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The Soiree at Pebble BeachBy Heidi Coryell Williams
The French doors of Canary Cottage swing wide open to the unseasonably warm February morning, while the sounds of relaxed conversation mingle with the roar of crashing waves outside. A light morning haze clings to the white-capped Pacific waters, only slightly softening the surrounding mountain vista of nearby Point Lobos.
 To the left is a perfect view of the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach; to the right, a rocky shoreline, rising up in dramatic fashion; and straight ahead is a captivating panorama of Stillwater Cove at Carmel Bay. It is still early morning, and guests of IMI attending the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach arrive at Canary Cottage for a hearty breakfast before a full day of golf. They are greeted by a menu of expertly prepared eggs Benedict, freshly baked pastries, an abundance of fruit, just-squeezed guava and orange juices and—of course—an assortment of gourmet coffees, provided by a local coffeehouse. Throughout the massive tent adjoining the cottage, tables are decorated with elegant floral centerpieces, while the outside deck offers Adirondack chairs and cedar tables for those wanting to enjoy breakfast while taking in the views and the refreshing, salty breeze. This Thursday morning is brilliant. And the day has only just begun.A new legacy
As IMI has grown, so has the magnitude of its corporate event at the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach each year, becoming one of the most-renowned hospitality offerings during the four-day tournament.
2006 marks the ninth consecutive year that IMI has hosted the event, and the accoutrements at Canary Cottage have become synonymous with the distinctive nature of this grand event. The first National Pro-Amateur Golf Championship was hosted by Bing Crosby at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club nearly 70 years ago. After a hiatus during World War II, the tournament resumed in 1947 and moved to the Pebble Beach courses.
Legend has it that upon moving the tournament to Pebble Beach, Crosby and his celebrity buddies Bob Hope and Clark Gable to name a couple, spent time between rounds at nearby Canary Cottage, where they enjoyed its stunning views of the ocean and proximity to the golf course—a mere 100 yards from the 18th green.
In a nod to the simple elegance made famous by Crosby and his entourage, the partners at IMI have continued the tradition of refined hospitality at Canary Cottage. In 2006, more than 1,500 guests—including esteemed clients, developers, professional golfers and business partners—visited the home. At every meal, guests were treated to some of the most exquisitely prepared fresh foods, the finest wines and a caliber of hospitality services usually thought to be reserved for celebrities playing in the tournament.
One CEO who attended the Feb. 9-12 event remarked upon leaving the property, “This event has become legendary at Pebble Beach. And it is because it is absolutely unsurpassed in its quality.”
 Attention to detailEach day of the Pro-Am presents opportunities for new and exquisite displays throughout the Canary Cottage. From fragrant and colorful floral centerpieces that change with every meal to the food itself, every detail is so surprisingly varied that it seems the only commonality is each item’s unwavering quality.
To meet IMI’s extremely high standards of service, preparations begin far in advance of the actual event. January is almost exclusively a time committed to converting the historic six-bedroom home into a stunning hospitality venue. With the addition of hundreds of square feet of custom decking constructed at the cottage’s rear, IMI creates a massive space inside the luxurious, windowed, tent-like structure. The addition is adorned with the finest leather sofas and spectacular chandeliers. French doors, which line the tent’s back wall, facilitate wonderful views and lead to the exterior back deck, which comes complete with fire pits, ample seating and a custom putting green.
Jim Bartlett, managing partner of Highlands Management Group in Scottsdale, Ariz., and a longstanding IMI client, has been a guest of IMI’s Pro-Am hospitality gathering since the early days. He occasionally muses about the very first event, which was staged in a modest tent on the third hole at Pebble.
On this day, Bartlett stands inside Canary Cottage just beside the “massage station”—sipping freshly brewed coffee as he waits for a shoeshine, before heading back to the golf course. He takes a moment to reflect on the relationship IMI has cultivated with his company over the years.
“We understand that IMI is the best in the business,” Bartlett says. “We understand the value of outside sales and marketing from a company that does nothing but that.” More importantly, however, he draws distinct parallels between the way IMI does business and the company’s attention to detail in hosting its Pro-Am festivities.
“Quite simply,” says Bartlett, “the style and panache associated with this event is emblematic of the style and panache with which IMI does business.”
Sunup to sundown
IMI welcomes guests to the Canary Cottage all four days of tournament play, allowing developers, clients, celebrities and IMI-sponsored professional golfers to mingle casually. “The AT&T event at Pebble Beach is a great opportunity for us to spend time with our pros,” explains IMI CEO Mike Collins. “It is also a chance for our clients to meet these guys in a relaxed social setting.”
Although the day is filled with luxury and leisure, the apex of the Pebble Beach event arrives on Thursday night with the annual IMI Soiree, an evening-long gala marked by gourmet food, fine wine by Far Niente Vintners and live entertainment.
 Catering this five-star dinner requires the combined efforts of dozens of chefs whose work begins well before daybreak, says Steven Shallcross. Brought in from Austin, Texas, to oversee food preparation for the duration of the event, Shallcross hires local chefs to prepare, cook and serve all of the dishes, drawing upon their knowledge of local fare to obtain only the freshest ingredients, maximizing the quality of all the food offerings.In anticipation of guests’ 7 p.m. arrival, cooks begin before dawn to ready massive-scale preparations of epicurean wonders. Representative of such wonders are 300 imported lobster tails, which later in the evening will be grilled over an open flame. In the afternoon, two chefs spend six hours apiece cracking open 250 lbs. of Rockstone crab that have been shipped fresh from Miami, splitting open the fresh shellfish with the back of cleaver and then extracting the rich lump crabmeat in great white chunks. And as evening draws near, three sushi chefs cut and slice more than 500 lbs. of fresh raw fish—including buttery, tender filets of brightly colored yellowtail, red snapper and albacore —which will be presented to guests as tiny works of art on square, white sushi platters.
When the evening finally begins, guests arrive to find a kilted bagpipe player strolling the cottage lawn and playing a traditional Scottish melody, harking back to the olden days of golf. As guests enter the cottage’s front doors and pass through the grand lobby, they are greeted by a hand-carved ice statue bearing glistening replicas of the IMI and Pro-Am logos. The sculpture is surrounded by champagne flutes and bottles of Dom Perignon, inviting guests to enjoy a glass or two before finding a seat inside.
On the opposite side of the cottage, Honduras native Alex Giron, who has been hand-rolling cigars for more than 16 years, carefully cuts and stretches a tissue-thin wrapper around a custom-blended Dominican. Giron, who works with the private-label company Cigartainment, presents guests with the IMI-label cigars, explaining, “We only bring the best for the best.”
 As the night wears on, live acoustic music by recording artist Edwin McCain begins to draw diners to a small, open space in front of the stage. Impromptu dancing begins inside, while more subdued conversation continues outside around free-standing heaters or the crackling fire pits. Allen Kaplan and Ellen Shay, owners in various Ginn Clubs & ResortsSM communities, have come from Miami to take part in the event. This is not only their first time attending the IMI Soiree, but also their first time visiting the AT&T Pro-Am. From the moment they arrived at Pebble Beach, it became exceedingly clear: The destination has been well worth the trip. “The surroundings are just wonderful, and the attention to detail here is just stunning,” Allen says, shaking his head in a heartfelt appreciation for all of the effort put into the event. “It’s true,” says Ellen. “When we walked outside and saw the view, we couldn’t believe we were here.”
That sentiment is exactly what IMI strives to achieve for every guest of its Pebble Beach event at Canary Cottage. Year after year, the elegance, attention to detail and commitment to quality make this a gathering of uncompromising standards and incomparable beauty—one that not only deserves affiliation with the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but that is also worthy of the clients and partners served by IMI. |
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