FOOD AND DRINK IDEAS
Where to Find Vegan Baked Goods for Meetings
The Fun (Really), Hip (Seriously), Budget-Minded (We Promise) Corporate Summer Picnic
Ococoa Offers Customizable Chocolates in Unexpected Flavors
Platine Makes Miniature Desserts
Two Boots Delivers Nontraditional Pizza Flavors
Cute, Budget-Friendly Desserts
Customized Cup Holders
ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT
Michael Smith Creates Integrated Sound Programs for Events
Bollywood-Inspired Dances, to Watch or Learn
Felice Keller Makes Music to Match Corporate Messages
Amanda Cushman Instructs Groups in Preparing Organic, Ethnic Menus
A Daring, Airborne Entertaining Option
Beer Crafting Classes Make for an Affordable Outing
New Agency Staffs Event DJs With Varied Styles
Trapeze School Offers High-Flying Teambuilding
DECOR AND RENTAL IDEAS
Boutique Florist Creates Hawaii-Inspired Designs
No-Fuss Plants for Gifts or Decor
Eco-Conscious Arrangements Without Flowers
Fete Accompli Unveils a Fancy Furniture Line
Handcrafted Japanese Pastries, Made to Order
Where to Find Stylish Bars
Production Firm Launches Eco-Friendly Offshoot
GIFT IDEAS
No-Fuss Plants for Gifts or Decor
Custom Packaged Sweet Snacks
A Sweet New Gift Source
Personalized, Sweet-Smelling Gifts
Note Sets With Personal Touches
Eco-Friendly Bags for Gifts
EVENT SERVICES
A Simplified Personalized Greeting Card Service
Hubbard Street Dancers Available for Events
Where to Find, and Sell, Used Event Items
A New Site for Online Invites
An Eco-Friendly Car Service
THE SCOUT
Barbie's Q Drives Truck to Events for Barbecue Catering
Barbie's Q truck Photo: Courtesy of Barbie's Q
In an age that elevated Kogi Korean BBQ to cult status, other caterers are taking the on-call truck format to heart. Enter Barbie's Q , which bills itself as a rolling barbecue joint. The truck blares blues music for extra authenticity, and serves up St. Louis ribs, pulled-pork sandwiches—and even an applewood-smoked veggie burger, in deference to health-conscious Los Angeles crowds. Book the Barbie's Q truck to pull up at events for a minimum of 100 guests. For about $7 a head, staff will dish out ribs or a sandwich, plus homemade sides (barbecue beans, potato salad, or cole slaw), to each attendee. —Alesandra Dubin
ASK BIZBASH
How Can You Make a Trade Show Booth Eco-Friendly?
A Sherwin-Williams
booth Photo: Courtesy of Sherwin Williams
Thanks to a burgeoning green products industry, there are plenty of eco-friendly options for trade show booths, from nontoxic paint to sustainable building materials. The challenge is sorting through them all to find what really works, while remembering to consider important factors like transportation and reusability.Gallo Displays in Cleveland, Ohio, for the American Institute of Architects’ National Convention and Design Exposition in May 2008. Gallo used recycled aluminum framing and Plyboo, a wood alternative derived from bamboo. Although pleased with the results, the company made different choices when designing an exhibit for the January 2009 International Builders Show in Las Vegas. This booth was made primarily of BioBoard, a wood alternative made from recycled materials, with Plyboo and PaperStone (panels made of recycled paper) for counters.
MORE >>
FRESH FACE
Michael Smith Creates Integrated Sound Programs for Events
Since he started out as a DJ hobbyist in 2000, Michael Smith has gone on to make a name for himself, spinning professionally for luxury, fashion, media, and entertainment brands. Now he’s expanding his offerings with Michael Smith Event Music , which creates complete programs for corporate clients like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Vogue . Call it sonic branding: sound services beyond a traditional DJ’s purview that work with a brand’s specific mission.MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Louis Vuitton , Jaguar
THE SCOUT
Felice Keller Makes Music to Match Corporate Messages
Felice Keller Photo: Kevyn Major Howard
As an extra-personal touch to honor a special guest or promote a corporate mission, songwriter Felice Keller can customize a song to match a message or honoree. Keller, whose new company, Felice Keller Productions , is comprised of Oscar- and other award-winning music writers, can incorporate any story into music. After Keller's team writes an original song, it can be recorded or performed live at an event. With a generous budget, Keller can work with artists such as Neil Diamond, Jessica Simpson, Clay Aiken, and Donna Summer to perform the piece. Packages start around $5,000 and typically range from $10,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the songwriters and add-ons desired. —Alesandra Dubin
INFLUENCES
A Look at Viral Marketing and Media Culture From the Creator of Flash Mobs
Bill Wasik's book
These days information comes at us from all directions, and constantly—what's new seems old quickly. In And Then There's This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture Harper's Magazine , takes a look at the very young history of new media culture and its effects on society and marketing. As one of his case studies, the author explains how he originated the 2003 flash mob phenomenon, discussing how he sent a mass email directing a large group to form, spawning a fad and copycat mobs. Wasik also digs into examples of how companies and organizations go viral in the quest for buzz, from Ford's appropriation of the flash mob for a concert to promote a new vehicle to consumer-involved campaigns from companies like Diesel, Nike, and Procter & Gamble. —Mark Mavrigian
THE SCOUT
Creating (and Sending) Video Messages With MeTV
Guests using a MeTV unit Photo: Courtesy of Creative Media Sciences
MeTV is an interactive video unit that enables guests to capture and share messages with friends and family about their experience at an event . The Chicago-based Creative Media Sciences launched the system in the M.A.C. Cosmetics Backstage Lounge at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York earlier this year and has since provided screens for events in Chicago, Houston, and Toronto. The unit includes a 22-inch Hewlett Packard flat-panel touch-screen display that enables event guests to capture a 30-second video of themselves, which they can then email to friends or upload to social media sites like Facebook. The email messages can be configured to include event details and information about sponsors. Videos can also be broadcast during the event or used in a marketing campaign following the event. Units cost $5,000 to $7,000 to rent—which includes the software development for the event, customization of the video messages, and an event host to guide guests through the process.—Susan O'Neill
THE SCOUT
Bollywood-Inspired Dances, to Watch or Learn
Blue13 Dance Company Photo: Ryuichi Oshimoto
Blue13 Dance Company offers high-energy Bollywood-style dance instruction and performance packages for events. Led by Achinta S. McDaniel, who has been teaching for a decade, the troupe recently began offering packages to teach corporate groups—and is adding new services to those programs, including instruction and show packages off-site at a designated office space. Blue13 also provides large-scale theatrical productions that create new live shows for corporate events.
MORE >>
