Centerpieces and Decor For Special Events, Bar Mitzvahs, Corporate Meetings, Weddings

Special event centerpieces need not consist of expensive flowers that will die within a day. For little money you can create fabulous centerpieces that can be the 'centerpiece' of any event.

For a recent engagement reception, we filled plastic sand pails with inexpensive flip flops, stuffed sea creatures (fish, octapus, seal), beach toys and lots of glitzy sea decorations. Around each centerpieces we added multicolored thin streamers, seashells, and glitzy underwater 'greenery.' The sand pails were created to not only decorate the tables at a beautiful beach hotel in Coronado, CA, but to allow the grandchildren of the host and hostess and the other young guests to partake of the goodies inside the centerpieces. Rather than flowers that would have been given out to guests, these centerpieces were intended to be taken apart at the end of the event and the contents taken my children. Out of the 170 attendees, there were about 20 children, who as the party was ending, began dancing in their fancy clothes wearing their new flip flops, wearing sunglasses. playing with their whirl wind toys, and playing with the toys from each centerpiece. It was an adorable ending to a spectacular event.

In keeping with the theme of the party, we designed beach baskets for the buffet tables and filled them with with flip flops, sunglasses (large and small), beach 'noodles' and beach toys. They added even more glitz to the theme.

My client contacted me and said not only were the centerpieces fabulous, but the guests could not stop talking about how well they themed the event.

Commercial Catering Supplies

There are many Commercial Catering Suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

Corporate Event Management - For Conference Presentations and More

Business events can often be stressful and difficult to organise, whether they are small conferences or big corporate events. A corporate event management company will help remove some of the stress involved when putting on these sorts of event. An event management consultant will help you plan the event while also providing advice and recommendations when choosing venues and locations.

When organising a conference or seminar it is important to keep it simple, relevant and interesting. There are many ways you can do this by improving your presentation skills so you can control and keep the attention of your audience or by involving the audience with handouts, demonstrations and tasks. A good corporate events management consultant will be able to guide you through every step from booking the venue, hiring equipment and arranging a schedule to helping run the event on the day itself.

For those of you who are not too confident when it comes to speaking in front of groups of people then presentation skills training might be needed. A good consultant will either be able to provide you with a course in presentation skills training or help you find someone who can. The training will show you how to make the best use of your slide show by sticking to the main points and using prompts to remind you of what to say. Most people take in a higher amount of information through imagery rather than words and you will also learn how to use this to your advantage.

Event management is a vital part of any corporate event and so it is a good idea to hire a company to take care of the management of your event. The amount of time and effort that it takes to organise a corporate event you are better off hiring someone to help with the event management. This will help you create a unique and innovative event on any sized budget.

Holiday Event Planning Software: Have a Look!

Have you already started planning your holiday party this year or are you still thinking of planning one? There have been severe cut-downs in this economic downturn and the high inflation rates are not helping the case either. Parties are expensive affairs. Hence, organizations have brutally reduced their budgets only to accommodate the most important customers, key stakeholders at such events. Moreover, the basic administrative functions covering registration, payment processing, inviting, and marketing also involve huge investments. Additional manpower is needed to manage such areas. To minimize spending and maximize ROI, a number of companies are using the event planning software these days. Holiday event planning software is easy to use and involves no extra investments.

Registration Anytime

Online holiday event planning solutions comes embedded with a registration software that lets you create and publish multiple forms online. It increases your chances of getting a higher number of party attendees because of having a constant online presence; anyone from any region of the world can access your form without any hassle! Online holiday event registration forms can be accessed, 24/7 and you can easily monitor the registration status with just a few clicks of your computer mouse.

Instant Payments Sending and Receiving

Just as it becomes easier for event registrants to transfer the registration fees online; it becomes an effortless task for you to receive those payments instantly. Thus, people sitting at home, at work or on the move can transfer funds using their credit cards, through wire transferring service or by using payment gateways as acceptable by the event organizers. Online payments processing is quick, easy to track, and quite secure.

Send Invitations minus Paper

You can easily send hundreds of invitations to the would-be guests without even using a single sheet of paper. This can be made possible through the usage of an online emailing service. Holiday event planning software has this integrated feature which enables you to spend less while ensuring everyone on your guest list is invited cordially.

Promote Your Events on a Global Scale

Before the emergence of the 'World Wide Web', no one ever thought of reaching out to the global audience. There were no such concepts like social media tools, websites, blogs, and wikis. Today, event marketing professionals can easily attract the attention of the locals as well as those living overseas posting their events information on social media and similar other web platforms.

With online marketing applications, you don't need any marketing team to manage postings on Facebook, Twitter, etc. The application automatically publishes all current and future event news, updates, registration details, and photos on different social media sites simultaneously.

Looking For the Best - Factors to Evaluate When Choosing Event Venues

It cannot be stressed enough how important the event venue is for your party or celebration. And just like anything else, when choosing from the several event venues available out there, you need to consider certain factors to determine whether a particular venue is indeed the right one for you. Considering these factors are important, needless to say, since they will determine or can determine the success of your event. These factors are the same for all types of events. It does not matter whether you are looking for corporate event venues or for wedding-these factors are the same for every type of event, although these are very basic. There are other considerations, to be sure, but these are the standards. Here are the some factors you should evaluate when choosing an event venue:

1. Budget. The budget shouldn't be your only consideration when choosing an event venue, but it is as important as the other factors for evaluation. After all, how can you hold an event in a venue you cannot afford? More than considering the actual price of the event venue, you should ask for the payment options of the venue, the additional and complimentary services the venue provider can give, as well as other additional costs you might have you shoulder. Payment option is an important factor here since this will enable you to afford the event venue due to their generous and considerate payment plans. The idea here is to get your money's worth. More than the price, you need to get good service for your money.

2. Facilities and amenities. First of all, you need to assess the condition of the venue's facilities. Is the décor and the paint of the venue superb, passable, or would need work (in which case, the only work you have to do is leave the venue and look for a new one). Is the lighting in the venue adequate, and it does allow lighting manipulation when needed (especially for special effects for particular events)? Is the event venue visually pleasing, or are there any obstructions that might become an eyesore during the event? Are there sufficient restrooms for your guests and are there any hospitals, clinics, and medical service centers nearby? As for the amenities, make sure the venue allows certain leeway for banners and other signage that bears information. Also, for corporate event venues, does the site have an information desk, meeting rooms, and business centers? For wedding event weddings, does the venue offer a private room for the newlywed where they can change their attires for the festivities?

3. Equipment. And then there's the equipment. Make sure the event venue has certain equipment that you might need. Although you can always procure your own materials, it is best if the venue can provide these necessary items. For instance, for corporate events, the site should have Internet access, LCD projectors, microphones, and other similar equipment and services. The equipment depends on the type of event venue you are looking for, of course.

Thinking Outside of the Bun - Unique Picnic Menu Ideas For Family and Company Picnics

These days, company picnic menus go far beyond the traditional coleslaw and bbq chicken selections. Today's picnic menus offer upgraded cuisine to suit all guests' tastes, palettes and eating habits. From the start of an event to the closing, catering companies are making sure that food is constantly available for their guests. Whether it be in the concessions, the buffets or desserts, picnic menus are including options that go far beyond tradition.

Planners are going beyond the typical balloons and decor to strengthen their event theme. Its not just popcorn and cotton candy that are being served up at concession stands anymore. For those who may not be ready for a sweet treat at the beginning of their event, deluxe nacho bars, corn cobbettes with salt and butter, giant dill pickles and turkey legs are being added to concession and picnic menus; each item adding to the Fiesta Fun, Country Fair or Carnival themes. The ever so popular funnel cakes, candied apples and deluxe flavored popcorn bars are a hit at events, bringing back the feel of family amusement parks. These deluxe concession stands are taking the word "upgraded" to a whole different level.

Picnic goers are choosing to go the healthier route with foods that are both good for you and taste fantastic as well. Salmon, shrimp, hummus, vegetable platters and non-mayonnaise based coleslaws, such as raspberry vinaigrette coleslaw are popping up in picnic buffets. They offer a healthy alternative to cheeseburgers, chili dogs and spare ribs. Although this may be the case for some picnic goers, there are others who definitely do not complain when they find that the buffet at their company picnic is filled with Jamaican jerk beef, Larry's spicy baked beans, mashed potatoes, Caesar salad and a nacho bar. Regardless of your choice, options are plentiful at company picnics.

Vegetarian and vegan selections are seen more and more frequently in catering menus and even in company picnic menus. Grilled vegetable kabobs, grilled vegetable salads, grilled tofu, veggie hot dogs and soy burgers are among the selections that planners are including in their menus for their picnic guests who are sticking to a non-meat regiment. The demand is so large for vegetarian and vegan selections, that catering companies are being creative with their picnic menu options to ensure that all guests are accommodated and fully satisfied.

Groups are also setting up buffets that are geared towards the little ones at events. Children tend to be too busy to want to eat tri-tip, pork ribs and salmon. They are often too overwhelmed with the entertainment options, inflatables and rides, picnic races, waterslide and zip-lines to even sit down to eat lunch. Groups are offering foods that are easy to grab and go: pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled quesadillas, grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, corn dogs and even macaroni and cheese. In order to please the inner child in us all, these on-the-go items can also be served on the main buffet. Who wouldn't want macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets?

There's no skimping on desserts either. Menus are offering more than ice cream sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies and Big Stick popsicles after the main buffet closes. Good ole' fashioned root beer floats, sundae bars and banana splits filled with toppings straight out of an ice cream parlor, ice blended coffees and even grilled pound cake with raspberry sauce, grilled bananas and fudge or grilled pineapples are given as the afternoon treat at many company picnics. On a hot day at a company picnic, no one can resist a sweet treat.

Planners are upgrading the beverage stands at picnics as well. Many upgraded beverage and alcohol services are serving as additional options for cooling guests off. Frozen drink bars, both alcoholic and virgin, margarita bars, sangria and martini bars offer upgraded beverage service for all guests while making it easy to stay in line with a picnic's theme. It is no surprise to find ice blended coffees, cappuccino bars and tea being served at picnics when you can find a Starbucks on every corner these days. Guests need their caffeine fixes and companies are recognizing this by adding these types of beverage service to their picnic menus. Adding a wide-range of beverage selections helps to ensure that guests are not only hydrated on warmer days but also that they can loosen up and have fun.

With upgraded company picnic menus, concessions, desserts and beverages, catering companies and event planners are able to accomplish success. Guests come happy and leave happy. This satisfaction encourages guests to participate in future company events and even company event committees. An enthusiastic committee and a delicious picnic menu build a strong foundation for future successful events.

The 10 Commandments For Managing a Corporate Event

If you're currently searching for promotional gifts then the chances are that you have been given the dubious honour of organizing a corporate event. Promotional products will make an impact at any company event, from a conference to a meeting, a presentation or party.

To make your life that little bit easier, this list of ten corporate event essentials will make sure your event goes off with a bang.

1. Venue - be clear about your event objectives and match the venue. Ask the venue to suggest options and ideas - they know their venue best.

2. Consider venues other than hotels, sometimes an unusual venue can make an event (such as a private house, stately home, museum or club) and you can often get very good rates.

3. Lighting - try to use natural light during the day and softer lighting in the evening but also consider if delegates will need to read material.

4. Test AV equipment before the event.

5. Allow time for late arrivers - it does happen.

6. Try to make Wi-Fi available especially during day events.

7. Remember attention spans are very short - make sure there's plenty of refreshments and breaks.

8. Try to change pace and mood throughout the event; informal discussion periods, time for networking, or speakers or presentations.

9. Get to know the staff at the venue - this will help ensure the day runs smoothly and staff will be more willing to help if there are any problems on the day.

10. And don't forget the promotional promotional gifts. Promotional gifts are an effective way of marketing your company and enhancing your brand, so they are an essential part of any corporate event.

Corporate Events - Picking a Venue

If you have been tasked with organising a seminar or conference for your company then it is more than understandable if it seems to you like a somewhat daunting task. Not only have you been charged with managing every aspect of what is already a reasonably complex event, but before all this can be taken care of you need to find a suitable venue in which it can take place.

The most effective conference venues will be well equipped and well laid out. Not only this but they should also have a good selection of chairs, tables and furniture for your attendees use. If your conference is well organised then those in attendance will come away having had a positive experience and recommend it in future. With that in mind here are a few useful hints as to what to look for in a suitable conference venue.

One of the most important aspects of any potential venue is that is has a good atmosphere to it. If your conference location exudes a positive atmosphere then this will have a beneficial effect on on the delegates and contribute to the overall experience of the event. You may wish to use suitable technical equipment in order to add an extra visual element to the atmosphere.

The rooms available in the venue should of course suit the needs of your conference. The room you choose must be able to accommodate enough furniture and equipment depending on the type of conference that you will be hosting. It is for this reason that hotels are quite often a popular choice for these types of event as not only will they likely be able to offer catering to the attendees but they will also have suitable audio visual equipment on hand for whatever presentation purposes you may required. When drawing up a shortlist of potential venues then remember to ask what sort of facilities each location has available as this will be a key part in your decision making process. Any venue that is able to take some of the hard work off your hands will clearly be more desirable than one that cannot.

Delegates are likely to be attending your event with their laptops. It is with this in mind that you should also check that the venue has a suitable wireless internet connection available. Even if the venue does have this facility available you should enquire as to whether their connection will be able to cope with the volume of people you are expecting to attend.

As mentioned it is also important that your event is well catered. Your attendees should be well fed, especially if the conference is likely to go on for at least a day. Poor food is where many conferences can do themselves an injustice. You may think this a trivial affair but no matter how good the conference presentations themselves are, poor catering will literally leave a poor taste in the mouth of your attendees. You should make the most of any opportunity to leave a lasting impression and the last thing you will want to do is fall down on something as basic as the food.

Photo Booths Build Company Morale

In today's economy, companies are looking for effective ways to grow their business. When you look at any firm, their employees are their greatest assets. They directly interact with customers, and employee retention is key to cost reduction. If you are planning a team event, a photo booth rental is a great way to boost company morale. Read our article below to learn more about creating a positive environment for your co-workers.

Everyone has seen a photo booth at least once in their life. They are a nostalgic way to capture memories. You don't have to plan a large scale event to have a booth. Guests could have a great time in the booth at the office while they are on their lunch breaks. Photo booths can quickly boost productivity in the workplace. Imagine everyone laughing it up in the booth with their co-workers.

Bring on the Fun

There are many ways to keep the event fun and unique. Try throwing a surprise party. Decorate a storage room and tell employees to dress to impress. You could even give the team building party a theme. Your photo booth can match the theme by incorporating colors and slogans into the photo booth design message area. This goes on the bottom of every photo. We also encourage you to bring props to help loosen guests up. Nothing is more priceless than seeing your boss wear big sunglasses with a clown wig.

Show off Your Scrapbook

Reputable photo booth companies give duplicate copies of photo strips. One half goes to guests and the other half goes to the planning committee. There are many ways to use your half of the photo. A common way is to scrapbook them while employees leave messages in the book. This scrapbook can be placed in the foyer or break room. Just think of all the amazing comments your employees, clients, and suppliers will give you.

Photos around the Office

If you opt out of the scrapbook idea, you still have options for your other half of the photo. You could surprise the employees and tape photos around the office. Do it on every floor of the building. Co-workers will be laughing throughout the week as they walk up and down your hallways.

Harness the Intranet

Bigger companies will use an intranet to educate employees. This is a great way to communicate the success of the photo booth from the team building event. Why not post a video on the website showing co-workers in action? You could even include comments of their initial reactions. This is just another way to generate buzz with employee morale.

Whose the Most Photogenic

There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. If you read the paragraph above, then you might consider hosting a contest on your company website. You could have customers, suppliers, and employees rate who was the best picture taker. Put a deadline on the contest and watch how competition brings out the best people.

As you can see there are many benefits from having a photo booth at your upcoming company morale event. You could do a combination of ideas to get co-workers energized about your company's message. Whatever the message is, just remember to keep it fun and keep it going.

Become a Top Wedding Planner - What it Takes to Be a Celebrity Wedding Planner

If you're a potential or new wedding planner, you may be dreaming of planning elaborate, high-end weddings and weddings for famous entertainers, similar to the events you read about in lifestyle and celebrity magazines. While you can have a goal of being a wedding planner for the rich and famous, and becoming famous yourself, you need to start by planning weddings in your own area that have realistic budgets. Famous wedding planners and event designers started this way. They learned and perfected their skills before they approached, or were approached by, high-end clients.

For example, Preston Bailey, event designer to celebrities such as the Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Oprah and Joan Rivers, wrote in his book, "Preston Bailey's Design for Entertaining: Inspiration for Creating the Party of Your Dreams", that he started out being involved in fashion, as a model. He then realized his passion for arranging flowers and became a floral designer. He started using flowers as items of decor to enhance design concepts and soon clients began asking him to design their special events. He did a lot of studying on his own; reading books on design, horticulture, art history and architecture.

David Tutera, an event producer who has planned events for Jennifer Lopez, Sir Elton John, and the Prince of Wales, and is the star of his own show, "My Fair Wedding", wrote in his book, "A Passion for Parties: Your Guide to Elegant Entertaining", that he had actually dreamed of being a movie star. To make some money, he started a singing telegram company, delivering songs while wearing a chicken or gorilla suit. He branched out into balloon bouquets and was asked to decorate a party. To do it justice, he had his grandfather, who owned a successful florist shop, teach him floral design and purchasing. His business eventually grew to party planning then event design and production.

As you can see, both men first created a business doing something they loved, then they did a lot of hard work before they got the clients, money and fame that they have today. You want to do the same thing. You want to take the time to get experience successfully creating weddings on a budget, coordinating with vendors, managing a staff, and handling the emergencies that come up on a wedding day, before you plan an elaborate wedding. You also need to create your network of high-quality vendors so you are confident that you have a team that you can work with successfully.

Looking to Make Extra Money at Home?

Are you looking for a way to make extra money at home? Fortunately for you, the opportunities to do so are endless!

First, you should consider how much time you have to work at a job from home. If you already have a full-time job and a family, your time may be limited, so you'll want to consider a job that you can do just a few hours a week. If you have lots of free time to offer a job from home, then you can broaden your scope a little more. Additionally, working from home requires discipline, and self motivation, and you have to be willing to work hard to keep the business going.

If you enjoy working on the computer there are plenty of jobs that you can do online to make extra money at home. Medical transcription, writing and editing articles, and website design and maintenance are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to computer related jobs.

If you like interacting with others, in home childcare, music lessons, or tutoring might be a good fit for you. All of these provide you the flexibility of working from home, allows you to be your own boss, and work on your own, but still gives you face to face time with others on a daily basis.

If you have a creative side, consider starting a photography or event planning business to make extra money at home. Both of these would allow you to be as busy as you want to be - as the boss, you would be able to set the days and hours you wanted to work, and stick to them!

Finally, one of the most popular ways to make extra money at home is through direct sales companies. Many a stay at home mother has been able to gain a rewarding career through direct sales and the home party plan setup. By working a few hours each week through home shows and catalog sales, you can earn extra money, and build a team of workers underneath you that will also allow you to earn even more money from their sales. While this is not for everyone, there are so many types of direct sales companies out there that there is bound to be one that interests you.

Whatever path you decide, be sure to keep accurate records of the money that you make and any business expenses that you incur through your job. You will need this information to be well prepared when tax time rolls around each year. Be willing to take a risk and get out of your comfort zone and you will be sure to succeed at a job that helps you to make extra money at home.

Bedfordshire Asian Wedding Venues That Are Unique and Spectacular

The scenic countryside of Bedfordshire embraces people of varied culture and therefore is noted for its rich cultural heritage. Asian marriages and weddings are very common in this region as there is a significant percentage of Asian descendents. Because of this reason, Bedfordshire has many spectacular Asian and Indian wedding venues, which cater to the requirements of different religions and customs. These venues with romantic and picturesque setting for wedding ceremonies also provide many beautiful and unique photographic opportunities.

Asian and Indian weddings are often very lavish and have a lot of post and pre wedding functions. Most couples prefer to choose Bedfordshire Asian wedding venues, which are quite spacious and adorned with world class facilities. The magnificent lush green landscape of The Conservatory at the Luton Hoo Walled Garden is an idyllic setting and creates a great deal of experience for the couples and their guests. Another preferred venue is ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, one of the country's biggest zoo which proudly caters the entire needs of the guests. Most of these venues have effectively coordinated Asian and other specialist functions in the past, and in due course has developed a thorough acquaintance and deep understanding of the significant requirements of the various sections of the Asian communities.

Couples can also organise their memorable wedding event in any of the century old mansions or castles in Bedfordshire, which add amazing value to the function. Some of the top hotels in Bedfordshire also arrange excellent facilities for Asian wedding functions. Whatever be the need or budget, couples can surely find suitable venues. Wedding and event planners are ready to help with any wedding celebration you have in mind. Wrest Park House and Gardens, Hilton Milton Keynes Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn Luton North, Park Inn by Radisson Bedford Hotel and Woburn Abbey Estate are some of the popular venues for Asian weddings.

Excellent facilities with unsurpassed services make Bedfordshire Asian wedding venues truly unique and exclusive. Almost all the venues have friendly staffs that create matchless setting for the function. Most commonly, the venues have arrangements for mandaps, floral decoration, dancing floors, live bands, bridal bouquets, light arrangements, and canopy champagne. A sumptuous feast is another highlight of Asian and Indian weddings. Based on the culture and tradition of the function, specialised range of cuisines and dishes are prepared upon request. Couples can also opt for outdoor catering and wedding planning services. Some of the venues have preferred specialist Asian caterers with a wealth of experience in organising and catering for such special occasions. A range of catering services, from buffets to full meals can also be provided by caterers.

To celebrate your wedding in style, couples need to book any of the Asian wedding venues in Bedfordshire in advance.

How to Create Awareness for Any Event With the Double Face Satin Ribbon

Weddings, birthdays, debuts, anniversaries and Christmas parties are never complete without ribbons. Ribbons are used as decorations for the venue where gatherings are held. For the more formal affairs, organizers make use of the double face satin ribbon. Attending these occasions means there is gift giving. The gifts are carefully wrapped and the highlight of the occasion is opening the gifts. As you pull at the ribbon, you anticipate what is inside the box that has been prettily tied with the double face satin ribbon.

When a gift is so attractively packaged, it provides the recipient with excitement as to what the contents of the box may be. You wonder what the surprise is, that the giver has wrapped it so attractively with the double face satin ribbon. You breathlessly untie the ribbon and behold the content of the box. Such is the excitement provided by ribbons that it is used for many purposes aside from packaging ideas. The ribbon just makes the gift standout from all the rest.

The double face satin ribbon is both elegant and silky that makes it great for wedding gifts and corporate gifts. It can be personalized with messages printed on one side. This kind of ribbon is shiny on both sides and can be considered versatile as it can be used as trimmings for dresses and decorations. Nowadays, ribbons have several uses in the fashion world as they are attached to handbags and accessories. One endearing use of the ribbons is for the hair. There are a variety of ribbons used in hair accessories like clips and hair bands.

Ordering the personalized double face satin ribbon from the stationery store can be expensive. It also requires several days or weeks of waiting time before you can pick up the item or have it delivered to your doorstep. There are DIY techniques in personalizing the ribbon with the help of the acrylic stamps. This takes some practice before you perfect the job.

Weddings and other events are made more special with the use of ribbons for accent. With the different colors and designs available, there will always be a suitable ribbon that will meet your taste and preference. For the corporate events that are more formal, the double face satin ribbon should be used as it conveys luxury and opulence. The corporate giveaways can be presented with the personalized ribbons carrying the company name and logo.

Organizers for weddings and corporate events have many ideas on how ribbons can be used to create a design that will please all the guests and attendees. The organizers make particular use of the ribbons as these are the most inexpensive ways of creating beautiful decorations. The ribbons can be draped from the ceilings and allowed to float. The same ribbons can be tied around candles and flowers including balloons. Personalized ribbons can be used to identify the seating arrangements for the guests. Ribbons are also used as sashes for employees who are given awards of recognition for a job well done.

Find a Professional Event Planner For Celebration

Events as the name suggests are big in nature! So big, that it requires several days of meticulous planning, preparation and execution.

Imagine the joy and happiness you can feel while celebrating your most special day without any hassle and worry. With a professional team of Event planners in Dallas, you and your guests can comfortably relax and enjoy a marvelous afternoon or an evening with every start to finish detail effectively handled from dazzling decor, tempting cuisine, great music, wonderful locations and logistics with utmost care.

Planning a corporate event, employee appreciation day, team building event, company picnic, family reunion, fun fair and holiday party or other such important event is a simple job when working with Event planners in Dallas. Most of the people are overwhelmed to fit it into their busy schedules when they are planning an event, especially if they are doing it for the first time.

The first thing to start with is to find a professional event planner that you are comfortable with. By asking others who have planned events Event planners in Dallas are easily found. It is advisable to talk negotiate with few of them if first time you are planning it. While choosing a planner, it is better to evaluate whether you require an outdoor event specialist, indoor event coordinator, meeting planner, games assistant or caterer, etc. The planner you decide to work with will depend on the kind of event you want to produce. After selecting a planner or an event planning company, the details of party will start to fall in place. Event planner focuses on four main areas of celebrations which include: tents/tables/chairs, catering, games/rides and music.

When choosing a caterer for an event, a planner will evaluate the kind of people who are going to attend it. For events like open house, client appreciations, grand inauguration and similar other events a more elite menu would be required. Sometimes, dietary concerns may be required to be included into the variety of foods you select. Choosing the perfect music for your guests is necessary to ensure they have a memorable experience in the event.

How to Successfully Book a Celebrity For a Private Or Corporate Event

If you're organizing an event and worried that booking a celebrity to attend will invariably end up being a disastrous blunder like Katie Price's appearance in this year's I'm a Celebrity, then fear not. With some thought, planning and savvy rumor seeding, you can create real hype and intrigue around your event.

First off, you want to think about the connection between the celebrity and the event. Envision the ideal tone of your event and think about personalities that will reinforce it. If you're hoping for a social yet focused and businesslike environment, the cutting sound of Lee Evans impersonating a Chicken on stilts will probably sabotage this mood - much better to have a personality like Adrian Chiles, who you could trust to lighten proceedings without offending or going schizophrenic on your guests!

Once you've thought through some realistic options, the next step is seeing who you can land. When booking a celebrity for an event, it is possible to cold-approach the celebrity's agent. This can work if you've got connections with the relevant agents or enough experience with booking acts to know how much the service of a given celebrity is worth. The problem is most people don't and many agents are opportunists. If they sense you don't know, they can easily quote you too much, call it the standard price and say "take it or leave it". Leaving you in a position where you either pay up, or move on. Agents get so many offers; they probably won't be too heartbroken if you do move on.

The way round this is to use an established entertainment agency. A consultant working for an entertainment agency will have both the connections and leverage to properly negotiate the attendance of your desired celebrity. Aside from doing the leg-work in sourcing and hiring the best celebrity for your event, the other key advantage of using an entertainment agency is that they haves tons of experience with running events. They know what makes an event work, and can make suggestion on how to make it memorable and even work with you to turn new ideas into reality.

Lastly, once you have the celebrity booked, the temptation is to mention it at every opportunity and cover the promotional material with the celebrity's name. This can work if you're certain the celebrity's name alone will generate hype. However, it can be more effective to avoid making anything official and instead circulating a rumour. If the event you're planning is not a media/PR event, it's likely that your attendees - and guest they're likely to bring - are part of a social network. Take advantage of this! Ask a couple of 'connected' people to surreptitiously mention that they've heard X celebrity is attending. Ideally you want one person (or people, depending on the scale) whistle-blowing in person and another person to make similar noises on Twitter and Facebook. This lack of certainly will soon spread, which is good for intrigue and intrigue leads to action!

Experimental Marketing With Outdoor Movie Events

Have you considered a strategic business marketing idea such as marketing your business at an outdoor movie event? During this time of economic decline it is more important than ever for small businesses to think outside the usual box and take advantage of the pre-start time of movie in the park events to promote their goods or services.

During the summer months, hosting an outdoor movie event is reminiscent to the hey day of drive-in movies. Movie events held under the stars are typically hosted at a large public venue such as a city's athletic fields. Movies are projected onto a large inflatable movie screen while guest watch from lawn chairs or blankets.

Now organizations can host not only an outdoor cinema event, but a mini-festival right before the movie begins. People waiting for the start of the anticipated flick can enjoy a variety of activities before the opening credits begin. Vendors or promoters setup booths for children to enjoy face painting, different games and balloons. Often food vendors or food trucks participate to offer food and beverage concessions during the event.

Many companies have participated in this concept, including at the Georgia Movies in the Park??series in Atlanta, Georgia which gives small businesses and non-profits an opportunity to advertise their business to a large family audience. Organizations such as preschools operate booths offering games, and balloons for the public attending the outdoor movie event. They use it as an opportunity to raise awareness about their business within the community. Non-profit organization often take advantage of large outdoor movie events by collect either direct donations in the form of ticket sales, a silent action, concession sales or selling small items. Choosing a theme related to the movie that appeals to families with young and older children can lead to great sales opportunities.

Most of the marketing products of non-profit organizations include their brochures sharing information about the mission of the non-profit and services they provide to the community. Offering freebies at the open air cinema events in exchange for the visitor's contact information is a great way to build up their mailing list for future donation requests and the chance to share the goals values of their organization on an on-going basis.

A business partnering with non-competing businesses to host outdoor film events is a great way to share the cost in promoting your service or businesses. It allows the business to introduce their product or service to a large number of people.

Event Management Companies

Event Management industry is the fastest growing industry in India and all over the world. Event management companies offer number of skillful and professional event management services. Companies provide cost-effective services for managing your all events and parties.

Event Planner companies provide you all professional services and provide you services for handling all sort of events, weddings, conferences, conventions, corporate or private parties, exhibitions, expositions, seminars, trade shows, concerts etc. Companies plan and organize the events based on the theme of your event. An event can have any theme. It may be private, on a small level or on a corporate or organizational level. They have a team of professional planners and decorators who have knowledge in every aspect of event management from budgets to acknowledgments.

An Event Planner company provide you all planning from start to end, whether it comes to venue decision, decorations, food arrangements and promotion of your event. A professional event planner will always discuss with you everything regarding your budget and requirements. They can provide you good suggestions and will provide you choices about venue and other details. Event planners will always provide you best suggestions with your decided budgets and choice. This way, you can focus your attention more on your business, rather than wasting your time and energy on a subject that you are not familiar with.

Some professional event management companies offer a free venue finding service. This way you will save time for searching the venues. Companies keep all the details about venues and vendors in their records. This way they can easily contact them and as a regular customer they get services on reasonable prices and ultimately offer you some reasonable prices.

Your job is only to find the best event management company for your event who will provide you quality services and will make all the arrangements within your decided budget.

What You Need to Know About Event Rental Companies

There are many different circumstances which can lead you to need to make a quality presentation in Atlanta. Being the largest city in the Southeast and one of the largest cities in the nation means there are plenty of conventions which are held there each year. On top of conventions some of the largest and most well-known corporations have chosen Atlanta as the location for their headquarters. This means that whether you are from Atlanta or not you are likely to find yourself in Atlanta giving a presentation.

The last thing you want to do when giving a presentation is to have to worry about your presentation equipment. This may lead you to seeking out the best Atlanta event rental companies. The question then becomes what makes a good event rental company? The answer lies in a few easy to pinpoint characteristics you should look for when seeking the equipment you will rent for your next presentation. If you find these qualities, you will have found the best of the Atlanta event rental companies to suit your needs.

Expert Advice

You are an expert on what you do, but you do not have the time to find out everything there is to know about presentation equipment. This is why you have turned to seek the best Atlanta event rental companies. You need someone that will help to guide you as to what equipment will work best for your presentation and where you will be giving your presentation at. Companies like Presentation Rentals have experts in audio-visual presentation equipment on staff that can walk you through the best equipment for your needs and even make some suggestions you did not think about to take your presentation to the next level.

Latest Technology

When giving a presentation you want to give the impression that your company is innovative. You want for people to understand that you are the best choice for them. You may just want for people to listen to what you are saying rather than wondering why you are using outdated technology. This is possible when you call the right Atlanta event rental companies. Companies like Presentation Rentals will be able to provide you with the most up to date technology like the eye popping display available through large flat screen LCD television monitors. You can even use high quality projectors to make a presentation right from your computer.

Expert Installation

On the day of your presentation you will want to be able to concentrate on making a final run through of the presentation to make sure you are completely prepared. You do not have time to set up your own equipment. This is why you need the best Atlanta event rental companies on your side. They will be able to set up your equipment for you and tune it so that everyone in your audience will be able to see and hear the presentation. To get everything you need from your next presentation in Atlanta, give Presentation Rentals a call.

How Can Corporate Outings Build Better Company Teams?

Stress comes from many sources, especially from responsibilities and relationships. Nowhere is that more evident that in the workplace. Many companies have stressful environments that may be detrimental to the quality of work. When individuals are put into stressful situations, the entire team suffers. Fortunately there are ways to prevent, lessen and lighten up stressed environments. Company outings are one of the most effective methods of revitalizing the team spirit of the workers. The success of a company lies in the homogeneous movement of workers as a whole working towards a collective end. The failure to do so will result in a destructive disintegration of the working team. This may lead to lower outputs and a more stressful environment.

Stress is linked to many workplace situations such as poor social skills and miscommunication. The results can be costly and can affect the personal health of all employees. Corporate outings help with maintenance of employee health by providing an outlet for stress relief. Also by providing fun, structured activities, you can help keep your employees in shape mentally and physically and improve the social morale of your team. Companies and offices need fit individuals to work together to increase profit and revenues for the company. The outputs created by workers and individuals are the lifeline of the company. Therefore, it can be said that it is in the best interest of the company to relieve possible health detriments to the workers in order to increase employee output. Company outings are a time-proven way to improve the socializing skills of the individuals. If individuals are compelled to engage in effective socialization processes such as what occurs at company outings, there will be spill- over of the positive gains of the activity upon the whole working environment.

Company management can improve their working environment not just through boring team building activities. A well executed company outing promises the same results without the disinterest and boredom. Planned activities help workers and management rediscover the fun of working together as a cohesive team. The participants of these activities usually find new ways of reinventing their work dynamics to ultimately create a healthier working environment and even improved personal health.

Corporate outings, outsourced to an effective corporate events company, are one of the sure-fire ways of effective team building. More and more companies are seeking specialists in the corporate events market to ensure the best bang for their buck. A good company gains popularity in their market because of the recommendations that it receives from the participants of these well-planned activities. The old school way of boring meetings and assessments have made way for more lively, active ways to think outside the box and challenge workers to think creatively as a team. These corporate events promise learning and self discovery through enjoyable ways. Company outings are indeed a cool way to team build.

Spice Up Your Event With Corporate After Dinner Games

In the corporate world you have a variety of characteristics and personality types. That is why it is so hard for a planner to come up with appealing events. Corporate affairs including corporate dinners and events are hard to plan for taking these different personalities and styles into consideration.

Company planners, usually marketing and promotions departments are knighted with the planning responsibility. The creativeness they use and the success of the event can make or break them career wise. If you are charged with planning an event and want to spice it up with Corporate after dinner games, then you are in luck. Here are a few ideas you may want to try.

After dinner games are perfect. Traditionally, after everyone has had their meal up through desert, there is usually nothing left, but perhaps a speech or two, or maybe even an award or two, or perhaps a presentation. Unless the speaker is short and quick to the point or a comedian to wake everyone up, it can get pretty boring and the guest can get restless and looking at their watches.

When you start thinking games, it's hard to determine what will go over well, be entertaining and fit all personality types. In the corporate world, you hear a lot about team work, but the bottom line is everyone wants to be number one in some form or fashion. People can get really competitive. So why not give them something to compete about.

One way to get them going is to divide guests who want to participate into 2 teams. This can be very simple. You can just divide the seating arrangements or the room half and half.

You can also divide them, if it is fairly even into women versus men. If it makes it easier, it can be department versus department or company versus company. It depends on your event and what you think will work best.

Have a big presentation projector where you can display a variety of company logos. Do your homework. Try to find a few easy logos and some hard ones for your guest to identify. Project each logo until a team names it. Each time a team names the logo they win one point. At the end of the logo slideshow, the team with the most points of course is the winner.

So there won't be confusion, each team has to work as a team, and give the captain the answer. The prop is a bell that is provided to each team captain. Once they have an answer to provide, they ring the bell. If the team answers incorrectly, the other team gets the option to answer and score.

Now, this may sound a little silly, but you'd be surprised at how many raise to provide the answer. This will get the competitive juices going, trust me. To make it fun, have goody bags or prepackaged gifts for the winning team. It can be something small but memorable that will signify that they are winners.

There are also loads of great activities and events that can be organised through and entertainments company such as the type you may find on the internet. Take your time to have a look around and find the right package for your guests, you may find that a fun casino or a giant games night is more your style or maybe an organised Wii event with teams competing against each other for a gold medal would be best suited.

The list is endless from murder mystery nights to horse racing and fully themed corporate dinner parties its just a case of making sure you please the majority of your guests and select the right venue for your needs!

How to Get Big Event Sponsors

Planning a large event for your business requires a lot of time and patience. You and your team will be responsible for finding the right venue and accommodations, planning keynote speakers and luncheons, and arranging booth space for exhibitors and vendors. Moreover, it's up to you to find individuals and companies willing to sponsor your events, because the money and/or services they provide help defray some costs. The question is, where do you find sponsors for your convention or expo?

Why do you need sponsors for your event? Whether you plan to host conferees for one day or over a weekend, sponsorship allows you to obtain a variety of takeaways for people as well as subsidize costs of events within the conference. Typically when you attend a conference you are given a tote bag and name tag with holder, among other freebies bearing company logos and URLs. Such items are paid for by the respective businesses as a means of providing your event the materials and increasing their exposure. If you are expecting around a thousand guests for your event, the price of these necessities can become costly, but for a sponsor it may be seen as a good investment for imprinting their name in the minds of conferees.

So where do you find sponsors? If you have hosted the event before, your first inclination would be to contact sponsors of previous years and ask if they would be willing to show their generosity once more. Some may be willing to try a higher level of sponsorship than they had in the past. If you still need to fill slots, there are other suggestions you can try:

1) Put out feelers within your business community. Sponsors closely related to your business and the event are more likely to respond, so you can send out emails or let people know within your company that sponsors are needed.

2) Advertise sponsorship on your conference website. The website should have all relevant information on your event, including information for vendors and sponsors. You can list the various opportunities - dinner sponsorships, program ads, tote bags - and take orders directly online if you wish. Sponsors sending promotional items need only pay your fee and have the goods shipped.

3) Use social media to search for potential sponsors. If relevant companies follow you on Twitter and Facebook they may be interested to know that you need sponsors for your next event.

If you know where to look, or make your information available, you hopefully will not have trouble lining up great sponsors for your event.

Event Planning - Time Management For Professionals

Time management is an essential part of event planning. Event planning is not a casual affair; you need professional training for proper planning and management of the event. Time is very important. We keep wasting a lot of time and at the end of the day we realize that time has passed away and nothing has been accomplished yet. If we would have used this time in a proper manner we would achieve more in less time. Time is a tool which can either help you in making your career and it can even break your career.

Stress is a part of job; people feel stressed out due to working for long hours. Working for long hours is actually not the real issue; in most of the cases managing time is the real problem. You have to manage your time properly in order to remained relaxed and stress free.

Time management is a simple process. With proper time management you will recognize that you achieve more in less time. This will help you in doing extra work and providing time to other important jobs. When you try to get a job in an event planning company; you can easily get a job if you have taken event planning courses. This is because the employers feel that you are well aware of the important of time management. Here are tips for managing time in an effective manner:

1. In time management; you have first identify the most important jobs and the least important jobs. You should focus on the important ones and you should give the least important ones to your subordinates. This way the most important jobs will have all your attention.

2. You should be more focused on results and less focused on tasks. People develop a do list. They feel that if they have this list; they will never miss out on any work and they will be able to manage time. Do list is of no great help; instead it wastes your time because too many jobs are listed on one paper and you waste a lot of time on identifying which one is the most important job.

3. Balance is very important; entertainment is as important as work and sleep is as important as work. If you do not rest and keep on working; you will figure out that the quality of your work is deteriorating.

Time management is the core of event planning. If you have mastered this art then you can become a successful event planner and will be able to manage all affairs in the least possible time.

How To Host An Unforgettable Backyard Outdoor Movie Night

Have you ever wanted to re-live the experience of a summer night spent at a drive-in movie? A backyard movie event is the perfect chance to enjoy a movie under the stars with friends and family, without even needing to leave the comfort of your own yard. Here is how to create an unforgettable movie event in your own backyard.

Theme
What type of event do you want to host? A date night to celebrate an Anniversary, a neighborhood block party, a birthday, family reunion or graduation are just a few occasions you can celebrate with a backyard movie night. A regular family film night can even be made extra special by making it into a backyard movie night with an inflatable movie screen.

Pick the Movie
Once you decide on the type of event you want to host and the guest list, you can choose an appropriate film. If you are celebrating a birthday or graduation, let the honoree choose the movie. For a romantic date night, choose a favorite romantic film. If you are having kids at your backyard movie night, be sure to choose a family friendly movie.

Equipment
Once you have decided on a motion-picture, it is time to make a budget and get in contact with a local outdoor movie production company. Many audio / visual production companies work with a wide variety of clients; from individuals who wish to host a small event at their home, to clients who need huge inflatable movie screens to accommodate thousands of guests.

The outdoor cinema production company you choose should have a screen size just right for your backyard flick night. The company should also be able to provide you with a projector and sound equipment to make your movie night an unforgettable, stress free experience much like a drive-in movie or movie theatre.

Food
It's not movie night without food. You have several options here. You might make your movie night a potluck and ask everyone to bring a favorite movie snack to share, or you might provide snacks or a light meal like popcorn, hot dogs or movie theatre style candy. To really get the drive-in movie experience, you might even consider renting concession equipment like a popcorn or hot dog machine. You could keep the snacks simple or have a little more fun with it. Consider themed snacks to go with your film; chocolate to go with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or a meatball appetizer with "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs".

Set the Scene
Decorating and setting up your yard are other areas you can have some fun. Use lighting like Tiki torches or even Christmas lights to set a pretty scene and make it safer for guests to walk around in the dark. Consider heading to a local party store or putting your craft skills to good use and setting up themed decorations to compliment your movie. Lanterns, for example, would add an extra special touch to a "Tangled" backyard movie night. If you have a pool, a poolside movie is just right for a hot summer night. You might host a late afternoon pool party and barbeque, followed by a relaxing poolside movie night.

Seating
There are several ways to set up the seating for your movie night. For kids, blankets or bean bags are a fun choice. Adults might prefer chairs or comfortable cushions. If you do not have enough chairs for all of your guests, you could either rent chairs or ask guests to bring a favorite chair. Consider low chairs like beach chairs so that everyone can see the movie.

Whatever the size, theme or reason for your backyard movie night; taking the time to carefully plan the details, decorate and choose the perfect movie will help ensure your movie night is one that will leave you and your guests with special memories.

Make a Career in Event Planning

After passing out from college, the next obvious thing that we do is to look for a suitable job. There are many kinds of jobs available in today's world. These range from that of a marketing expert, human resource manager to writer, designer, and others to name a few. However, if you have an experience of holding successful college reunions or annual day function and you love to participate and manage events, then probably event planning can be a lucrative career option for you.

In recent times, event planning has become a thriving worldwide business. Companies of all sizes, ranging from large MNCs to small firms, are hiring event managers to arrange various parties and conferences on their behalf.

You do not have to be highly educated to become an event planner. However, you can do a specialized course in event planning management to gain domain expertise. You must learn the art of budgeting and organizing the smallest of things to wonderfully manage gala dinners to cocktail parties.

This business is very profitable if you know the right ways of doing it. Many companies, which started as small firms, have now earned huge reputation and money for themselves through event planning.

There is no dearth of getting assignments in the private as well as the public sectors. You will get endless offers from holding different types of event, ranging from small tea parties to lunch gatherings of 10,000 members, and so on.

It is always good to learn the appropriate skills of running and managing events from experts before you decide on starting your own business. Working with some reputed brand will give you that extra confidence and strength to successfully run your event company.

Developing contacts with your vendors is the next big step for strengthening your event planning company. Vendors are the caterers, florists, professional photographers, and others supplying the necessary equipment and food to you during your assignments. Your client company may also tell you to use their own caterer or equipment. In that case, ensure you build a strong rapport with the vendors to smoothly finish off the assignment.

Maintaining a positive attitude and behaving politely is also extremely important for planning and managing an event well. There should not be any rudeness in the way you talk or mix with people. Always present yourself humbly and even in case you do not like the other person, it is not correct to ignore him/her. Rather pay attention to what he or she says and try to work accordingly. Remember, behaving badly with a client can lead to your cancellation of contract with them. It might also adversely affect your business in the long run.

Organising Corporate Events With Maximum Appeal

One of the greatest challenges for the event organiser is to arrange a variety of activities that will appeal to everyone in the group. Obviously it is impossible to choose activities that will appeal to everyone, but it is important to have variety so that everyone will have something to enjoy.

The most common format for outdoor participation events is to have a range of activities. A group of thirty might be divided into five teams to attempt five different activities.

There is a general feeling that shooting and motorised activities are enjoyed more by men than by women. This is by no means a rule and there are always exceptions, but if an event is dominated by this sort of activity some people will enjoy it more than others.

Choosing the activities wisely will help; for example archery tends to be enjoyed by more people than clay pigeon shooting because some people find the noise and kick back of the shotgun too violent.

The best event companies will offer a wide range of activities and you can include ferret racing, duck herding and a whole assortment of activities which have a broad appeal. As well as the more physical participation activities you might consider including some puzzle based cerebral challenges; many prefer to think than to be active.

If you are very concerned about getting the choice right you can put all of the options down on a form and have the participants vote on which they would like to try.

The most important thing is to ensure that the organisers stresses that the event is run on a 'challenge by choice' basis. If someone decides that they do not want to do something they will not be forced to participate or humiliated. This is the last thing that should happen on a team building day.

One of the most popular types of event is the Treasure Hunt. These are popular because they are not particularly physically demanding and do not obviously appeal to either sex more than the other. Challenges can be built into the format and events can be tailored to a client's particular needs.

Treasure Hunts can be run in more or less any location in town and country. London Treasure Hunts are extremely popular and professional organisers will know the best routes to ensure an interesting experience without teams spending hours in queues with the tourists.

There is a wide range of options available in the participation event industry. Organisers should consider the make up of their group and any special needs that people may have. Organisers should avoid simply choosing activities which appeal to their own preferences; working with a professional event company and taking their advice will ensure that an event with broad appeal is chosen.

Maximize ROI On Your Trade Show Displays: Know How To Pick The Right Events

We've all heard the old adages, "Don't work harder, work smarter," or, "It's not about quantity, it's about quality." While often associated with daily work routines, companies working the marketing convention circuit should also pay particular attention to these mantras. In order to truly maximize return on investment and ensure that a business leverages every prospective opportunity when setting up banner stands and booths for trade shows, it's not about working as many events as possible throughout the year. Instead, yielding a high return can rest firmly on opting to participate in a few select conventions that are guaranteed to deliver desired results.

Is There A Science To Determining Where To Set Up Trade Show Displays?

But how does one determine which conventions offer an opportunity for maximum return on investment? Some companies arbitrarily designate random events to attend and simply hope for the best. Still others spend hours and countless internal resources calculating extensive data to formulate an informed opinion. Fortunately, these aren't the only options available. There a few proven (yet, quickly executed!) tactics that can help your organization stop spinning wheels at conventions that don't deliver and instead focus on the quality functions that will provide the return on investment you need to justify the practice of setting up trade show displays to promote your organization.

Easy Techniques To Determine Where Business Displays Will Yield Success

First and foremost, never attempt to select specific marketing conventions without having a solid list of goals you hope to achieve by participating in these events. Remember, trade show displays fall under your company's marketing umbrella. Like any other promotional technique, you'll want to have a firm focus on objectives to help you best gauge overall success.

Once you have your event goals compiled, it's time to do a little research on upcoming events. One of the best ways to decide where your corporate displays will prove most successful is to hone in on a show management firm that your company has always had success with. Signing up for subsequent events with a favored management firm will help give your company an edge over the competition since you'll have inside information on how the firm operates each event.

Finding out where your competition is setting up booths for trade shows is another great way to help pare down the list of potential events. Periodically scan your biggest competitor's social media pages to hear about their upcoming trade show displays directly. Also, always ask the event management to send a list of participants before you sign up.

Finally, always use the best resource you have access to - your customers! Obviously, they are a fair representation of your organization's targeted demographic. Choose a select few and ask them which trade show displays they are most likely to attend and why. Their answers just may surprise you and give you invaluable insight on where prospective consumers are likely to convene, as well as places they will probably avoid!

Ideas For Using Bulk Floating Candles While Decorating For Events

When an event such as a wedding, anniversary celebration, family gathering, or corporate festivity occurs in the evening or after dark, the whimsical luminescence of floating candles can add elegance and mystery. There are many shapes, colors, sizes, and scents available for floating candles, and the containers for the water can be as imaginative as the event warrants. The most popular color and style of floating candles is white and round. In many cases the light reflects off of the water in glass bowls the best, and by placing several bulk floating Luminarias in the bowl, the multiple flickering flames add mystery to the evening.

Bulk Floating Luminarias can be used in conjunction with other floating objects in the container. For instance, flowers, mirrors inserted in Styrofoam, glass balls, and function specific items like tiny umbrellas or wedding bells for bridal receptions have been used. The bottom of a glass container can be filled with glass beads or pebbles to give the illusion of depth. The effect is an overall combination of fire and water and glittering lights.

Containers for floating candles can be tailored to the event. From pools, ponds and hot tubs, down to the size of a single martini glass, containers for floating Luminarias can be selected for the appropriate effect. The large scale of a pool filled with hundreds of floating Luminarias can cast a magical quality over the event, particularly when it is paired with inspired background music. Decorations and lights around the pool add to the illusion of romance. Some bulk floating Luminarias also contain citronella that smells wonderful and helps discourage mosquitoes.

Bulk floating Luminarias placed in smaller containers such as centerpiece bowls, fish bowls, vases, or pitchers can help strike up conversation at corporate events and functions. The addition of colored water can really make the candles stand out, and can carry the color theme of the event through to the centerpiece.

Another idea is to use battery powered submergible tea lights which illuminate with different colors, and can be fixed in various depths of the container for an even different effect. These are sure to get the conversation going!

Wedding & Corporate Event Planner

A planner refers to a person that plans each and every aspect of your wedding and corporate event. The success of an event whether wedding or any corporate meeting or seminar depends upon the competency of the planner. No doubt, marriages are made in heaven but a professional wedding planner recreate the aura of heavenly experience on earth and fascinate your guest with their exceptional service.

They manage the overall wedding event and ensure that everything goes exactly as planned right from the initial stage to the closing stage. They will not only assist you in making right selection and choose the perfect wedding vendors and venue but also maintain a balance in what is happening, when it is happening, who is doing it while keeping a strict watch that everything goes within budget.

But you don't need to worry as both the wedding and corporate event planner is supposed to work under your supervision. Effective communication between you and the planner is quite essential to make the event successful. Just tell him plainly your taste, preferences and desires and it is his responsibility to make arrangements accordingly. Make sure to follow their work and always remember that you are the one who will pay the cash therefore, your decision will always be final and binding.

Wedding is certainly once in a lifetime affair while corporate events strengthen your business and motivate your employees! Therefore you must choose a reliable planner.

The planner should be competent and skilled enough to implement your ideas and understand your needs and objectives. Discuss the plan with him and analyze the aspects of the event will they cover and how much say so are you going to have in the planning?

You should feel comfortable with them as you will be spending considerable amount of time with them. Planning an event whether corporate or wedding can be a great deal of fun, but there are often several hectic times as well. A professional planner can go a long way in making your event memorable and mesmerizing.

Cheap Investment Ideas - Throw Parties For a Living As an Event Planner

Are you well organized? Do you enjoy budgeting, planning and arranging events with your family and friends? If so, then you might also be interested in your piece of a $500 billion dollar pie by staking your claim in the Event Planning industry.

There are two ways to attack this business. You can run a business that specializes in planning events and thus becoming an Event Planner or Event Choreographer. On the other hand, you could open a business that provides a unique service or approach to sell to event planners. For example, use of special costumes and actors to serve appetizer during the event. How about an actor dressed as Ninja for an event with an Oriental theme or perhaps something for the action film industry. The more creative you are the more money you can make. You can make thousands of dollars per event.

The secret to staying competitive in either market is to be unique and creative. What makes you stand out? You want to be the frog in the fruit bowl. You want to be easily remembered -preferably for your positive benefits. With 20 events a year, you can have a thriving and successful business. Can you book two gigs a month to ensure your success?

Event planning takes advantage of the fact that some people do not have the time or expertise to arrange events and or prepare for an event that will be unforgettable. In order to remove this headache from their mental closet that already has too many tasks taking up space, they will pay a pretty penny to have the problem solved by you and your team of actors. You can double up your business by being an event planner and have a group of employees that work for you to do the acting and or handle special requirements for events. Alternatively, you can outsource and hire people as you need them. Being an Event Planer or an Event Actor are just a few cheap investment ideas to kick-start your life as an entrepreneur.

Top Event Ideas

Event ideas are helpful, but only you will know what will be right for your situation and what resources are available to you to create a well rounded event for your participants.

Never be intimidated by any situation because there's nothing a little smoke and mirrors can't fix. If on the day of the event you find out the live band couldn't make it for some reason beyond their control, then substituting an awesome sound system with an amazing disc jockey is perfectly reasonable.

Such a substitution could actually end up costing you more than a live band. Some real famous disc jockeys can get as expensive as $30 to $40K per appearance, believe it or not. But the point is, remain flexible and have a back-up plan should something not go smoothly.

Business Event Ideas

Some Business Events are aimed at diverting attention from the pressure of current agendas and seek to lighten up the atmosphere or completely dispel the existing cloud of unproductiveness.

In this situation, your goal is to take the focus off of day to day business and simulate a vacation without the time and expense of taking one.

So, as many companies do, having a company outing is a splendid idea with activities like summer camps have. How about a softball game or a bowling tournament? If something competitive is not appropriate under the circumstances, then some other enjoyable activities to consider might be a rented fishing boat excursion or perhaps some mountain biking. This would be a good change of scenery.

All of the above can be rewarded at the end with a sizzling barbeque which most people love, but of course make sure you have some different salads and rolls or crackers so no one goes hungry.

Fundraising Event Ideas

Raffles can be exhilarating and fun. Some trendy raffle award ideas are: travel packages, dinner for two, cars, electronic equipment, gift certificates, etc.

If person has a serious chance of winning something valuable, like a new iphone, they are more willing to donate, especially if it is a cause close to their heart. To raffle off a iphone, for instance, you could sell 300-400 tickets for $5.00 each.

Fundraising is not solely realized by selling, raffling, or auctioning products.

Saving money is akin to making money. Financial needs can often be met through sponsorship, such as a company providing discounts, freebies, or extras like office supplies that have their company logo and message imprinted on them, etc.

Charity Events Ideas

A charity event does not have to be centered on monetary exchange. Many companies have valuable ways to give back to the community, such as donating time and resources for habitat improvement, giving a helping hand to a segment of the economy (like public clean up), wildlife preservation, and so on.

Sometimes the resources to put on a grand charity event dinner are not available, but spreading the manpower among the existing soup kitchens can accomplish a great deal.

Corporate Event Ideas

There are many retail establishments where their place of business is geared toward multi-faceted events for businesses and corporations. They can frequently be found on your local chamber of commerce list of vendors. They are often very affordable and you can choose to use all or part of their establishment and they usually offer a vast selection of menu options.

Convention Ideas

A Convention is usually associated with trade industries gathering for the purpose of presenting their goods and services and promoting by educating their potential customers.

Naturally, they take advantage of the networing oppotunities that only a hub of industry professionals like this could provide. Using established resources, like taking out an ad in a known magazine produced exclusively for these trade professionals, is an excellent place to direct your marketing efforts.

The more effective your publicity, the greater your attendance will be. When you have some idea of what the level of participation will be, the next step will be to inspect suitable venues to host your convention. So, if you are producing a convention for the stone and marble industry (for example), you would need a spacious area where vendors could display products such as stone and marble, accessories such as care products and application tools, etc.

This type of crowd would require sufficient loading dock areas for equipment, catering and dining areas, conference rooms for presentations on trends, designs and industry issues.

Convention centers of this type are usually strategically located near mass transit, hotels, and airports. If the specialty trade your are producing a convention for is not so product intensive, like the Writers Guild or something, then perhaps a an attractive retreat boasting conference rooms equipped with multi-media capabilities would be a sensible choice.

Conference Ideas

A conference can be a gathering of clergy, an association of athletic teams, a meeting of various committees, or a new organization. It could be just a conference between students and advisers. As with all types of events, a conference is no different when advertising and preparing your prospective attendees to participate is concerned.

Inevitably, you will have to have a website to be publicized, and flyers or handouts need to be distributed, mailed, or emailed.

Once registration is flowing, you can gauge what type of amenities you need to provide, like if there will there be children present. If yes, children's programs replete with certified counselors and appropriate activities will be required.

Perhaps a fitness room for the adults is appropriate. What form of educational sessions will there be, and what supplies will be necessary?

The number of people and duration of the conference will determine what type of audio/visual and lighting props would be needed and the electical power to support it.

What culinary fare will be suitable? If having the conference in a resort hotel, a pool-side lunch or beach-front grill with some volleyball may relax and refresh attendees for their next session.

Of course, you don't want to forget your gracious sponsors, and at the same time leave a lasting impression on your participants. So, distribute parting gifts from your sponsors.

Festival Event Ideas

Festivals are often characterised by feasting, rides, inaugurations and entertainment, commemorating or celebrating an anniversary, cultural event, or just good old-fashioned revelry.

If it's a do-it-yourself festival and geared more towards singles, there are many clubs and restaurants that can supply appropriate food and beverages along with entertainment, both live or recorded to liven up your festival.

If your festival is on a big scale open to the general public, like a music or art festival, your venue would be best if outdoors, such as a local park, field, or city square, if appropriate.

National corporations, like beverage companies, may support TV or radio spots to promote the festival. Inviting noted artists to perform or exhibit will bring crowds in droves.

Furnish a broad array of delecacies from many local food businesses to satisfy the many ethnic tastes which may attend.

Of course, a festival of this sort needs to be coordinated with local government to assist with traffic, crowd control and parking, safety and clean up. If preparations are adequately addressed, a festival can be an excellent economy booster for everyone involved.

There are many events ideas you can consider when planning, designing and marketing your next event, large or small. The possibilities are vast. So, in order not to overwhelm yourself, just stick to a manageable number of ideas which fit your budget.

Top Benefits of Using Cutting Edge Event Management Solutions to Manage School Events

Schools organize different events all through the year. From field trips and soccer league to summer camps and reunions, school events are organized on diverse scales and have varied requirements. However, managing these events is no simple task and as an administrator you will be required to multi task extensively to make your school events successful. A convenient option will be to opt for a comprehensive event management solution that can take care of all the critical aspects and contribute in ensuring the success of your event.

With a comprehensive and feature rich solution, you can turn your school event into a roaring success. This is because advanced event management software offers a large number of benefits to event organizers. Some of the key benefits may include the following:

Ease of Registration

Managing attendees is a complex task for event organizers at schools. Not only is this a time consuming process it requires them to allocate resources effectively and delegate work among volunteers. To prevent this problem, you can choose a comprehensive event management software with online registration features. By providing online registration features, you can make it easier for attendees to sign up for the event at the click of the mouse!

24?7 Access to Data

As an event organizer, you will understand the hassles involved in making relevant information available to your registrants. With an advanced event management solution, you can create your event page with complete information about the event. This will make it easier for your attendees to get their queries answered in seconds.

Customizable Registration Pages

Event registration solutions come with several unique features including the option of customizing registration pages as per requirement. With this option, you can add videos, pictures, and more to your registration pages. Moreover, you can allow an unlimited number of registrants to sign up for an event.

Marketing Capabilities

Creating the buzz around your event is essential to draw attendees. Unless you have a proper marketing strategy in place, you will not find it easy to promote your events. Keeping this in mind, most event management solutions are being designed with comprehensive marketing tools to help event planners reach out to their attendees. You can create visually enticing emails to be sent out to your prospective attendees to keep them informed. These feature rich solutions provide several options to choose from. You can therefore compose an interesting email with logos and vibrant colors and also schedule its delivery date.

Reporting Features

To gauge the success of your event, comprehensive event management solutions offer access to a large number of standard reports. Some of the common types of reports offered by these solutions include attendee reports, sales reports and check in reports. By analyzing these reports, you can easily find out if your event was successful or not. Moreover, you can take necessary steps to prevent problems for your upcoming events.

The growing demand for comprehensive event management solutions has prompted many software providers to introduce advanced solutions in the market.

Event Planning Courses - How to Get Event Planning Courses Online

Event planning is a field whose basic needs are good and effective management and communication skills. People who are have these qualities should definitely do event planning courses because for them there is no other field as interesting, rewarding and exciting as event planning.

The job of event planner includes organizing occasions like wedding, promotional parties, birthdays, business meeting and conferences etc. People earn thousands of dollars by gaining experience in this field and some even start their own businesses.

But it is very important that you become qualified through event planning courses so that you have a strong background and you can get a job easily in this field. You can either do an online course or on campus. There are many reputable institutions offering these courses, so you can do it the way which is best suited for you. If you cannot go out or the institution is far away from your place then you can do these courses online from a virtual institute. There is great value of event courses by even doing it from virtual institutes because this field is expanding day by day. They provide degrees, diplomas, certificates, specialization and bachelors in this regard. It is up to you what you choose.

Online event planning course are no different from the courses which are taught on campus. On their websites they provide student with all the study material and other resources, they even give contact addresses through which students can ask questions, queries and submit their projects. However it is important that you choose an institution which is well known and you came to know about it from a reliable source because there are many fraud institutions which just want to obtain your money. You might want to choose a particular field in which you want to get specialization because there are numerous fields available.

The courses offered online are relatively cheaper than those offered at campus. The fees are affordable and you can easily manage to study. The graduates of event planning are highly regarded and so much in demand. People cannot organize their occasions properly because neither they have all the required information nor they have enough time that if why they hire event planners, which make their occasions successful.

These courses will make you a professional and organized occasion planner who has all the required qualities which are needed to make the arrangement of a particular event in the best possible way. These courses will make you multi-tasking, confident and active so that you do the arrangement quickly, without any hassle and thus satisfy your clients.