11.02.09 9:00 AM
50 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Holiday Parties: Food, Gifts, Decor, and More
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.Cool Shooter shot mold , available for $12.95 each. 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).
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Corporate Holiday Parties , iStar Financial , Paul Wilmot Communications , The Economist
10.26.09 9:00 AM
Cort's New Line of Glowing LED Furniture
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 4:21 PM
6 New Products Spotted at the BizBash New York Expo
Cloth Connection's new overlay Photo: BizBash
FROM NEW YORK
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.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.
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Bizbash New York Expo
10.19.09 9:00 AM
New Company Offers Affordable Video for Events or Web Sites
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 9:00 AM
3 Fancy New Rentals
Bubble Miami's lace barstools Courtesy of Bubble Miami
FROM MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA
Looking to add some fanciful decorative touches to your next event? Here are three new rental options available throughout Florida.Bubble Miami introduced its new lace barstools in September. The 32-inch-tall chairs have a 10-inch decorative cut-out back and are available in black and white. The stools rent for $40 (or can be purchased for $250), and are also available in Orlando.
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10.12.09 9:00 AM
Budget-Friendly Invitation Makeovers
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 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.
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Invitations
10.05.09 9:00 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
09.28.09 9:00 AM
Seating With Customizable Upholstery
Lounge 22 offers customized upholstery Photo: Courtesy of Lounge 22
Two major event furniture providers have new, customizable options that allow you to emblazon seating with logos, customized designs, or photographic imagery.Lounge22 's new upholstery service makes it possible to cover the company's modern-looking Congo line of chairs and sofas with customized images. The available fabrics are a heavyweight poly-cotton canvas or a polyester with the look and feel of heavy silk. Planners work with Lounge22 to provide the patterns, and the turnaround time for the upholstery is about three weeks. The Congo chair with custom printing is available for rent starting at $325 each, and the sofa rental starts at $500 each; the company can also store the custom covers for future use at no extra charge. Rentals and the upholstery service are available in the U.S. and Canada.MORE >>
09.21.09 10:32 AM
New Drapes for Dramatic Staging Options
Atomic's new gold spun sheers paired with indigo velvet swags Photo: Courtesy of Atomic Design
Atomic Design founder Tom McPhillips designed three new curtains to serve as stylish backdrops for presentations, award shows, or other events that call for dramatic drapery. Confetti Cloth is fashioned from iridescent organza, with undulating, curvilinear cuts that add dimension to the curtains and can be played up with lighting. A second offering is the spun gold sheers, which have a rich, shimmering look complemented by fine vertical strands of yarn that are laced throughout the polyester material. Lastly, Indigo velvet swags, crafted of medium-weight polyester, may be used to dress up a stage on their own, or to complement draperies. Each style is suitable for ballrooms, theaters, tents, or clubs, and each is permanently fire retardant.
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09.16.09 9:00 AM
4 Nature-Driven Activities for Group Outings in Orlando
Lucky for groups looking to take a breather while spending a few days at meetings at the convention center or theme parks, Central Florida's flora and fauna are conveniently located nearby. These four excursions are geared toward corporate groups looking for a day trip outside of Orlando.Florida EcoSafaris launched Zipline Safari, a guided zip line tour 55 feet above the ground that gives participants a birds-eye view of the Pine Flatwoods, wetland areas, and native creatures like herons and whitetail deer. During the two-and-a-half-hour experience, guests sit in harnesses and glide along high-tension cables rigged above the treetops. The outing includes a visit to the company's wildlife interaction area, which includes a relative of the endangered Florida panther and other animals. Pricing is $85 per person or $76.50 for groups of 10 or more.
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