Garry, I want to congratulate you and your staff (Ashley & Heidi) for all of your efforts on behalf of AgStar Financial Services this past fall. You were paramount in creating an unforgettable experience for those that attended one of AgStar’s three (5 day) programs. Consistency is a trait that is often over looked when judging a company. Benchmark in my estimation is a leader in consistency. You were able to maintain excellence for 18 days of events, tours, and transfers. Let me repeat…18 – 12 hour days…all without a single dropped transfer, tour or transportation request.

I truly appreciate all of your efforts under less than ideal circumstances. You’ve got that great never quit attitude, Irish humor and last but not least you’re one heck of a professional!

For all your future clients “Benchmark takes extreme pride in providing flawless service and executions;” and after 25 years in the industry I have a lot of experience with organizations like yours and I can honestly say “You’re simply the best!”

Benchmark was highly recommended by William and Bridget. We felt the Benchmark team did an exceptional job in helping to organize tours and the very impressive Union Square event.  Our team voted Jennifer and her company the “Best DMC” they have ever worked with, and that is not an easy award to receive!

On behalf of Capgemini and the Delivery Diamonds organizers and guests… a most sincere thank you for all that you did to make our event a success! From our initial planning call to the final day of the event, every detail that Benchmark touched was flawless and exceeded our expectations on every level. When faced with the challenge of finding activities and venues to meet the objective of showing the highlights of San Francisco to a global audience – from people that had left their country for the first time to the seasoned “road warriors” who have been everywhere – your team was amazing.

The Gala Dinner at the Asian Art Museum was magical. Seeing our guests’ faces as they stepped off the coaches into the beautiful evening, surrounded by the incredible architecture and hearing the Takeo Drummers – it was definitely the “wow” factor we were going for. The coordination and execution of Heidi and the team were outstanding and made the entire program run smoothly. You were mindful of the budget, the various cultures and backgrounds of our attendees, and made smart recommendations to help steer us in the right direction without being overbearing. It was truly a collaborative process from beginning to end.

Again, thank you for all that you did to make our program a wonderful success! I cannot give your company enough accolades. I truly enjoyed working with your team – not only are you great at what you do, but you’re truly enjoyable to work with.

Your professionalism, insight, guidance, and follow through were exceptional…beyond what anyone could hope for. But most of all, you are such nice people to work with and made us feel at such ease with the process. I always had confidence in the outcome (even if it was hard to tell from my nervous demeanor). You created an unforgettable evening for people who rarely will have such an opportunity. So, thank you. I will always be ready to endorse or recommend for you, but I doubt that you need much help in that regard.

We can’t thank you enough for what you did in helping Combined Insurance achieve one of our most successful events. Benchmark proved to be a great partner company. More than just partnering with Benchmark, it was your personal touch before and during the program for which we were most thankful.

Your attention to details and sense of urgency was exceptional. Planning an event for a group this large can be demanding, especially when the group doubles in size so close to the actual program. We might have been overwhelmed by this, but managed to remain calm knowing we had you on our side every step of the way. Somehow, even with what seemed like the most ridiculous request, you never said “no” or made us feel bad for asking. Instead, you embraced the challenge and helped us in finding a solution each and every time. This is very important to a meeting planner. You were a pleasure to work with and we hope to work with you again in the future.

Estee Lauder recently had an elaborate 4-day event of 100 people in San Francisco and Napa Valley. As a result of Benchmark Destination’s partnerships and their outstanding level of professionalism, dedication and attention to detail, the event ran smoothly and was a success. In addition to their impeccable work ethics, everyone at Benchmark, from owners to the staff, was always accessible, reliable and friendly. It was truly a pleasure working with the Benchmark team.

We strongly recommend Benchmark Destinations and hope to have the opportunity of working with them again.

Thank you for your excellent support and cooperation throughout the long preparation of this conference, and all the assistance given by you and Heidi Jensen during the meeting, everything went smoothly.  From the very first day’s hospitality desk, the group photo in Union Square, the  Bay Cruise on Tuesday, the Thursday outing with a few of the Californian highlights and the grand finale on Friday in City Hall, everything was organized very well and tremendously enjoyed by our delegates.  Spouses too were enthusiastic about their programme – as some told me: “a five star program”!

I can’t begin to find enough adjectives to describe the job you and Benchmark did for our association. Our 63rd convention of GAWDA (Gases and Welding Distributors Association) was a huge success thanks to you and your team.

Jennifer, Your professionalism, personality, and dedication far exceeded our expectations. Last September, during our planning meeting, our committee was so impressed with you and now a year later and the convention is over and several of the committee members commented how pleased they were with their choice.  If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a recommendation, PLEASE give your prospective client my number. I would hate to see them make a mistake in not choosing you & your team.

On behalf of the entire GlobauxSource leadership team we would like to thank and recommend Garry Hallinan and the Benchmark Destinations team for their work with our client Interstate Batteries during their recent conference in San Francisco.  From the pre-planning stages to the execution of the event Garry and his staff were extremely hands-on and professional.  Over the last year our team has had the pleasure to develop a personal and professional relationship with Garry through the planning of our clients event.  He always made us feel like our event was his top priority and that we could reach out to him at any time with questions or concerns.

As a meetings resource management firm, our clients often ask for DMC recommendations.  We always want our clients to have the best possible experience with our services, and with any that we recommend.  In knowing the level of professionalism, attention to detail and customer service there was no hesitation to refer our client to Benchmark Destinations.  As we have developed a relationship with Benchmark Destinations, and had the opportunity to see their work in action our entire team will look forward to a continued partnership and our next chance to collaborate.

I absolutely could not have handled all of the pieces that you took from the program execution for the Global New Partners Program. 800 new partners, guests and leadership from around the world attended this program. The Streets of San Francisco in Union Square, the spectacular glamour and glitz theme at Fort Mason and finally the 1920’s event on Treasure Island. Every piece of each evening’s presentation was well thought out and definitely had that awe factor that we were looking to achieve. I have started planning the next Global New Partner’s program, I so hope that my DMC experience will be the same in Vancouver as it was in San Francisco but I know no one will ever match your dedication, creativeness and superior execution.

The team at Benchmark Destinations is one of the best DMC’s that I’ve have worked with in years! From the beginning, Jennifer listened to our program objectives and provided me with top level special event venues, entertainment options, caterers and production services for me to create a successful corporate recognition program.  Their creativity and knowledge of the Bay Area was invaluable as I began planning our event in San Francisco.

Jennifer and her team were outstanding in the delivery of each and every program element; from transportation to excursions and function set-up to event delivery. Jennifer was responsive to our many program changes along the way and I trusted her to protect our budget without compromising the events’ integrity. I enthusiastically recommend the Benchmark team for any corporate programs with multiple moving elements. Jennifer was a delight to work with and her professionalism and extreme attention to detail never wavered. I look forward to using the Benchmark team again in the future.

I made a wise decision when I opted for Benchmark Destinations.  Garry Hallinan and his team exceeded the aspirations that I had for this last meeting held in San Francisco this past September.  Everyone involved at Benchmark Destinations methodically designed and executed one of the best Motivational Meetings we have had at Philips Medical.  The creative atmosphere, decorations, team building activities, etc. provided were most definitely unsurpassed.  I received many accolades from my staff and their spouses upon returning from this meeting and I enthusiastically give the credit to Garry and his team.  It was a memorable experience for all that attended.

I assure you that if you choose Benchmark Destinations for your upcoming event you will share my high opinion for this astounding company and their representatives.

The Selective Insurance President’s Club program was a huge success and you and the entire Benchmark team are to be congratulated for playing such a major role.  This was the most complex and exciting program that I have participated in with Selected in that we had three big off site events vs. our standard one.  From the advanced planning to the meticulous attention to detail to your flawless execution, things could not have gone better.  It says it all that our 240 guests never wanted to leave any of the events you created and executive for us.

On behalf of John, Chuck and all our guests, I want to thank you, Heidi and Ashley for your tireless personal and professional dedication and commitment to our program.  There were a thousand details (literally) and everything was a high priority to you.  It was such a pleasure working with you all.  I can’t wait for the next opportunity.

I wanted to officially thank you on behalf of Subaru and Automotive Events for the outstanding job you and your team did on the Subaru Tribeca World Launch. It was a great program by everyone’s standards and you played a very important role in it. Your help with finding those special sites that weren’t on the list of “places to see in San Francisco” went a long way to make our event unique and very successful. You had a tremendous dedication to getting the job done right and a willingness to do what it takes to achieve the established goals for the event.

WOW! What an incredible weekend! For our guests who had been to Napa before, they certainly had never experienced it in such a special way, and for those who were there for the first time, they’ll be hard pressed to even come close to matching this awesome experience. We are truly honored to have you as a valued partner. As far as we’re concerned, Benchmark is the ONLY destination management company in Napa Valley!

I hope by now, you have all gotten some well deserved rest. I wanted to say THANK YOU for your partnership. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to work with your team. You guys are amazing! This is a tough program with a lot of moving parts and you managed every detail without missing a beat! I have been doing this for ten years and most of the travel staff have 15-20 years of experience and the consensus was universally the same – ‘Benchmark is the best DMC we have ever worked with!’ This speaks volumes!!