| NEWS 06.26.08 12:33 PM |
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| As Big ISES Gala Marks Anniversary, Industry Vets Reflect on 20 Years |
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Nancy Kitchen of the Flower Loft created the event's 50 centerpieces.
Photo: Kate and Gerogina Photographs
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The New York chapter of the International Special Events Society went big for its Big Apple awards at Cipriani Wall Street Tuesday night, which also marked the group's 20th anniversary.
Beyond the upscale surroundings, which ranged from four-foot tall candelabra centerpieces by Nancy Kitchen of the Flower Loft to four separate bars offering top-shelf booze, the event itself grew this year, garnering some 500 attendees at 50 tables of 10—a number that grew from 30 in the past week. The attendance spike can largely be attributed to the organization’s decision to honor 20 table-buying industry individuals and organizations, among them Preston Bailey, Elyse Kroll, Scharf Weisberg, Alpine Creative, and yours truly, BizBash Media, in addition to handing out 13 awards. Many of the planners and vendors in attendance were quick to mention the overall upgrade in quality (the food, from appetizers to dessert, was the talk of the night).
As the numbers rose, so did the evening's run time. Kicking off with a V.I.P. reception at 6 p.m., the festivities didn’t conclude until close to 11. By 10 p.m., when a five-minute-long Phantom of the Opera skit took over the proceedings, many awards were still waiting to be doled out. (Among the winners were Empire Force Events, taking home both Best Table Top Design and Best Green Initiative, and Levy Lighting, which won Best Photographic Image and Best Transformation of a Space.)
In spirit of the 20th anniversary, we asked guests how they think the industry has changed in the past 20 years. Here’s what they had to say.
“Well, we finally found a name, so when you tell people you are an event planner they have some idea of what you do.”
—Dianne Devitt, founder, DND Group
“The event industry over the past 20 years has changed remarkably. It has gone from what was not classified as an industry 20 years ago to something that is now recognized as a powerful industry. A parallel description is that we now have characters in movies and television who are party planners and people in the industry, so that now when you say what you do for a living, people go ‘A-ha.’”
—David Tutera, founder, David Tutera Inc.
“The obvious difference is that events have a much more objective focus and having events for the sake of having a party just doesn’t do it anymore. All of our clients—whether corporations, associations, or social—are much more clearly defining the objective before jumping into producing an event. Back in the day, it used to be big investment firms were just about celebrating, making money. That ‘return on investments’ idea we’ve been hearing about for years is really being employed now. If you don’t have return on the event, you’re probably not going to do that for a second time.”
—Rob Hulsmeyer, Senior Partner, Empire Force Events
“One of the key things we have seen in the U.K. and, I’m sure, the U.S. is that events have taken over much more of the marketing expense, becoming much more important in terms of a company’s strategies. If you look in the future in terms of marketing, it’s very much a combination of digital and experiential, which is really face-to-face communication.”
—Robert Wright, president, ISES UK, managing director, Davies Tanner
“Certainly events have become more creative, more expressive. I use the word sophisticated, but events are still fun and/or more formal. What really has happened is that the client's knowledge of food and service and beverages and wine has expanded so much that events have had to rise to that occasion. There are now catering events, banquet events that rival fine restaurants, and they need to, because the expectations are there. People want the same kind of food and service they get in a restaurant, and I think that is one of the biggest changes.”
—Joe Cozza, vice president of sales and marketing, Cipriani USA
"I think events over the past 20 years have become more elaborate. There’s more technology, catering menus have become more extensive, and there are a lot more venues out there—we’ve got some pretty spectacular venues now, as opposed to 20 years ago. There are a lot more event-dedicated sites now than there used to be, giving clients more diversity for their events."
—Fred Seidler, founder, The Fred Seidler Group
—Courtney Thompson
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