As Manager of Client Loyalty at ServerBeach/PEER 1, one of my initiatives is to put together customer appreciation events on a quarterly basis in various cities across North America. I held my first event in Los Angeles last Thursday evening. I have to say that I was a bit nervous as it was my first event and I was planning remotely from San Antonio. My 2 main concerns: a good turnout and a good venue.
PEER 1 does have a data center in Los Angeles that hosts ServerBeach servers and collocation clients. Overall, the PEER 1 business has a high percentage of clients in the LA area. So with reps and clients in the area, Los Angeles seemed like a good place to have a social. Further, our Executive team was holding a meeting in LA so it was an opportunity to get our executive team involved.
This is not the typical client event. It is a social and we like to call it the “PEER 1 Social.” The idea is to create a “no frill,” casual environment where clients and reps can socialize over a few drinks. It is not a time to discuss PEER 1 products and services (unless asked) but an opportunity to say “thanks for your business” and “tell me more about you and what you do.” There is no catch, it’s really simple.
The venue was an upscale lounge in downtown LA, Elevate. I found this lounge merely by Google searching. The lounge takes over the penthouse of an office building. It is a fairly new lounge, opened August 2007. The view is amazing, the decor is ultra chic and the staff was so friendly. Melissa Summers, the event coordinator, was an amazing help. With planning remotely from SA, it was going to be that personal touch that someone can relay over the phone or email that was going to help me make my decision on the venue. She did a great job.
We had 123 RSVP’s and had about 60 clients attend. Even though it wasn’t the turnout I was expecting, according to others at the event, it was a good turnout. Reps were busy mingling with clients and clients were busy mingling with other clients. There was good networking and that is all that really mattered. 
It is uncommon in the hosting industry for clients and reps to meet face to face. I can’t tell you how many hosting clients walked in the door a bit skeptical about what exactly this event was all about. After finding an open bar, some food and reps that just wanted to listen to them talk about their business, they realized that it was really just a social.
