Non-Traditional Centerpieces: 7 Things to Keep in Mind

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Non-traditional centerpieces have a lot of added value for events that involve themes, networking, fundraising, or ones that just need a general refresh. However, while there is added value, there are also added logistical considerations.

1. Cost:

The price estimate for floral centerpieces can make non-floral centerpieces seem like the cheaper option, this is not usually the case. Sometimes they are exponentially more. In addition to the cost that goes into the centerpiece itself, can be the cost of labor for assembly and cost of transportation to the venue. Not to say it wouldn’t be worth the money, but it needs to be a consideration in a budget.

2. Availability:

Not everything that would make an awesome centerpiece is offered in large quantities. Sometimes it means calling every toy store in the area, ordering from a wholesale website, or a combination of both. Do they all have to be the same? Maybe it’s a combination with florals. Regardless, considering quantity availability, time for shipping, and time for sourcing needs to be an initial conversation.

3. Assembly:

A DIY centerpiece can sound fun and maybe even simple, but it can take a lot of unexpected time. How many pieces are involved in the centerpiece? How are they packaged? Even if it only takes 30 seconds to unpackage and unwrap one part of a centerpiece, 100 tables would take close to an hour – and that’s just opening the box.

4. Transport:

Assembling ahead of time can be convenient and prevent from having to deal with it on the day of. How will they get to the venue? Do they stack? Or maybe they transport best partially assembled?

5. Height:

The bigger the better is only fitting to a certain extent. Measurements are important not only when planning the height of the centerpiece, but also the placement of the tables. A centerpiece might fit under the ceiling, and even under the truss, but maybe not the lights hanging from it.

6. Sightline:

Massive centerpieces can certainly look cool, but guests won’t think so once it’s blocking their view. Do they need to look at the stage? A screen? Tables with oversized centerpieces need to be placed accordingly to allow every guest a direct sightline to the main focal point of the event or program. The sightline also applies to the view from across the table. Does it allow for conversation to be had with the other side of the table?

7. Disposal:

Finding a way to dispose of complex centerpieces can be a hassle unless planned ahead of time. The goal: make centerpieces so cool that guests will want to take them home! Other options can include donating them to charity or incorporating them into the event as part of a raffle or the auction.

 

 

A Twist on the Company Holiday Party

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The company holiday party is a time to celebrate and acknowledge your organization’s accomplishments over the last year. Holiday parties do not have to be the same old DJ, dance, have a drink and work your way over to the boss type of events.  You can use this opportunity to encourage your team by highlighting their achievements.

Put a twist on the company holiday party and consider how you might recognize the team members that have contributed to the organization in big ways. This may be through length of service, top sales numbers or most community hours given.  You could name an hourly employee and manager of the year. Celebrate the company’s successes and bring any awards won to light again. The associates helped win those awards and get the company recognition, so it is important to revisit them.  A little pat on the back can go a long way toward keeping morale high in your organization.

Remember to change up the event also and not have everyone sitting down to a traditional dinner and PowerPoint presentation. Consider using your corporate mission as a guide for the theme of the celebration. If for example, your mission is providing excellent service with genuine comfort and care, ask yourself what screams comfort? Why not invite everyone to wear jeans, decorate with soft seating, lighting, and utilize gentle colors. Continue to comfort your guests with comfort food, warm beverage stations and beer and wine bars, and treat everyone to casual music. Recognize your guests the way they recognize your clients with care – show them you truly care about them and they will continue to give back to your organization as well.

Top 5 Ways to “Green” Your Corporate Event

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Top 5 Ways to “Green” Your Corporate Event

If you’ve put a lot of thought into the décor, lighting and signage for your corporate event but haven’t considered the waste and carbon footprint that might come with all of that, it’s time to take a step back and think green. There are many ways to have a “knock your socks off” event and care for Mother Nature too. Being environmentally conscious is more top of mind than ever before. Therefore, attendees are coming to expect corporate events to have consideration for the environment. There are many ways to green your event, and each choice truly can make a difference not just for the environment but to your guests’ overall experience and impression of the event too.

  1. LED lighting: Substitute with LED lights when possible as they use a very small amount of power. Cordless LEDs are fantastic when you don’t want a cord running across the room. There are an infinite number of color options to choose from!
  2. Reduce packaging:  Buy in bulk as much as you can to avoid the amount of plastic and materials used. If a meal is being offered at the event, consider offering a buffet option instead of individually packaged meals. Scatter water pitchers throughout the event instead of individual water bottles, which also saves on packaging and cost.
  3. Choose compostable products: Avoid Styrofoam as it takes years to break down, contributes to air pollution and can leach chemicals. Consider options for serving ware that are manufactured from renewable resources, contain biodegradable materials, and are easily recycled. There are also compost companies that can come onsite for a minimal charge if there is enough product to compost, which can be beneficial for larger events.
  4. Buy local:  By purchasing local supplies and in-season healthy produce, the less your event supplies and food have to travel. This decreases air pollution and helps your local economy too.
  5. Utilize Apps: Rather than printing off hundreds or thousands of programs or paper documents, consider using a helpful app like doubledutch or CrowdCompass. This way your attendees can navigate the event and learn more without contributing to the event’s carbon footprint.

Being environmentally conscious while planning an event is a win-win situation for all involved. Attendees value that thoughtfulness and can enjoy being a part of contributing to a greater cause.

Pecha Kucha: An Alternative to the boring PowerPoint

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Anyone who has attended a corporate event has experienced the grinding boredom of a seemingly endless PowerPoint. It’s an experience that has inspired a new way of presenting, a new kind of event: moving away from hour-long lecture-style presentations and toward an interactive, engaging atmosphere. The prime example: Pecha Kucha, which is Japanese for “the sound of conversation.”

Pecha Kucha is a simple presentation format, showing 20 images for 20 seconds each totaling 6 minutes 40 seconds. The images are presented without text, meaning the presenter must speak to each image instead of reading off the screen. The slides advance automatically, forcing the presenter to create a choreographed presentation that is concise – and ideally, compelling.

Creating Memorable Business Presentations

The reasons behind the success of Pecha Kucha are no mystery. According to a recent study from the National Training and Learning Institute, attendees retain only 5% of what is heard in lecture-style presentations. In contrast with traditional, long-form PowerPoint presentations, the Pecha Kucha length and style is much easier on the brain. Pecha Kucha creates a highly entertaining atmosphere and generates awareness to stimulate thought and action on the subject presented.

Pecha Kucha Nights started in Tokyo in 2003 and are now happening in more than 600 cities around the world. These informal and fun gatherings attract a diverse range of creative people as both attendees and presenters, from sculptors and musicians to chefs and architects, to event professionals.  The presentations tend to lean toward personal moments of enlightenment or important causes and are not always directly about a specific “work” related issue.

As you embark on your next round of business event planning, call or contact TCG Events. Our expert event planners can help you incorporate the fun, fresh concepts of Pecha Kucha!

Thinking Inside the Box

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A client came to us this year wanting to shake up their corporate awards program. They were looking for ways to refresh the typical “grip and grin” photo ops and long company descriptions being read as the company representative slowly makes his or her way to the stage. It was time for a new look! Enter TCG Events. Ready to shake things up and add new and engaging elements, we were ready to pull out all the stops.

Then came the challenge: no budget increase.

The current budget was stretched to the max and managed to the penny. Giving this event an overhaul was going to be a stroke of creative genius, not a bought solution.

After hours of looking at the event backwards and forwards, inside and out, and forcing ourselves to think outside the box, we found our solution.  It was time to think inside the box.  Instead of taking down all the parameters, we put up the parameters. There were only so many elements that we could play with that were not cost prohibitive: room orientation, staging (provided at no charge by the facility) and program flow. By narrowing down our options it became clear that the answer was in the staging. Rather than creating the typical rectangular stage in the front of the room we would use the stage decks to create a runway in the middle of the room with seating tables on either side of the runway. With energetic runway music pumping in the background, alternating MCEEs called the (58) award winners to the stage. To quicken the pace, company descriptions were read as the winners walked the runway. At the end of the runway they received their award and had an opportunity to strike a pose at the step and repeat.

No typical square stage, no time lost in getting on and off the stage, no awkward grip and grins – just a high energy program that was loads of fun.

Next time you find yourself in such a predicament, try thinking inside the box for a change.

Passing Food in Unconventional Ways

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Dim Sum Inspiration: From Restaurant to Drawing Board

We are constantly finding inspiration from unassuming, everyday sources. The challenge comes in transforming our inspired ideas into viable event concepts.

A lunch trip to a dim sum restaurant inspired the concepts for our own branding event – food served in unconventional ways. We envisioned push cart food stations, hanging bars, marshmallow trees for s’mores, and serving from sandwich boards instead of trays.

Our event had three levels, which enhanced the look and feel but created a lot of logistical challenges. We found the greatest logistical challenges in the hanging bars and the push cart stations.

Incorporating Food Carts

With the carts, we had to consider: How would they travel between the different levels? How easily will they move on carpet? How do we ensure they get replenished? We had to consider how the space we were creating would affect the moving stations.

To make this concept feasible, we created paths from the catering kitchen to guest areas on each level. To address replenishment concerns, the caterers used an ice-cream style cart that could house food items and allow for quick on-the-spot replenishment.

The hanging bars had their own challenges… How could we make them functional, yet visually appealing? The bars needed to be sturdy enough to hold drinks and ice, and be heavy enough to create stability. An hour of wandering the aisles at Lowes’ Home Improvement lead us to diamond-cut metal sheets and attach them over top of white wired closet shelving.  We then suspended them from the truss arches with chains.

The hanging bars created a wow factor for guests – none of whom could tell they were made from construction and closet materials!