Trying New Things

We recently produced a business dinner event for a long-time client. This dinner has been held annually for many years - the client was looking for ways to energize the event and to encourage more networking, especially since the event had been cancelled for two years due to COVID.

We proposed the idea of a stage in the middle of the room - and the client agreed! Our challenge was to find such a stage. The budget didn’t allow for a beautiful white, round, laminate version I had seen at another event, so my friends at Prestige Audio Visual and Creative Services created something that worked perfectly, and was affordable. The interior lighting that Prestige built into the stage made for a great look. See the photo!

Our approach resulted in more interactive speeches with better audience engagement, and talks were a bit briefer (which no one seemed to mind!)

After nearly 20 years in the business, one of the reasons I still #lovemyjob is that I have the chance to try new things. Having trusted vendors sure helps - thanks, Prestige Audio Visual and Creative Services!

Re-purposing Florals is a Win -Win

Several years ago I heard about a new non-profit organization who would pick up event florals and re-purpose them.  This fall I finally had a chance to partner with them, and I'm glad I did.

ReBloom is a small but mighty organization that will pick up florals after an event, spruce them up as needed, and then deliver them to a worthy non-profit like a hospital, hospice or similar location.  

They were great to work with, and my client -- a very large regional non-profit -- was delighted to see their investment have new life after a big corporate dinner/business meeting. We paid a small fee to help ReBloom recoup some of their expenses. Our flowers were cleaned up a bit, and then taken to a local hospital.  There, each visitor was presented with an arrangement to take to the hospitalized friend or family member. A win-win indeed!

Learn more about ReBloom by visiting their website:  www.rebloomflowers.com.  

Event centerpieces from a large business meeting + dinner were refreshed, then delivered to a local hospital for patients to enjoy. 

Fun With Linens

Each of our events has a 'decor' element to it -- whether that's uplighting, gray or white pipe and drape, colorful signage, potted ferns for the stage, and of course florals.  Every event has a color scheme; in most cases, that scheme is dictated by the brand palette of the client.  And because we do so much work in healthcare, there's lots and lots of blue!

But every now and then, we get to have fun with linens.  And we love that.

Specialty linens can be costly - some more than others - but they add so much to a room.  Interesting textures, vibrant colors, distinctive patterns can make a real difference and can actually support the brand if used correctly.  

Often, we will use a basic solid poly linen for most tables, and then introduce a specialty linen for the hi tops, the registration table, or even for just a few of the dining or buffet tables.  This limited use of specialty linens is a good way to watch the budget while still introducing an interesting decorative touch that even the most serious clinical presenter can appreciate.  

Name Badges Made Easy

Alphabetizing has never been a favorite task of mine, especially during the frantic hour or so prior to 400+ guests arriving for a big conference or dinner.  So I was delighted to discover these handy trays from pcnametag.com.  

Well worth the investment, these trays make easy work of sorting, transporting and displaying name badges.  Guests like them because they can locate and grab their badges quickly. . . my clients like them because fewer event staffers are needed at the registration table. . .and my team likes them because we can load the trays and not worry about re-alphabetizing and laying out the badges at the event site.  

Bottom line -- these trays take a bit of the hassle out of name badges, an important but not-so-fun aspect of corporate event planning! 

An Idea That Stuck

Photo Tex is perfect for re-positionable and removable signs that look great and don't damage surfaces

We refer to them as Info Dots, but really, they are an effective and colorful way to share information.  And we love them!

I give full credit to Steve Morris, who was a trusted sign vendor when I first started my business many years ago. Steve was an enthusiastic and creative guy who loved to problem solve and share ideas. One day while we were installing some routine sandwich board signs, he told me about a cool new product he saw at a trade show.  "They covered a huge wallpapered wall in a hotel lobby with a big colorful graphic, and then removed it without a trace!" While I was mildly intrigued, I could not imagine how I would ever have a need for such a product.

Just a few months later I was hired to produce the opening events for Cincinnati Children's Liberty Campus - a big, beautiful new building where we would eventually host several events, including a community event for 6,000+.  The discussion turned to ways we could safely and effectively move our guests along a predetermined tour route without the expense and trip hazard of signs-on-easels, while providing interesting and useful info along the way. This was my biggest and most complex project to date, and I wanted to find a good solution that would wow my clients.

And then I remembered Steve's story.  Why couldn't we use that same material to install temporary arrows and info along the tour route?  So we did.

Since then, I've used PhotoTex - the material these amazing little Info Dots are made from - in a dozen projects.  Mostly, they have been used for the many opening events we've produced, at hospitals and other healthcare facilities all around the region.  But we've also used them to promote top results in national surveys, to help guide folks during construction, and more.  

The moral of this story is:  you never know when the next great idea is going to show up. Listen for, and tuck away, those maybe crazy pitches, because someday, that pitch just might provide a solution you'll love.  

Thanks, Steve!