Planners for the M.P.I. Southeastern Education Conference’s dinner on Friday night split the meal into two events, serving 400 guests salad and an entree at the conference’s host hotel, the Eden Roc, and dessert at the So Cool eVenue.
For the first half of the evening, Lauren Halpern of Lauren L. Halpern & Associates decorated the hotel’s Pompeii and Promenade ballrooms in a colorful Art Deco style. J Entertainment and Productions created building-shaped cutouts reminiscent of South Beach's Art Deco district that hung on 60-foot-long truss systems on the space’s two longest walls. Panache: A Classic Party Rental Company provided the yellow, pink, and green candy-colored table linens.
Throughout the dinner service, entertainer Marvelless Mark showcased his rock 'n' roll approach to motivational speaking. The presentation included comparisons of profitable companies to successful rock bands, quotes from Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and other musicians about teamwork and their personal mottoes for success, and various rock music interludes. At one point in the presentation, volunteers passed out drum sticks for guests to beat on the tables at Mark’s request.
Following dinner, eight buses from PRA Destination Management Southeast Florida made multiple trips to shuttle nearly 300 attendees to the So Cool eVenue for dessert and a late-night dance party. Cream of the Crop Events and Logistics LLC converted the warehouse-style venue, home to South Florida’s only solid ice lounge, into a nightclub with black draping, white illuminated bars and tables from So Cool Events, chandeliers, a colorfully lit dance floor, and a full stage where Private Stock Band performed throughout the night.
Silver Lining In Flight Catering, Imaginations Event Group, and Café Ala Carte provided various mini desserts and coffee drinks at food stations around the main room. A tent outside the back door housed a mini-casino with craps and blackjack tables along with additional dessert selections from Donut Divas and Fun Foods.
The event wrapped up around 1 a.m. when the final shuttle departed the eVenue to take guests back to the Eden Roc.
