Hotel Smolian

Step aboard one of the most powerful battleships in history and explore life at sea through immersive experiences designed for all ages. From self-guided tours and scavenger hunts with Vicky the Dog to exclusive crew-led journeys through restricted areas, there’s an adventure for every explorer. Whether you’re retracing the steps of U.S. Presidents, climbing into massive gun turrets, descending into the heart of the engineering spaces, or racing against time to save the ship in a thrilling escape challenge — each experience brings the ship to life in unforgettable ways.

Our Philosophy: - We consistently meet and exceed expectations by first listening to your objectives to make sure you gain the return on the experience that you’re looking for in an event, meeting, or general session: define. - Next, we utilize our creative juices and background in the corporate and entertainment industries to conceptualize the most innovative events for your guests: design. - Finally, we tie it all together to create a branded, interactive experience structured around your vision and goals: deliver. - russell harris EVENT GROUP is a certified diversity company and committed partner that will bring your vision for your events to life. Listening is an important skill that is often forgotten in relationships, which is why it’s our goal to provide exceptional service throughout all stages of the event production process by listening to your top objectives and goals and then delivering on them. By utilizing the most current trends in event technology and our countless resources in the industry, we will bring the experience to life for your event while staying within budget. Some of our areas of expertise and service include: o cmp event managers o brand experiences & activations o custom environmental design o light design o audio visual & sound o content strategy o business theater production o production design & management o contract negotiations o registration management o team building events o trade show design and production o international travel planning

We are the original and best conference headshot experience in the industry having appeared at hundreds of meetings over the past 10 years after first premiering at PCMA. No one can photograph more people, in less time and with higher quality than can the hand-selected and trained-by-Chuck photographers of Chuck Fazio’s Headshot Experience: THE OG! We’d love to talk to you about how The Experience can create outstanding member engagement and much needed sponsor revenue for your organization.

The Speaking Guild: Elevate your events with top-tier, engaging speakers who inspire and captivate.

Educational and entertaining keynote that blends cybersecurity with mentalism. Gary S. Chan is a performing mentalist known for blending keen insight, psychology, and a touch of mystery into unforgettable experiences for his audiences. Gary's presentation explores the intersection of deception, intuition, and the human mind. Whether in intimate gatherings or larger venues, his style emphasizes connection, wonder, and the deeper mysteries behind what it means to think and believe. Testimonials: • “Gary performed as a keynote for a conference I help organize and he was awesome! The audience loved him and his presentation was wonderful. He was also really easy to work with and an amazing professional.” – Alex W. • “In addition to his phenomenal stage performance, Gary was great to work with behind the scenes as we discussed the finer details around planning the event. His show is well-designed and planned to perfection, and he comes ready with everything needed to deliver a high-value performance.” - Jodi S. • “Gary was a keynote speaker at the annual Gateway to Innovation conference in St. Louis. Gary was very easy to work with prior to the conference. He was very responsive on all communication and questions. Gary delivered a great keynote with mind-boggling exercises that engaged the entire audience of 1,500 attendees. The audience participation, exercises, and messaging all worked very well together in delivering an awesome presentation.” - David K. • “Gary recently performed a mentalist act at our company meeting with over 500 people in attendance and had everyone laughing and at the edge of their seat! Fabulous 5 star performance, very creative, highly recommended!” – Jamie B. Speech Summary: Another day, another phish. With the advancement of research in psychological behavior and tools like ChatGPT, it is increasingly difficult for organizations to protect themselves from their weakest link — their employees. What happens when one moves beyond phishing emails to predictive analytics? Find out with acclaimed mentalist Gary S. Chan, a mind-reader who will show you that it's possible to predict human behavior under real-world conditions and influence people to "freely" make the choices you want. This is social engineering on a completely different level. This is . . . Extreme Social Engineering. https://gschan2000.com Learning Objectives: • Increased awareness and appreciation for the breadth and effectiveness of social engineering • Importance of being observant and skeptical Trailer (with audio): https://gschan2000.com/trailer Sample video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBKSgSyvubk Past reviews: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gary+the+Mentalist/@38.6731679,-90.4346444,17z/data=!4m7!3m6!1s0x8adf5b5e31f7d53b:0x1abdd10387defa8e!8m2!3d38.6731679!4d-90.4346444!9m1!1b1 Bio: Gary S. Chan is a security mentalist, an intellectual who uses game theory and math to predict and influence people. As a highly sought after speaker, Gary’s unique approach blends cybersecurity with the magic of mentalism to help audiences around the world learn to be more observant of how criminals use predictable human behavior to exploit others for gain. Gary is trained in behavioral profiling, conflict management, negotiation, interrogation, and mediation. He is currently System VP and CISO at a large US-based healthcare system, has architected anti-fraud systems for state agencies, has led the information security teams for a large-cap technology company, and was an evaluator and mentor for cybersecurity start-ups as part of a venture capital fund. He served as President of the FBI St. Louis Citizens Academy Alumni Association and Technology Officer for the Greater St. Louis Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He holds four security certifications and a degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from MIT. Washington University article about Gary: https://commonreader.wustl.edu/how-to-become-a-mentalist/ Insured by Specialty Insurance Agency as a mentalist, emcee, and public speaker while in the US. Proof of insurance available.

Gather Voices makes it simple, fast, and affordable to co-create the videos you need for every event. With Gather Voices, you can increase event attendance, gather 10x more video on site, and drive year-round engagement. We offer solutions for pre-event promotional video, during event video capture, and post event engagement using video created from your event.

YOUR MESSAGE, MADE MEMORABLE. ON SCREEN, ON STAGE. We're the creatives you hire, when you want dreamers and doers. From concept to execution, to lights, ready, action. We take care of everything.

Big Hugs Photo booth believes that you deserve the best for your special day. Our vision is focused on three values - Creativity. Fun. Quality. What makes us the best photo booth in Chicago? We don't just settle for standard design. We go the extra mile to customize designs based on your event's theme or color so your prints become creative artworks that are uniquely your own. Big Hugs photo booth is a multi awarded Photo Booth rental company based in Chicago, New York, LA, Texas and Manila that specializes in making your event memorable with lots of exciting extras, endless choices and unlimited print. We have an array of photo booths from, Open Airphoto booth, Classic photo booth, Vintage photo booth, Photo booth 360, Vogue Booth, Inflatable booth, Photo Mosaic, Mirror photo booth, Selfie Booth, Smart Photography and our newest to our arsenal which is Video Robot arms. We have done over 10000 events since 2012, from small events like birthday parties to big events like trade-shows, concerts and festivals. No matter what event you are planning, we have a perfect booth just for you!

Selby New York is a design firm creating bespoke private label merchandise and SWAG for companies, brands and individuals! We can create anything from fully custom apparel & totes to pouches & personal care items. We also offer fulfillment & warehousing options to help you meet the needs of your business in these changing times.

PlayInnové is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to enhancing the human experience through development, engagement, and innovation strategies that incorporate creativity and play. We specialize in crafting transformative experiences aimed at boosting employee engagement and fostering professional growth. Our services include LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshops, immersive retreats, and tailored programs like The Creative Cube, all designed to improve team dynamics and drive organizational growth. By focusing on psychological safety and creative expression, PlayInnové empowers organizations to thrive in today's dynamic market. In 2025, PlayInnové introduced initiatives aimed at bridging AI and human potential, reflecting their commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology with human-centric strategies. Our firm is co-founded by Vanya Boardman and Austin Roberts. Vanya brings over 20 years of cross-industry expertise in driving engagement, operational efficiency, and transformative change. Austin combines a background in management consulting with a passion for sustainability, strategy, and marketing.