Chicago The Scout Archive for Event Planners regarding Food, Rental and Gift Ideas, Design Inspiration, Business Entertaining strategies and Decor trends

Chicago The Scout Archive for Event Planning professionals looking to get inspired to host a trendy and memorable event complete with elegant invitations and within Budget

Chicago event planning resource directory

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GIFT IDEAS

What to Give Budding Wine Snobs

7 Noteworthy Pad-and-Pen Sets for Meetings

A Gift to Motivate Staffers

Planners' Picks From the New York International Gift Fair

 

FOOD AND DRINK IDEAS

Rosenthal Group Launches Eco-Friendly In-Office Catering Option

Boka Partners' New Catering Division

Catering Company Focuses on Local, Sustainable Ingredients

Afternoon Delights: 5 Springtime Lunch Entrees

Health-Conscious Cookies

 

DECOR AND RENTAL IDEAS

A New Source for Natural, Unfussy Flowers

A New Take on Fancy Draping

An Iconic Modern Chair, Now for Rent

10 Fancy Forks

10 Innovative Lighting Ideas

 

BUSINESS ENTERTAINING

What Are Some Crafty Takes on Teambuilding?

5 Cutting-Edge Performers

 
 

The Scout Archive

11.23.09 8:00 AM

8 Handy Gifts for Meeting Attendees

Photos:K Studio, Courtesy of Maptote, and Courtesy of Kikkerland
MORE >>

11.11.09 8:00 AM

Creating a Video Lounge That Surrounds Guests With a Message

Event Creative's video lounge
Event Creative's video lounge
Photo: David Wittig & Nancy Beale
Event Creative's new video lounge creates a sleek, branded environment for events. The company hangs plexiglass panels from a truss structure that can be adapted to suit a venue's scale. The plexiglass surfaces serve as a canvas for projections of images made by the company to depict anything from new products to a corporate logo or photos of employees. Additional plexiglass walls can be added to partially enclose a space or form a lounge area, which Event Creative can fill with loveseats, benches, ottomans, and customized pillows. Event Creative can also provide atmospheric lighting and stock images of waving grass, fire, or waves, and the setup can incorporate fabric panels or decorative elements such as hanging chains or strands of sequins. Pricing for the lounge begins at $5,000, and the company prefers a three- to four-week lead time.   —Jenny Berg

11.09.09 1:33 PM

8 Tabletop Looks From ISES's Design Competition

Designs from the ISES tabletop competition
Designs from the ISES tabletop competition
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
On Friday evening, eight designers participated in the metro New York chapter of the International Special Events Society's 2009 tabletop design competition, held at La.Venue as part of the three-day "Cook. Eat. Drink. Live." expo. Members of the events industry including internal planners and owners of design and planning firms (as well as this editor) gathered to judge the tables, which were created with rental items from Broadway Party Rentals.

Because the designers did not have to follow a theme, the looks ran the gamut from a sparkly winter-inspired setting by Marc Wilson Design to a table draped with woven palm fronds by Flora New York. Neuman's was awarded two round-trip airline tickets from Delta Airlines for the winning entry, a cornucopia-style design with a bounty of fresh produce, mossy accents, and an earthy color scheme. Blade Floral and Event Designs took home the second place award, and Floral Icon Events won third place. Here's a closer look at all of the participants. MORE >>

RELATED TOPICS International Special Events Society
11.02.09 8:00 AM

50 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Holiday Parties: Food, Gifts, Decor, and More

MoMA's pop-up centerpiece
MoMA's pop-up centerpiece
Photo: Courtesy of MoMA Design Store
1-3. Skip cupcakes for a fresh, high-quality sheet cake. Bleeding Heart Bakery in Chicago makes spice cake with apples, brown sugar frosting, and streusel; a half-sheet for $130 feeds 45. Mäni’s Bakery in Los Angeles makes an organic carrot-raisin cake, which costs $160 for a half-sheet and serves 65. Miami’s Yummy Cakes and More can make its chocolate explosion cake, with a half-sheet (enough for 65 guests) starting at $65.

4. A low-tech, high-impact way to serve shots is to create your own ice shooters with Pure Modern's Cool Shooter shot mold, available for $12.95 each.

5-6. Forgo the frat-party look and stash cold drinks in a stylish ice tub, like one from Broadway Party Rentals in New York, which rents for $30 and up. Or, to dress up a plain bin and keep things cool, Classic Party Rentals provides the 6 Velon chilling wrap (prices vary). MORE >>

RELATED TOPICS Corporate Holiday Parties, iStar Financial, Paul Wilmot Communications, The Economist
10.26.09 8:00 AM

Cort's New Line of Glowing LED Furniture

Cort's Luna Lighting collection
Cort's Luna Lighting collection
Photo: Courtesy of Cort Event Furnishings
Cort Event Furnishings recently launched a new line of LED furniture called the Luna Lighting collection. Rental items include bars, bar-height tables, and pedestals that are lit from within by battery-operated LEDs that last up to eight hours. The lights come in eight colors (red, white, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and purple), and can be programmed to illuminate the pieces in a solid hue, or fade or flash from color to color. Brushed stainless steel tabletops and frames give the collection a polished look and help make the pieces sturdier. The modular design of the collection offers flexibility as well. The bar can be configured in circular, serpentine, or perpendicular shapes. Pedestals can be turned into tables with round or rectangular tabletops, and can also be connected to create glowing columns. The pieces are available throughout the U.S. and the company will deliver to Canada, depending on the size of the order. Prices range from $56 to $600.   —Lisa Cericola

10.22.09 3:21 PM

6 New Products Spotted at the BizBash New York Expo

Cloth Connection's new overlay
Cloth Connection's new overlay
Photo: BizBash
More than 200 exhibitors displayed a range of products and services for events at the BizBash Expo at the Javits Center on Wednesday. Here are some new items that caught our attention on the bustling trade show floor.

1. Cloth Connection just released a line of overlays called the Artistic Braided collection. The sparkly linens are available in an array of colors, including gold, silver, black, copper, red, turquoise, and purple. The linens are available throughout the U.S. and pricing varies, as the overlays are created to order. MORE >>

RELATED TOPICS Bizbash New York Expo
10.19.09 8:00 AM

New Company Offers Affordable Video for Events or Web Sites

Video stills from Your Story Everywhere projects
Video stills from Your Story Everywhere projects
Photo: Your Story Everywhere
Recently launched video production company Your Story Everywhere specializes in affordable minute-long films for Web sites, whether viral marketing campaigns or informative documentary-style pieces. The Columbus, Ohio-based company can also handle longer projects like tribute videos or footage for award shows, which are available on DVD. For short films, typically the time from shoot to finished video is approximately 14 days. The company sends clients periodic updates as a film is being edited so they can follow the video's progress and request changes. Unlike other video production companies, prices for projects are deteremined by the length of the video. A fully produced and edited 60-second video is $1,000, a 90-second video is $2,000, and a 120-second piece is $3,000. Longer videos are priced on request. Travel costs and a la carte options like high-definition cameras and motion graphics are additional.   —Lisa Cericola

10.14.09 8:00 AM

3 New Activities and Catering Options With International Flavors

Falafel from Roti
Falafel from Roti
Photo: Courtesy of Roti
From Middle Eastern meeting snacks to private tours of a Vietnamese supermarket, here are a few new services and activities that center on global cuisine.

1. A former personal chef and cooking instructor, Rebecca Wheeler now leads corporate groups on tours of ethnic markets and restaurants. Starting at $85 per person, the tours cater to groups of four to 12 guests, and can last from two to three-and-a-half hours. Hosts may select a route from a list of options that include Argyle Street, where guests make their way through a Vietnamese bakery and supermarket before sitting down for a meal at a noodle shop. Other tours wind through Chinatown, Andersonville, and Devon Street, and Wheeler provides information on the culinary history and cooking techniques of the predominant cultures in each neighborhood. MORE >>

10.12.09 8:00 AM

Budget-Friendly Invitation Makeovers

Kira Evans Design's 2008 and 2009 invitations for an ERA Real Estate event
Kira Evans Design's 2008 and 2009 invitations for an ERA Real Estate event
Photos: Courtesy of Kira Evans Design
ERA Real Estate's Leadership Team Awards
2008:
The Parsippany, New Jersey-based company holds an annual dinner for its employees. Last year, Los Angeles-based Kira Evans Design created an Art Deco-inspired invitation with heavy silver foils and an embossed logo.

2009: ERA scaled back and went with a rain-forest theme, which allowed Evans to use nature photography to create an invitation for one-third of the price. Four-color printing also reduced production costs, but still resulted in a high-impact look. MORE >>

RELATED TOPICS Invitations
10.05.09 8:00 AM

A New, Attention-Getting Format for Meetings and Presentations

"The Morning Show With Scott Bloom"
Photo: Scott Janelli
Looking for a way to spice up a conference presentation or sales meeting? "The Morning Show With Scott Bloom" is a new talk show-style format for business meetings. Hosted by Scott Bloom, a Los Angeles-based M.C. and moderator with 15 years of experience, the program is customized to fit each client's needs. Bloom can host a scripted question-and-answer session with a C.E.O. or presenter or act as a moderator or an M.C., moving speakers from topic to topic. Bloom can also provide introductions and banter to warm up an audience, then turn over the stage to the presenter. Because staging and audiovisual needs are minimal, "The Morning Show" can take place in venues ranging from hotel ballrooms to large conference rooms. A riser and two stools are ideal, but some companies may opt for more elaborate settings with pipe and drape and branded graphics. Planners can provide their own backdrop or have Bloom's team source items for an additional fee. Pricing starts at $13,500, which includes a customized program as well as Bloom's hosting duties. Travel costs are additional.   —Lisa Cericola

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