Despite downturn, it's still party time in the Yakima Valley

The Yakima Sports Center has entertainment calendars on each table. Embedded in those calendars is a promotion for the banquet room and its availability for holiday parties.

The downtown Yakima restaurant has been aggressively advertising its party space. There are still a few vacancies this year, ones that weren’t available this time last year.

Co-owner Chris Malland said new restaurants such as Tony’s Steakhouse and the Second Street Grill may be the contributing to the vacancies. But he’s not discounting the role of the economy.

“There’s some apprehension,” he said.

It’s still too early to tell whether the holiday party business, which includes venues, caterers and suppliers, will take a hit from the national economy.

For now, the nationwide prediction is dismal — about 81 percent of companies surveyed nationwide said they planned to throw a holiday party this year, a 20-year low, according to figures from Battalia Winston Amrop, an executive search firm.

That’s even lower than the 83 percent figure in 2001, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

And large national financial services companies, such as Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and American Express, canceled their parties this year.

Things don’t seem to bad here just yet.

At the Yakima Convention Center, general manager Connie Upton has seen a few cancellations because of the economy, but has managed to find new bookings to replace them.

“We’re holding our own at the moment,” she said.

M&M Catering in Yakima, which serves as the primary caterer for the Yakima Convention Center, has had a few cancellations as well, including one from a company that opted to give gift certificates instead.

But owner Donna Moultray doesn’t expect a whole lot of cancellations.

“There are people who come year after year,” she said.

Loyal customers also will keep Donna Menard, owner of Classic Events, a Wapato catering company, busy with holiday parties this year. She has noticed that people are more cautious with their money, but it hasn’t affected her business so far.

“I think there will be some (problems), I don’t know if it’s going to be as devastating as people are saying,” she said.

Some companies may choose to keep having holiday parties as a way to boost morale, opting to save money by making the party less elaborate, said Marcy Cole, owner of Party Palace, a party supply store in Yakima.

Morale is a big reason she’s still holding a holiday party for her employees this year.

“My employees work hard,” she said. “I think it’s something that my employees look forward to.”

In the meanwhile, everyone’s working to get those last-minute bookings.

Holiday party bookings at the Hilton Garden Inn are up from a year ago. To increase bookings, the hotel has converted space that was once the Foot Locker in the Yakima Mall into banquet space to allow for multiple bookings in one day.

And to help reduce costs for organizations, the hotel also rents out space by the fireplace for smaller parties. And company party organizers can have attendees order off the restaurant menu instead of getting the party catered.

“At this point, we’re optimistic that this holiday season will be OK,” Utz said.

Malland, of the Yakima Sports Center, hopes he can book a few more parties using the restaurant’s weekend entertainment as a selling point.

Typically, the restaurant collects a cover charge when it has bands play. But those who attend parties in the restaurant’s banquet area can attend for free.

Malland believes that some of the entertainment, such as a Led Zeppelin cover band, will be a hit with potential company party planners.

“We’re just trying to offer more entertainment that people can’t refuse,” he said.

• Mai Hoang can be reached at 577-7685 or mhoang@yakimaherald.com.

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