anything we've done before. That damn ConExpo had the Bellagio packed to the gills and meeting room space was little to non existent all week long. I got space in the DaVinci and Raphael rooms in January and was just happy to keep the drafts at the Bellagio both weekends, but I knew this second weekend could be tricky.

I was projecting eight leagues in Vegas and without the Grand Ballroom available, I decided to run 4 leagues in the four DaVinci's and then host the buffet in the foyer between the DaVinci and the Raphael rooms. I had planned for four drafts in the Raphaels, but we wound up with 3 and 3.

I liked the setup right away, but I wasn't sure what everyone else would say. I also wanted to honor Shawn and Steve and I knew I had to coax everyone out of the Raphael back into the DaVinci to hear our fine speeches. At the end of the day I think everything worked very well and some people even appreciated the setup because you couldn't hear every single pick being echoed throughout the room. But I'm sure it was different for some folks.

I'm pretty sure most folks liked the buffet spread. The Bellagio really had some nice spreads the beer was nice and cold, too!!

No complaints there, but provide some if you have any. I stayed away from the pizza because last year that was the worst pizza I ever had!!

But this year everything was solid.

Give me some feedback on the Bellagio and the room setup for the Main Events. I'm very eager to go back there again for football and baseball in 2012, but let me know what you think of that hotel, staying on the Strip in Las Vegas and the two different room setup. I'm interested in all of it.

Some folks like cheaper hotels. Some folks love the upscale feel of the Bellagio. Others want no food with no costs. Others understand the $50 Events Fee and a buffet and drinks that go with it. We can't have an overwhelming consensus, I know that, but provide your feedback and it will help me in my future decisions. We'll set up an online survey for a lot of things soon and really analyze things more closely. Thanks all. Greg,

I think last weekend at the Bellagio was my best experience ever at a host site. Everything about it was great. And the Sportsbook had a GREAT view!

A small request would be to mix up the food a little bit over the course of the weekend.

But everything was SO well run, I'm honestly ready to book my flight for next year. Great, great job this year. you hit it out of the park

Fourslot40 · Post by **Fourslot40** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:45 am

Chris just wants to remain closer to the Mango Gelato. That sealed the deal for him.

Gekko · Post by **Gekko** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:47 am

fogot to mention, i think the setup for the main event (in 2 different ballrooms connected by another room) was a cool setup. you still get the feel of being there with a bunch of people without some of the noise.

i also thought the 2 food lines worked very well for the main event

Rainiers · Post by **Rainiers** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:04 am

Terrific job, overall a 10.

I'd like to second what Cowboy Joe had to say about holding off on the food in the Main Event until afterward, and what Gekko had to say about the layout with two rooms and two lines...that was great set up.

gigglin marlin · Post by **gigglin marlin** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:19 am

Chris just wants to remain closer to the Mango Gelato. That sealed the deal for him First: It was sorbet.

Second: Did you try it? Wow. It is the perfect draft treat.

We all have a vice or two. While in Vegas I have many. The large sorbet twice a day is not one I regret!!

MadCow Sez · Post by **MadCow Sez** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:53 pm

Loved this setup more than the big ballroom style. Very little echo impact from other drafts being ahead or behind the pace and calling out names of players I hoped would lie low a few more picks.

Concur on food after the main event....more time to simultaneously digest drafts and good chow. The food itself was much better this time around. Could have lived on the lemon meringue tarts and cold beer.

Bottom Line: Y'all nailed it, Greg

Nevadaman · Post by **Nevadaman** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:05 pm

Food was much better this year, and the smaller room was just fine. Since the Vegas draft is held in the morning, I think a couple Omelette stations before the draft starts would really kick ass! Maybe it's too much too ask for, but I think it would be popular!

Glenneration X · Post by **Glenneration X** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:22 am

From all the feedback on this thread, Vegas and the Bellagio setup sounds like it was great. As much as I enjoy the AC & NYC experiences year after year, I've been meaning to make it out to Sin City for one of these events.

I've already prepped the wifey that the twins will be 1 1/2 next year and I'm planning on drafting at the Bellagio next March. A lot can change in 12 months, but as of now that's the game plan. From what I hear, you haven't really taken part in one of these contests 'til you've attended a draft weekend in Vegas. Hopefully I'll get to see what all the fuss is about this time next year.

Fourslot40 · Post by **Fourslot40** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:36 am

Originally posted by gigglin marlin:

quote: Chris just wants to remain closer to the Mango Gelato. That sealed the deal for him First: It was sorbet.

Second: Did you try it? Wow. It is the perfect draft treat.

We all have a vice or two. While in Vegas I have many. The large sorbet twice a day is not one I regret!! [/QUOTE]Greg,

We may need to work on getting the Mango Sorbet on the menu next season. It looked real good.

John

[ April 01, 2011, 09:36 AM: Message edited by: Stud Depot ]