Testimonial
Bellville Rodair recently held our 10th anniversary event at Rocky Crest Resort, as you may well remember (or more likely, never forget). I wanted to begin by saying thank you…one million times thank you! Our expectations were so immeasurably exceeded, I cannot begin to properly express gratitude. While it is all very fresh, I wanted to recap what left us with this sense of awe with you and your entire Delta Rocky Crest team.
Chris Matthews, our VP of Finance for North America and myself spent a few hours back in July touring your resort with you and Melissa, as part of our decision making process for our event this year, a special milestone year for our company. We had toured other resorts in Northern Ontario and were impressed with the overall facilities of all our choices. Upon meeting yourself, Melissa and Chef Patrick, we were left with the sense that this had the opportunity to be a very special weekend. The three of you inspired us with all your enthusiasm and great ideas about how we could make this event spectacular. The most impressive thing was that this was not just a sales pitch as it turns out, you guys delivered well beyond our expectations!
Our stay with you at Rocky Crest began with our shareholding group (4 people from Canada and the UK) on the Wednesday and built to a crescendo on Saturday with over 160 guests, including 37 children. Thursday, our global executive group joined us (8 people) and we had all day meetings. We were looked after by Dan, for whom I’m not sure his last name or official title, but he tended to us as if we were royalty. Without becoming intrusive, Dan ensured we were well looked after, from food and drink to the condition of our meeting room. When there was a scheduled power outage during our meetings on Thursday, we were provided with a generator for our meeting room to ensure we had power for our computers. Something that I am certain many people had their hands in, but this to us was critical…and was done without our having to ask…when we arrived at the room, it was already running. The little things make such a difference. The minor details were all attended to and Dan and the others who tended to us during our meetings and in carrying bags and prepping our various rooms for presentations, must be commended.
Our events on Friday that were planned by various members of the Delta Rocky Crest team, were ones that shall be remembered for a long time to come. We had a video scavenger hunt that has left a buzz with all those who participated (and most likely with Parry Sound). The organizing of this was flawless. The team drivers were awesome, simply put. I may be missing a few names, so please ensure you add them to this list when sharing it with others, but Kristen who lead the charge, was awesome. We enjoyed having Kate, Josh, Erin, Steve (we had six teams so I am missing one of the leaders/drivers…sorry) chaperon us around Parry Sound and each team will attest to the fact that these people quickly became one of us. This event accomplished everything we had hoped and more. When planning this event, you listened intently to what we wanted to achieve and you wove it all neatly into this event. Unforgettable, quite simply, unforgettable.
Friday evening we enjoyed the tastes of Chef Patrick and his team. In addition to the culinary stylings, Patrick as promised, over delivered on our team building cook off event. Words cannot describe the fun we had with this event, or the memories or camaraderie that was created and carried back after the weekend. Over delivered does not begin to properly describe what went into the planning and execution on Friday night.
Saturday again went off without a hitch and left us feeling proud of the event we gave to our staff to celebrate 10 years. Looking after 160 plus people and keeping them all happy and engaged is an incredible challenge, but one that the entire team at Rocky Crest did with smiles (and very little sleep) and a sense of hospitality and pride that is very often only evident in small inns operated by their owners. I would like to thank Dave who worked tirelessly with Patrick in the kitchen and all the kitchen staff who made it all seem so effortless. I would like to pay special thanks to Scott and the other bar staff and Rachelle and Ricky and the wait staff who tended to our every need with a smile and with great pride (despite the fact we had kept many of them up several nights in a row to the wee hours of the morning).
A special note of thanks, and more importantly my admiration for a job so far exceeding expectations, goes to Adrien who I am certain was one of the orchestra leaders. My hat goes off to Adrien and his entire team. Adrien was with us on Friday evening until early into Saturday morning and then greeted us early Saturday while trying to also coordinate a wedding on the property. Bellville Rodair is a global logistics company with some 200 employees in 10 countries…and we were in awe of the logistical precision that Adrien and team carried out with all the various events going on. We all felt as though we were the most important people there. Amazing!
In conclusion, I cannot say enough about how well our event went. It had a great deal to do with you, the incredible people of Rocky Crest! Thank you…a million times, Thank you! If I have forgotten anyone in the recounting of this, please let me know as I believe everyone involved should be acknowledged for their efforts and contribution.
