Organizing a successful event hinges on selecting the perfect venue. Whether you’re planning a wedding, corporate conference, or a simple birthday party, the choice of venue can make or break your event’s overall experience. To ensure the success of your event, it is crucial to consider various factors carefully.
Location and Accessibility
- Proximity to Attendees: The venue’s location should be convenient for your target audience. Consider where most of your attendees come from and choose a central or easily accessible location.
- Transportation and Parking: Evaluate the availability of public transportation options and parking facilities. Ensure there’s ample parking space if most guests will be driving.
- Local Amenities: Consider nearby hotels, restaurants, and entertainment options. These can enhance the overall experience for out-of-town guests and offer convenience to everyone.
Capacity and Layout
- Guest Count: Determine the number of attendees you expect. Choose a venue with adequate capacity to accommodate your guests without overcrowding comfortably.
- Layout Flexibility: Assess the venue’s layout options. Some venues offer versatile spaces that can be customized to suit your event, while others may have fixed layouts. Ensure the layout aligns with your event’s requirements, whether it’s a theater-style setup, classroom arrangement, or banquet tables.
Budget and Hidden Costs
- Rental Fee: The initial rental cost is just one part of your budget. Inquire about any additional fees, such as security deposits, insurance requirements, and overtime charges.
- Catering and Bar Costs: If the venue provides catering and bar services, understand their pricing structure. Be aware of corkage fees if you plan to bring your beverages.
- Decor and Equipment Rentals: Calculate the cost of decorations, equipment rentals (like AV equipment and stages), and any necessary vendor fees. Rapidly accumulating expenditures may have a substantial impact on your financial plan.
Amenities and Services
- Audio-Visual Facilities: Check if the venue offers audio-visual equipment like projectors, microphones, and sound systems. Using in-house AV can be more convenient and cost-effective.
- Catering Services: If the venue provides catering, sample the menu and discuss dietary restrictions and special requests.
- Event Coordinator: Some venues offer event coordinators who can assist with planning and execution. Having an experienced coordinator can alleviate stress and ensure smooth logistics.
Ambiance and Atmosphere
- Decor and Style: Assess the venue’s existing decor and style. Does it align with your event’s theme or mood? Determine if any necessary modifications can be made.
- Lighting: Proper lighting is vital for creating the right atmosphere. Ask about various lighting options, such as natural light and customizable setups.
- Sound Quality: Test the venue’s acoustics to ensure that sound will be clear and appropriate for your event, whether it’s a presentation, live music, or a party atmosphere.
Contact Art Of The Event For Your Next Event
The venue you choose for your event is a critical decision that can shape the entire experience for your attendees. Whether it’s the location, capacity, or budget considerations, each factor plays a major role in ensuring the success of your event. Hiring Art Of The Event for your next event can help take the stress off of all of this planning. We will fully customize your event and work with you to see your vision. Contact us here to get a free quote for us to plan your event in the New England region.
The key to having a successful fundraiser with high participation from parents and students lies in the personalization of the event. The hack is to involve the majority of wards and guardians in the planning of the fundraiser. This stimulates interest and motivates high participation. There could be a number of activities to actualize this. They include class presentations, a collection of items for parents to bid on, homemade snacks to be sold at the fundraiser, car washing, door-to-door requests, etc.
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when organizing a school fundraiser. 
Create a Fundraising Committee
You cannot do everything by yourself. You need a team of resourceful and people-oriented volunteers to pull off a successful fundraiser. Learn to delegate responsibilities, and do not be scared to explore ideas from your team members.
To make the tasks easier, faster, and garner more participation, there should be subgroups with team leads. Some tasks you can delegate to the fundraising committee and subgroups include; establishing a budget, selecting a date and time for the fundraiser, planning activities, picking out venues, publicity, selling tickets, sponsorship, and event follow-up.
Draft a Compelling Fundraising Pitch
This is the fulcrum of the entire event. Your pitch should contain your intention for the fundraiser. It could literally make or break the entire day. Your purpose for deciding to start a fundraiser should be communicated in very clear terms. It should also be appealing to your target audience, which is parents and sponsors.
To make a good fundraising pitch, you need to tell a compelling story. Practical, yet emotional enough to make your audience reach for their purses. Let them into the problem you intend to solve with money from the fundraiser. Help them see the need to fix the problem from your perspective.
Encourage their interest by communicating the resources and support you already have. This shows how committed you are to the cause. Be clear and precise on how you hope they would support the fundraiser. Don’t mince words. Ask, very politely, for the amount needed.
Provide Value
Most people naturally gravitate and donate towards projects that are valuable to them. Yes, it is a charitable event, but why should they support yours and not the other numerous applications they receive?
Also, always keep in mind that maintaining a healthy relationship with donors is critical to the sustainability of future fundraisers.
Every donor should be thanked for their generosity. It is best that personalized emails are sent. Some donors could be visited too.
Think out of the box; at the fundraiser, there could be stands or advertisements and free PR for the business of some donors, etc
Have Art of the Event Organize Your Next Fundraiser!
In conclusion, aside from charitable reasons, the major reason sponsors donate to fundraisers is for exposure. Always consider this while sending applications for sponsorship. If you find the procedure overwhelming, Art of the Event is an expert at planning fundraisers, galas, and other school events. Contact us for full-service event planning and designing!
What to Know Before Planning Your Engagement Party
First and foremost congratulations! This is an exciting time for you and your significant other. Now that the proposal is out of the way it is time to start thinking of another important task, planning an engagement party! While you do not want to take away anything from the big wedding day, this is a great opportunity to practice some event planning skills. Very similar to the wedding, you are going to want to find a venue, choose a date,create a guest list, send out invitations, decide on a menu, and stick to a budget.
Hosting
When it comes to traditions the bride’s parents usually host the engagement party. However, in today’s world it is entirely appropriate for anyone close to the happy couple to take the role. In the end there really is no right or wrong answer when it comes to planning an engagement party. It is also not unusual to have more than one engagement party. For example, if your parents wanted to just have one for family only, but your friends also want to celebrate you. Two parties make sense if you live in a different state or city from your family.
Set a Date
Whether you or someone else is hosting the event you are probably wondering when to have your engagement party. Just like the hosting situation there is no right or wrong answer. Obviously if you do not plan to host, being aware of your host’s schedule is important. Availability expands beyond your host, you should be considering your guests as well. That way everyone can make the appropriate accommodations and celebrate the next chapter of your life!
Depending on the length of the engagement you may throw a party a few weeks after the big question was asked or a couple months into the wedding planning process. While, it can be an exciting time you should take in the moment and your newly engaged status. Waiting provides you the clarity to really picture the size of your guest list, style and location of your wedding. Which will ultimately lead you to decide on the type of event you want to throw for the engagement party.
Determine Your Budget
If you are the one hosting, be cautious not to blow your entire wedding budget on this one event leading up to your big day. However, if someone else is hosting this obviously allows more flexibility. Having someone who you trust to host is a good starting point as it will be easier to communicate with them on themes and the budget. No matter if you are having a low key event or not keeping a budget is still a good idea to use as a benchmark. Also, the more specific your budget is the more detail can go into your guest list, venue, and decor.
Selecting The Right Place
Of course when planning an engagement party one of the most important steps is finding the perfect spot to have it. A home or restaurant are classic choices, but that does not mean that you have yours there. Any spot from an art gallery to even a beach is fair game. Just like your wedding venue, the place that you select should speak to the formality of the party you want to throw. So, if you are thinking casually for your event a backyard might be perfect for you and your guests.
Obviously, if you are having a hard time getting things lined up for your engagement party there are always professionals to help with your event. Art of The Event will work alongside you to ensure that all planning, decorating, and hosting is taken care of for you, so you can enjoy your special event.
Invitations
If you are pondering who to invite to your event, just know there are no rules or guidelines for this. The only tip to keep in mind is that any guest that is invited to your engagement party should be invited to the wedding also. This is important because it will have an effect later on when it is time to add up wedding guests. So really think about the size of the wedding you are planning on having. If you are not sure about who you want at your wedding that is ok, keep it to just close family and friends so no feelings are hurt.
Once you have a nice list of people that you want to share your special event with then it is time to send out the invitations. It is important to note that when planning and sending out your invitations you want to give your guests lead time to ensure they can make arrangements to be there.
Food
Another aspect of your engagement party is the food. No, you do not have to provide each person with a 5 course meal for the night, but there should definitely be something for everyone to sip and munch on. Anything from appetizers to a full on buffet will work. If you are not planning to serve a full meal, pick a time in between typical meals and make it clear on the invitation so everyone is informed.
Decor
There is no need to give yourself a headache pondering what you want to do for your decor. It does not have to match your wedding perfectly or at all. However, based on your budget feel free to look into a professional event planner to work with you. Art of The Event will assist with staying within your budget and creating and designing the perfect engagement event for you. Their services range from design sets to full blow custom pieces. On top of that, having a relationship with a planner will benefit you when you are ready to plan the wedding as they already know your taste!
Plan Your Next Event With Art of The Event
If you are getting ready to plan your engagement party, first off congratulations! This is an exciting time in your life and it should be celebrated accordingly. Having an event planner can really help take the stress off your hands. Our team will work with you to ensure that you have an amazing engagement party to kick off the new chapter of your life. Get in contact with our team by calling us at 781-670-9292 or by filling out a contact form on our website. We look forward to celebrating with you!
This year, COVID-19 has created an unprecedented impact on the way we work and live. While it seems like vaccines will begin being distributed in the near future, it’s still important for offices to take safety precautions even after the vaccine is distributed.
This blog post will cover the basics when it comes to creating a sanitary and healthy work environment. At My Safe Meeting, we believe that staying safe at work not only means keeping everything clean and sanitary but also having good communication and signage strategies throughout the office. Here are some tips we put together to help guide you through reopening your office space.
Add barriers where possible
If your office doesn’t allow furniture to be moved to separate your employees, consider adding barriers and dividers between employees. My Safe Meeting sells office barriers as pictured below to help create a cubicle-like separation.
Keep your workspace clean
Making sure all the surfaces in your office that multiple people touch throughout the day are constantly cleaned and sanitized is extremely important. Consider adding antibacterial copper film to these areas. Copper film is a safe product and known to continuously eradicate bacteria.
Make hand sanitizer easily accessible
It’s important to make sure your employees always have access to hand sanitizer. An easy and safe way to make sure of this is by purchasing a no-touch hand sanitizing station from My Safe Meeting. This sanitizing station features locking mechanisms, high-capacity usage, and branding opportunities.
Disinfect your office every night
Doing this is easy! Install a UVC disinfecting light in your office. When all your employees go home at the end of the day turn on this light to have it disinfect the entire office. Our lights are equipped with a motion sensor so that it will automatically shut off when motion is detected. It’s important that the UVC light is not on when people are around.
Have communication signage
If you have a bigger office space, having communication signage is a must. You want to make sure all your employees know the proper protocols and having signage up to remind them constantly will make sure they remember and follow all the safety rules. At My Safe Meeting, we have the ability to create branded signage so they look great around the office.
Contact My Safe Meeting in Boston
To get any quotes or to schedule an installation for any of our products, contact us today! We’ll work with you to make sure your office has everything it needs to reopen safely and keep employees safe when they return. Give us a call at 978-267-1080 or fill out a contact form on our website!
If you have purchased or you are thinking of purchasing plexiglass or acrylic safety products, you should learn how to properly clean them to avoid damage. Although Plexiglass, also referred to as acrylic or polycarbonate, is physically strong, it scratches easily. It is also a plastic product, which makes it vulnerable to heat and many chemicals. Ammonia and alcohol-based products will damage your new shields, sneeze guards, and dividing walls. Because of this, avoiding all-purpose and glass cleaners is your best bet.
Never rub or wipe your sneeze-guards with dry or abrasive cloths to remove dirt. Doing so will only push the dirt, food, or other residues further into the glass, leaving them behind with minor scratches. So how do you clean your plexiglass shields? It’s easy! Here is your simple step by step guide:
Examine your plexiglass sneeze-guard. Is it dusty or is there leftover grime or grease? When it comes to acrylics, less is more so do what you need to do and no more than that.
If electricity is handy, the best way to begin cleaning your plexiglass divider is with air. An air compressor or even a humble blow dryer works well but only on the cold or non-heat setting. The heat will damage your plexiglass! Beginning at the top left of your sneeze guard, shield or dividing wall, hold your blow dryer at a 45% angle and move down the piece from left to right, and then right to left in a zig-zag pattern until you reach the bottom. Move to the other side of the unit and repeat.
To wash your plexiglass, dip a microfiber or other non-abrasive cloth into a large pail or bowl of lukewarm water. Gently rub the acrylic shield from top to bottom, rinsing and rewetting your cloth often to avoid spreading any debris. When complete, let the Plexi air dry or gently stroke it with a chamois.
If your plexiglass dividing wall or shield is very dirty and water alone doesn’t do the trick, create your own cleaning solution by adding dish soap to your water. Turn the cloth over often as you lightly wash the piece. Rinse with water using a separate soft clean cloth when finished. If you are cleaning a small sneeze guard or shield, you can rinse the piece directly with water in a shower or large slop sink. Just make sure you use light water pressure and keep the water lukewarm for the best results.
Even if you use the utmost care in handling and cleaning your acrylic shields, scratches will inevitably occur over time. You can lessen the appearance of minor scratches by using a small amount of car wax or vaseline applied directly to the scratched area.
If water isn’t available you can invest in a plastic cleaner or you can take a tip from pilots and motorcycle aficionados the world over who have been using Lemon Pledge to clean their plexiglass shields and fill in minor scratches at the same time. Simply spray on and gently wipe off with your microfiber or non-abrasive clean cloth.
Large food particles stubbornly sticking to booth and table dividers can be a common frustration for restaurant and foodservice owners. If none of the instructions cited above work on this problem, take a soft bristle toothbrush, wet it with your water and dishwashing soap mixture, and rub it in small circles on the stubborn spot only, checking often to ensure you are not harming your plexiglass. Rinse with water and a soft cloth. As an added bonus for restauranteurs, Dawn and other liquid dishwashing detergents also combat grease.
