Venue Case Studies

The ‘Regents of the University of California’ own the University Club within the UCI campus. When first built, this non-profit was a popular meeting spot with daily dining services and hosted social and fundraising events for the Chancellor, staff, and students. Before long, the Regents decided running a daily restaurant and event venue themselves did not maximize potential and they decided to outsource.

With support from a hospitality consultant, the UCI Regents posted an RFQ in 2016 to find a long-term tenant. Our management team was already familiar with the venue and submitted an operational plan alongside a detailed renovation proposal. We met the Regent’s ongoing vision and provided a path to relieve the financial and operational burdens while yielding the highest return in rent. UCI awarded us the contract to manage the entire design and construction process of the new building and operate the venue as a daily bistro and call upon our expertise to sell and host every type of occasion.

Together with UCI, we invested over $3,000,000 with a local design and build firm to completely remake the University Club from the ground up and restore its place as ‘jewel of the campus’ ready to host university, community, and private events.

Today, we have built a beautiful new building with modern landscaping that exceeded everyone’s expectations. The University has a vested and financially stable partner with expertise and focus on always improving the services and guest experience.

Within the first full year of operations, we sold and hosted over 175 weddings and social events at the University Club. Our on-site team now maximizes occupancy and have found their stride.

In 2010, the renowned Galway Downs estate was purchased by the Smith family, well respected multi-business owners in the Temecula Valley. Ken Smith developed a business plan to encompass the equestrian training center and athletic fields with a dedicated event venue.

The Smiths created the event space for their son’s sumptuous wedding celebration and the local community attended in force. Soon after, Ken was inundated with event requests for the location. To support the demand, the village evolved to include a permanent 10,000sq. ft carriage house with a catering kitchen. The area includes an outdoor patio space, bridal cottage, gentleman’s cottage, and an outdoor amphitheater, all surrounded by beautifully landscaped parkland with mature shade trees, ponds, and natural walkways.

Having personally managed the event fulfillment process, the Smith family soon decided to outsource so they could give more of their attention to other parts of their businesses. We created a long-term lease framework with profit sharing, which supplies ROI on the buildout of the Village. Within the first year, our team took sales from $600,000 to $2,000,000. Today, the property owner is making long-term sustainable rent and desired ROI.

The property is 242 acres with three different concessionaires who work closely together to share their respective premises and maximize profitability while prioritizing client satisfaction. Each operator is independent, and we do not share revenue but do work together to create positive visibility and generate long-term benefits through word of mouth and market reach.

The partnerships allow each of the operators to fully focus on their expertise while relieving the owner of the day-to-day and financial obligations so that he can focus on overall business growth and development beyond his interest in this venue.