Columbia Winery Winemaker Dinner for AWW

Ah yes, we all love the 'Befores' and 'Afters', don't we?!

I have this problem of being so kicked into gear when I'm doing a project that I forget to take the 'before' shots -but this time, I remembered! So here you see the cellar at Columbia Winery, after cellarmaster Jean (Jjjhhaahhnn - it's French!) worked for hours to move stacks of barrels into position to create a 'room' in which we could set up the event. We've hauled in the Chiavari chairs and set up the 48" wide 'Kings Banquet' tables (....and OH, MY, can I just gush for a moment about those nice WIDE tables? Wonderful for planning centerpieces!) The linens went all the way to the floor, too, so it was very elegant.

My most able assistant for the day, Mr. Deb, strung cables and wire and hung curtains and set lights...and did his fave job, hooking up our MP3 players to the sound system to play our pre-recorded 20's jazz! (We had Charleston-style ragtime upstairs for the reception, and Gershwin piano downstairs during dinner.) The event planner at the winery, Karen, set up the stage & screen and set more lights and dealt with chefs and all sorts of crazy things that I am glad I don't have to!. Lovely assistant Janel helped me wire dozens of crystals & glass vases to hang above the tables. With long mirror strips running down the centers of the tables, and silver champagne stands holding candles sitting on the mirrors, and big mirrors sitting at the table ends to reflect it all, it was almost ready....

White orchids went into the hanging vases, and we lit the candles, and here's what it looked like:

What's frustrating is that none of the photos show the hanging crystals very well!!! It looked very sparkly and luxe in person, tho. Our theme this year was 'Roaring 20's' (as it is the 20th anniversary of the Auction of Washington Wines), and I went with a cool white & silver, Jazz Age, swanky gin joint look. 'Fire & Ice'.

Oh, speaking of swanky, check out Jen, our chanteuse for the evening...she performed a sultry rendition of 'All That Jazz' from the film 'Chicago' with flair and style and flying feathers from her boa! I also made CD's of the music from the evening for each guest to take home - six ragtime tunes and six slow Gershwin tunes. A nice surprise that they all really enjoyed.

I usually set up these events, then go grab some food and sit and rest until it's time to tear it all down after the guests leave. It's all work and no play.
Well, this time, Cinderella got to go to the ball.....

We rented this FABulous Rolls Royce and had it sit in front of the walkway, so that every guest could get a 'Paparazzi Shot' of themselves 'arriving' at the dinner and walking the red carpet. I could NOT resist when our turn came....and I think Mr. Deb and I cleaned up pretty well, considering that an hour earlier, we were in jeans and tennies! Seattle's Team Photogenic was our official photographer, and the photos are all incredible, as usual. (The photos I used here were all taken by my husband or myself, or a staff member).

I hate photos of myself, I really do. I never think they look like the 'me' I see in my mirror. But my hubby took this one as I was lighting the candles before guests arrived...and maybe it's because I was happy with the results of the planning, maybe it's because I saw his sweet smiling face, maybe it's because I was thrilled about attending the dinner as a guest, (or maybe it had something to do with the glass of wine I had)....I dunno'. But it's probably the best photo I have ever taken, so I'm showing it off!

Are You IN?

That was the tagline for the Summer Seattle Gift Show: Are you IN?
After receiving the show collateral from the marketing director, it took me all of three seconds to decide what the focal of the North Hall Display area would be. The giant 'IN' created from boxes in the artwork on postcards, magazine ads, flyers, and programs was easy as pie to reproduce.

I used 12" square white boxes, and added colorful papers on the faces of each - matching them as closely as I could to the show graphic. Gift wrap, handmade and scrapbook papers served well for this and were cost-effective, too. All in all, the 'IN' cost less than fifty bucks.

I also pulled the show's signature red color into the display by using red paper under some of the acrylic cubes. Postcards with the graphic on them were scattered on the floor and tables, and some of the marketing material was cut up and used on pedestals - lines like 'INviting', 'INstyle', etc. Again, this keeps the message of the display in sync with the message of the show. Since I never know what products will be in the display until they are in my hot little hands, I have to coordinate the 'set' that they will be placed in. Then my MOST able assistants, Karen & Beth, placed all of the product and made it look stellar! (I was creating the dinner decor for the Columbia Winery AWW Dinner....thats' another post!)

We moved the display to a new location this year, up against the windows of the 4th floor lobby, directly across from where the display has been for five years now. I like this so much better - except we need to add more spotlights to counteract the glare of the windows. Notice how that 6 foot high 'IN' really pulls your eye into the display?!

This year, marketing added a 'Green' display adjacent to the North Hall Exhibitors Display, seen at the left of the display area above, and a full shot, below.

I used natural materials to set off the products...a few details below.

Again, words & phrases taken from the show collateral help to keep the message consistent.
I fully expect that very soon, that 'Green' display will grow to the size of the entire North Hall Exhibitor Display area.....a very very HOT topic.

Hmmmnnn.....there's a great tagline for the NEXT show......which is already in the planning. OI!

Your Main Event

BanquetEvent.com

I discovered a FABulous online resource today!

Banquet & Event Resource, Inc. (B&E) has a 16 year history in providing Western Washington's best resource guides, websites and tradeshows. Their goal is to provide meeting and event planners as well as brides and grooms with the most comprehensive sites available. BanquetEvent.com is not just a portal to other sites, but truly does give you comprehensive information in an easy-to-use resume style. B&E takes great pride in being partners with all of the vendors you'll find on this site. At BanquetEvent.com, you'll find the best in information, technolgy, and service for event, banquet, wedding, and corporate event planners.

B&E also offers an Event Resource Guide, Wedding Resource Guide and two trade shows, The Northwest Event Show (nweventshow.com) and Fall Bridal Spectacular (fallbridal.com).

Now, granted, this resource is in my own backyard...but what you will find on BanquetEvent.com is a wealth of information, inspiration, resources and ideas for any event you are producing anywhere. Check them out!

EDITED TO ADD: I received a very nice email from Alexis Pellegrini at B&E:

"I am contacting you from B&E Resource Inc. (banquetevent.com). We had a call from a local event planner saying that read about our website from your blog. I would like to personally thank you for the recommendation. We always appreciate when local professionals pass on the word about our site and trade shows. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

My pleasure, Alexis!