engage!12

A few weeks ago, Jes was a speaker and attendee of engage!12 at the Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas, Nevada, for their Luxury Wedding Business Summit. The JG team came together to ask Jes some questions to get a feel for how the event came along.

Was this your first engage! event? How did it compare to previous years, or other conferences you’ve attended? 

I am happy to say I am a "one baller" which means this was my first time at an engage! summit. Honestly I had no idea what to expect and I arrived pretty late so I was a ball of confusion for the first ten hours I was there! Engage is special because of its excellent high standards and attention to every little detail. The branding and production of the event itself is so lovely, one feels immediately honored to be there and there is such careful thought put into who attends this summit, everyone is in spectacular company.

From an event planning standpoint, what were some of the highlights of the way the conference was run? 

Honestly, it was the incredible attention to detail that you experience every step of the way. The vibe is so consistent from 7am until the wee hours of the night. I loved hearing my peers speak on subjects we are obviously all very interested in. I enjoyed hearing honest accounts of their careers and having the feeling of not being alone in this world I was with family :)

After speaking to your audience, what were some of the reactions and feedback that you received from them? 

Well.... I was told that I dropped the F-Bomb 12 times within 22 minutes ha!!!  I was overwhelmed by the response I got from my peers wow!! I didn't have a lot of time to prepare my presentation and I just kind of closed my eyes and winged it and I got real lucky with the outcome.

Who was the speaker that you were most captivated by? What’s a piece of advice that they gave that really stuck with you? 

I was blown away by several speakers, two really stood out for me: Cindy Novotny and Elizabeth Messina. Cindy helped me visualize the importance of my future and legacy in terms of my brand and evolving into other modes of my career. Also, she was dynamic and funny as hell. Elizabeth captivated me by the beauty of her photographs, honestly she didnt even need to speak after I watched her slide show the work spoke for her. There was a haunting beauty in her work that I recognized only coming from a deep and honest place within her. I feel like she and I got into our careers as a "happy accident" and our careers in fact saved our lives in many ways.

Cindy Novotny

Elizabeth Messina

Do you think you can incorporate any of what you learned about into your own design style? 

Yes. Engage reminded me that we are in an industry to make money and we need to keep thriving in terms of career focus and professionalism. The attendance reminded my that when I design I need to not only focus on the creative but also on the ROI of what I am providing to my clients.

Is being a regular speaker at conferences something that you would do in the future or do you prefer to be an active listener instead? 

I could speak for hours and I hope to do so for years to come.

After all that hard work, did you get to enjoy the Vegas nightlife?! 

Well, I wish I could say that I partied like a Rock Star but I was coming off an an extremely challenging job when I arrived to Engage. I will say that my room at the Mandarin Oriental served perfectly as Vegas Nightlife experience especially the Bath Tub!! 

All photo credit to Scott Clark Photography

Bling It Out

Who doesn’t love a little glamour at their parties? Diamonds are a girls’ best friend, but they can get a little pricey. At your next shindig, think about ways to make your party look expensive while staying within your budget.

Creative lighting is the simplest way to completely transform your space and give it a new look. You can change the entire color of a room by switching out your light bulbs for colored ones. If you want a more intimate setting, use reds and purples. If you’re looking for an upbeat mood, oranges and greens might do the trick. You can even use gel on recessed lights to give it a stunning look. There’s no need to call in a company to do all the work for you – all you need is a quick trip to your local hardware store, some imagination, and you’re good to go!

Another way to bling out your party is to add mirrors in a few spots around the party. They can really open up a space, making it appear larger than it really is. You can do it as simply as mirror coasters or as elaborate as mirrored floors and walls. Get creative and use a mirrored vase to hold your florals, or serve cocktails on a mirrored tray. It’s a cost effective way to add some flair to your event. And, a perfect way for guests to check themselves out...or whoever is behind them!

To make a statement in your floral arrangements, use larger, voluptuous flowers. Peonies, hydrangeas, sunflowers, and dahlias have a great presence that allow you to use them less while still showing off a glamorous look. Even a single one of those flowers looks better than a cluster of smaller ones sitting in a vase. Go to the flower market and find the perfect flowers that are going to give your occasion that WOW factor in any room that your guests are going to walk into.

Small touches that make big impacts can also include flowers. Add a mini “Sensation” calla lily to each napkin and dinner menu. Or, put one on the passing trays of appetizers.

These simple things can transform your event into a more luxurious one while staying cost-effective. Whether it's a clever, simple touch or a flashy, in-your-face statement, these details will make any occasion a hit.

Neon Paradise

The JG team headed to the iconic House of Blues on June 4th to create a neon wonderland for a Los Angeles concert event featuring the band, Fun. The event hosted nearly 1,000 registrants that had come to enjoy the concert.

The guests were greeted by a food truck that served chicken, beef, and chickpea sliders.  As guests entered through a neon ribbon entryway, they were greeted by DJ Jesse Molloy, which really set the tone for the event.

Also outside, guests were able to pose for a photo-op at the photostation that was adorned with Rockstar props, which included boas, sunglasses, an assortment of hats, and funky costumes.

Once inside, guests were wowed by the decor, which included a life-sized and interactive Lite-Brite wall, where many guests wrote out different phrases and designs before posing and posting their pictures on Instagram and Twitter to be viewed on a live-feed screen on the stage.

Glow orbs hung from the ceiling branded with the sponsors' logos, an interactive walkway accented with a black-lit VIP floor, and various neon accents were placed around the venue. These neon accents included LED glow items, fiber-optic table decor, and hanging neon ribbons. On the VIP floor, VIP guests had the opportunity to sit at large booths or spend time in a custom built private neon VIP lounge, dressed with an assortment of bright colors from floor to ceiling.

General Admission guests were able to enjoy pink popcorn served through a "GET POPPED" gilded gold frame.  All guests had the opportunity to obtain free T-shirts with their choice of a "Los Angles" logo design on the front.  On the VIP floor, silk screen printers were on-site to create the VIP T-shirts.  

The night concluded with an hour-long performance by the band, Fun., who rocked out on stage and left the crowd cheering for an encore.

The event was truly a neon paradise. We loved working to create an exciting atmosphere for their guests to enjoy. It was fresh, hip, and full of life at every turn. We hope that everyone had lots of Fun! Get it?

LOCATION DON'TS!

You many be a little scared by the title of today's post but don't be. Your event is all about location. It is very serious. They can make or break your party. Follow these few tips and you will love how your party turns out.

Stay away from staircases at all cost. Spiral ones, especially. There is always the vision of girls in 4 inch stilettos that pops into people's brains when they see a staircase. The outcome could be chaotic and a disaster. Staircases, also, make it difficult for the wait staff to move around and serve the guests.

Stay away from locations that have low ceilings. A party should be like a freedom-filled vacation. People can forget about anything and everything and let loose, not hit there heads and remind them that their not on vacation.

Make sure you can get air in to the room. Tight spaces decrease the oxygen flow in the room and people will become too crowded and unhappy.

Always have a back-up bathroom in case a main bathroom fails on you. Females will be very unhappy if they have to wait. They will lose time at the party and ultimately not have a good time.

To finish off. Go with your gut and pick the location that is going to work best for you. Think about the big picture because most of the time your guests won't recognize those tiny details you hate. The room will be filled with music, dancing, food and a good time. Remember these three final details about your location. It should be workable, budget-friendly, and should make you feel excited and proud of your party!

Weekend Getaway

Don’t let another summer go by stuck indoors. Like most people, you’ve probably saved all of your work vacation days for these hot summer months. Why not take a few days to have an extended weekend getaway with some friends? Whether it’s for a birthday or just a free weekend, any occasion is a great reason to pack the car and hit the road. There’s a whole world out there to see!

 

Nobody wants their birthdays to last only one day, so turn it into a weekend road trip with some friends. Maybe you won’t be traveling across the country like you did in college, but don’t limit yourself to one area. Rent an Airstream or Winnebago and map out a more realistic course. If you’re in New York, maybe travel over to Vermont, or head from Los Angeles to Vegas if you’re a west-coaster. And make sure to bring an updated GPS for any wrong turns you might make.

Once you’ve decided on your start and end location, you can go more into detail depending on the time frame you have. For longer trips, you can research things to do in big cities along the way. Maybe there’s an awesome museum, great nightlife, or a fun concert that falls on a day during your trip. Check out MetroMix for some great event ideas in those areas.

Stop on the side of the road and take some pictures for every state line that you cross. You can later turn these into cute scrapbook memories to give as party favors to your pals that came along.

Make sure you pack some goodies to go also. Food on the road can get a bit pricey, so pack some sandwiches and dress them up with filet mignon, horseradish mustard, and grilled onions. Who says homemade can’t be gourmet? And pack some wine while you’re at it. As long as you’ve reached your destination and nobody is driving you can open a bottle and let loose!

Once you’ve finally reached your destination, make them remember you. Hit the local areas and jump into the culture of wherever you’ve ended up. The time to plan is now! Don’t let another beautiful summer go by stuck in the same spot. Grab some friends, get your keys and hit the road. The JG team is always on the go and definitely use these tips to make sure that even if we're going from coast to coast all summer, we still have a great time.

Stay tuned for our next event rundown, it’s going to be a lot of Fun!