Special Event Planning

Planning is essential for any corporate event, especially if it’s a special event. Many people planning special events are overwhelmed with fitting event planning tasks into their schedules, especially if it is their first time producing an event. Planning the perfect corporate event, holiday party, team building event, employee appreciation day, company picnic, family reunion, fun fair or other special event becomes an easy task when working with a professional event planner. Party rentals in Chicago help when you want party planning Chicago expertise. Most picnic grounds Chicago use party rentals in Chicago for inflatable rentals Chicago for corporate party rentals, corporate event rentals, corporate event planning and company event planning. Party equipment rentals and party inflatables rentals help with Chicago party supplies, moonwalk Chicago, picnic catering, special event planning, corporate entertainment and picnic entertainment in Chicago and Chicagoland. Company parties in Chicago and company events in Chicago help carnival rentals Chicago and fun fairs Chicago to find game rentals for picnics and venues for rent Chicago. A company party Chicago may need picnic planning Chicago for special events Chicago Illinois.

The first place to start is to find a reputable professional planner you feel comfortable working with. Planners are easily found by asking others who have planned events in the past, reading company bios on websites and asking companies you are interested in working with if the planners and staff they employ have had a background check. It is a good idea to speak with more than one planner if this is your first time planning an event. When selecting a professional party planner, it is important to evaluate whether you are in need of an outdoor event coordinator, indoor event specialist, games assistant, meeting planner, caterer, etc. The individual you choose to work with will depend greatly on the type of event you are interested in producing. Once you have selected an individual or event planning company, the party details will begin to fall in place. Event planners will focus on executing four main areas of fun. They include: catering, music, games/rides and tents/tables/chairs.

Great Food – The Key To A Great Event

No event is complete without good food. Certainly with a number of entertainment and fun games lined up you don’t want to starve your guests. They have to eat and will probably enjoy several samples during the event. The food has to be exceedingly good to make the event a pleasant one. In fact food holds the key to the success of any special event. If the entertainment programs fail to be fun then it’s the food that can compensate for that. When the food is fabulous everything else becomes acceptable.

The special event co-coordinator will arrange a caterer that will take care of the food needs of the special event. The food preparation and serving process at the special event will require a permit from the department of environment health which the event coordinator will obtain. A dependable caterer can ensure that the food is delicious and served timely. When selecting catering for your event, a planner will evaluate the type of event participants are attending. For company BBQ’s, onsite cookouts, or catered luncheons, a casual atmosphere is necessary which may entail typical picnic foods such as hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken breasts and side salads. For upscale events such as client appreciations, open house, grand openings and the like, a more sophisticated menu would be needed. In some cases, special dietary concerns will need to be factored into the types of foods you choose to include. (i.e. vegetarian, kosher, allergen foods, etc.) It is important to discuss any food limitations your event may have with your planning professional. A decision must also be made whether or not to provide a full meal, several course meal, fun foods, dessert/coffee or appetizers. A professional caterer will work with you and your event planner to help you to select the foods appropriate for your audience and ensure success for your event. If you select a full service event planner, they will help guide you in finding a catering partner. Often times, full service event planners work with several catering companies and will know by the description of your event which company will best suite your needs.

The type of foods the guests would love should be taken in to account while preparing a menu. A menu containing a choice of various types of savory foods is a hit in special events. Mexican food (including tacos, burritos, tamales, rice and beans) may be a favorite for many guests. There are caterers that can provide gourmet to home style food. Special event planners know the caterers that are capable of delivering the goods (foods here) for you. Beginning from the appetizers to desserts professional caterers take care of the food needs of the guests with fabulous items.

Don’t worry if you plan a swank soiree that pulls out all stops. There are professional caterers that will prepare the choicest dishes and will have them served to you by professional servers and attendants. The preparation of the food can be done artfully and the presentation be made dramatic. Thorough planning and help from your special event coordinator will result in a fine wining and dining experience for your guests. Party rentals in Chicago help when you want party planning Chicago expertise. Most picnic grounds Chicago use party rentals in Chicago for inflatable rentals Chicago for corporate party rentals, corporate event rentals, corporate event planning and company event planning. Party equipment rentals and party inflatables rentals help with Chicago party supplies, moonwalk Chicago, picnic catering, special event planning, corporate entertainment and picnic entertainment in Chicago and Chicagoland. Company parties in Chicago and company events in Chicago help carnival rentals Chicago and fun fairs Chicago to find game rentals for picnics and venues for rent Chicago. A company party Chicago may need picnic planning Chicago for special events Chicago Illinois.

Get The Right Groove – How Music Can Rock Your Event

Music is not only the soul of life it's also the soul of a special event. The idea of entertainment starts with music and attention of the guests in a special event immediately veers to what music is being played. Invariably the music that's being played sets the mood of the event. Such is the importance of music in a special event. Selecting the right music for your audience is essential in ensuring your guests have a memorable and enjoyable experience at the event. When it comes to music the choice is wide for the event organizers. Classical, jazz, rock-n-roll, rap, blues, country …the options are many.

When hiring a DJ, MC, band, specialty act or musical group it is important to assess the underlying goals of the event. Do you want to select an interactive DJ to provide activities for children? Would your guests respond well to hula dancers, a Mariachi band, Dixieland band or cover band? Do you want your music to accompany your event theme? Are you looking for background or forefront party music? Do you want people to dance? Do you need a dance floor or not? Do you want your DJ to offer guests bingo or other interactive activities such as the chicken dance, hokey poky or hot potato throughout the day? How you would like your musicians or DJ’s to dress for the occasion? Many questions must be answered before making your musical selection. Once these questions are answered you will be able to work with event staff in producing the perfect event! Selecting the right music is crucial as you want to make sure not to annoy or offend any of your guests, therefore, you will want to have direct input on the choices of music for your event thus eliminating any unwanted surprises or negative outcomes.

There is also the consideration of matured guests preferring soft dance numbers that doesn’t require fast body movements while dancing. Soft jazz or blues would do well for them. Those with a liking for Brazilian dance forms will love to shake their body to the ¾ timed dance under the samba music. Energetic youngsters would expect groovy rap music to unwind and enjoy. Party rentals in Chicago help when you want party planning Chicago expertise. Most picnic grounds Chicago use party rentals in Chicago for inflatable rentals Chicago for corporate party rentals, corporate event rentals, corporate event planning and company event planning. Party equipment rentals and party inflatables rentals help with Chicago party supplies, moonwalk Chicago, picnic catering, special event planning, corporate entertainment and picnic entertainment in Chicago and Chicagoland. Company parties in Chicago and company events in Chicago help carnival rentals Chicago and fun fairs Chicago to find game rentals for picnics and venues for rent Chicago. A company party Chicago may need picnic planning Chicago for special events Chicago Illinois.

Special event planners will engage the services of professional singers to entertain the guests. Guests can enjoy their food to the accompaniment of melodious voice of the crooners and bands playing music softly. The guests can just sit back and enjoy the music played by a violin, piano, or saxophone specialist. Or they can take to the dance floor and dance to the music played by the orchestra.

To make the event totally engaging karaoke singing competition is a great idea. Guests should come and sing voluntarily or they can be mandated to sing. It would be great fun to see people with all kinds of voices and personalities singing in front of a gathering. In all the cases the special event planners take care of the lighting, music system, and the artists. The biggest part of music arrangement is the sound engineering without which sound will not reach out to every corner of the event venue in equal measure. Event planners have the contacts of best sound technicians and engineers that will make sure that whether your event is hosted indoors or outdoors the sound is distributed evenly through out the venue. All you have to do is give them your specifications and they arrange the rest to make your event a truly special one.

Let The Games Begin – A Little Competition Helps Your Special Event Get Across The Finish Line

Selecting the appropriate games, rides, outdoor activities or indoor fun is equally as important as selecting the right party food and music. The more fun your guests have, the more they will talk about their positive experience with others and the more likely they are to participate again in the future. When thinking about your event, a determination of number of attendees, age groups and family status (i.e. Will this be a child friendly event or adults only event. Will there be singles as well as married couples) will help to decide what types of entertainment activities are needed for your event. Knowing the number of people likely to attend is extremely important as you don’t want to be caught off guard by not including enough entertainment to please your crowd.

Arranging for a number of games is a great idea. But you have to make sure that people just don’t crowd at a popular game. If people have to endure extremely long lines on a hot day, their positive experience can quickly turn negative. A full service planner will have the knowledge in helping you to determine what is enough or not enough entertainment for your event. Crafts and keepsakes as well as inflatable fun carnival rides, fun food machines, midway games, costume characters, clowns and carnival games are appropriate for guests 18 and under. Because the styles and types of inflatables differ greatly from moonwalks, tot towns, mini slides and wind tunnels to giant slides, bungee runs, obstacle courses, slip and slides and climbing mountains, age assessment is important. Kids love bounce houses. Even adult guests enjoy inflatable games with the same gusto that kids do. There are in fact many inflatable games designed for adults. For instance, collecting money from a closed money booth within a stipulated time is a hit game that any adult would find it hard to ignore at a special event. Some of them games even provide competition for a pair of competitors.

Many times adult aged guests enjoy video games, sports games, water fun, casino equipment and racing games as well as inflatables, magicians and famous impersonators. When considering event entertainment it may be a wise decision to conduct a survey and give participants the opportunity to help select the items featured at your special event. That way you are sure to provide a fun filled event for every person in attendance. A determination will need to be made about the tone of the activities as well. For instance, if your event is going to be held in a hotel, restaurant or country club, you may want to offer activities such as story telling, a magic show, balloon twisting, photo booths, green screen technology, caricaturists, handwriting analysis or other constructive activities rather than more energized options requiring running, loud voices or constant movement. Party rentals in Chicago help when you want party planning Chicago expertise. Most picnic grounds Chicago use party rentals in Chicago for inflatable rentals Chicago for corporate party rentals, corporate event rentals, corporate event planning and company event planning. Party equipment rentals and party inflatables rentals help with Chicago party supplies, moonwalk Chicago, picnic catering, special event planning, corporate entertainment and picnic entertainment in Chicago and Chicagoland. Company parties in Chicago and company events in Chicago help carnival rentals Chicago and fun fairs Chicago to find game rentals for picnics and venues for rent Chicago. A company party Chicago may need picnic planning Chicago for special events Chicago Illinois.

Alternately, if you are able to utilize wide open outdoor space, you may want to include a climbing mountain, giant slide, bumper cars, trackless train or other high energy activities. If your event entails a specific theme, the entertainment equipment you choose can enhance your theme. For instance, a Hawaiian themed event can include cooler racers, human beach balls, dunk tank, water slide, or surf rider. If you are interested in keeping the same color scheme throughout the event you will want to choose items, decorations or props that display your preferred colors. Ways to do this is by providing Mylar balloons, center pieces for tables or an inflatable arch. If your business caters to a certain sector of the population such as the airline industry, a great piece to include would be an airplane wind tunnel or fly guys. Perhaps you are aware that several of your guests are sports fans, this would be a good opportunity to include sports equipment, baseball toss, quarterback attack, soccer kick, grand slam batting, golf distance caddy or other sports related activities.

As mentioned earlier, inflatable games present a wide range of fun games for all types of age groups. Challenge your guests to test their throwing capacity in a baseball pitching tent where the speed of each throw is recorded with a speed gun. It would be fun to gauge the climbing speed of guests on a 30-40 feet inflatable mountain. Sports loving guests can match their basketball skills or guests can indulge in the sheer fun of maintaining their balance on a twister inflatable mat. Whatever the case may be, there are several hundred options for making your event unique to your guests’ needs and preferences. There is no need to have a “canned” experience at your event. No two picnics or parties should be alike because not all goals and objectives are the same.

Renting The Right Equipment Makes For A Successful Special Event

If you are hosting an outdoor event, and your event venue does not provide tents, tables or chairs, or other forms of shelter, you will want to make sure that your rental company or event staff provides them. If a full picnic meal is being served, it is important to have enough tables and chairs, and table coverings for all of your participants. The only exception to this rule is if the food will be served over a long period of time in a casual buffet style. In that case, you can limit the amount of tables and chairs as your guests may be off enjoying other event activities. Tents are important for an outdoor event incase of in climate weather. There is nothing worse than having your guests caught in a rainstorm with no shelter to run!

A tent is also vital if you are to have a live band, specialty performer or Disc Jockey at the event. Even a small 10x10 tent will help to protect the disc jockeys equipment or the live bands instruments from sun exposure. If your event is indoors, you will want to know how many tables and chairs are available and plan accordingly. You may even want to consider providing additional event rental items such as a stage, portable toilets, event decorations/props, sound system, megaphone, raffle drum, freezer, carnival fronts, etc. Party rentals in Chicago help when you want party planning Chicago expertise. Most picnic grounds Chicago use party rentals in Chicago for inflatable rentals Chicago for corporate party rentals, corporate event rentals, corporate event planning and company event planning. Party equipment rentals and party inflatables rentals help with Chicago party supplies, moonwalk Chicago, picnic catering, special event planning, corporate entertainment and picnic entertainment in Chicago and Chicagoland. Company parties in Chicago and company events in Chicago help carnival rentals Chicago and fun fairs Chicago to find game rentals for picnics and venues for rent Chicago. A company party Chicago may need picnic planning Chicago for special events Chicago Illinois.
A rental company takes the responsibility of providing all sorts of tent and stage setting equipment. Event tents, pole tents, media stage, canopies, marquees, podium, performance stage, stage ramp, camera station, production station, choral risers, stage rails, barricades, and much such event equipment are rented out by rental companies. Of course, tables, chairs, linen, and crockery are included in any outdoor special event that plans for wining and dining.

Event coordinators will first access what equipment will go into hosting the event and taking the number of guests in to account they give their assessment of the required volume. Then they also decide on the arrangement of the equipment to meet space and aesthetic needs.

Directing the flow of traffic at an event is also directly affected by the placement of tents, tables, chairs and rental items so be aware to the layout of the site you are utilizing as well as the items you are placing there. A quality rental company or event planning service will supply enough knowledgeable staff to make sure that all areas of set up, execution and take down are tended too. They will arrange the chairs and tables in such a manner that it will allow the maximum free movement and the arrangement will have some symmetrical order that will look good in photographs and video cameras. Additionally, event organizers will arrange for the setting up of toilets and washrooms for the convenience of the guests.

Event organizers will decorate the venue with columns, walls, arches, and themed backdrops. If it’s an evening of revelry they will showcase their talent with the glittering lighting arrangement. If you wish to communicate to your guests in an intimate way there are digital equipment to serve the purpose. High tech equipment like plasma screens, rear and front projection screens, giant screens, and media players etc. also are arranged by special event planners. These equipment have specific uses and make your communication with the guests compelling and exciting.

The success of a special event depends on the four areas of food, music, games, and equipment. Party rentals in Chicago help when you want party planning Chicago expertise. Most picnic grounds Chicago use party rentals in Chicago for inflatable rentals Chicago for corporate party rentals, corporate event rentals, corporate event planning and company event planning. Party equipment rentals and party inflatables rentals help with Chicago party supplies, moonwalk Chicago, picnic catering, special event planning, corporate entertainment and picnic entertainment in Chicago and Chicagoland. Company parties in Chicago and company events in Chicago help carnival rentals Chicago and fun fairs Chicago to find game rentals for picnics and venues for rent Chicago. A company party Chicago may need picnic planning Chicago for special events Chicago Illinois.
Once all four of these areas of fun are prepared thoroughly you are ready to host an exciting and fun filled event for your guests!