|
|
|
| NEWS 05.13.08 1:55 PM |
|
Morton's Offers Summer Incentive
|
Morton's Steakhouse just announced an enticing new promotion for the hot summer months. Every Thursday in May and June, the restaurant will host complimentary wine and cheese tastings from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Reservations are highly suggested, as space is limited. —E.C.
|
 |
| LOCATION SCOUT 05.13.08 12:55 PM |
|
Company Picnics and Outings Redefined
|
 |
Twilight Features in South Florida can provide and set a blow up big screen in your local park or on the beach for a relaxing, outdoor entertainment experience.
Courtesy of Twilight Features |
|
A Memorable Movie Experience. For many, dinner and a movie is a Friday or Saturday night ritual. So why not incorporate everyone's favorite activity into your next company outing? Companies such as Twilight Features in South Florida can provide and set up a blow up big screen, some three-stories high, in your local park or on the beach to show the latest hit movies--including family-friendly releases. This is a great way to keep the children, and even adults, suitably entertained throughout the afternoon and evening as being outside, and even under the stars, adds a unique element to your movie-going experience. Paired with popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, hamburgers, and a selection of candy choices, your event is sure to be a hit with attendees of all ages.
READ MORE
|
|
| LOCATION SCOUT 05.13.08 12:55 PM |
|
Ballrooms Got You Down?
|
 |
Courtyard of Casa Casuarina
Courtesy of Casa Casuarina |
|
The pool. Nearly every hotel has a pool for guests to enjoy at their leisure. However, for many business travelers, this isn't a spot they get to visit often. That doesn't have to be the case, though, as it provides a wonderful outdoor option for events.
With that said, a poolside event doesn't always mean a casual, bikini-filled afternoon. For instance, if your client markets a product that has to do with pools or water, why not hold the event on-by using a cover (which also adds several hundred square feet to your space)-or even in the hotel pool? This not only allows attendees to familiarize themselves with the product, but also ensures they'll be talking about your event long after.
Another option is to use the pool instead of a stage for performances-think synchronized swimmers-or as the stage or display itself, by floating acrylic plates on the water's surface.
A pool can also be drained to create a multidimensional event space. New York-based event planner Michael Stern, in an attempt to provide additional seating for the hotel's New Year's Eve soiree, emptied the pool at the Setai on South Beach to create a sunken living-room setting.
In fact, other than lawns and some courtyards, a pool deck is one of the only column-free spaces large enough for an exhibition at a hotel outside of the standard ballroom-as was most recently done for the Remix Hotel at the National Hotel during Winter Music Conference in Miami.
READ MORE
|
|
| LOCATION SCOUT 05.13.08 11:55 AM |
|
Greens to Envy
|
 |
Putters of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World
courtesy of Walt Disney World |
|
THEMES FOR TEAMS. Leave it to Walt Disney World to pair playful entertainment themes with the game of golf. Available at the Lake Buena Vista property's Osprey Ridge, Magnolia, and Palm golf courses, these uniquely themed events allow foursomes to engage in adventures on the links. Programs offered include "Putters of the Caribbean," in which each foursome becomes a pirate crew and each green is an island to be captured, and "Around the World in 18 Holes," a spin-off of Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in 80 Days that boasts continent-themed holes and an Oktoberfest celebration upon completion. For the golf guru, Disney's event group also offers Disney's Pro Golf Tour event, which emulates the PGA Tour, where participants are announced by a guest ESPN Club speaker and surrounded by staffers acting as fans who clamor for autographs.
READ MORE
|
|
| ASK BIZBASH 05.13.08 11:40 AM |
|
How Can I Give Cocktails at My Events a Healthier Twist?
|
 |
Navan Spa Martini
BizBash |
|
Cocktails flow freely at any successful event. But how do you make your drinks healthier for your guests and help them avoid a hangover the next morning?
Tony Abou-Ganim, known as the Modern Mixologist and currently featured on Iron Chef America, emphasized using natural ingredients at this year's Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. A simple syrup really is simple to make-one part water to one part superfine sugar-and is significantly healthier than most sweeteners bartenders use. Other unique sweeteners he suggested include fresh-squeezed juices, agave nectar-a natural low-glycemic sweetener-and pure sugarcane. Avoid high-fructose corn syrup-common in most sweeteners today-which is harder for the body to process than all-natural ingredients and can actually contribute to hangovers. The vitamins and antioxidants in natural ingredients will help the body recharge the next morning.
READ MORE
|
|
| 3 BUDGETS, 3 IDEAS 05.12.08 5:07 PM |
|
Blowout v. Budget
|
 |
A fantasy budget tabletop design created by BBJ Linens and A Basket Affair.
BizBash |
|
BBJ Linen and A Basket Affair came together to create a simple beachside-chic look. Using saffron-colored linens and a low centerpiece with seashell accents, the budget tabletop--priced at $100 per ten-top--would fit into a client's moderate budget.
For the fantasy budget tabletop, BBJ and Basket Affair added pearl detailed chair covers, a sheer overlay with beading, and replaced the seashells for a towering floral arrangement, and floral-wrapped napkins. The blowout table is priced at more than $500 per ten-top.
READ MORE
|
|
| THE SCOUT 05.12.08 3:58 PM |
|
Bag it!
|
 |
This retro Track Flight Bag by Soren can be screened or embroidered with your company or event logo.
Courtesy of Soren |
|
With the myriad of new designs out there, trade in that boring old gift bag and give guests a gift worth remembering-and reusing! —Valerie Marks
|
|
| ASK BIZBASH 05.12.08 11:05 AM |
|
How Do You Ensure That Staffers Treat Guests Well?
|
 |
Waiters from Great Performances
Photo: Elizabeth Lippman |
|
An event could have exquisite flowers, food prepared by a world-famous chef, and Oscar-presenter-worthy gift bags, but if a check-in person is less than friendly or the caterwaiters are standing around chatting, that’s what guests will remember. So how do you make sure service is up to par when there are so many people performing so many different tasks?
Gregory Boroff, senior vice president of external relations for the Food Bank for New York City, says a thorough interview process for volunteers is a big part of how the nonprofit keeps its quality of service (and proceeds from events) high. “We don’t send out mass emails asking who would like to volunteer for an event. Everyone is hand-picked. When people say they want to volunteer, we meet them first to see if it’s a good fit between the person and the organization,” he says. “We make sure they are friendly, that they understand what our organization is about and what we try to accomplish. Are they are there to help [us], or to further a personal agenda?” While many volunteers want to work the celebrity-studded Can-Do Awards dinner, Boroff says those jobs are often reserved for people who have proven themselves in other positions, like working in the office, or at another event.
READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS
Food Bank for New York City,
Grammys,
Luminato
|
|
| EVENT REPORT 05.09.08 3:00 PM |
|
New Nokia Products Make Movies (and Take Drink Orders) at Gen Art Event
|
FROM CHICAGO
On Wednesday, a face-painted man wearing a pink shirt and toting a green water gun wove his way through the stylish crowd assembled at the River East Art Center for Gen Art and Nokia's Art in Motion event. The colorful guest was part of one of three films that were shot on site, as emerging filmmakers commissioned by Gen Art made short movies using Nokia's N95 8GB device.
The moviemaking was only one of the ideas that Gen Art Chicago's regional event director, Laura Lachman, cooked up for the event, which was intended to showcase the cutting-edge capabilities of Nokia's N95 and N810 devices.
Guests had the option of ordering drinks the old-fashioned way (by bellying up to the bar) or by taking a more technological route: Nokia reps standing at three highboys held N810 Internet tablets that they used to type in guests' drink requests. The orders went electronically to a computer behind the bar, and a server brought the drink orders to the tables within a matter of minutes.
READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS
Gen Art,
Nokia
|
|
| EVENT REPORT 05.09.08 11:40 AM |
|
Spring's in the Air
|
 |
Each centerpiece used an array of fresh flowers and candlelight, including the crystal candelabras featured on the major sponsors' tables.
Photography by Chanele |
|
The 15th annual Magnolia Ball brought an array of spectacular blooms the A La Carte Event Pavilion on May 3. Tampa Bay's premier fund-raising event benefiting the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute is best known for astounding attendees with showstopping entertainment, notable silent and live auctions, and a stunning spring-inspired theme.
D. Shenell Reed and Moffitt's event committee members worked with the pavilion's event designer, Corina Wian, to create a refreshing yet dramatic affair that showcased the simplicity of the season without sacrificing a bit of sparkle. Tables were clad in grass green, petal pink, and springy purple linens while the ballroom chairs were covered in storm-cloud-gray paisley slipcovers courtesy of BBJ Linens. Additionally, silver beaded curtains were suspended above tables, creating the ambience of being caught in a summer rainstorm, which was complemented by rhinestone-encrusted charger plates at each setting, which resembled water droplets.
READ MORE
|
|
|
