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Showing posts from 2015

Best Wishes from Your Friends at EventWorks

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Best Wishes, Janet, Ted, Selena, Kate, Max, Dee, Brynne, Kristen, Carolyn, Elizabeth, Marcelo, Greg and Marion

Our Most. Customized. Private. Event. Ever!

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We were so honored to be involved in the production of an important private family event with a philanthropic element for a very dear client recently. We had a lot of fun creating and executing a detailed, completely customized affair for 250 guests. The Concept: A Carnival Reception followed by a Basketball Dinner Party. The 90-minute Reception took place in two large red-and-white tents that were erected in the patio area of the venue. We provided eight fun and inter-active carnival games and five booths, stocked with authentic carnival prizes. An iPad caricaturists and a British iPad magician provided entertainment. Kristen Rensch: "The client had created an event name and logo and all 250 guests were addressed in a very personal manner. Everyone received customized party favors! At check-in all guests received a branded cloth bag with handmade name tags so that they could store their carnival prizes. Our booths were stacked with a large variety of colorful plu

No Longer Business As Usual?

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  Dear Friends, We were literally in the process of creating our mail campaign about a very fun, colorful event we recently had the pleasure of producing as news service alerts started to flash across the computer screen. "Mass Shooting in San Bernardino. 14 dead - 17 injured" News of global terror attacks and senseless killings seem to now become a nearly daily occurrence. Paris, Bamako, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Colorado Springs the week before last,  San Bernardino 5 days ago..... So we are asking: how can we maintain a sense of normalcy? While our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, we are nevertheless working on strengthening our positive attitude and sense of balance. We do not want to give the attackers the satisfaction of "winning". We asked a group psychology expert for advice. Lorraine Aguilar, globally working owner of Working Harmony whose client list includes the United Nations and Merck: "The

Janet: Inspired by a Visit to Las Vegas

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What happened in Las Vegas will not stay there! Janet just returned from a truly just for fun, no-work-at-all trip with her Chicago Posse of Girlfriends to Sin City. Having a chance to just enjoy Las Vegas, Janet came home inspired and full of ideas for event productions!   What a difference the purpose makes! We usually travel to Las Vegas for work and get to see the venue and our hotel room. This time, I actually got to see new places, eat in new-to-me restaurants and attend a show just because it's a big hit. All four of us loved Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace. I also won a whopping $66.25 at the Wynn! Most of all, I came home very inspired by Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque de Soleil! His 80s hits still get guests on the dance floor at any event but Cirque de Soleil's extravaganza offers so much more! It's 90 minutes of non-stop, jaw dropping, innovative, absolutely world best entertainment that encompasses updated musical arrangements, s

Wishing You a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Considering the sad state of the world at this time, we are especially grateful for a chance to retreat to the comforts of our homes for the holiday and hopefully we all get a chance to spend it with our loved ones. We really felt the need for a good laugh and found this gem from SNL - an irreverent and funny take on daughters coming home.  Yes, we love to spoil our kids! Wishing you ALL a wonderful Thanksgiving! Janet

Nous sommes Paris - We are Paris!

#PRAYFORPARIS

Back from Sochi, Russia - the ВЕДОМОСТИ-­‐КОНФЕРЕНЦИИ Report

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I just returned from attending my first Event Show in Sochi, Russia. EVENT SHOW 2015 - RENOVATION spanned several days of meetings with participants from around the world. Nearly 7000 miles each way and well over 40 hours in round-trip flights were truly worth it! Here is my report: First, a big Thank You to my Facebook friends who followed my Russian Adventure this past month – and a big shout –out and credit to Cindy Y. Lo for all those incredible photos and posts!  Thank you! What an amazing opportunity!  A business trip to beautiful Sochi and a side trip with Cindy to Moscow since we were "so close" after the three day conference. I am grateful to the organizers of EVENT SHOW 2015 and our liaison, Anastasia Abramova, for the invitation to present "Best Cases" on behalf of EventWorks. One of the highlights was the opportunity to meet so many inspiring event industry colleagues from so many varied backgrounds. The conference was truly global and the chan

Entertainment Report: Jay Leno!

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Two birds with one stone: 1) We had the pleasure of working with the former Tonight Show host and car enthusiast Jay Leno 2) for a really good cause: one of Orange County, California's longest running charitable events, the annual St. Joseph Foundation's Celebration 2015. Location: the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa. Date: Saturday, October 17th. Guest Count: 520 seated dinner guests. As you know Ted Bowers and Jay Leno share their love of classic automobiles and had worked together in the past. Ted: "Jay Leno is well known for his big heart for charitable causes. He often donates time and effort to the Make-a-Wish organization and he supports several health and children related causes. So it seemed natural to approach him for the St. Joseph Foundation's Celebration 2015. He really delivered - above and beyond! He entertained the guests with his 60-minute stand-up show and continued on to enhance the live auction until late into t

Event Report: A Summer in San Francisco Bay

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We are happy to share a new sizzle reel - Thanks to our wonderful client! - of our month long production in Alameda Harbor. This event took place six times - the finale to a Chinese incentive travel program that visited the San Francisco Bay Area in May and June 2015. The location: aircraft carrier museum USS Hornet in Alameda Bay. We turned this historic Navy ship into a safe and memorable, spectacular event space and presented the more than 10,000 guests with a customized 4-hour gala program of non-stop action. The series celebrated 20 years of company history, served as a launching campaign for a new product, and concluded with an exciting preview of the 2016 Incentive Destination: Bali. The USS Hornet production included     military fly-bys to honor the location.     iconic historic characters added to the entertainment.     the real USS Hornet Band welcoming the guests.     a Canada-based Chinese star and an American who sings in Mandarin!     a customized live ch

Event Report from Sweet Home Chicago

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You can get Janet out of Chicago but you don't get Chicago out of Janet! The American College of Trail Lawyers Conference took place recently in Janet's hometown. We had a wonderful time with longtime clients and friends - and lots of deep dish pizza! Oh Home Sweet Home! We were really looking forward to getting a chance to celebrate the city with our very own Taste of Chicago. We started and ended our week in Chicago with a crew dinner at Lou Malnatis' Pizzeria. We met  friends Paula Marks and Michele Montgomery Giczewski at Gino's East for more deep dish pizza! Ted and I were very happy to join our client and friend Dennis Maggi and wife Michelle for the best corned beef at Manny's Deli and I had a chance to have a lovely Michigan Avenue lunch with Chicago's Kathy Miller. I caught up on all things Chi-Town with The One and Only Empress of Schmooze Audrey Gordon in Greek Town for some incredible ouzo wine and spanakopitas. Last but not least, running

Design Report with Music! We Let The Good Times Roll

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Les Bons Temps rolled in Southern California last week - we had the pleasure of creating design and florals for a series of occasions. 2000 guests for two breakfasts, two lunches and two Galas - we brought Black and White Elegance and 1930's New Orleans Jazz style to the evening events.                       Director of Floral Design Kate Brack worked with our wonderfully creative new client to define the look and feel for the two day event. It was essential to create floral that stayed fresh and could be repurposed for several occasions. Consequently, the breakfast, lunch and meeting decor consisted of succulents. Floral artist Rebecca Motus and her team went to work. "We used 5 varieties of organic materials, succulents, green dianthus, lotus pods , textured greenery, orchids. The decor took over 750 stems of black succulents called aeonium  arboreum Schwarzkopf commonly called black beauty or blushing beauty succulents. We added over 550 stems of aeonium green hybr

Well Deserved! Hollywood Celebrates Kool and the Gang!

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We are feeling fan jitters! Kool and the Gang will receive their well-deserved Star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard this week! We are in the mood for a "Celebration"! As we heard the good news announcing the October 8th ceremony, we could not help but reminisce about the countless events we worked with this iconic Celebration band. The press release is an eye opener! They are celebrating 50 - FIFTY! - years on stage and they are still the hardest working band in the event industry. All of you who have experienced the guest response to Kool and The Gang understand why. It is simply impossible not to be infected by the pure joy of their performance and music. If you want to ensure a full dance floor, play "Celebration". This party anthem has survived on top of the list for four decades! So we hope to put some pep into your step on Monday morning!   If you happen to be in Hollywood, catch the ceremony: Thursday, Oct

Please Meet Our New Project Manager: Max Blum

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Max Blum Max Blum Project Manager Office: 323.321.1793 EMAIL: MBlum@eventworks.com Max is on Linkedin Many of you may have spoken to or met Max over the past 12 months as he has been free-lancing with us as a producer. We love his detailed-oriented, efficient work style and his calm-in-the-storm, positive disposition and we are happy to announce that Max Blum has joined the EventWorks Team as a full-time Project Manager! Max will lend operational and event support to our team.   Things you should know about Max: Max is one of those rather rare real Californians, born and raised in Los Angeles. However, he carries two passports thanks to his British "mum" and he has spent a lot of time in the United Kingdom. Max holds a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies from CSUN and comes to us with an extensive background in television and video production. He honed his skills on National Geographic, Travel Channel, Animal Planet and commercials production

Set Your DVRs: National Geo October 4th on Steve Elkins' Honduras Project

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Steve Elkins' Honduras Adventure continues! We are happy to announce that National Geographic is currently featuring the story in both print and television. 1994 It's been a long time coming - National Geographic is telling the story in a new documentary that will first broadcast on October 4th. Please check their website for local times in your area. 2014 American author Doug Preston's print story is already available online and in the October print edition of National Geographic Magazine. Steve Elkins is currently working with his team members and Honduran officials to return to T1, now known as part of the the Mosquitia Patrimonial Heritage Preserve. "Modern technology has allowed us to prove there is much more to the history of the Mosquitia than previously assumed. This area has seen very little exploration. It is a relative black hole in the archaeological records. We are very excited about the possibilit

Special Report: Doron Gazit's "Red Line" in the Sand

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While we just fret about the drought some people are inspired to turn their concern into an amazing art installation! Our friend Doron Gazit introduced his current environmental art project "The Red Line" a few months ago at the Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts. Less than three months later, he realized his first large-scale installation at the Dead Sea, Israel. We all know him as the innovative industrial designer behind air dimensional design. Doron is passionate about using his materials in environmental art installations to draw attention to issues close to his heart. Doron: "As an Israeli I have water conservation basically embedded into my DNA. We all grow up very water conscious and we learn how to use it responsibly. Watching the California drought evolve is difficult because I know how much water goes wasted here every day. The Red Line installation is a long, inflatable “red line” to draw attention to lands that have been devastated due