The sweet Taste of success

Putting on a successful public event is never easy. Scheduling the

music, drinks and, oh yeah, food can be a daunting task for anyone.

Luckily, the 15th Annual Taste of Newport Festival at Fashion Island

has gone off without a hitch. This year, Richard Luehrs, the

president of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, and an army of

volunteers have worked hard to put on a great show with big-name acts

like Sugar Ray and the Beach Boys and, oh yeah, the food. This week,

Luehrs spoke with Lolita Harper about just what goes in to putting on

a event like the Taste.

Taste of Newport has the benefit of long standing tradition and

wonderful local support but how do you not only maintain that level

of excellence and increase it each year?

We try to learn something new about our event each year. After

each Taste of Newport, we complete an extensive evaluation including

interviews with several volunteers and guests to find out what we did

right and what areas we can improve upon. Like any successful

business, we find out what our customers want and deliver. In the

case of the this event, our goal is to meet our customers’

expectations, and then “over-deliver” on that promise.

What are some of the behind-the-scenes jobs that Taste attendees

may not recognize at face value?

The first thing I think of is the high level of enthusiasm of the

nearly 1,000 volunteers that participate in the event throughout the

weekend. Each volunteer works at least one four-hour shift, and

together they help us to effectively execute the operation of the

event. We also have a wonderful team of professional staff members

whom are highly qualified to plan and carry out the Taste of Newport.

Each staff member brings with him or her a wealth of education and

experience to make our “behind-the-scenes” team a strong one.

We are also fortunate enough to have access to some very

successful business leaders who dedicate their time and talent to the

event. Some of these include: our chairwoman for the past two years,

Lula Halfacre of Traditional Jewelers; Dorothy Larson of Larson &

Associates Certified Public Accountants; and the continuous

cooperation of Fashion Island. The Newport Beach Police Department

has been incredibly supportive in working with us, and has become one

of our strategic partners. The contributions made by the

aforementioned in the execution of this large operation cannot be

understated.

How do you decide which restaurants and businesses will

participate? Is it limited to chamber members?

We have developed a selection process that recognizes past

involvement. Those restaurants that have been with us since the

beginning are given first priority. Restaurant slots are awarded on

the basis of how many years they have been a participant. Through

turnover or attrition, we have always been able to accommodate new

participants. Thaifoon, P.F. Chang’s and Red Rock Chili are examples

of area restaurants participating in the Taste of Newport for the

first time this year.

The focus of the event is to promote the local economy, and the

Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce strongly believes that the Taste of

Newport is a vehicle to accomplish this goal. We do encourage

participating vendors to be Chamber members, but occasionally a

sponsorship opportunity comes along where it is in the best interest

of the event to include a nonmember.

This year’s big news is getting Sugar Ray, can you give us some

insight on what you had to do to get to come.

The effort to bring Sugar Ray to the Taste of Newport started more

than a year ago. As you know, Mark McGrath and several of the band

members are local products of both Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor

high schools. One of our team members had a contact name and made a

call to see if the band could perform at our event. We tried to

confirm their participation last year, but were unable to work out

the logistics. We knew they would be a great fit for our venue and

kept after them. Sugar Ray wanted to perform locally for many of

their family and friends, and fortunately it fit nicely into their

schedule this year. As an aside, several members of Sugar Ray have

attended the Taste of Newport as patrons so they are well aware of

whom we are and the type of event we put on.

Any Sugar Ray CDs in your personal collection? If so, what’s your

favorite song?

I’m a product of the ‘60s and enjoy classic rock. My favorites are

the Doors or the Rolling Stones. As for Sugar Ray, although I can

recognize their hits and think their music is great, I can’t say that

I have any of their CDs in my personal collection. In fact, one of

the strengths of our team is knowing when not to interject our own

biases regarding music. My 10-year-old daughter Samantha, however, is

another story. She and many of her friends sing Sugar Ray’s songs

word for word and know each band member by name. Over the years our

audience has grown a little younger than myself, so I readily defer

to others when it comes to selecting our entertainers.

When I throw a party I am always so worried about the little

details that I can’t really enjoy myself like I do at other people’s

parties. Is that true for you at the Taste?

You bet. I have a vision of what the event should be, and I try my

best to clearly communicate that vision to others. We have sketched

literally hundreds of ideas on notepads in an effort to ensure clear

communication of the many details. The vision is always extremely

complex, so when it is not met, a red flag goes up and causes me some

degree of anxiety. Usually by Sunday I am able to enjoy myself a

little, but those first few hours on Friday are very stressful.

Do you have a favorite Taste memory?

There are many, but the one that comes to mind took place last

year, and really sums up the event for me. I was chatting with some

of our patrons as I like to do -- asking where people come from and

what they like about the event--when I came to a couple probably in

their 60s sitting on a curb eating a plate full of lamb chops. I

approached them and began asking a few of my standard questions. The

couple was from Mission Viejo and mentioned they had attended the

event all three days. Rather surprised that they came back so often,

I asked “Why all three days?” The woman looked at me rather

quizzically and said, “Well, you can’t eat it all in one day!” I

should have known better.

Any hints on what next year might hold?

Believe it or not, we are already looking to 2004. Our first step

is to invite several agents for bands we are interested in to attend

this year’s event. Our goal is to expose these agents to our venue

and to have them be comfortable with who we are and how we operate.

By seeing how we work, they quickly realize that if their band comes

here to perform, they will be treated with professionalism. We have a

good reputation within the entertainment community and have been

assured that each performer who has played in the past would be happy

to play on our stage again. We take great pride in this, considering

that scheduling entertainment is not our everyday business.

We will also be taking detailed notes throughout the weekend to

identify our strengths and weaknesses, and then improve upon our

performance next year to ensure our patrons have an enjoyable

experience. It is our hope that visitors to the Taste of Newport

discover a new restaurant or entree, and return to our city to visit

that restaurant throughout the year.