Pavilion on the Lake: An Asset of the City of Atascadero

Pavilion on the Lake was built in 1992. Photo courtesy of Pavilion on the Lake.

An Interview with Patti Deirmenjian, Pavilion Coordinator

What does your job entail?

Patti: Anything event oriented and community service related from service club luncheons to weddings to staffing for our larger events like Concerts in the Park, Cider Festival, like the Central Coast Reserve experience with Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival. Rotary meets at the Pavilion as does Quota Club, 2 church groups and the Association of Realtors.

How long have you been a part of the City and how long have you been at the Pavilion?

Patti: Been with the City of Atascadero since 2005. I’ve been full-time with the Pavilion for 7 years and have always had a strong passion for Customer Service.

What are some changes you have seen throughout the years?

Patti: Overall, the wedding and event business is largely impacted by the economy. In a good economy, brides are booking weddings, especially Destination weddings like here on the beautiful Central Coast, and in a bad economy, they plan to stay closer to home. Most recently, the trend with millennial weddings has been to travel abroad and have the wedding in Brazil or Ireland, etc. so these options all play a part on the number of events and changes we have seen throughout the years.

In the past couple of years, we have had new properties coming into the market that provide great options. For example, Springhill Suites and Groves on 41 as well as the variety of wineries offering destination weddings. We are excited about the new options available as it has given folks an opportunity to shop around and in many cases they find themselves at the Pavilion for the reception portion of the event. We also accommodate many meetings and events. With the focus to our City’s marketing efforts and bringing in more events, we have added major events that have given us more exposure like the Wine Speak Symposium and the Central Coast Cider Festival. We are excited about the outlook ahead along with the economic growth that we are experiencing! This will help us and our area to continue to deliver a number of options for wedding and event planners to consider.

What are some activities here at the Pavilion?

Patti: The Pavilion was built by the community for the community and I am here to serve the community….in a nutshell!

What are the advantages of the Pavilion?

Patti: Location, location, location! The beautiful park and lake provide a serene setting while the ceiling to wall windows give the feeling of being outdoors. As an indoor facility and year-round venue, renters do not have to worry about inclement weather. The importance of heat and/or air conditioning can’t be stressed enough! It’s an inexpensive option for our community from the nonprofits to the larger events. There is plenty of parking within a 2 minute walk using the Zoo, park and Veterans Memorial parking lots for overflow.

6. What are some things to look out for in the future?

Patti: More events, whether they are City events, City Sponsored events or community events. The number of events and interest in doing unique things here in the City is increasing across all of our organizations. In addition, we are working on building a Zoo Garden that will help us expand our offerings. That facility will be utilized for Zoo camps, rehearsal dinners, and extension of the Zoo as the food court area for some of the Zoo events, outdoor events, team building, retreats, etc. This amazing extension of the Zoo will be utilized for our spring, summer and winter camp program, rehearsal dinners, birthday celebrations, a food truck area for some of the Zoo’s larger events, team building, and company retreats, among others.