We're proud to announce our new events and sales director, Jim Bruels.

He was recently spotlighted on the San Francisco Business Times, and you can learn more about him below.

Jim directs the sales and events team to enhance the Bently Reserve's tradition of unparalleled events, meetings, and weddings. In April of 2006, Jim had the unique experience of opening California's first LEED-NC hotel in San Francisco. His position as Director of Business Travel for the Orchard Garden Hotel quickly introduced him to the world of sustainable hospitality. Jim became the hotel's Green Ambassador, due to his enthusiasm for sharing knowledge on the subject through educational tours and panel discussions. He proudly partnered and volunteered with many eco-friendly organizations, such as Forest Ethics, Global Green, Friends of the Earth, GMIC, and the NRDC.

Jim's professional experience and passion for travel had brought him to hold a management role with the AOL Travel Channel, and as Director of Vendor Relations for Uniglobe Passport Travel allowing him to sail …

Ryaan Cantrell has been appointed Event and Sales Coordinator at the Bently Reserve, one of San Francisco's most prestigious event venues, ideal for meetings, special occasions and weddings. In her new position, Cantrell joins the team responsible for selling the historic building's 14,000 square feet of LEED-certified meeting and event space and providing hands on assistance to clients.

Cantrell brings a strong background in coordinating and promoting corporate meetings, conferences, conventions, and trade shows. She began her career at Meeting Pro in Beverly Hills, CA where she developed event logistics for large conferences of 500+ attendees, established registration procedures, managed, and evaluated events. She gained additional experience as the Catering and Conference Services Coordinator at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, CA ,and as Event Manager/Catering Sales at Bi-Rite gourmet market in San Francisco.

"We are delighted to welcome Ryaan to our team," says Event & Sales Director Vivian Perez. "Her professional knowledge and experience in meeting and event planning are terrific assets to our sales team."

Cantrell holds a BA in Psychology from San Francisco State University. She is a volunteer tutor and assists …

The Bently Reserve and Le Meridien have partnered to create an exclusive package for your wedding rehearsal dinner.

This package includes a special dinner menu prepared by Le Meridien's five-star chefs, as well as the rental of one of our gorgeous rooms: the Farallon or the Apollo.

This three course composed dinner has the following options:

Packages Starting At $129 Per Person (Applicable 22% Service Charge And 8.5% Ca Tax)

Inquire With  …

The Bently Reserve is home to some of San Francisco's groundbreaking technology events — and next in line is the The Social TV Summit, where technology leaders will meet to discuss SOPA , social media, and privacy issues on April 3.

After selling out conferences in New York and Los Angeles, The Social TV Summit has chosen the Bently Reserve as a perfect space for their upcoming San Francisco conference. With two hundred of today's top-level media executives in the audience, this event will provide fruitful discussion about today's technology and privacy issues.

The Social TV Summit is an executive conference focused on social media and its effect on television, online content, tablets, and mobile devices. Major issues to be discussed include SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), and the story behind the Internet's viral protest against the legislation.

Keynote Speaker Erik Martin, the general manager of Reddit.com, will lead the discussion. Dan Simmons, CNN's Silicon Valley Correspondent, will follow with an interview-format discussion.

The Bently Reserve has become a popular space for technology event and conference planners. The venue has recently …

A recent article in the Record Courier takes an in-depth look into the lives of Donald Bently, who passed away on October 1, and Chris Bently, his son.

Get a glimpse of this family's colorful past, present, and future here.

Its been a great week here at the Bently Reserve… first we saw some gorgeous time lapse footage of the A Soolip Wedding event at our venue, and now The Bently Reserve has been featured in Destination I Do's blog!

Make sure to take a peek at Choco Studio's photo gallery of the wedding for even more inspiration!

A Common Green will begin in the Bently Reserve's Banking Hall on August 26th with a showcase of innovative and sustainable designs for the home and office. After the showcase, the Regional Administrator for the EPA's Region 9, Jared Blumenfeld, will give a lively talk in the Conference Center. This will be followed by the opportunity to meet the local representatives of forward-thinking organizations.

Jared Blumenfeld is currently the Regional Administrator for EPA's Region 9. This region encompasses California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and over 140 Tribal Nations. He spent eight years as the Director of the San Francisco Department of Environment, and was the primary environmental decision-maker for 28,000 city staff and a $6.5 billion budget. He also managed the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department which oversaw 242 world-class parks and recreational centers including facilities such as Golden Gate Park, Candlestick Park, and Harding Park PGA golf course.

He is a founder of Business Council on Climate Change, an organization that unites local businesses around the challenge of climate change. His …

Join MB Wedding Design & Events and Especially Yours Chair Covers at the Bently Reserve for a showcase of the Bay Area's finest wedding professionals. From unique tabletop designs, to decadent foods and savory cocktails, we plan to offer an array of upscale and professional resources to help couples plan for their upcoming nuptials. If you are looking for quality service providers, Promises and Pearls is not be missed!

July 7, 2010, from 6-10pm

Participating Vendors include:

• Asiel Design
• Batch from Scratch
• Best Beverage Catering
• Cake Coquette
• Cards De Luxe
•  …

For a second year, two of San Francisco's environmental leaders have partnered to bring together like-minded businesses for an evening of communication, collaboration, and networking.

Sponsored by the Bently Reserve and Orchard Hotels, A Common Green is a meeting of minds for the Bay Area's environmental communities and leaders, giving them the chance to join their efforts in improving the quality of life for the entire West Coast. The possibilities for new partnerships, projects, and initiatives are endless — but the goal for a greener future is common to all of the participants!

A Common Green will begin in the Bently Reserve's Banking Hall with a showcase of innovative and sustainable designs for the home and office. After the showcase, a celebrated keynote speaker will give a lively talk in the Conference Center, followed by the opportunity to meet the local representatives of forward-thinking organizations. Some of these businesses include:

• Bently BioFuels
•  …

There's certainly no shortage of great catering options for our events in the Banking Hall. Our preferred caterer list reads like a who's who of the San Francisco culinary world, and the choices just got even better: as of April, clients in small meetings can now enjoy the same quality food that they've come to expect from larger events in the Banking Hall.

Paula LeDuc Fine Catering, one of San Francisco's most influential caterers, has designed a menu exclusively for the Bently Reserve Conference Center. Featuring delectable items, this menu was specially created to be the centerpiece of any meeting, and to match the elegance of the Bently Reserve. All dishes are playfully presented in keepsake bento boxes and feature fresh seasonal ingredients.

The menu for Spring of 2010 features items such as Roast Halibut, Smoked Bacon and Grilled Treviso and Prosciutto and Eggplant Sandwich with Smoked Tomato "Jam."

Catering can be coordinated through the Bently Reserve — it's never been easier to plan a great meeting with us!

The Bently Reserve has announced a one-of-a-kind partnership that will allow charities to raise additional money during their events, while guests to contribute to different causes.

Starting in April 2010, the Bently Reserve began offering, as an option, the use of a "Charity ATM" during events. Every time a guest withdraws money from the ATM, a portion of the transaction fee will be donated to either the charity holding the event at the Reserve, or the charitable organization of the host's choice. If a charity is not selected, but the client would still like to have the ATM available, the Bently Reserve can also select a worthy charity.

Who knew that you could make a difference while holding an ATM card in one hand and a Cosmo in the other?

For more information on the partner organization, Charity ATMs, please visit their site.

To all those who were planning on attending our Wedding Open Studios during the first week of May, we'd like to let you know that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the events have been postponed until further notice.

However, the Bently Reserve will still be open and available for walkthroughs during those days, so please let us know if you'd still like to visit — we'd love to share a glass of champagne with you!

If you are still interested in learning more about Blueprint Studios and their bridal production services, please visit their site.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and we look forward to meeting you!

• May 5: 6pm-8pm
• May 7: 10am-3pm
• May 8: 9am-1pm
• May 9: 2pm-5pm

Make the Bently Reserve San Francisco's top wedding venue by voting today!

The Bently Reserve has been nominated as a finalist for the BayList's Best Wedding Venues Contest — we're thrilled to be nominated, but it's up to you to rank us as the best wedding venue in San Francisco. You can learn more here.

If you've held or attended an unforgettable wedding at the Reserve, vote for us today.

The Black Rock Arts Foundation's third annual fundraiser, the Artumnal Event, will once again be held at the Bently Reserve.

This is the BRAF's largest celebration of extraordinary community artists and the resounding spirit they all share. On November 20 the Bently Reserve will once again be transformed into "an enchanted world of lush decor, captivating entertainment, and tempting libations. Participate in interactive art experiences created by community visionaries. Be the art!"

There will also be a pre-event dinner, cocktails, and an auction. Tickets for this sensational avant-garde gathering went on sale September 18, and it's sure to sell out — make sure to get yours soon!

This Friday, August 7th, The Cove Movie will be opening nationwide. You're invited to to see this outstanding documentary at the Landmark Embarcadero Theater, and attend a special after party at teh Aventine.

Billed as "an intelligent action/adventure/Ocean's-Eleven-like horror film wrapped around a tale of redemption and ultimate revenge," The Cove is a documentary that follows an elite reconnaissance team to the picturesque fishing village of Taiji, Japan.

The Cove will be showing at 12:00, 2:25 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7:10 p.m., and 9:45 pm. Bring your ticket stub to the Aventine for a drink compliments of Heart of Green, and meet and mingle with special guests local eco-glitterati from 9 p.m. to midnight.

We think this is an important cause and a groundbreaking film – so after you see the film, you should get involved.

Mike Feldman, the Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Sales and Services, mentioned us on his blog while he was busy unveiling these new products live from the Bently Reserve on Monday.

As Mike said, "touting the latest, greatest high definition digital technologies, advanced networking and unparalleled eco-friendly operations, this building truly represents innovation and forward thinking" – we couldn't have said it better ourselves!

Learn more about the event, or check out the webcast foryourself.

A fundraiser for the incredible Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship, a large scale interactive sculptural art installation, was held at the Bently Reserve on June 5th. Costumed captains cavorted with with strange beings from other worlds, while space mechanics mingled, danced, and romanced the night away – all for the universal cause of raising funds to complete the Raygun Gothic Rocketship. This was one of the Bently Reserve's most unique evenings – it's not often we fend off alien invasions with drink and dance! We think you should take a look at some of the elaborate costumes our guests created, and learn more about this incredible interactive installatioin.

On May 4th the Bently Reserve and winemedley brought the West Coast's finest wineries into the city for an exclusive evening of tastings and treats.

Many of California's most exceptional vineyards brought their most outstanding work to this event – and our palettes were pleased indeed. This was a unique opportunity to sample 100 current release Cabernets from California and be the first to taste the upcoming vintage. It featured a first glimpse of the 2008 Cabernet Vintage.

Seafood Watch: Consumers Can Save Our Oceans

Overfishing, or the practice of catching fish faster then they can reproduce, is a threat to our world's largest ecosystem. This has an impact on the delicate balance of coastal wetlands and sea floor – damage that takes centuries to repair. Over-harvesting this natural resource also has an impact on our economy, because species of fish can become so low that fishermen can't make a living anymore – this has already happened to the centuries-old Cod fisheries off the coast of New England.

But we can create the change that's needed by being conscientious consumers of seafood. When you're at the supermarket or a restaurant, being an informed customer can help turn the tide.

Seafood Watch, an organization dedicated to spreading consumer awareness and action, can help you take action. Not only are they a valuable source of information on the web, they offer convenient pocket guides and even an iPhone application with information on regional restaurants and supermarkets that sell sustainable seafood.

If you're a lover of …

Last night, the Bently Reserve offered an exclusive screening of the movie The Cove in its Apollo room. Guests had an exclusive opportunity to meet the filmmakers and see the documentary months before its release this summer.

Billed as "an intelligent action/adventure/Ocean's-Eleven-like horror film wrapped arounda tale of redemption and ultimate revenge," The Cove is a documentary that follows an elite reconnaissance team to the picturesque fishing village of Taiji, Japan. It is here that the world's largest dolphin kill takes place in a bay that's patrolled by armed guards and obscured behind blue tarpaulins.

The goal of The Cove is to stop these barbaric acts by exposing them to the world. The filmmakers have risked everything to capture their footage and the Bently Reserve applauds their accomplishment. We hope that this powerful film can help put an end the dolphin drive fisheries.

This Saturday, the Bently Reserve will celebrate Earth Hour by setting its advanced Lutron lighting systems to conserve electricity between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30. We encourage everyone to do the same.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

The Golden Gate Park's Conservatory of Flowers has created a unique holiday experience that features San Francisco's most famous landmarks, and the Bently Reserve is a part of it. miniature trains will wind through a landscape of dwarf plants, and the city's most prominent landmarks in this exhibit. The trains will pass ten replicas of our City's most famous landmarks, including the

Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mission Dolores, Chinatown's dragon gate, the Transamerica Pyramid building, the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, Ghirardelli Square and the Bently Reserve. Surrounding these landmarks are lush landscapes of miniature gardens and parks created with living plants that include dwarf conifers, tiny orchids, and more.

Bently Holdings is especially proud to have our very own Bently Reserve included in this exhibit, as it not only showcases the historical significance of the Bently Reserve, but reflects our City's environmental efforts. The artists of Figureplant, one of San Francisco's most famous design and fabrication resources, created the intricate models of these buildings from 100% re-used materials. Visitors who look closely will notice, for example, that the Ghirardelli clock tower is tiled with old chocolate brown light switch …

On March 9th, we hosted a lighthearted fundraiser for a very serious cause: the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual Greater San Francisco Bay Area Man & Woman of the Year.

A friendly "battle of the sexes," this remarkable fundraiser was founded in San Francisco, and culminates in the announcement of the Man and Woman of the Year at our very own Bently Reserve. Past candidates and winners have included Mayor Gavin Newsom, Heather Luplow Hartle, Narada Michael Walden, Anna Alioto, Teresa Rodriguez Williamson, Johnny "Love" Metheny and Harry Denton, among others. This year's honorary chair is the City's new First Lady herself, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. We're honored to host this very important, and very thrilling, event. Find out for yourself who the man and woman of 2009 are, and help support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Bently Reserve and The San Francisco Bar Association have joined forces in offering new, versatile meeting spaces for their clients.

The historic Bently Reserve, located in the heart of the Financial District of San Francisco, is also the home of the City's Bar Association. The SF Bar has been offering meeting spaces to the community for several years, and now the Bently Reserve will make these rooms accessible to its clients.

The SF Bar Association offers competitive rates for the use of this space, with additional discounts for BASF Sponsor Firms and nonprofit organizations. These rooms accommodate 150 people with classroom-style seating, and can divide to fit both 80 and 40 people. Microphones, projectors, WiFi, and recording equipment are all available. The Conference Center is wheelchair accessible. Catering for this venue is available upon request; an outside caterer may be used as well.