Let's Chill by the Grill

Hosting the company picnic or casual gathering of family and friends and need a theme?  Invite your guests to 'Chill by the Grill'!

This theme is so versatile!  You could:

• Fire up hamburgers and hot dogs while guests relax
• Grill chicken and veggie kabobs and serve refreshingly cold, flavored smoothies
• Sear 'surf and turf' while guests 'chill' with personal neck massages or ice sculpture competitions

Each option is increasingly more complex and accordingly, more expensive.  The best option depends on your guests, budget and reason for celebrating!

So, which option appeals to you?  Or do you have other suggestions to bring the 'Chill by the Grill" theme to life?!  Leave a comment and let me know; I love to exchange clever ideas!

Fun Company Picnics

Last week, my family attended a client appreciation party at the Dulles Golf Center and Sports Park.  As we walked through the park and eventually, played a round of mini-golf, I kept thinking about the summer employee parties I coordinated when I worked for Network Solutions (and subsequently, VeriSign).  We hosted a few fun picnics at Dulles Golf Center, as well as pool parties at SplashDown WaterPark, relay races and carnivals at JRs Festival Lakes and even, a summer fiesta at Nisson Pavilion for the Santana concert.  The challenge was always finding the right venue ... and the right entertainment, both of which had to compliment the growing company, its culture and our employees' needs. 

If you're planning your company's picnic this summer, you're probably faced with the same challenges.  Here are a few of my favorite entertainment options that have universal appeal:

Scavenger Hunts

Worried about the heat and or rain?  Host a museum hunt!

Giant Board Games

Think larger-than-life Checkers, Connect Four and Twister!

Culinary Competitions

Who can build the best burger?!

Arctic Challenge

Chill out with land ski races and more!

Need an adrenaline rush?

Consider a regatta (sailing), rock climbing, zipline course or trapeze school!  The website for the Trapeze School in Washington DC says "Forget Fear.  Worry about the Addiction".  Love that!

Is this information helpful?  Do you have additional entertainment options to share?  Let's talk about it! Please leave me a comment.

{event showcase} Whodunit? Holiday Party

A murder mystery may seem like an unusual choice for holiday entertainment but it was ideal for a recent corporate party, providing audience participation and a lot of laughter as guests discovered who killed the maid during a "Fiends of Fentress" book reading hosted by Lady Penelope, Semper Fi.  Read on to see how the party played out.

The holiday party was hosted by the Washington, DC Studio of Fentress Architects at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  Fentress designed the award-winning museum so it was a very fitting venue for their employee party.

INVITATION

My custom invitation was sent via email.  It incorporated a photo of the museum (provided by Fentress) and complemented their brand identity including logo, slogan, font and colors.

{front}

{back}

TUN TAVERN

Cocktails were hosted on the Overlook (bottom right photo) and then, dinner and entertainment were held in the Tun Tavern (remaining photos), a replica of the Philadelphia tavern considered the 1775 birthplace of the Marines.

ENTERTAINMENT

After dinner, guests participated in solving a murder mystery, as well as participating in dance auditions (bottom left) and reading select book passages (top right) during a custom comedy performance by the talented improv actors from Now This!

I really enjoy entertainment at parties; it's adds another dimension to the event! What is your favorite entertainment for a [corporate] holiday party?

{holiday party} Corporate Competitions with Benefits

My professional event management experience began in corporate, producing marketing events, conferences and employee events for Network Solutions and then, VeriSign.  Now that I own posh parties, I produce fewer corporate events but I always keep my eyes and ears open for fantastic ideas ... like these (mostly affordable) corporate holiday parties with multiple benefits including improved team work and employee morale while giving back to the community ... 

{photo from www.executivechefevents.com}

Gingerbread House Decorating Contest

Group employees into small teams and challenge each team to decorate the best gingerbread house! After the party, donate the gingerbread houses to your local family shelter or assisted living home.

{photo from www.cookologyonline.com}

Iron Chef Competition

Again, group employees into small teams and challenge each team to create the best holiday food item (depends on the time of the party) using a mystery basket of ingredients. After the competition, enjoy the results; your food display is ready to eat or you may share with a local food bank!

{photo from www.gettyimages.com}

Bike-Building Contest

This corporate holiday party is absolutely my favorite!  Challenge your employees to quickly assemble a child's bike ... works best in teams!  At the end, donate the bikes to local less fortunate children to make their holidays merry and bright!  In fact, invite leadership from your local youth service organization and present the bikes directly.  Or have your "elves" deliver the bikes to the children. 

However you choose to celebrate, share your story and photos with local media.  Positive news, like corporate giving, is always appreciated and the publicity may pay for the party!

Thanks to Stacy McGuigan of Everyday Celebrations for prompting today's post!

{event showcase} 30th Anniversary Celebration

I am very fortunate to work with fantastic clients, including a few fun and creative corporate ones like the awesome team at Fentress Architects' DC office!  Last month, they hosted a 30th Anniversary Celebration in their office and asked me to help produce it.  Below is an overview of the playful 1980's inspired cocktail reception I produced.  Enjoy!

The invitation, provided by Fentress Architects, was the inspiration for the event design.  I hung colorful paper lanterns in the primary areas to mimic the confetti on the cover of the invitation.  [My client liked the lanterns so much, they are staying up through the holidays!]

The reception desk was turned into a bar.  Wine, beer and soda were offered as well as a Ruby Red Celebration signature drink, which the guests really enjoyed!  Here's the recipe from Absolut Vodka:

Ingredients

1 part Absolut Vodka Ruby Red

2 parts Cranberry Juice

1 part Champagne or Sparkling Wine

Directions

Add vodka and cranberry juice to a chilled glass. Top off with champagne or sparkling wine.

To ensure proper flow of guest traffic, food was display in three areas of the office.

Menu

 Vegetable Summer Rolls with Hoisin Lime Dip

Wheel of Brie with Caramelized Walnuts, dried Bananas and Cranberries

Peppadew and Goat Cheese Boule

Smoked Salmon Mousse

Herb Marinated Sliced Tenderloin offered with Horseradish, Herbed Aioli and Violet Mustard and Miniature Rolls

  

Antipasto Display of Marinated Artichokes, Black Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Black Pepper Mushrooms and Dried Cured Meats

Trio of Dips - Black Olive Tapenade, Chipotle Carrot Dip, Hummus

Artisan Cheese Display offered with Cabernet Honey, Seasonal Jam and Caramelized Onion Chutney

and finally,

Mojito Shrimp with Salsa Verde

Tuna Nicoise Canape

For dessert, I ordered Red Velvet Cupcakes with Buttercream icing and embellished with a red square (to mimic the company logo) which was imprinted with "30".

Additionally, to drive home the 1980's theme, there was great 80's music and an assortment of vintage props - legwarmers, mullet wigs, guitars, Michael Jackson glove, bangles and fishnet accessories - laid out on a table near the Fentress Architects' wall hanging logo to encourage flashback photos!

 A note about the party design details

With a limited budget, I made a big impact on the space with playful paper lanterns ($1 each from justartifacts.com) and accessorized with the corporate color Red:

red cocktail napkins

red table runners

red votive candles

red menu photo frames

plus festive red cupcakes and a red signature drink

Thank you to the Fentress Architects' DC office team for allowing me to produce your special celebration and my sincere appreciation to my team of vendors: Fusions Cuisine, Georgetown Cupcakes, Bialeks Music and BBJ Linens.

{event showcase} Client Appreciation Party

Today, I have a fantastic party to share with you!  It's a client appreciation party hosted by Sherry Spinelli and Lauryn Eadie of Circadian Realty Group.  Lauryn's name might sound familiar; she's the uber-lucky lady who won two of my summer promotions - a custom event design as well as invitations.  This fall, she cashed in her prizes!  Below is an overview of the custom event design and then further below is how the party panned out, including the invitation design.

Lauryn and Sherry told me that they wanted to host a client appreciation party to thank clients, friends and family for their business, referrals and support.  They wanted a new and interesting venue that conveyed warmth (like a cozy home) and suggested a wine tasting activity.  One venue in particular was The Wine House in Fairfax, VA.

With this information in mind, I came up with 3 scenarios - all based on the concept of showing recent homebuyers how to entertain in their new home.

A Taste of Home

Wine tasting in a restaurant conducted by a sommelier with discussion of wine basics, food pairings, etc.

The Art of Entertaining

Similar to the scenario above but hosted in an art gallery (for flexibility with catering expenses).

Home Sweet Home

Replace wine and cheese with coffee and desserts (again, for flexibility with catering expenses).

{Lauryn Eadie (L) and Sherry Spinelli (R)}

Lauryn and Sherry hosted their Client Appreciation Party on Sunday afternoon, November 14 at the Wine House.  In addition to thanking guests, the party was an opportunity to debut their new corporate identity including new business name, logo and tagline.   They asked me to design the invitation, name tags and good bags, which was an opportunity for me to return to my corporate marketing roots (yeah!).

To complement their new logo, tagline and colors, I designed the following items:

Invitation

5.5" circle invitation with PS Poppy square envelope and circle mailing labels

Name Tags

PS Poppy and Chartreuse circle mailing labels

Goodie Bags

Pear and Tangerine Jelly Bellys in a clear plastic treat bag and tied with orange or green ribbon and custom gift tag (again, PS circle labels)

{L-R: me, my husband and Sherry's daughter}

The party was lovely!  We were greeted with a welcome glass of wine, mingled with guests and enjoyed an assortment of yummy canapes.  Here are the important food and wine details:

Food Display

Assorted cheese with crackers and fruit

Charcuterie with Olives and crackers

Wine House Baguette with Truffle Butter (my favorite!), Olive Tapenade and Honey Butter

Passed Canapes

Petite Crabcakes

Marinated Beef Skewers

Scallop and Mango en Crute (perfectly done and oh, so yummy!)

Smoked Salmon wrapped Asparagus

Smoked Duck with Honey Dijon and Microgreens

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Dark Chocolate Terrine

Welcome Wine

Willm Sparkling Blanc de Noir, Cremant d' Alsace

Wine Tasting

Foxglove Chardonnay, Central Coast, CA

Lil Rippa Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ

Lil Rippa Pinot Noir, Central Otago, NZ

Clifton Cabernet, Sonoma, CA

Lodali Moscato d' Asti, Piedmonte, Italy

Thank you, Sherry and Lauryn, for allowing me to share my creative talents and professional party planning skills with you to produce a very special event!  I wish you much continued success with Circadian Realty Group.

Holiday Party Aboard the Odyssey

 

This year, I had the pleasure to design a holiday party invitation for Fentress Architects (DC location). I proposed a fresh and modern design to include red and green embossed details, which enhanced to the look of their new logo. The 3.75" x 9" invitation slips into a #10 open end envelope with an oval shape mailing label.

Interested in custom handmade invitations for your holiday party? Visit my shop on Etsy or contact me directly. Thank you, in advance, for your consideration!