by Reese Richards Inspired
Entertaining Events
Planners who want to invigorate and excite the attendees of their events have plenty of opportunities available to them when it comes to corporate entertaining.
Creating an entertaining and visually appealing event that, at the same time, accomplishes the company’s goals and objectives is a challenge for the planner, but one that is rewarding, as well.
Attendees will long remember events where they’ve had a great time.
Well Furnished
As important as choosing fun and excit- ing entertainment and the right theme for an event is ensuring that the setting and furnishings create an atmosphere that suits the event’s purpose and goals.
According to Kevin Dana, director of mar- keting for Cort Event Furnishings, “The biggest trend right now continues to be modularity. Planners want to be creative with their space, and they want to be able to move things around and be flexible. They also want to create interesting con- versation areas for their guests so they have a place to gather, talk and network during an event.”
To suit the needs of these planners, Dana said that vignette structures offering a more “free-form” layout work best in pro-
84 July August 2011
viding more opportunities to be creative. Using modular furniture like ottomans rather than the traditional “sofa and two chairs” gives the planner more flexibility.
“Our Endless Collection was created specifically for events,” he noted. “Planners can utilize ottomans, low back or high back chairs.”
The furniture can be used to create struc- ture or even “walls,” as well. In a wide open room, for example, high back seats can be arranged to create a sense of divi- sion within the space. These “separate spaces” allow the event planner to utilize the room simultaneously in unique ways.
“The Endless Collection, which comes in black or white, is a product line truly made for events that allows planners to be more creative. White tends to work well for a lot of events, because - depend- ing on the color scheme - the furniture can be ‘transformed’ into different colors through the use of colored lighting.”
Lighting can have a big impact on events in general, changing the entire look and feel. Dana said bright lights are best suited to daytime events, while soft lighting is appropriate for events in the evening.
“Color, style and the amount of furniture a planner chooses can go a long way toward creating a space,” he added.
Ideas
One particularly fun option for groups to consider in their room design is the use of staging risers in the center of a room, Dana stated. “The DJ can be set up on the stage with attendees mingling and danc- ing all around it.”
This puts the entertainment right in the center of everything, and creates a “vibe” that is a little more festive.
For parties and events, lighted furniture is another great option. One reason this fur- niture is so popular is the ability for com- panies to add their logo or brand to it, or to add imagery that echoes the theme of the party. In this way, Dana said, the mes- sage of the sponsoring company or the theme is continuously communicated to the audience throughout the evening.
Building Strong Teams
When it comes to fun events, team build- ing exercises are among the best ways to get a group’s energy up, adrenaline pump- ing and the laughter flowing.
Jeff Backal, CEO and co-founder of Team Builders Plus, said that the inspiration for team building programs that are fun, excit- ing and entertaining comes from a variety of sources.
“We try to focus on themes that are uni- versal and link them to outcomes that our
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92