Get ready for autumn galas, benefits, cocktail parties, and more: Here’s a look at the latest ideas for catering, entertainment, gifts, teambuilding activities, and decor inspiration in Boston.
Based out of Methuen and servicing Boston, Butlers & Bars provides professional TIPS-certified and ServSafe bartenders, waitstaff, and personalized event planning services for events. Butlers & Bars will arrange setup, service, breakdown, and cleanup. Rates vary according to services required.
Photo: Courtesy of Butlers and Bars
Gift clients and associates with a bit of Boston history: The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum gift shop offers American Revolution-inspired souvenirs such as a Colonial-era blue and white Delph tea set that includes a ceramic teapot and matching teacups. The set runs about $33 to $50 and is presented in a gift box. Purchases can be made at in person at the gift store or via phone.
Photo: Michael Blanchard
With experience spinning at weddings, clubs, universities, and nonprofit and corporate events, DJ Addam Bombb uses Denon CD turntables—no iPods, preplanned sets, or sync button mixing allowed. The remix producer customizes sets based on clients' musical preferences. His typical rates for nonprofit and corporate events range from $1,400 to $2,200. Preferred dates are best secured nine to 15 months prior to an event.
Photo: Greg Cooper
Paranormal Salem offers a corporate teambuilding experience that would be ideal for Halloween. The activity involves coworkers banding together for a night of ghost-hunting. The two-hour nighttime tour takes participants to Salem's most haunted places, from the Witch Trial Memorial to the basement of an 18th-century courthouse. Each person is trained to use equipment that allegedly detects spirit activity, like EMF detectors, digital voice recorders, infrared thermometers, pendulums, and dowsing rods. A video of the experience, taken with a night-vision camcorder, can be viewed on YouTube the next day. Tickets are $20 per person, or $15 per person for groups of 10 or more. The maximum group size is 25, and reservations are required.
Photo: Courtesy of Paranormal Salem
Boston-based corporate entertaining and event planning organization SP Events rents out its CD Recording Studio for private events. The mobile recording studio allows guests the opportunity to sing karaoke in a private booth, then receive a custom CD of their performances. The studio rental includes an extensive karaoke song list and an on-site recording engineer. Rental fees range from $1,995 to $2,495.
Photo: Courtesy of SP Events
Rutland Nurseries can lend flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees for indoor events. This full-service landscape design and maintenance company can create enchanted forests, winter wonderlands, and more for any size event. The company services Massachusetts and New England, and pricing varies according to the project.
Photo: Courtesy of Rutland Nurseries
Spearheaded by pro makeup artist and hair stylist Ginny Colangelo, Gin C Productions provides airbrush face painting and tattoos, living art statues, and body painting for corporate and nonprofit events. The paint Ginny uses is water soluble, non-staining, and nontoxic, and easily removable with soap and water. As roving entertainment, models or waitstaff can be body painted with custom stencils. Jewelry embellishments and custom headpieces are also available.
Photo: Avrian
Monderer Design in Cambridge provides interactive communications services in corporate branding, identity design, print collateral systems, advertising, and graphic design. The graphic design team can create a range of coordinated event communications, including save-the-dates, invitations, gala program booklets, sponsor list posters, and menu cards. Complete event branding packages cost around $15,000, and special nonprofit rates are also available.
Photo: Courtesy of Monderer Design
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in Boston is now offering afternoon hands-on cooking classes for corporate groups. Executive chef Steve Brown and corporate chef Rodney Murillo dish out the secrets to preparing four of Davio's signature dishes: tomato soup, crispy chicken livers, lobster ravioli, and vanilla bean panna cotta. Samples of the prepared dishes are paired with participants' wine choices, and guests leave with a gift bag of savory port wine sauce, tomato soup, vanilla bean panna cotta, and handmade pasta. The cost is $165 per person and includes a $100 voucher to use at Davio's; the class is $85 per person without the voucher.
Photo: Courtesy of Davio's
Catering to the Boston area and based out of New Haven, Connecticut, Recluse Productions gives planners a one-stop shop with video production, music, lighting, sound, and set design services. Offering custom animation and visuals, 3-D mapping, and on-stage special effect designs, the production company will cater to any size of event depending on clients' needs and venue restrictions.
Photo: Courtesy of Recluse Productions
