Join Us In Vegas, February 23!

HEEEEEERE'S DAVE!

This set was designed by AOO and used for another one-on-one "dawg tawk"

with Dave and other designdawgs at a conference earlier this year.

Next week, AOO Events and the designdawgs will again be on the road, travelling to Las Vegas to speak at the Catersource / Event Solutions Conference and Tradeshow. We’ll be speaking on the Art of Design, Branding and Inspiration on Monday, February 23, at 4:30 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center.



In a “Tonight Show” format, I’ll engage with fellow event pros in a lively discussion of design, entertainment and production for purposes of branding an event. Scott Barnes, special events manager of Cashman & Associates, Debbie Myers, CSEP, owner of Bravo! Entertainment and David Fischette, president and CEO of Go West Events will be my guest dawgs at this session.



Come to hear us discuss experiential marketing, the newest ideas in event design, green events and how to think “ahead of the pack” in addition to what inspires design and where to look for inspiration, as well as the cutting-edge tools that translate design into event production.

LEARN …
• To develop client branding and translate it into event design


• What inspires you to design great events


• Future trends in event design, entertainment and production



For more information on how to sign up for the show:
www.event-solutions.com/conference_tradeshow/registration

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

A Look Back at Event Design

It was 10 years ago to the month, give or take a week, when AOO Events received its first Gala Award from Special Events magazine. I’m really proud of this one as it was a biggie – Best Event Produced for a Corporation! It was significant for me because although the company had been up and running since 1989, it was the first time I thought, “I might just have something here” in regards to my company.

This event was produced for Blockbuster and Disney and was based on the movie “Enemy of the State” starring Will Smith. The movie is based on the “Big Brother” element of the government, under the premise that Big Brother can see you at all times, what you are doing and was very techie. In fact, one of the big scenes takes places in a huge loft like space with lots of truss, chain link and exposed air conditioning and heating ducts.

The entrance to the event was a 100-foot-long corridor created from fiber optic curtain and over top, a laser cloud ceiling. The laser ceiling hid the speakers that were flown just above the “grid” and as guests walked closer to the 10-by-10-foot screen at the end, the sound got louder and louder. At the end of the corridor, they could see the screen images – the trailer of the film. It was a great way to set the tone.

The event was very “industrial” and played on the raw ceiling elements from the Expo Convention Center connected to the Venetian in Vegas. Everything was lighted to appear cold in tone. Some of the details were surveillance cameras positioned over top of buffets and as people nibbled off the buffet, the image would be projected onto a screen above their heads. Other surveillance cameras were fixed to the lapels of the servers and there were live feeds throughout the party which were projected onto screens around the room.

The logistics of this may be the reason that we won the award -- this event was originally scheduled to happen on the roof top of the Venetian, where the pools are. Two weeks out, the party was relocated inside the Expo Sands Convention Center and had to be completely re-designed as the roof top wasn’t even near ready. What a mess! But the event turned out amazing and, award-worthy!

SEARCHing for a Valentine Idea?

"A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand

and touches your heart."

This year, I took part in an artistic fund-raising project for SEARCH, an organization that was created in 1997 to assist special event professionals in crisis.

SEARCH approached four event designers to create images depicting the four seasons. Obviously, mine was summer! John Daly took winter, Sean DeFrietas illustrated spring and Steve Kemble was fall.

It was a fun project as well as a worthy cause. The cards are only $20 for all four versions, so if you still haven't found a Valentine's Day gift, here is the perfect answer!

Here is how to order:

https://www.paymyassociation.com/displayemailforms.cfm?SessionId=5CBF9776-AEB6-ECA7-55F1A146FF4E9F70&emailformnbr=103927

For more information about SEARCH, please visit http://www.searchfoundation.org/

From Tables Extreme to Tables Green...

At The Special Event last week in San Diego, after my seminar with fellow Designdawg guest bloggers (more about that in future posts), I had a chance to walk the show floor. Here are a couple things I found of interest.


I love it when companies use their actual product to design their booth and in this case, Wildflower Linen's booth was one of the best. Their booth featured a dramatic wall created using the company’s Isabella Ruffle linens. In the center of the booth was a table covered with this amazing boa linen designed by owner Youngsong Martin. It’s from her new Marilyn Collection (an appropriate name for linen that looks like a movie star). The two chair cover designs at the table are the Marilyn Chameleon Chair Back and the Isabella Chameleon Chair Back. Side note: Ruffles were a recurring theme this year.


And from extreme to green … Over at Ice Magic, Bill Whidden was showing his new green tables, floors, cubes and other furnishings. (This photo is not from his booth!) While the pieces are green in concept, they can glow any color. The product is acrylic (which itself is reusable and recyclable), and the light within is generated by solar-charged batteries. Basically, to create the look of “ice magic,” Bill and his team harness the sun! They then use an inverter box to charge the lights.