Oftentimes, when I’m trying to invite a client out, I think about why we all choose to live here.
Living in a big city like LA is inherently complicated and it’s easy to focus on the negatives (cost, traffic, the herky-jerky driving tendencies of the cute, cooler-shaped food delivery robots).
But working in our business puts you in a unique position to get to experience the best of LA, and do things you would never otherwise do.
It’s easy for all of us to get stuck in a rut when we’re mired in the trench warfare that is the battle of the inbox. Get out there and remind yourself, and your clients, of the amazing things this insane city has to offer.
— Robbie
Mamma Mia The Musical At The Ahmanson Theatre
Grab dinner downtown and belt out your favorite ABBA tunes with all your friends at the Mamma Mia Musical based on the iconic summer feel-good movie.
Basics:
Where: Ahmanson Theatre
Dates: June 23-July 17th
Tuesday-Thursday shows start at 7:30pm
Run time: 2h35 with one intermission
Cost:
$55-201 for tickets.
Ticket and information link here
Note: Wednesday, June 24th is both opening night and LGBTQ+ Night and collective morale is expected to be sky high.
Dinner/Drinks nearby:
Kendall’s Brasserie ($$-$$$): Closest option within walking distance. Swanky French brasserie vibe.
Firstborn ($$$): Hip Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that got lots of foodie buzz.
Grand Central Market ($-$$): The goldilocks option where everyone gets to choose what they want from a variety of vendors before you walk a few blocks up the hill to the show, or take Angel’s Flight for a quintessential old-timey LA experience.
Added Value: I think there’s an opportunity to make live theatre a bigger part of the client entertainment equation, especially for something like this where most people have seen the movie and love the tunes.
My Dad is British, and therefore innately lacks the ability to be effusively positive about most things. Curiously, that rule goes out the window when it comes to a classic feel-good rom com like Mamma Mia. If listening to Dancing Queen can crack the stiff upper lip of a British Dad, just imagine what it could do to your client.
Make Your Own Jewelry With Artful Moment
Continuing with the MeetWell theme of ‘Gram-friendly crafting ideas, Artful Moment is a Venice-based mobile jewelry making experience that leads small groups (4-16) through the art of metalsmithing.
You’ll leave with your own custom rings or earrings, and the ‘no big deal’ bragging rights of being able to tell people that you made it yourself when someone asks about it.
Designed for beginners, the class takes about 3 hours and uses sterling silver and gold fill as the base, which is hypoallergenic, won't tarnish, and holds up long-term.
Tracey, who leads the class and was lovely to chat with, hosts regular group classes and offers private classes as well.
For private events, the class is mobile and can be brought to an office with food and drinks included.
Basics:
Linktree for group class dates and locations
Contact: [email protected]. You can also schedule a video meeting with her in the inquiry section of her Linktree.
Cost:
Public group classes: $90-125 per person depending on location
Private classes:
$95 per person
Includes 2 stackers, 1 custom ring
$165-225 per person
Includes 2 stackers, 1 custom ring
Food/Drinks provided.
Location: No additional cost if the seller provides location. Possible additional fee if location sourcing is required.
Event flow:
First ~2 hours: participants make two "stacker" rings.
Natural pause/stretch break roughly 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min in when people grab another drink/food.
Third ring: participant's own design. Tracey provides a Pinterest inspiration board (QR code signage / link tree) and practice wire to test designs. This ring takes most of the remaining time; advanced designs run longer.
Final ~20 minutes: rings go into a tumbler (polish acts as an abrasive to make them shiny), which doubles as a natural cleanup/wind-down window.
Links to send your client:
Added Value: Driving is unsurprisingly one of the biggest barriers to client entertainment in LA.
To mitigate that, one of my goals with MeetWell is to find events and experiences that you can bring to the office, or very close by, and bypass the whole car logistics monster.
Artful Moments is a particularly elegant example where you can offer a unique experience, while also avoiding the cognitive load of managing food and drinks as well.
Royel Otis At The Greek Theatre - Wednesday, July 8th
Royel Otis is a buzzy Australian indie duo that'll land with a younger, music-forward, KCRW-listening client who's almost certainly cooler than the MeetWell correspondent who put them in this email.
They landed on my radar after playing a live cover of the Cranberries song ‘Linger’ on SiriusXM that went viral and got stuck in my head for weeks.
Date and Time:
Wednesday July 8th
7:30pm
Tickets:
Available via the Greek Theatre
Price:
Individual tickets: $56-240
VIP Elite Seats: $326
VIP Box seats: 4 seats with a cute lil’ table in the middle and premium parking included - $1,522
Food/Drinks nearby:
Wilde’s ($$$): Elevated British food and getting a lot of foodie hype. Reservations are tough, but do save space for walk-ins depending on your group size/flexibility.
Mess Hall ($$-$$$): Solid new American fare and the closest spot to the venue itself.
Ye Rustic Inn ($): A local fav, this is a cozy beer, burgers, and wings-type option.
Added Value: I love the Hollywood Bowl as much as the next Midwesterner-turned-Angeleno, but I find the Greek Theatre to be an infinitely more approachable venue for bringing clients. Relieved of the logistical crush of traffic (or at least some of it by comparison), it just has a more low-key energy and offers a wide variety of compelling options nearby to meet up beforehand.
The Oasis 🏝
Ever been hanging with a client and the conversation just completely runs dry? Whether it’s recent and topical, or general and evergreen, this section is about giving you one idea for helping in that moment.
Will AI chatbots actually make us less polarized? The anti-AI narrative feels like it's everywhere right now, in the media and in graduation speeches, so the more optimistic argument a Financial Times correspondent made in this Reel caught my attention.
Armed with a cool jacket and plummy British accent, he makes the argument that social media rewards sensationalism, which leads to polarization. Chatbots, by contrast, can be held responsible for what they surface, so they're tuned toward more centrist, fact-based answers.
AI is on everyone's mind whether they like it or not, so worst case you've got a conversation that fuels itself and best case you look like the person who reads the Financial Times for fun.
Thanks for reading. If there’s a client experience you’ve always wanted to research, but never had the time, just reply to this email and I’ll look into it.