For the second year in a row, the Keep Memory Alive Event Center has been awarded the “Venue of Excellence” by the Wedding International Professionals Association (WIPA.) Launched in 2008, WIPA is a nonprofit association run by its esteemed members representing the multitude of wedding disciplines.
The “Venue of Excellence” recognizes the exemplary ceremony and reception site that demonstrates excellence in creating and providing a specific vision for a couple.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition once again,” said Keep Memory Alive Event Center Director David Watts. “We always strive to provide exceptional experiences for our guests and take each client’s one-of-a-kind concept and style and create an event that they will remember for a lifetime.”
When an event is held at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center, not only does it create everlasting memories for those who host and attend with world-class amenities in a one-of-a-kind venue, but all of the proceeds go to the research and treatment at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, so every unforgettable event helps others remember.
A person or company’s reasons for hosting events at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center are numerous, from the awe-factor of the Frank Gehry-designed steel architectural wonder, to the different achievable vignettes and state-of-the-art technology, but most are moved by the purpose behind the event center. Some have been personally impacted and affected by neurological disorders with loved ones and hosting their event at the center is their way of giving back.
A few recent clients have gone above and beyond to raise additional funds for the clinic in creative ways, including a bride and groom that donated all of the money from their traditional “money dance.” Healthcare company Bupa sponsored a memory plaque in the garden to unveil at their annual event and Michael Buble donated his performance check back in memory of his grandmother, who he had lost to Alzheimer’s.
The event center continues making improvements in its offerings to provide a unique venue space. New grass has recently been added to the Frank Gehry-designed garden to create a lush landscape in the desert oasis for outdoor parties. The event center was awarded the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA) Venue of Excellence for creating breathtaking ceremony and receptions, as well as named a Smart Meetings #ThinkBigMeetings winner for a musical-themed event.
Whatever your reason or occasion for hosting an event at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center, you’ll create precious memories while helping preserve the remembrance of those struggling with brain health and ultimately, help to find a cure for brain disorders.
This year has given our team at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center so much to be thankful for. From weddings to galas to corporate events,we are truly thankful for those who allow us to assist them in making their special day memorable. We hope you have a great Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones and wanted to share our table setting inspirations with you.
Tablecloth
Long gone are the days of plastic tablecloths – make your dinner interactive or entertain the kids by using it as a seating chart or coloring book. Or if you’re going for a fancier feel, use a woven setting or double drape the table.
Table Runner
Use these to give a sense of symmetry to your table. They work well for both round and rectangle shaped tables. Utilize out of the ordinary materials or graphic patterns to draw interest to the center of the table.
Place Setting
The trick to a lavish table is stacked dishes. Planning your dishes and how to eat them ahead of time will allow you to get creative about what they’re eaten on or out of. Also, feel free to organize napkins, silverware and seating cards to go along with your theme.
Mood Lighting
Set the mood by using candles for lighting and fragrance. Dress them in your favorite holiday food to give a more festive vibe.
Down the Center
Create a talking point for your guest to easily enjoy by cutting the table in half. Instead of one centerpiece as the focal point display a collection of festive decor down the middle of the table. This works well for long rectangular tables.
Signature Brand
Give your dinner its own signature by hanging bunting on the wall by the bar, branding the runner or painting pumpkins that reminds your guest why they’re gathering. These are also great vignettes for social media posts!
Guest Seating
Creatively use nature to guide guests to their seats – leaves, apples and mini pumpkins all make for conversation-starting name cards.
Food Plating
Sometimes the best serving dishes are other food. Wrap your hors d’oeuvres in cabbage, scoop out the inside of a gourd to hold olives or flatten the top of a pumpkin to place a tray of cheese.
To create a wintery forest feel, line the walls with tree branches and candle lit lanterns. Use natural materials such as birch, magnolia leaves or pine cones to adorn interior spaces.
Drinks: White and red wine, craft beer Decoration: Outdoor woods inspired elements, organic wreaths or foliage, deep reds and greens
Cozy Romantic
Incorporate a casual but still elegant theme that will invite guests to feel like they’re home for the holidays at your celebration. Warm colors against wooden decorative accents will create a rustic, cabin-inspired environment.
Drinks: Winter lagers and warm cocktails
Decoration: Snowberries with florals, twigs, or wrought-iron lamps as centerpieces.
White Winter Wonderland
Floor to ceiling white with sparkling winter elements is a more modern and sultry party theme.
Drinks: Iced champagne or cocktails featuring Blue Curacao
Decoration: Icy blues with hanging LED tubes to represent icicles, or centerpieces of white carnations on silver sequin tablecloths.
Black and Ivory
A sophisticated party theme, use the two colors in simple patterns along with subtle winter touches to host a chic evening dinner party.
Drinks: Selection of red and white wines along with a full premium bar.
Decoration: Black and ivory fabrics in stripes, chevron or other decorative prints
paired with assorted winter florals, like poinsettias.
We are pleased to announce we have won the Venue of Excellence award from the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA). They are the only national nonprofit association run by esteemed members representing the multitude of wedding disciplines in the industry. WIPA hosted its first national Excellence Awards, recognizing wedding professionals that demonstrate excellence in their field, judged anonymously by a group of their peers across the country.
As one of the top destination spots for tourists, weddings and meetings & conventions, Las Vegas has a lot to offer to see, visit, taste and do. Many of the attractions can be costly and add up, so we thought we’d give you some suggestions on free things to do while you’re in town!
1) View the Keep Memory Alive Event Center light up a spectacular color for a holiday – we turned red, white and blue for the Fourth of July.
2) Watch the dancing Bellagio Fountains – during the day or night, the breathtaking fountains are a can’t miss attraction.
3) Check out the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and make sure to take a selfie while there.
4) Visit the Fremont Street Experience for the nightly light show and people watch – there’s no shortage of entertainment down there.
5) Head out to Red Rock or Mt. Charleston for a day of hiking and adventure in the grand outdoors.
6) Walk around The Venetian and find the landmarks that are replicas of Venice, including the grand canal, Rialto bridge and Campanile tower.
7) Learn how to play craps or blackjack with a free gaming lesson at your favorite casino.
8) Stroll through the Bellagio conservatory, breathe in fresh flowers and take photos along the way.
At the Keep Memory Alive Event Center, it has been our privilege to host couples on their most important day. As a wedding destination city, over 10,000 marriages are performed in Las Vegas each month. Engaged couples from all over the world choose Las Vegas as the place to get married.
When planning a wedding, it can be challenging to find the right vendors. You want to find the best companies for invitations, flowers, catering, and much more. Since 2007, WeddingWire.com has helped millions of engaged couples plan their weddings with comprehensive directories and insightful reviews.
While we would love to tell you ourselves how extraordinary a wedding in the Frank Gehry designed Keep Memory Alive Event Center under the 199 windows of our undulating stainless steel canopy would be, we figured you would appreciate hearing from the couples who love us on WeddingWire.com instead.
Iconic Location
As one of the most visually unique buildings in Las Vegas, we make quite an impression on engaged couples. Bride Kate from Boston exclaimed, “The Frank Gehry designed building was breathtaking and certainly impressed all of our guests. People are still talking about our awesome venue! The white walled room was able to be transformed quickly into a modern fairytale. It was unbelievable!” Emma concurred, saying, “KMA is such a beautiful venue and a unique one at that… It is absolutely breathtaking inside and out.”
Another bride loved the benefits of getting married at an off-strip venue, “This is a hidden gem in Las Vegas! I searched high and low for the perfect spot to get married and I looked at EVERY venue in Las Vegas. I really didn’t want my guests to have to go through a smoky casino or hotel, and I looked at all country clubs and off-strip venues in the area. None had to offer as much as the KMA Event Center.”
Amazing Food and Service
Our staff is dedicated to making the event memorable for the happy couple and their family. One bride shared her experience, “Everything about this venue was amazing from the service, food, beverage, linens, china, to the architecture.” Another happy guest stated, “The staff was extremely accommodating and dedicated to making my day special. From the gorgeous china, glassware and decor… to the unparalleled food and beverage… we were completely overwhelmed!!”
Gina thanked the staff by saying, “David Watts, who was our Sales Director, was fabulous! He really cared about us and our wedding, and any time there was an issue or a hiccup… I knew that David really cared and would work hard to make me happy – Which he totally did!”
This is just a small sampling of the many happy reviews for Keep Memory Alive Event center on WeddingWire.com. Please check out our profile and read the reviews for yourself. The event center is also featured heavily, and positively, on numerous other wedding sites, such as The Knot or Bridal Spectacular. If you are planning a wedding, come and visit our facility and experience our unique venue for yourself.
The one-of-a-kind Keep Memory Alive Event Center was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry with 199 windows, no two the same shape or size in a stainless steel canopy. Read on for our favorite facts about the man behind the design, Frank Gehry.
1. Gehry has also designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown LA.
2. Gehry studied architecture and design at the University of Southern California and Harvard University and has received more than a dozen honorary degrees from various universities.
3. He served in the United States Army.
4. Gehry is known for his use of bold, postmodern shapes, eclectic style and original building materials.
5. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Gehry’s passion for architecture stemmed from building cities to play with from items he found at his grandfather’s hardware store.
6. He’s also designed jewelry for Tiffany’s, lamps, vodka bottles and a hat for Lady Gaga.
7. Gehry’s recent projects include a new Guggenheim facility in Abu Dhabi and the new Facebook headquarters in California.
8. “Vanity Fair” has referred to him as “the most important architect of our age.”
9. An avid sailor, Gehry has a yacht named “Foggy” and is a member of the California Yacht Club.
10. He was honored in 1989 with the prestigious Pritzker Prize that recognizes a living architect whose work has provided significant contributions to humanity through architecture.
1. Legendary architect Frank Gehry designed the amazing building. He’s also designed the Guggenheim Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall and Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, leading “Vanity Fair” to name him the “most important architect of our age.” You’ll get that “wow” factor before even stepping into the ceremony.
2. When you host your unforgettable Las Vegas wedding at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center, you are actually helping others remember. Special event proceeds support the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center and go towards enhanced treatment, research and prevention of brain disorders.
3. We customize every wedding by crafting the ultimate best with focus on details and individualized attention which results in an unrivaled guest experience – we’ve hung a seven-tier wedding cake from the ceiling and brought in a monogrammed dance floor for guests to get their boogie on.
4. We know the to-do lists are endless for wedding planning, but one thing you can cross off your list with us – facility fees. Lounge furniture, portable bars, Narumi china, Riedel glassware as well as flatware and linens designed by Frank Gehry are all included.
5. Go green! We have energy-efficient windows, climate control on the lower 15 feet of the event center and special window coverings that track the sun throughout the day in order to conserve heat and air conditioning so our windows open and close as the sun moves.
6. Wolfgang Puck has been cooking for the Oscars party for 20 years and personally designed our kitchen to the exact specifications of his dream kitchen. We offer world-class dining options or bring in your own chef to create the perfect wedding menu.
7. We know it’s oftentimes hard for kosher clients to find kosher facilities so we are proud to offer kosher capabilities and will work directly with the rabbi for proper preparation.
8. The event center has 199 windows, no two the same shape or size – similar to snowflakes!
9. Located only minutes from the Las Vegas Strip so you can party the night away but spare your guests the trek through a smoke-filled casino.
10. Are your wedding colors pink and purple? Blue and green? Whatever they are, we have a customized LED lighting system to set the inside and outside ablaze in color for a truly magnificent photo.
Tell us your thoughts about our center, leave your comments below!
When an event is held at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center, not only does it create everlasting memories for those who host and attend with world-class amenities in a one-of-a-kind venue, but all of the proceeds go to the research and treatment at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, so every unforgettable event helps others remember.
