Salons - Host Information

This is an invitation to spend a week at a villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, sharing with others what you do best.

We purchased a private villa compound with the intention to help re-create the world. Today the 7 master bedroom villa is a vibrant center where people like you host “salons” (akin to workshops or retreats) for small groups. Whether the topic is Appreciative Inquiry, Globalization, Gay Marriage, Women’s Leadership, Cultures of Participation at Work, or Abstract Modern Art, the purpose is to gather a group of people who wish to re-create themselves and the world and to give them the gift of dialogue and recreation.

We invite you to host a one-week “Salon” with 6 to 20 guests in the living room of our warm, colorful and vibrant private villa compound.

Play with us for a minute: imagine yourself here…

Relaxed in a rocking chair, a hammock or on the living room couches,
Embraced by warm ocean breezes wafting through the open-air villa,
Serenaded by the sound of waves and parrot calls in the distance,
Surrounded by the Mexican and Cuban art of our on-site gallery,
Refreshed from daily dips in the ocean (out the door and just down the stairs),
Nourished by our country Mexican cooking and family-style dining,
Inspired by the guests you’ve invited,
Motivated to share with them the best of who you are in the world,
Open to what might come of the deeper dialogue and action that you facilitate.

If you not only want to imagine yourself here, but you want to host a Salon as part of the Vallarta Institute’s 2006-2007 Winter Recreation Salon Series, please read the following materials and contact us. We are currently booking weekly Salons for November 2006 through April 2007. Imagine yourself here. Recreate more of your best.

Warmly,

Jeff Jackson and Maurice Monette
Principals
The Vallarta Institute

“Imagine You Are Here”
A Description of Your Salon in Puerto Vallarta

You are in Puerto Vallarta. It’s Saturday. You and your guests have arrived for the week and you’re settling in to your home away from home, our private villa compound. Your Salon does not start until Monday – that’s after you’ve unwound for a day on the beach. At night you enjoy an intimate torchlit welcome dinner on the beach, literally feet in the sand. Afterwards, you retreat to one of our 7 master-suite rooms and collapse on the king-size bed with little between you and the ocean view. Your guests are asleep throughout the compound or at a neighboring villa/hotel. Some may be enjoying nearby nightlife; not to worry since our concierge has given them cell phones and his number.

You have plenty of tips on how to take care of yourself. Our concierge is making sure your Sunday and your free time throughout the week is enjoyable.

You set the start and end times for your Monday through Friday Salon. You’re sharing with others something you are deeply passionate about in the casual and welcoming intimacy of our living room. You’re not on stage here. No microphones, no podium, and no Powerpoint. Yesterday, Sunday, our administrator rearranged the room to your liking.

It’s Monday and now the fun starts. We call this our Recreation Salon Series because you and your guests are recreating more of what has worked best for you and for them. This comes easy for you and your guests have trusted you to recreate more of your best for them. We also call this recreation because in both Spanish and English, recreation not only means to create again, it means to have fun. Your Salon is in an environment that inspires creativity and leaves plenty of room for fun.

Throughout the week you, your Salon Host and other guests enjoy our house as if it is yours. Yet there are some treats you may not have at home. Mariana prepares a self-serve continental breakfast for you every day as well as a home cooked traditional family-style Mexican lunch.

By Wednesday, you’ve probably adjusted your Salon schedule to the new rhythms you and other guests have adopted. It’s Wednesday night and a local artist meets you in our on-site Cuban/Mexican art gallery to give you a personal tour of Vallarta’s famous Art Walk. Most galleries serve wine and refreshments and by now you, your Host and other guests have found a favorite restaurant to end the night at – unless salsa dancing is part of your recreation plan.

It’s Thursday afternoon and Vallarta comes to you. Up to 15 local residents who speak English have signed-up with the Vallarta Institute to meet with you and your guests to discuss and experience a taste of your Salon. You and your guests have partnered with the Vallarta Institute to host your Community Salon Reception. It can be pure discussion or very experiential. It’s what you recreate for your guests and for our community.

It’s Friday and your Salon is winding down. You’ve already built a community and you’ve enhanced our community with your thoughts and actions. You’re either in your Salon’s final session or your group has decided to go whale watching or horseback riding through the jungle.

Before your Despedida (good-bye) dinner on the beach (where you started your week), you and your guests spend time thinking of two people you would like to nominate for the Vallarta Institute’s annual 2X2 (Two by Two) Recreate the World award. Each Salon can nominate a pair of people, who are making a difference in the world. At the end of the year, you and other Salon guests will also be asked to be part of our award selection process. The $2,222 grant award grows by $2,222 each year and the two award winners designate one or two service organizations to receive the grant.

You’ve finished dinner on the beach and you’ve said your good-byes. You’ve recreated more of your best throughout the week and you’ve let us share our best with you. We welcome you back to recreate more next year – and, hopefully, every year.

The Details: HOSTING YOUR SALON

The Vallarta Institute 2006-2007 Winter Recreation Salon Series offers an intimate space for small group dialogue, learning and creative expression aimed at making the world a better place. Participants usually gather 4 hours a day for thought/action-provoking conversations or group exercises. Salons focus on RECREATING more of what works best in the world and in the lives of Salon participants.

Salons take place at our vibrant private villa compound in the historic old-town (Romantic Zone) district of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Located in a relatively quiet and upscale residential neighborhood on a bluff overlooking the beach, Salon participants are close enough to the action to walk to everything during their ample free time.

Highlights of the Vallarta Institute Recreation Salon experience include:

Intimate gatherings with a thought/practice leader
A casual and creative salon (or living room) environment reminiscent of the creative Salons of 19th century Europe and Latin America
Community-building with Salon participants
Community-building with 15 local residents (Community Salon Reception)
Community-building with other previous Salon participants via on-line communities
Action that will change the world
Free-time to recreate balance.
Wednesday night Art Walks (including the on-site modern art exhibits of Galeria HabanaVallarta)
Traditional home-cooked Mexican meals served family style
Concierge services for free-time activities (classes, touring, relaxing, shopping)
Salon nominations for the Vallarta Institute’s “2X2 (Two By Two) Recreate the World” Award and grant to 2 non-profit service agencies
On-site personal services: massage, work/life coaching, Spanish lessons, etc.
Professional development tax documentation (consult with your tax advisor)

Vallarta Institute Salon Hosts Provide:

Promotion, reservation and enrollment services
A Salon host known as a thought/practice leader
A Salon description for the Vallarta Institute website/materials
Any materials required for the Salon
All communications with Salon participants
A single occupancy and double occupancy rate for Salon participants
A maximum number of participants not to exceed 20 (understanding overflow of 7 rooms stays at pre-arranged nearby lodging)
An intention to host annual Salons at the same time each year
An open invitation to 15 local residents to join Salon participants for one evening of dialogue (arranged by the Vallarta Institute).
Preferred availability to participants referred by the Vallarta Institute

The Vallarta Institute Provides:

A Salon (living room) meeting space for up to 20, with 3 breakout Salons
Basic meeting supplies (some extra fees may apply)
An on-site administrator to support logistical needs
On-site lodging for 6 (12 if double occupancy)
Additional on-site lodging for the Salon Host
Coordination of off-site lodging arrangements for additional participants
Internet access
Cell phones and fax service
A meal plan including served lunch and self-served breakfast
Daily maid service
On-site refreshments
Concierge services with discounts for local activities/services
One complimentary on-site massage for each Salon participant
On-site work/life coaching or Spanish classes (extra fee)
Vallarta Institute website and brochure Salon promotions
Wednesday night guided art walks (with a local artist)
Thursday Night Community Salon Reception with up to 15 local residents
Nomination forms and award eligibility for the Vallarta Institute “2x2 Recreate the World ” award and grant (one nomination per Salon)
Professional Development tax-deduction documentation (consult tax advisor)
Coordination of Welcome and Good-bye dinners on the beach
Bienvenido and Despedida cocktail reception