The end of April is always filled with fun events for great causes.  Two of our favorites take place back to back Friday and Saturday the last weekend of the month.

UrbanImprov’s Banned in Boston celebrated their 20th year with a mega birthday party at the Lansdowne Pub and adjacent House of Blues.  Birthday decor, paper hats, jelly beans, passed mini cupcakes from Sweet and an unforgettable balloon drop made for a true celebration.  Food stations featured many favorite Boston restaurants and a mapcap musical revue was performed by the city’s luminaries – the likes of Mayor Menino, Deval Patrick, Martha Coakley, Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith, Heather Unruh, Patrick Lyons, Ron Druker, Lisa Pierpont, and Elizabeth Warren.

One day later, The Asperger’s Association of New England had guests giggling all night long at their annual Laugh Out Loud Gala at the Boston Marriott Newton.  Starting with a robust silent auction and an exclusive Alex & Ani raffle, guests mingled and enjoyed passed hors d’eouvres, small plates and stationery items.  Upon the close of the auction and dinner, guests made their way upstairs where they found themselves seated at cabaret-style tables adorned with spring-infused tulip centerpieces donated by Winston Flowers and a pair of cake pops for dessert.  Local comedian Gary Gulman stole the show – Christmas carols will never be the same!

In both instances, we worked closely with these budget-savvy clients to give their guests bang without compromising buck.  It’s just another CE event success story!

A huge thank you to Be Our Guest for working with us to execute our design concept!

And Elizabeth even snagged a photo with the iconic fashion consultant himself!

Last week we came across an article that we are so excited to share with you!  Leading meetings industry online magazine, Conworld.net, consulted with The National Conference Center for their top ten tips to conduct more productive meetings – tell us more!

So before you even book your venue, make sure that you remember a few key things – does the venue take meetings seriously?  Will they provide you with a meeting space free from distractions?  Can you access the temperature controls in your meeting space?  Will guests have an unobstructed view of the stage?  Are break times flexible and meals away from the meetings?  And more!  Read Top 10 Ways to Conduct More Productive Meetings in its entirety for the rest of their insight or for Boston meeting venues and ideas give us a call!

Leah Haydock covered this city affair from last January flawlessly – check out the post for ALL of the details!

Our team had the pleasure of partnering with a new client in conceptualizing, developing and producing their first series of Sales Training meetings.  With three meetings taking place in separate cities and packed into 18 consecutive days, it might have seemed like a daunting task but we rose to the challenge!

This young tech company presented a high energy and information-saturated forum that brought Jill and Elizabeth from Boston to Dallas, back to Boston and then over the “pond” to London.

The process started with developing an online registration site customized specifically to their unique program.  Nearly 500 guests worldwide used our website to communicate their travel plans and confirm their attendance at the meetings.  Additionally, we managed all aspects of the rooming list, on-site spacial layout, total meeting flow, and budgetary and contractual negotiations.  Liaising between speakers and our audio visual team, we ensured that each session of the nine separate meeting days was executed perfectly.  From coffee breaks to each awards dinner, the guests were well fed, perfectly scheduled, and recognized for their individual contributions to their respective teams.

A few nights of good sleep and we’re back at it with even more meetings on the horizon!

Using the eclectic existing decor of the House of Blues as our canvas, we brought in decorative elements to create a colorful and dynamic “Rock the Casbah” feel.  As the 850 guests entered the music hall, they were met by gold living bull statues – standing so still that it was a shock to learn they were alive!  Cocktail and high communal tables were dressed in assorted fuchsia, orange, turquoise and purple linens and topped with vibrant florals.  Entertainers included a (real live!) snake charmer, authentic belly dancers and a henna artist.  Splashes of colored lighting and an awesome stage backdrop tied it all together into a Big Night that will not be soon forgotten!

Delicious hors d’oeuvres were passed by servers sporting “Hi, these are..” name tags – despite loud music, everyone knew exactly what they were eating!  On top of scrumptious passed chili cups and pulled pork sandwiches, three types of stations included something for every palate – from southern (grits and shrimp!) to Moroccan-inspired tagine and classic carving.  Macaroons and cookies bags were passed as something sweet, and the famed late night snack included pizzas and Tasty Burgers.

For a VIP experience, exclusive access was granted to the Foundation Room.  Here guests were treated to a private acoustic performance, band meet & greets, and a photo opportunity with the step & repeat.

And it wouldn’t be Big Night without big bands!  As the primary liaison for the event’s production, we worked directly with the both bands to handle all of the entertainment logistics.  Opener Raphael Saddiq had the crowd up and dancing and the night’s featured performer, the legendary Counting Crows played old favorites for the fans.

And of course, raising money for an awesome cause, Big Brother Big Sister brought in over $1.7 million.  Yup, it’s safe to say that Big Night 2.0 was a BIG success!