| Engaging the Senses in August at the Mondrian
By designing an event with the five senses in mind we showed how creating sensory experiences can make your clients enjoy their events more and add dollars to your bottom line.
 Our panel of experts gave us some great ideas that we could take back and implement in our own businesses and venues,
Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Events gave us insights on how a room looks visually. She talked about color and feeling of a room. Blues creating a cool feeling and reds making a room seem more exciting are just some of the ideas she had.
Miles Gilbert of SKM Entertainment, uses music to thread the event together, from the subtle quieter sounds during the cocktail hour, easy listening during dinner and about 4 or 5 ‘sing-a-long’ songs at the end of dinner that get the guests ready to dance, to the more boisterous dance music during the reception and slowing it down when it’s closing time, music can uplift or tame the crowd through sound.
Chef Robert Graham from the Arizona Grand Resort used aromatherapy spritzing between courses to create a desire for the next course being served at one of his events.
Lighting and design specialist, Laura Katz from Kool Party Rentals uses lighted cubes and lounge furniture to create and elegant contemporary feel that delight the eyes as well as the sense of touch.
Entertainment also creates a feeling of warmth, excitement and surprise that raises the pulse and therefore makes all of the senses heightened, according to Mari Messinger of Applause Productions.
Dinner showed us first hand how to ‘Engage the Senses’. Appetizers were served in the ‘Red Bar’ which depicts Heaven and Hell, and was close and cavelike, really fun for the cocktail hour.
Then we moved into The Mondrian’s ballroom, which was covered in the palest blue sheers that SKM had uplit with blue lights, creating a cool ethereal softness that contrasted with the bar upstairs. Miles also was playing melodic music such as ‘Earth Angel’ etc. to carry on the idea of ‘Heaven’. White Shag overlays from BBJ Linens created texture on the table and promoted the ‘light feeling’ of the room which was accented with bursts of color from the floral designs from Scent Floral and Events.
The Mondrian’s staff served all the courses family style, and each table had one server just for them, bringing out 2 platters of each course. The doors to the serving/kitchen area were opened a few moments before each course allowing the smells of the food to permeate the room before they were served. When the Dessert was brought out, the entire room gasped at the size and stature of the multiple choices in huge quantities on the dessert tray.
As an added treat, Green Screen came out and did pictures for everyone attending, so they were able to take a little bit of their Sensory Experience with them.
Just imagine, fun, food, education and a great Experience
Photos of the event can be seen at: www.phoenixnace.com/gallery.php?date=081908&dispdate=2008-08-19
Photos by Easel Photography
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DINE-AROUND AT WESTGATE CENTER
2008's Dine-around was such an amazing time! Glendale's Westgate Center is beautiful and just chock full of restaurants, bars and entertainment. It was hard to choose just a few restaturants for our meanderings, but our planner for the evening, Kim McDowell of the Event Essentials (info@theeventessentials.com ) was able to narrow it down to four.
The Renaissance Glendale started us out with incredible  appetizers; delicious bacon wrapped scallops, miniature beef wellingtons that melted in your mouth and shrimp cocktail shooters served in shot glasses. The signature cocktail complemented the food fabulously.
Then we took a short walk across the parking lot to Fox Sports Grill who served us sliders, their signature salad, moist cornbread and a fruity drink concoction that was to die for.
Margaritaville! well what more can i say! Margaritaville offered up a great nacho bar and of course. Margaritas! It was sad to leave our patio party, but we had to head over to SHOUT! to end the night with coffee and cupcakes from Sugar Buzz and listen to the dueling pianos. It was the perfect finale to a truly enjoyable evening.
Photos by Easel Photography can be seen at:
www.phoenixnace.com/gallery.php?date=091608&dispdate=September%2016,%202008 |
Skyline image licensed from Adam Nollmeyer Phoenix Photographer
