Financial & Insurance Meetings
April 29, 2011
Creative Meetings Happen in Creative Spaces
By Regina Baraban

We all know that it takes more than a timely topic or even an inspiring speaker to get creative juices flowing at a meeting. For Chicago-based Eva Niewiadomski, owner of a quirky and colorful event space called Catalyst Ranch, the key to creativity is an engaging environment. "It's incredibly important to how individuals feel, to the caliber of work they create, and to the outcome of meetings," she says. Click here for the full article

Catalyst Ranch featured in Chapter 6 of "Disciplined Dreaming. A Proven System To Drive Breakthrough Creativity"
By Josh Linkner

Published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, Copyright 2011 Josh Linkner

Eva Niewiadomski, the owner of Catalyst Ranch was recently interviewed by Josh Linker for inclusion in his book "Disciplined Dreaming." Her story is delineated as the lead-in to Chapter 6, Preparing Your Environment to Promote Creative Passion. Click here to read the intro to the chapter.

Biz Bash Chicago
February 14, 2011
EventCamp Discussion Focuses on New Technology, Engagement Techniques
By Jenny Berg

The EventCamp National Conference took place at Chicago's Catalyst Ranch from Friday through Sunday. With an opening night cocktail party followed by two days of educational sessions, the conference let planners explore the ways technology and other new engagement tools are adding value to events—and have potential to add even more. A main theme was that while existing social media help broaden an event's reach, future developments should focus on making events more valuable to live attendees, virtual participants, and sponsors.

Paul Salinger, vice president of marketing at Oracle, led a general session on "Social Casting," or the integration of social media and live events. Using Oracle's 40,000-guest OpenWorld conference as an example, Salinger said that actions such as live-streaming the conference's keynote speeches onto Oracle's Web site and allowing followers to tweet questions have become basic ways to engage remote attendees.

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Chicago Reader
September 30, 2010
The Nest Issue
Stuff, and how to have it: inside the homes of Chicagoans with a decidedly maximalist aesthetic
By Tate Gunnerson & Katherine Raz, Photography by Leslie Schwartz

Mark and Jeri Webb own enough wooden shoes to hang a ring of them around their kitchen. Sandra Soss's heaps of small dolls make her shelves look like Woodstock in Lilliput. Neil G. says the desire to acquire sleek Italian lamps and mementos of trips he didn't take is in his DNA. Eva Niewiadomski surrounds herself with brightly colored textiles and baubles in which she feels the artists' presence. And Amy Meadows has so many collections she has to rotate them in and out of basement storage. These people acquire at a rate and with a single-mindedness that puts normal American consumerism to shame. But they're not normal American consumerists, piling up new clothes or the latest electronic ephemera. Neither are they hoarders, getting slowly displaced by old newspapers and rubber-band balls. Their triumph is that they've found ways to live gracefully, enjoyably, beautifully—and, some of them, profitably—with their antique crucifixes and American art pottery and vintage candy boxes. They know how to have stuff. — To take a peak into Eva's home and see some of her stuff which led to the creation of Catalyst Ranch, click here

Crain's Chicago Business
September 27, 2010
Thinking Outside the Office -- The best places around Chicago to meet, greet and socialize
By Michelle Evans

In the downturn, the biggest challenge facing meeting planners is delivering a compelling event on a tight budget. But right after the budget concerns comes something less tangible: finding a venue that provides the right ambiance, accommodates the crowd, projects the proper message and doesn't evoke yawns or, worse, gripes. Crain's scoped the Chicago area to find the best places to host networking mixers, staff workshops, corporate parties and more. To do so, we got a little help from the experts – members of Meeting Professionals International, people always on the lookout for a good venue and a good buy. What follows is hardly a scientific survey – think of it more as an insider's guide to some well-known and not-so-well-known venues. To see all the venues featured in this article (including Catalyst Ranch) and to read the rest of the story, please click here

Corporate & Incentive Travel
March, 2010
Creating Teachable Moments
by Karen Brost

When he wasn’t busy discovering the law of relativity, Albert Einstein discovered a thing or two about training. He once said, “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” Creating that ideal environment for learners continues to be just as important today. . . Start with the right location. Nick Morgan, Ph.D., is an author and communications coach for Boston-based Public Words Inc. He believes that holding training sessions in an unusual setting helps “jolt” participants with new ideas and new experiences. “Instead of the common ballroom, when hosting a training meeting, look for alternatives,” he recommended. “A good place to start is by checking out Chicago’s Catalyst Ranch. Use that for your inspiration.” To read the entire article, click here

Meetings & Conventions Magazine
February 1, 2010
Great Spaces for Networking
by Allen J. Sheinman

When it comes to creative thinking, productive palaver and making new contacts, the standard meeting room format of table ringed by chairs seems so...standard. But a number of venues around the country offer beautiful spaces where schmoozing can reign supreme. Here are a few stellar examples of square footage expressly made for mingling. To read the entire article, click here