“Phones were out the whole time taking videos,” says Katie McAllister, a San Diego account executive with 360 Destination Group that oversaw the “Splash Back to the 60s” event that was hosted by Lamar Advertising on the closing night of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s conference.
The over-the-top event ended up winning this year’s esteemed Achievement Award for Best Entertainment Production granted by the Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI). It also serves as a testament to how the team at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa can help meeting planners pull off some of the most entertaining and engaging events in the industry.
Set on 400 acres of lush gardens, the iconic resort features 45 meeting rooms that includes 76,000 square feet of indoor event space and an additional 100,000 square feet of outdoor space. With 36 holes of golf, meeting guests can also catch up with one another on one of the resort’s two highly acclaimed championship courses. Or groups can host a wellness-focused event in the serene, flower-filled garden café or buy out the award-winning spa. With 42 treatment rooms, the spa team once booked 250 treatments for a group.
Read on to find out more on how Omni La Costa Resort & Spa can play host to memorable meetings and events.
Embrace the Pickleball Craze
The pickleball craze shows no signs of stopping: The sport has grown 52% from 2022 to 2023, and an astounding 223.5% in three years, with every single age group seeing increased participation, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
“The learning curve is incredibly quick compared to other sports,” says Bryce Cunningham, Director of Racquet Sports at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. That’s among the reasons pickleball is a great activity for groups, as those new to the game can take an hour or two lesson and then be comfortable playing on their own.
Most often, about half of a group’s members are new to the sport, playing for the first time or having taken a lesson or two back at home while the other half are converts who “flew with their paddles and sleep with them under their pillows and want to get playing straight away,” Cunningham quips. His team can break groups of up to 70 up by skill level and organize skill sessions and round robin-style tournaments. Companies have made custom pickleball paddles with their logos and branding, and the resort’s pastry chefs have even come up with pickleball-themed cookies and treats.
“It’s a very social sport,” Cunningham says.
The resort boasts six pickleball courts plus an additional eight courts that can be converted for pickleball play. But the resort has even converted an indoor event space into pickleball courts for a group when an event was rained out.
Try a Floating Sound Bath at The Spa
Sound baths have become a popular meditation experience. Participants are “bathed” in resonant sounds and vibrations with practitioners using singing bowls, gongs and chimes. Omni La Costa Resort & Spa has taken this relaxation practice to the next level with its floating sound bath meditations that bring the vibrations to the water.
Groups up to 30 can arrange the experience through the spa. Sound bath instructors lead the sessions with collections of Tibetan bowls, crystal chimes, harps and sound bowls, explains Jennifer Reich, Director of Spa and Fitness at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. Participants float around the pool on a sturdy air mattress, wearing eye masks with their heads comfortably resting on a bolster for the relaxing sessions.
“It’s such a mood booster,” Reich says. “You really feel lighter and more balanced with the sounds of the instruments and the water adds a whole different experience than a yoga mat. It’s feels as though you're weightless as you're floating.”
Meeting planners can also arrange private fitness sessions, mini stretch breaks for groups and full buyouts of the top-rated spa, which includes access to amenities and features like a reflexology walking path, vibro-acoustic zero-gravity chairs, a private pool, Roman showers, sauna and steam rooms and more.
Tailor a Unique Event for Your Group
In recent years, Solveig Danielson, Director of Recreation at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, has noticed groups have been increasingly interested in engaging activities that bring their teams together.
To meet the demand, her team can put together lawn games like a mini golf setup, corn hole, giant Jenga blocks and a large inflatable Twister board. Groups also love the glow golf games for teambuilding events.
Or they can customize events at one of the property’s eight pools, which are heated year-round.
One recent pool party involved setting up cabanas with different activities. Attendees could play ping-pong in one that was arranged like a game room. In another, they could sample six different styles of local beer at a tasting led by Carlsbad Brewing Company. Over in another cabana, a pastry chef led a cacao tasting and demonstration.
“We have a lot of creative freedom here,” Danielson says. “As a property and a team, we’re always open to trying new ideas for groups and we have a lot of unique spaces on property to make it happen.”