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Guests were welcomed by Dance Attack's Latin beauties and a Chiquita Banana dancer as they made their way to a section of Palmetto Bay Village Center's 9,500-square-foot room to begin the day. Chairs were jazzed up with multicolored sashes from Panache: An Event Rental Company. Shari Lynn Rothstein, BiZBashFla's associate publisher, kicked off the day by introducing the vendors responsible for putting the FunShop together. Cookie Ramos from Dance Attack and C&J Productions made sure to finish with a bang as two women in shimmering green costumes joined a macho man on stage for a Latin dance performance while Chiquita sashayed down the aisle and the dancers waved oversize bananas to the music. The fast-paced, saucy show set the pace for the rest of the day. Interface Sound Productions set up a screen so everyone could see the latest trends David Simpson, president and C.E.O. of Cozza Noztra, discussed in the keynote presentation: "The Hottest Event Trends: What's Hot…What's Not for 2007."
After the presentation, attendees headed to the building's outdoor rotunda for the networking break. Panache dressed the high-top tables in beautiful green linens with tropical-leaf patterned overlays with café con leche- and guava-colored tones. Guests noshed on a fruit and cheese display by Catering by Les, sipped on fresh cappuccinos and lattes from Café Ala Carte, tasted rich chocolates from Schakolad Chocolate Factory, and sampled moist cake bites from Cake Designs by Edda's.
After the break, it was time to attend one of two event intelligence seminars. Vanessa Goyanes, managing editor of BiZBashFla, moderated a session titled, "How Did You Get That Event?" Panelists Donald E. Braun, managing partner of creatibilities; Palmetto Bay's own event director, Joann Parns, and Stacy Stern, president of The Special Events Group discussed the ins and outs of getting your company selected to produce an event. Shari Lynn moderated the other session, "Why Should I Come To Your Event?" where panelists Linda Hamburger, president of OnCall PR; Tara Solomon, principal of TARA Ink., and Lisa Palley of Palley Promotes shared tips on how to use marketing and PR strategies to get the right attendees excited about an event and through the doors.
Before the main event, Premier Beverage Company sponsored an outdoor mix and mingle area, where Room Service set up three furniture groupings in red, black with leopard, and a tropical tiki featuring wicker with off-white cushions. Each look coordinated with its own drink. Boogie Bodies set up its interactive karaoke-meets-music-video station, where guests sat in front of a green screen that superimposes their heads onto cartoon bodies to as they sing popular tunes. Each performer received a DVD of their performance on the spot. DJ Rey from Mike Sipe Entertainment spun salsa, meringue, and other Latin beats, enticing guests to shimmy and shake along with-and under-the stilt walkers from CircX, which also provided two performers in bright geometric-patterned unitards twisted and contorted anywhere they could, from the floor and lounge areas to around and between the guests as well.
This outdoor pre-party gave everyone the chance to warm up before the event style reception. The evening got a whole lot hotter. If Miami, the mambo, and mojitos weren't synonymous enough before—this FunShop sealed the deal.
Photos: John Christie/Christie's Photographic Studios Miami
Guests were welcomed by Dance Attack's Latin beauties and a Chiquita Banana dancer as they made their way to a section of Palmetto Bay Village Center's 9,500-square-foot room to begin the day. Chairs were jazzed up with multicolored sashes from Panache: An Event Rental Company. Shari Lynn Rothstein, BiZBashFla's associate publisher, kicked off the day by introducing the vendors responsible for putting the FunShop together. Cookie Ramos from Dance Attack and C&J Productions made sure to finish with a bang as two women in shimmering green costumes joined a macho man on stage for a Latin dance performance while Chiquita sashayed down the aisle and the dancers waved oversize bananas to the music. The fast-paced, saucy show set the pace for the rest of the day. Interface Sound Productions set up a screen so everyone could see the latest trends David Simpson, president and C.E.O. of Cozza Noztra, discussed in the keynote presentation: "The Hottest Event Trends: What's Hot…What's Not for 2007."
After the presentation, attendees headed to the building's outdoor rotunda for the networking break. Panache dressed the high-top tables in beautiful green linens with tropical-leaf patterned overlays with café con leche- and guava-colored tones. Guests noshed on a fruit and cheese display by Catering by Les, sipped on fresh cappuccinos and lattes from Café Ala Carte, tasted rich chocolates from Schakolad Chocolate Factory, and sampled moist cake bites from Cake Designs by Edda's.
After the break, it was time to attend one of two event intelligence seminars. Vanessa Goyanes, managing editor of BiZBashFla, moderated a session titled, "How Did You Get That Event?" Panelists Donald E. Braun, managing partner of creatibilities; Palmetto Bay's own event director, Joann Parns, and Stacy Stern, president of The Special Events Group discussed the ins and outs of getting your company selected to produce an event. Shari Lynn moderated the other session, "Why Should I Come To Your Event?" where panelists Linda Hamburger, president of OnCall PR; Tara Solomon, principal of TARA Ink., and Lisa Palley of Palley Promotes shared tips on how to use marketing and PR strategies to get the right attendees excited about an event and through the doors.
Before the main event, Premier Beverage Company sponsored an outdoor mix and mingle area, where Room Service set up three furniture groupings in red, black with leopard, and a tropical tiki featuring wicker with off-white cushions. Each look coordinated with its own drink. Boogie Bodies set up its interactive karaoke-meets-music-video station, where guests sat in front of a green screen that superimposes their heads onto cartoon bodies to as they sing popular tunes. Each performer received a DVD of their performance on the spot. DJ Rey from Mike Sipe Entertainment spun salsa, meringue, and other Latin beats, enticing guests to shimmy and shake along with-and under-the stilt walkers from CircX, which also provided two performers in bright geometric-patterned unitards twisted and contorted anywhere they could, from the floor and lounge areas to around and between the guests as well.
This outdoor pre-party gave everyone the chance to warm up before the event style reception. The evening got a whole lot hotter. If Miami, the mambo, and mojitos weren't synonymous enough before—this FunShop sealed the deal.
Photos: John Christie/Christie's Photographic Studios Miami
Guests got a nose full of flavored oxygen at Airheads Oxygen Bar.
Chocolate Fountains of South Florida set up a station as attractive as it was tasty.
CircX provided provocative and colorful characters that interacted with guests throughout the day.
Dance Attack's Chiquita Banana-esque dancer not only performed, but helped guests find their way to the general session.
Cake Designs by Edda's showcased cake designs along with many bite size pieces for guests to sample.
Panache: An Event Rental Company showcased its sophisticated new linens accented with coordinating dishware.
A stilt performer from CircX stopped to strike a pose against Art of the Party's colorful mural.
Boogie Bodies enabled guests to sing and move their heads in time with animated bodies dancing on a video screen.
"Why Should I Come to Your Event?" panelists Linda Hamburger, Lisa Palley, Tara Solomon, and BiZBashFla's Shari Lynn Rothstein offered attendees practical advice on how to get guests excited about events.
"How Did You Get That Event?" panelists Stacy Stern, Joann Parns, Donald E. Braun, and BiZBashFla's Vanessa Goyanes discussed the ins and outs of getting your company selected to produce an event.
