Vendors can be the ultimate accessory to create an event to remember! Planning an event from beginning to end can be exciting if you’ve got the right event manager handling all the details on your behalf. Viewing the results can definitely be exhilarating unless you’re dealing with an unruly vendor who isn’t willing to follow the game plan.
With the help of a professional event planner these unpleasant situations can be navigated with ease and you won’t even notice the drunken caricature artist making obscene drawings! Here at Team Play Events we have heard and seen it all and no hiccup is too big for us to handle. During an event for a major hospital client a team came across an inebriated artist whose idea of appropriate family art was to add beer and cigarettes to the caricatures of teenagers he drew that were attending the event. Imagine how the parents of those children must have felt at the time!
Diffusing the situation is the key to rescuing the integrity of the event and this incident was one that could have easily ruined the day and created a veil of disappointment on the day. But, having an on-site event manager to monitor vendors throughout your event is the best way to keep tabs on wayward vendors, whether they are artists, magicians or fortune tellers.
Putting the event planning pieces of the puzzle together can be challenging on your own. Many times it seems easier to just open the phone book and choose someone who fits your budget and timeframe, but doesn’t necessarily have the reputation or experience that would qualify a vendor for your event. Our staff has years of experience and a phone book of it’s own with trusted vendors that not meet our high expectations but will leave a lasting impression of quality service and satisfaction.
Hiring someone to manage your event can be more effective than risking hiring vendors who you know nothing about, and can end up being more costly in a variety of ways. Give us a call if you have questions and we would be happy to help!
Our winter weather has seem to be put on hold this year, and while it’s not a chilly as we’d like this time of year we’ve gotten stuck with some epic windstorms. Winds that call us to bundle up and get cozy by the fire.
For days like those I present Taco Soup!! Not just yummy and fantastic for these weird winter days, but great all year long.
The holidays are here! Whether you’re a fan or not there is often no hiding from them when you’re out shopping or when someone posts a sign-up sheet for the office potluck. Potlucks can be an awesome opportunity for co-workers to decompress together over some home cooked goodness. But what if you’re not a whiz in the kitchen? What if you aren’t even certain how to turn on your oven?
Never fear Team Play Events is here! Our staff has some amazing and speedy recipe fixes that even the most culinary novice can take advantage of for potluck success! Just follow the simple steps below…
Recipe: Apple Blue Cheese Walnut Salad
Ingredients:
- Romaine lettuce
- 2 Fuji apples
- 1 tub of crumbled blue cheese
- Walnuts (to be toasted or buy pre-toasted)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Coarse ground mustard
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Pepper
Directions:
- Wash and slice romaine lettuce, set aside
- Wash and dice apples, set aside
- Make dressing by combining apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, honey and mustard to taste, set aside
- If you’re brave…Toast walnuts, set aside
- Mix romaine lettuce, diced apples and blue cheese together, pour dressing and toss
- Sprinkle walnuts on top
- Serve!!
This recipe is a win on several levels. Not only are you keeping yourself safe in the kitchen but you are also bringing simple menu item that will please everyone from carnivores to herbivores!
Don’t forget to share your party successes and even any mishaps or hijinks this holiday season!
As the holiday season approaches, Team Play Events and Great Grills & Catering are in full swing planning amazing holiday themed events for our clients. What amazes us each year is how often our clients call us in a panic needing us to come to the rescue on various event planning nightmares. With nearly twenty years in the industry I can say the following with confidence and certainty; The reason we are in business and why clients use planning companies like ourselves is because inevitably something, out of everyone’s control, goes wrong and you need true professionals to solve these complicated logistical nightmares. We have identified the biggest issue for this time of year and provided some useful dialogue to help you get through it.
Oh no…it’s raining!
With this time of year comes some inclement weather which is fine for a cozy night by the fire but not fine for your annual holiday event. Obviously if you have an outdoor venue, a rain back-up is the best option, even though many events are held indoors this time of year but don’t fool yourself! Rain can affect your event EVEN IF you have an indoor venue. There can often be a decrease in attendance, all while being stuck with food and beverage minimums, slippery surfaces exposing risk to your employees, parking headaches that decreases the overall mood…and the list goes on!!
Make sure your planner has a back-up plan for all of the above (and more) and can jump into action to combat these issues.
1. A good planner has excellent relationships with venues and outside vendors to alleviate these headaches. Great relationships lead to great concessions and flexibility.
2. A creative planner is also a Johnny-on-the-spot resourceful planner. A creative mind never stops working so when a solution needs to created, you will be rest assured the most creative and cost effective decisions will be implemented. To evaluate the level of creativity check out their website, ask for references and in the planning stages request creative ideas for your holiday event.
3. Communication is key! Is your planner a good communicator with you? If not then they probably aren’t a great communicator with their own staff and vendors/venue. When actions need to put into play, how fast and efficiently will your planner be able to make changes and implement an action plan? FAST needs to be the only answer to that question. Make sure there is a back up plan in writing and all your staff and event volunteers (if apply) know that plan.
We hope we have been helpful and your holiday event season is perfect! The team is simply a phone call or email away so don’t hesitate to contact us for any of your planning needs. Happy Holidays!
Check out our website to see the variety of planning offerings that our skilled event team can utilize to create a custom event solution that everyone will be talking about!
Have you ever planned an event and ran out of goodies? Ever had a company picnic and realized you didn’t have enough activities planned to get through the allotted time? Has there ever been a time when a guest reported to you that the restrooms were out of toilet paper? That’s right one of the biggest party fouls is leaving the guests without the proper potty tools to keep themselves fresh and picnic ready.
A venue can be appealing for a number of reasons and when you find one that fits your event then, book away! However, while the venue might fit your group size and requirements, make sure that the facilities can also meet the needs of your group. And by facilities, we mean restrooms. That’s right restrooms might be the last thing on your mind but when booking a public facility as a venue, and yet it is important to make sure to evaluate all aspects of the sites offerings. How inconvenient would it be if your venue’s restrooms were a far walk for guests? Are the bathrooms the only facilities for a large shared venue? Bathroom breaks are a key part to the comfort of party goers, and ruin an experience for younger or older guests who need to be close to functioning well stocked restrooms.
While it may seem like an odd topic to discuss with your event planner, it is important to have an open dialogue. At Team Play, no question is too odd or out of bounds and it’s appreciated when we know we can assist our clients take extra steps to ensure everyone has a pleasant experience. So, when a recent client asked about supplying extra toilet paper for her venue, the staff took that as an opportunity to go above and beyond. While the question seems silly and giggle worthy, this was obviously a lesson this client had learned previously with her venue and now our team can take note of that issue.
Event planning encompasses so many details that so many can be overlooked. Hiring an event professional can take the pressure out of the equation before any bathroom mishaps have to be learned first hand.
Camp Keystone has done it once again! We’ve blasted past the competition with our new Acro Flyer. The amazing Acro Flyer will allow your camper to safely fly, jump, spin, twist and flip in the air while getting a workout. Unlike gymnasts and acrobats, however, everyone can flip and spin on the Acro Flyer. It’s all the fun minus all the training! This jumper system is brand new for 2011 and will surely make everyone a happy camper. Check out the cool video in this entry.
Our first concern, as always, is safety. Camp Keystone has done its research and decided the Acro Flyer is safe and fun. It has a three-point harness system, fail safe dual hydraulics and patented dual fiberglass pole technology that has been tested to 2,000lbs. We’re positive that the Acro Flyer will provide many happy memories for years to come.
On Saturday February 19th, 2011, Team Play Events hosted an event for NBA players and their families that included face painting, a photo booth complete with fun props and an exceptional balloon artist! The event was a fundraiser on behalf of the NBA Allstars Family and was located in beautiful Beverly Hills. Even with the rain, House of Flight: Air Jordan was a success and many happy guests were wearing spectacular balloon hats by the end.
And now, handy event-specific tips from the experts at Team Play Events! One thing to remember when hosting events with lots of equipment, especially new equipment, is to test out all the equipment beforehand. It saves time and embarrassment. It also allows you time to solve any issues you might have with the equipment before the big day. For example, we ordered a brand new air brushing machine and put it together before the event and tested it to make sure it worked properly. It did! Also, when using props, remember to open all the packaging ahead of time or risk looking unprofessional and ill-prepared while you try to rip open bag after bag of hula skirts, oversized sunglasses and fedora hats. We opened all the prop packaging and had our props ready to go at the start of the event, and the guests loved it!
On March 6th, we had the opportunity to make a three year old’s special day incredible and unforgettable. At Vasa Park, there are no ordinary birthday parties, and this was no exception. With the Team Play Express Train, Puffer the Magic Circus Train, Tiger Belly Bouncer and Pony Rides, there were plenty of options for endless fun! We also had a lovely and fun birthday clown who did face painting and balloon art. What more could a kid ask for?
Running a large event such as a big birthday party is no child’s play, but there are lots of simple things you can do to make it run more smoothly. The best thing to do would be to hire an event manager who is experienced and can take care of little mishaps on the fly. However, if that is not an option, here are a few tips to make your birthday party a smash hit:
1) If you’re going to have hot food, make it easy for the guests to know where it is and when it is available. Let them know when you greet them at the door or entrance that the food will be in a certain area and it will be available starting at the designated time. Also, easy access to the food will make everyone’s life a little better. A buffet table is the best option for easy access. Get a long table and put the utensils and food in a sensible order. At one end of the table, you’ll want to have all the items necessary for a guest to proceed to the food portion of the table. This means that plates, napkins, utensils and bowls should be at the start of the buffet line, food next and condiments last. Beverages should be at the very end of the table, or on another table altogether.
2) Always have extra! You just never know what you might run out of. Extra napkins and plates are always a good idea to have. You don’t have to have a lot of extra stuff – 10%-20% should be fine. That way, when your famous summer salad is devoured before the last few guests even have a chance at the buffet table, you can bring out your extra stash and save the day!
With the help of a professional event planner these unpleasant situations can be navigated with ease and you won’t even notice the drunken caricature artist making obscene drawings! Here at Team Play Events we have heard and seen it all and no hiccup is too big for us to handle. During an event for a major hospital client a team came across an inebriated artist whose idea of appropriate family art was to add beer and cigarettes to the caricatures of teenagers he drew that were attending the event. Imagine how the parents of those children must have felt at the time!
