Palm Beach County Performing Artists Wow 650 Travel Pros At ESTO 2016

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Palm Beach County performers brought an audience of more than 650 U.S. travel professionals to its feet on Tuesday night, as the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County presented a spectacle promoting arts and culture in The Palm Beaches to attendees of the 2016 U.S. Travel Association ESTO seminar. The performance, which had the crowd and musicians wearing shades and dancing, included a mash-up of big band sounds, cabaret, dance and Latin percussion by local artists who appear around the world.

VISIT FLORIDA and the U.S. Travel Association invited the Cultural Council to produce entertainment for the closing night of the travel industry conference, based on the success of the Cultural Council's previous triumph: At the 2014 Governor's Conference on Tourism, the Council created a surprise performance with Vanilla Ice, the Palm Beach Symphony and Ballet Palm Beach. For that feat, the Council was awarded the American Business Association's "Stevie" Award for Best PR Event.

This year's performance for ESTO, held at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, included vocalist Carole J. Bufford, winner of Nightlife, Bistro and Broadway World Awards for Outstanding Vocalist, featured performer in Michael Feinstein's "Great American Songbook" series at Jazz @ Lincoln Center, and regular at The Royal Room of The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach; Grammy-nominated superstar conguero and master percussionist Sammy Figueroa and his band The Latin Jazz Explosion; and the dancers from Ballet Palm Beach. The Cultural Council assembled an orchestra of legendary local performers including world-renowned saxophonist John Michalak, master trumpeter Cisco Dimas and others, branding them "The Palm Beach All-Stars."

"The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County was pleased to produce this performance that shined a light on the unique musical offerings in The Palm Beaches," said Marilyn Bauer, director of marketing and government affairs. "Travelers choose The Palm Beaches when planning warm-weather trips based on the outstanding quality of the performing arts here."

The production combined music, dance and images of arts organizations in The Palm Beaches with striking visuals of celebrities from the Council's groundbreaking "Shades of Culture" advertising campaign.

Borrowing from the "Shades of Culture" campaign, all through the finale band members and the audience donned Palm Beach-aqua sunglasses, the symbol of art and culture made famous by such notables as Tito Puente, Jr., Ben Vereen, Judy Gold, John O'Hurley and others, who encourage visitors to "see the arts through a different lens" in the Cultural Council advertising.

Images
Images and video are available for download at tinyurl.com/PalmBeachESTO.

About the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, serving non-profit organizations, artists and arts districts. The Cultural Council administers $4.5 million in grants annually, supports arts and cultural education, provides capacity-building training, and advocates for arts funding and arts-friendly policies. The Council promotes Palm Beach County's cultural experiences to visitors and residents through multi-platform marketing and public information programs, including its one-of-a-kind Cultural Concierge service.

The Cultural Council presents exhibitions featuring Palm Beach County artists and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building, an iconic Streamline Moderne former movie theater in Downtown Lake Worth. Also at the Cultural Council headquarters are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring products by Palm Beach County artists and the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center.

The Cultural Council galleries, visitor information center and store are open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Visit palmbeachculture.com or (561) 471-2901.

Twitter:           @palmbchculture
Facebook:      Facebook.com/palmbeachculture

CONTACT
Judith Czelusniak
jczelusniak@palmbeachculture.com
(561) 471-1602

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y46Efg-ixk

SOURCE The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County