Looking for a new catering partner, a collaborative fabrication team, or a new go-to spot for furniture rentals? Look no further. Here, we asked event industry professionals throughout North America to share their go-to collaborators for events of all types.
Ryan GlickPhoto: Courtesy of Ryan Glick
Glick is the founder and president of the bicoastal experiential agency Coffee ‘n Clothes. He serendipitously found his way into events following the launch of an Instagram account where Glick snapped photos of, well, coffee and clothes. His clientele now includes the likes of Forever21, Hulu, and Bloomingdales, just to name a few.
Printing: "A lot of people know us back from when we were just an Instagram account and then a coffee company. We had our own cafe back in 2019-2020 in Soho [in NYC], and Unique Print just so happened to be our neighbor. We would have brands pop up in our cafe, as well as throw branded events, and we were always printing flyers, menus, and vinyls, and Adam at Unique Print became a great partner. I remember running back and forth between the cafe and Unique Print to print in real time—we've come a long way with them. They are able to work super fast, just like we do!”
Florals: “Caroline from Florabrook and I go way back—we were friends before we each had our companies. The team at Florabrook is wonderful. They are able to help bring to life the vision that our team and our clients have and execute flawlessly. Whether it's for a VIP dinner, large scale activation, or pop-up, the team at Florabrook always comes through.”
Catering: “Gastronome is known for creating multisensory culinary experiences. The team always delivers an incredible experience while providing white glove service. Oh, and the food tastes amazing too!”
Nadia Di DonatoPhoto: Courtesy of Nadia Di Donato
Di Donato is the vice president and creative director at Toronto’s restaurant, nightlife, and special event company Liberty Entertainment Group, where she’s worked since its inception in 1987. The group plays host to the likes of Drake, Brad Pitt, and prime minister Justin Trudeau, and oversees venues such as Casa Loma, Liberty Grand, and Don Alfonso 1890.
Event Design: “Fleur Weddings and Infinitude Design aim to bring a fresh new concept to special events by creating exclusive and memorable designs. Flora and her team are passionate about bringing exceptional designs to life whether it's weddings, social events, corporate events, and every occasion in between. Their styling is always on trend with the latest looks, and the creative team works closely with me to make my vision come to life.”
Rentals: “LUXE Rentals is one of Canada’s largest full-service providers of high-end rental furniture for the meetings and events industry. They are our preferred rental partner for furniture for events ranging from intimate gatherings to the most extravagant galas. They offer a selection of high-end design pieces that allow me to create a custom look and feel for every event.”
Printing: “Supply and Demand are a one-stop shop for printing services in Toronto. Their experienced artisan designers are able to work closely with our team in order to create custom print products. They bring my design vision to life and manage our printing projects from start to finish—from small-scale, custom pieces to large-format installations.”
Melva LaJoy Legrand
Legrand is the founder and owner of D.C.-based boutique event management and creative services firm LaJoy Plans. When not assisting to execute experiences like Beyond the Blackout and the Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area Chapter’s Brain Ball, she’s an insightful thought leader and speaker.
Melva LaJoy LegrandPhoto: Courtesy of Melva LaJoy Legrand
Entertainment: “Any opportunity to support a women-owned business is always a good time, but let me tell you about the dynamic duo (and also best friends) Lauren and Rebecca of Lucy Black Entertainment. First, they are not just owners but accomplished musicians in their own right. LaJoy Plans has worked with them numerous times for our client's conferences, musical tributes, and most recently they helped me plan an amazing conference finale featuring a local youth-based drumline. Their approach is rooted in the love for the art, but also an appreciation for diversity.”
Staging: “Goodness there is not enough time to talk about Social Supply Design Company, which is owned by an amazingly talented husband-and-wife duo. What I will say is that this year, they have designed at least five stages for me. While they are based in D.C., they traveled to NYC with me because they are just so good. Actually, I don't use another company to do staging. For me, they are the only option. They understand custom, quality, and precise execution like no other, which is why I think people worldwide are getting to know Jess and Ryan. They are definitely ones to watch.”
Jackie ClarkePhoto: Dwayne C. Nelson
Clarke is the founder and creative director of virtual events, sponsorships, and brand activations at Toronto-based The Well Connected. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses execute sponsorships, presentations, and experiences.
Gifting: “Not one of my gifting lounges would be a success without the support of LUV2PAK. They have always come to the rescue for all The Well Connected events, and they are our go-to for all our celebrity gifting needs. They offer a variety of bags, boxes, tissue paper, and so much more. Pat, Beatriz, and the whole team are incredible and extremely supportive. We recently partnered with them to gift talent at the Legacy Awards in Toronto. Their matte black bags aligned perfectly with the black and gold award show theme.”
Venue: “A cute quiet spot on the Danforth, The Florist’s Loft is the perfect place for an intimate event. I’ve hosted a branding conference produced by The Well Connected and had over 150 guests. The walls and roof are decorated with real flowers, they have a very clean white aesthetic, and will work with you to brand the venue to fit your theme. Ken is very knowledgeable about flowers, and the food is to die for.”
A Sweet Touch: “My go-to ‘pop’ element for any of my events is a branded cart from Soho Carts. Jesse and her team have always supported The Well Connected events, and they bring a sense of excitement to everything we do. They have an array of carts that we’ve used for various branding and event opportunities—from old-fashioned wooden carts to gold and glass-shelved carts, and so much more. Our most notable experience with Soho Carts was at our 2019 gifting suit experience with J. Lo.”
Mili MarceticPhoto: Courtesy of Mili Marcetic
Marcetic is the executive producer at N.Y.-based creative agency MKG, which specializes in brand experiences. Helmed by an all-female leadership team, MKG is known for its launch events, retail environments, mobile tours, and sponsorship activations for the likes of Delta Air Lines, Google, Target, Facebook, and more.
Lighting Design: “Our teams work extensively with the Stories Illuminated team on productions across the country. They are able to source any gear we need in any location and are able to work with extremely tight load-in time for shows. Principal designer and CCO Sohail Najafi and principal tech producer and COO Joshua Cuellar are always available to work with our team to achieve a certain stage look or lighting design for the venue, or to recommend a new technology for whatever we need. They are such a pleasure to work with both pre-production and on-site, and have definitely been there for us during some crazy productions.”
Fabrication: “A sister company of MKG, we truly think of Pink Sparrow as family. They fabricate a large amount of MKG events across the country—and internationally—with us. Anything we may need, from tour vehicles and 3D printing to traditional scenic walls and product displays, Pink Sparrow has us covered. They also have an in-house logistics team that provides trucking all over the country for any of our traveling events, which is a huge asset to the production team.”
Jessica Glover
Glover is the director of public relations at GLO Communications, a boutique PR agency. Based out of Toronto, GLO focuses on lifestyle, food, entertainment, and corporate events of all kind.
Catering: “Toronto is filled with delicious restaurants and catering companies—there’s so many to pick from. For our events, we trust Eatertainment and Kori Gorman to help craft the perfect menu. From a tasting menu complete with wine pairings to passed canapés, the team at Eatertainment always manages to put together the perfect menu while taking care of staffing and rentals as needed.”
Florals: “A great flower arrangement always adds to any event, and we always use Tonic Blooms. If we need something for a brand launch or for a client’s special day, they always have the perfect arrangements. They are also a local Toronto company.”
Photography: “We always trust Ryan Emberley Photography for all our events. From client launch parties photos to product shots, and from press days to headshots, Ryan and his team always capture beautifully elegant photographs and understand the mood the client wants to capture.”
Jessica Glover, pictured third from leftPhoto: Courtesy of Jessica Glover
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
