| EVENT REPORT 10.22.03 12:00 AM |
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| Event Planners Converge for BiZBash Expo |
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| Body-painted models in cages, break-dancers, super-stylish decor ideas and the Village People were a few of the things you missed if you didn't attend the 2003 BiZBash Javits Meeting and Event Expo—The Fresh Idea Show at the Javits Center. BiZBash welcomed more than 190 exhibitors and 2,700 attendees to the two-day show, which was filled with hundreds of fresh ideas for event and meeting planners. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | | More than 2,700 event professionals attended the BiZBash Javits Meeting and Event Expo—The Fresh Idea Show at the Javits Center. |
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 | | Cathy Dantchik (left) and Suzanne Tobak (second from left) of Tobak-Dantchik Events and Promotions, Erica Morris of People magazine and BiZBash columnist Ted Kruckel hosted the "Trends and Style: What's New for 2004" panel discussion at the BiZBash U education sessions. |
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 | | German artist Christof Breidenich painted two giant murals (one for each day of the show) on a wall of small wooden panels that were taken down and given to attendees at the end of each day. |
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 | | Transformit suspended fabric sculptures above the trade show floor. |
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While exhibitors set up their booths on Tuesday, the BiZBash U education seminars began with sessions like the "Lighting, Linens and Flowers, Oh My!" panel discussion, where several decor and lighting pros gave tips on working with vendors and dished on what planners are requesting for their events. Following the sessions, the trade show floor opened for a cocktail reception and the BiZBash Event Industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which included a two-song set from the Village People.
Wednesday offered more education sessions and a full day for guests to walk the show floor and check out entertainers on the main stage. Outside the show itself, guests could relax in Taylor Creative's pastel-colored lounge furnished with white sofas, a freestanding panel of color-changing lights and colorful Philippe Starck stools that doubled as tables. (The look was a scaled-down version of the lounge the firm created for the ENK fashion trade show.) Near the lounge, German artist Christof Breidenich painted two giant murals (one for each day of the show) on a wall of small wooden panels that were taken down and given to attendees at the end of each day. National MicroRentals provided computer stations at the center counter of the mezzanine for guests to check their email, and Airstar Space Lighting provided giant white BiZBash- and Crobar-branded lighting balloons to mark the entrance to the trade show floor.
The Expo spread throughout Javits' galleria and river pavilion space. Show decorator GES provided signage, piping and draping, and Transformit suspended swooping stretch fabric decor pieces from the ceiling above the trade show floor.
A few companies collaborated to create habitats instead of standard booths. Decor and entertainment company Pink Inc. created an all-white area with its signature stretch fabric columns, table coverings and ceiling decorations, where caterer Fisher & Levy brought some color to the area with bright foods like Gummi worms served in shot glasses filled with blue Gatorade and hors d'oeuvres topped with blue caviar, and Special Events Available Light provided white lighting balloons for a subtle glow. In another habitat area, Musters & Company teamed up with Scharff Weisberg, Metropolitan Pavilion and Agile Furnishings to create a muted lounge area with beige sofas, chairs and carpet and flower arrangements filled with roses, orchids and magnolia leaves.
The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum showed it's not just a destination for military buffs, but can be a great venue for an elegant dinner event with its blue and white booth decorated with shimmering violet fabrics draped over tables strewn with glass beads, lamps with beaded shades and red rose flower arrangements. And one of most heavily trafficked booths of the show was Party Rental's silver, white and pink booth, where a busy bartender served up watermelon martinis.
Ice sculpture companies Ice Art, Ice Sculpture Designs and Okamoto Studio displayed different variations on ice as decor. Ice Art, known for the sheer size of their displays, created a huge ice bar and an ice fountain with apples frozen inside. Newcomer Okamoto Studio showed off a more delicate creation: an elegant latticed frame that surrounded a simple white orchid plant.
The most tempting places to rest your feet were the booths from rental companies Eclectic/Encore Props, Props for Today and RentQuest, who all went for modern looks in their areas. Eclectic/Encore's area at the front entrance of the show featured Peter Brown's body-painted models inside a giant bird cage, and chrome and white leather sofas were offset by glass coffee tables, a shimmery black backdrop and black carpet. Props for Today put their small space to good use with fuchsia and lime green shag carpets beneath white Mies van der Rohe chairs and a spacey silver bar. RentQuest created the illusion of more space with black-and-white cube seats and shag-covered benches set in front of mirrored bars.
Stage managers Mark Steele and Steve Young kept a lively lineup of entertainers on a stage designed by Atomic Design with backdrops by Dream World, column-shaped electronic Dynascan monitors from CPR Multimedia and audiovisual production by Big Wave. The acts included a 50's-themed singing group from Wizard Events, a magician from Michael Bongar Entertainment and a team of break-dancers and DJs from Love Productions, who gave a raucous, adrenaline-filled performance.
Flatotel sponsored this year's BiZBash U education sessions, which offered six education tracks, from best practices for independent event planners to corporate event management. In the "Trends and Style: What's New in 2004" session, speakers discussed where to find inspiration and new ideas, as well as dished on some of the ins and outs of gift bags and bad behavior among guests. One general education session featured event professionals from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Florida and New York extolling the merits and creative ideas of each market. Session attendees could also check out informal roundtable discussions on a range of topics, including "How to Break into Fashion Show Planning" and "The Art of Guerilla Marketing Events." American Express scattered bottled water throughout the classroom areas for thirsty attendees.
Read about the BiZBash Hall of Fame induction ceremony...
To see more pictures from the expo, go to http://gallery.revibeinc.com.
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