Holiday Event Production: 5 of the Best Christmas Rentals for Large-Scale Events
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, TIPS & TRICKS
December is upon us, and with it, the yearly infusion of last-minute holiday parties, winter fairs, holiday concerts, and all things Christmas. It s pretty easy to track down decor and extras for small-scale get-togethers, but the must-haves for commercial-level shindigs are a whole nother deal. Here are Decibel s tips on where to get the best holiday rentals for your end-of-year events.
Carolers a la Dickens
It ain t no Christmas without Christmas carols. If you happen to be in the New York or Tri-State area, you can call on one of the longest-standing Dickensian carol performance groups, who show up in full period-appropriate costume and Christmas the heck the out of everything with their fa-la-las. Their clients include Macy s, Bloomingdales, the Waldorf-Astoria and other seasonal heavy hitters, plus they get invited to the White House like, every year, so you know they re super legit. If they re all booked up or you re not near New York, check out The Christmas Carolers, a nation-wide caroler-booking agency.
Snowflake Backdrops
Need to add a Christmas vibe to your indoor or outdoor stage? Atomic Design, one of America s best stage design companies (and naturally, a Decibel vendor), brings the winter spirit with their Yeti Flake backdrop, a modular holiday special solution that can be assembled into panels, columns, or superwalls. Add backlighting for Christmas win! Not sure what to ask for? Call us we ll help you sort it.
Fake Snow / Winterland Environments
When you need a LOT of snow like, industrial-grade Christmas-in-July style snow you call Snowmaking by STURM. Snowmaking by Sturm sports an impressive portfolio of projects that includes work on major motion pictures, commercials and town-center events, so you know they got the chops to pull off just about any idea. They do clean-up free simulated falling snow, massive snow-fields, ramps and winter environments for marketing campaigns.
Rent-a-Santa
The big guy himself has his hands full this time of year, and event producers have to rely on temporary stand-in Santas to help spread all that joy around. The biggest Santa-for-hire agency in the US is actually a popular sub-service of the temping website Gigmasters. They offer Santas for just about every location in the US, and their website includes a great search feature where you can find the perfect Santa for your sleigh.
Ginormous Trees & other City-Center Decor
Epic department store trees, commercial properties covered in twinkling lights, giant plastic ornaments hanging from four-story ceilings yup, you will be needing a specialist. The Christmas Decorators have a lot (no really, a lot look at their portfolio) of experience decking the halls of restaurants, hotel lobbies and town square.
You Are Here: Pretty Wayfinding Maps
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Did you know there s a whole field of study about how to help people get around? It s called Wayfinding . There are agencies that specialize in it, and it seems like one of those fields that you ve never heard of but when you think about it, of course it exists and of course it s necessary. How do people find their way around buildings and interior commercial spaces? Malls? Subways and airports? What do they need to know to get where they re going? When and where should signage be placed? The several times that we ve organized the National Book Festival, attended by over 100,000 people, it was vital that we clearly informed people how to get to the tents they wanted to get to, and we have garnered a special appreciation for nice You Are Here maps.
With Wayfinding, design must first give way to clarity. Something can be clear and ugly, but it must be clear. Obviously, the best projects are both beautiful and clear. Check out this collection of a few of the pretty and thought-provoking wayfinding projects from Behance:
Skyrim Riften Map, Chelsea Butts
Bless the gaming community and their endless enthusiasm. This exceptionally clear top-down 2d map was made of a fictional district from the video game, Skyrim.
Subic Map, Jo Malinis and Raxenne Maniquiz
Another lovely 2D creation, and a bit more complex than the first example, this area map was created for the 2014 Ad Summit.
Reynolds Performing Arts Center, Robert Eugene Sidwell
This one is lovely because its so adult. Designed in a slight perspective and using a lovely soft palette against a computer-generated-level-design feel.
Norwegian School of Creative Studies Wayfinding System, 4 Collaborators
An interesting approach to the use of 3D renderings that draw a realistic sense of space in the viewer s mind.
Suburban Map, Anna Giulia Spagnulo
Ooh! Look at the great illustration on this one. This map walks a great line between beauty and clarity, without falling back on Swiss design.
Festival Map, Estel Martinez
A faux-3D illustrated map concept, showing each unique festival space individually. Larger-than-life extruded objects focus the eye on the important bits.
Five Fabulous, Creative Ways to Serve Fresh Fruit
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
With the season winding to a close, help your guests catch the last tastes of the summer fruit bounty. We selected five simple and unique ways to serve flavorful fruit, all of which are easy to make in large party serving sizes.
Skewer It: Fruit Bouquets
Those Edible-Arrangements-style fruit flower bouquets are much easier to create than they look, offer a healthy dessert option while doing double-duty as table decor, and everyone loves them. All you really need is some melons, some sticks, and some cookie cutters (a melon baller and some chocolate, too, if you re feeling fancy). You can liven things up with grapes or chunks of apple, strawberry or pineapple as well. Watch the video recipe.
Stuff It: Stuffed Figs
It s always such a score when you run across one of those foods that s both decadent and simple. Fresh stuffed figs taste like a Roman orgy is happening in your mouth, are easy to eat and even easier to make. They are not, however, incredibly cheap unless you or your food service vendor has access to fresh figs in bulk, and they don t keep for long periods of time, so they must be made day-of. See the delish.com recipe
Roll it: Fruit Sushi
Fruit sushi (yup, someone already combined those words into frushi ) has all the hallmarks of an outstanding party dessert. Sweet, unique, lovely to look at, and it makes great finger food. There s no one way to do fruit sushi some recipes use a marshmallow base for the rice, some recipes plop the fruit on top, some put it in a roll, some make real sushi and simply add fruit to it the possibilities are numerous, so we ll provide a few different links here.
- Food Network: Fun Fruit Sushi Recipe
- Pinterest: Fruit Sushi Recipe Listing
- How to Make Gorgeous Fruit Sushi for Dessert
Photo from Jamie Oliver
Jelly It: Fruit Jellies
Clear fruit jellies are one of those desserts that look so stylin , you think you need a PhD in Culinary Arts to approach them at all. Truth is, they only have a couple of ingredients (so they re cheap!), they can be made in advance (so they re convenient!) and they take very little time to make (so they re easy!). Most recipes call for a dash of Prosecco to be added to the gelatine mix for that neat bubble effect and a touch of flavor. They can also be made in small individual servings, or as one big, gorgeous fruit gelatin. Here are a few different recipes:
- Summer Fruit, Elderflower and Prosecco Jelly
- Elderflower and Raspberry Jelly
- Summer Berry and Lime Jellies
- Prosecco and Summer Fruit Terrine
Grill It: Grilled Bananas and Pineapples
Already doing burgers or fajitas? Save a corner of that grill for the fruit. Grilled fruit particularly pineapples and bananas are suffused with a smoky, grown-up flavor. They also dry out a bit as they cook, making them easier on the fork (and on the front of the shirt). Here are a couple of neat recipes:
Mobile Media Tour Inspiration: Great Vehicle Wraps and Mobile Billboards
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Vehicle wrapping is an artform. At its most basic, we re talking printing out a billboard on removable vinyl and cutting it to the shape of your bus, food truck, SUV, etc. Highly customized and creative work involves thinking with the shape and outline of the vehicle and using those shapes to create optical illusions or other attention-grabbing advertisements (Need something done? Give us a shout, we can wrap anything).
We re loving the stark, manly modernity of this Bacon Bacon food truck wrap, printed by Wraps1.com.
Hats off to the minds at YKCR / Y&R Advertising Agency, who came up with this genius wrap for a local Irish Music Festival. Using the natural structure of the vehicle as a canvas, YKCR created a natural accordion with articulated buses.
Printed at Australia s Graphic Art Mart, this clever mobile ad makes it appear as though the bus has backed into a street sign a sure way to attract attention.
This super eye-catching wrap concept was never actually printed, but was submitted to the (now defunct) 2007-2008 Rhino Rolling mobile ad awards.
Created by the vehicle-wrapping Einsteins at Vector Media, this whale bus isn t just wrapped on the outside: the inside was also painted pink like the inside of a whale s mouth, and the dangling passenger handle grips were shaped like whale teeth.
Nice Ice: 6 Functional and Unique Ice Sculptures
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Just when you thought the whole Princess Elsa thing was over, we dug up these awesome indoor ice sculptures sure to give you chills. Oh man. Sorry. Puns are the WORST.
PLAYSTATION Ice Sculpture from Jack Whiteley on Vimeo.
This video, produced by Jack Whitley, is an inside look into the process of creating a giant Playstation gaming controller ice sculpture. The sculpture was created by the talented folks at Glacial Art, based in Liverpool, one of the leading ice sculpture companies in the UK.
Carvers extraordinaire Brice and Brice from Alaska the use a lathe they custom-designed themselves to carve martini glasses out of ice.
LA Ice Art created this awesome paddle wheel boat that was later filled with ta da appetizer shrimp. Great creativity.
Something about this table-top biking ice sculpture by Indiana Ice Studio struck us as unique. It s well-crafted and clear, but the angles and style feel modern and almost abstract. Who says ice sculptures are outdated?
Hooey, these guys are awesome: based in Baltimore, MD, Icelab does some industry-topping work. Above, a picture of one of their creations: a series of faceted ice gems mounted on strings to create a beaded ice curtain.
Neat idea by Las Vegas Ice Studio: Japanese temple ice-carving sushi server!
Five Great American Breweries that Double as Event Spaces
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
The popularity of craft beer has skyrocketed over the last five years or so, and we ve seen hundreds of amazing brew pubs, tap rooms and public houses open across the United States. Breweries make ideal event venues: the raw brick and industrial metal aesthetics are great, the ceilings are typically high and airy, and oh, yeah, attendees can throw back gallons of delicious made-on-site craft ales. Here are a few of our favorite American breweries available for private party rental.
Brooklyn Brewery, New York
One of the more recognizable craft brews in the US, the 4,000sqf Williamsburg-based Brooklyn Brewery is available for after-hours events and has a max capacity of 200. Event amenities include up to 10 draft lines of Brooklyn beer, up to 3 large format Belgian-style Brooklyn beers, tables & benches and A/V equipment .
Angel City, Los Angeles
With a 230 person standing capacity (130 for table seating), Angel City Brewery offers a grand, private space that sits perpendicular to the Brew House, perfect for private or special events. Consider the Beer Hall an open canvas, as it can be tailored to fit any event needs. It has its own 12-tap bar, moveable stage with PA system, customizable chalk-board painted restrooms and room for games or activities. The Beer Hall boasts seven industrial garage doors that open to the parking lot and allow LA s best food trucks to serve food to inside guests.
Nightshift Brewing, Everett MA
Massachusetts friendly home-town brewery Night Shift is one of the smaller venues on this list, but it s got great decor and fantastic beer. Events can include private brewery tours and tasting, plus fresh beer flights for attendees.
Sweetwater Brewing, Atlanta GA
Sweetwater Brewery has the event organization stuff down, with two event spaces, The Tasting Room and The Reel Room, which capture the energy and atmosphere of the brewery, brand and mission. The Tasting Room has a capacity of 650, with 450 for the Reel Room. Pricing includes Two hours of set up time prior to guests arrival, 3 hours of event rental, and 1 hour for event clean up/breakdown, plus Sweetwater tastings for all guests in conjunction with free brewery tours, featuring the SweetWater year-round selections and Catch N Release series depending on availability. Complimentary guest parking is also available, and in terms of A/V, they ve got streaming SIRIUS music, screens, and iPod connections. Grab their PDF one-sheet here.
Red Hook, Portsmouth NH & Woodinville WA
Another event venue rental and brewing veteran, Red Hook has two U.S. locations in New Hampshire (here s the PDF event packet) and Washington State. The Washington location has two event spots, one inside (PDF info) and one outside (PDF info).
Inspiration: Gorgeous Spatial and Exhibition Design
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Designing a good explanatory or exhibitory space is actually a multi-disciplinary pursuit. The spatial design should match and support the content of the exhibition; it has to be created with an eye on usability so that signage is clear and readable; and a bit of wayfinding, allowing people to smoothly navigate the space. We ve collected five example of our beautiful exhibition design from around the web.
Sustainability Treehouse by Volumes
The main challenge was to create an experience that would engage Boy Scouts eager to find the next adventure activity zip lines, climbing areas, a skate park and leave them with a new perspective on sustainability. The design avoids outdated and formulaic exhibit solutions and, instead, delivers information in surprising and unexpected ways, down to the humorous and irreverent tone of the exhibit text. Nature s natural processes inform the exhibit program which then translates these principles to everyday life.
iFace Sticky Notes
Creators Dela Rostami and Naz Mojab created a sketch > pixel art > sticky notes wall as a promotional and engagement method for an upcoming museum launch. Stunning low-budget creativity. They say:
As part of a land grant university with an extensive population of minority majority ethnic groups, the Shrem Museum of Art (currently under construction, opening early 2017) will provide an opportunity for its intended audience to engage culturally and intellectually both inside and outside the museum.
For this I ve created a series of mockups and primarly prototypes(low-tech)in public spaces around UCDavis campus. My goal is to attract a broad cross-section of UC Davis students, adults, families, experts etc. to the Shrem Museum of Art.
JAZZ
A display of photos from the National Library of Norwayforms this exhibition about the history of Norwegian jazz music from 1930 to 1990. With stories, photos and other archival material this exhibition gives you a unique glance at the true history of jazz in Norway.
Wired Store
Exhibition design for the Wired magazine pop up store in SOHO, NY. Created by Mother New York / Mother Design, with creative direction by Mark Aver and design by Candice Ralph, Jules Tardy and Yoshie Hozumi.
de:block Exhibition
De:block is an nomadic exhibition that celebrates local designs that had made a mark in Singapore s design history, showcasing posters, publications, fonts and products by numerous design studios that have emerged since the 60s. Good design is much closer to home than we think and as a result, this trip takes us to Tampines, one of the most populated estates[s] in Singapore.
15 Must-Follow Pinterest Boards for Event Producers
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
It s time for your Social Media winter refresh, and that means checking out some new feed this year. So which Pinterest accounts are on the event professionals must-see list (besides ours, that is)?
Experiential Inspiration
Branded Environments by @tapelgren
A board that explores installations walking the line between marketing and art.
LUMIN by @munkowitz
Super-futuristic spacial creation with lighting design.
Market Place by @lulualma
A collection of clever brand activations and guerrilla marketing campaigns from Chicago s Lulu Almazan.
Exhibition Design by @supremelan
Meticulously curated board of great exhibit photography, both branded and artistic.
Pop-Up Stores by @agencyofplace
Pop-up stores!
Food & Drink
Catering Food Stations by @Makemischief
The ultimate board of tiny, stylin edibles: sushi arrays, trendy things on sticks, miniaturized donuts, and other good things.
Food Styling by @pausegourmande
Not sure how to style your spread? This inspiring board s got oodles of pretty plates oozing with atmosphere.
Eat Appetizers by @foodiecrush
Recipe after calorie-dense comfort food recipe? Don t mind if we do.
Drink by @buzzfeed
Believe it or not, the go-to digital stop for pictures of 90s hairstyles and adorable piglet GIFs serves up a pretty excellent collection of novel party drink ideas on Pinterest.
Foods n Kitchen by @virvelflicka
More excellent food shots, many of which are event-adaptable.
Interior & Design
Event Design by @epievents
Banquet design: flowers, drapery and chandeliers.
Event by @AllenLeong
Stages, backdrops and catwalks.
Signage by @mishkadobek
In-store displays, clever signs, beautiful exhibitions and all things wayfinding.
Entertain by @eyeswoon
Nordic-inspired table design and party place-settings.
Event Design by @rosesarsenal
And finally, this popular board by Rose Arsenal, all things eventful and pretty.
Christmas Lighting Inspiration for A/V Nerds: Projection Mapping & Interactive LEDs
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Got Christmas on the brain? We ve collected up a few of the coolest videos from this year s Christmas displays. We got yer home facade mapping, yer interactive lights, and some good ol traditional holiday light shows that ll blow your mind.
Houses in Serial
This home run by Brian McNamara from Gilbert, Arizona, synced up LED systems across six adjacent houses, and included its own radio station. Day-amn.
Sixty-eight neighbors half of them kids spread across 13 houses and started building the display Sept. 17, and finished it exactly one month later. ABC crews spent five days filming in Gilbert and relied on handy-cam footage to fill out the rest. The end result was a display consisting of more than 500 circuits, 110,000 lights, 285 strobe lights, and over 50,000 feet of wire. The roughly 10-minute display show is set to four songs, which visitors can listen to on 93.9 FM as they drive or walk through.
Interactive Facade Mapping Christmas Tree
Props, Mariachi Events and Palnoise, this tree is made from a list of Decibel s favorite keywords. On display this year in Dubai, the tree s program includes an automated program followed by a participatory segement. In other words, once the projection is done playing, guests can grab their iPads and decorate the tree themselves, adding leaves, snowflakes, and other virtual baubles.
SAKS Fifth Ave.
Nobody does class like SAKS. This display is up at Rockafeller Center in New York.
Melbourne Town Hall
Created by large-scale projection pros The Electric Canvas, the Melbourne Town Hall Christmas projections were in top form this year, following a city-wide initiative to sink some extra cash into the community Christmas spirit. The result was pretty rad.
O Light Divine
This one s actually from 2012, but it s cool enough to deserve a repeat. Designed by David Barshow, the interactive app-driven light display was up in Menlo Park, California. Visitors could install the O Light Divine app, adjust the light settings, and enjoy.
Let it Go
This monument to ice queens, created by the Larsen Family and made from around 1,000,000 LEDs, enjoyed a nod on ABC s Great Christmas Light Fight , and for good reason.
The Force Awakens
Not that we blame them, but someone in Pittsburgh was mad excited about Star Wars Episode 7.
Top 3 Experiential Marketing Campaigns of 2017 (Thus Far)
BRAND ACTIVATIONS & MARKETING, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EXPERIENTIAL, LIVE EVENTS
Experiential marketing. Engagement marketing. On-ground marketing. Event marketing. Whatever you want to call it, can be very successful if done right.
The goal of experiential marketing is to form a memorable connection between the consumer and the brand to make a lasting impression, influence purchase decisions and ultimately build brand loyalty. It s proving to be a valuable part of a company s marketing plan, especially for large, faceless brands who can be viewed as out of touch with the general public.
With the explosion of new technology (like virtual reality) in the past year, combined with good ol fashion creativity, we expect 2017 to show us big things for experiential marketing. Here are some of our favorites so far.
The Casper Nap Tour & SXSW Takeover
Casper, one of the heavy-hitters in the mail order mattress-in-a-box industry, took this year s South by Southwest Festival by storm. For starters, they had their Nap Tour RV strategically stationed to help exhausted festival goers take 8-minute power naps. Attendees got to experience the comfort of a Casper mattress in a private pod, complete with slippers, a cold brew coffee, and a dog bed if they also had a furry friend.
Casper also partnered with the Standard Hotel s One:Night app to help people find a last minute, reasonably priced hotel room in an otherwise completely booked city. Each day at 3:00pm, the One:Night app released 20 rooms that could be booked for just $99 (more reasonable than the other hotel prices in downtown Austin during this time, which ranged from $250-$1,200). Guests got to sleep in comfortable rooms outfitted with a Casper mattress, pillows and slippers. Car service was provided by Tesla, and you could even request a real mom from the front desk to come read you a bedtime story.
Thanks to Mother Nature, Casper really solidified themselves in people s memories when an unexpected snowstorm cancelled flights in the North East at the end of SXSW. Casper extended their event to help stranded attendees find rooms, and even threw a Stranded in Austin party with rapper Warren G.
Talk about turning a nightmare into a dream.
XFINITY Fast & Furious Drive-Out Cinema
XFINITY partnered with the release of the next Fast & Furious movie, The Fate of the Furious, to take two of their customers on the ride of their lives. Excited to see and sit in some of the super cars from the movie, the two contest winners strapped in to watch a sneak peak of the film. That is until the people in the driver s seat suddenly discovered that the keys had been left in the car. Cue revving engine, confusion and adrenaline.
Turns out the people in the driver s seat were the actual stunt drivers from the movie, and they take the two unsuspecting super fans straight through the wall of the theatre and into an explosion-packed stunt ride. It was literally just like a scene from the movie. While this experience wasn t had by many people in-person, the YouTube video posted about it did a great job of capturing the event. While watching, you instantly start imagining what you would do in that situation. It evokes a feeling, a rush.
Plus, it s just flat-out funny to watch these people s faces as they flail about doing donuts next to impressive pyrotechnics.
Crayola Retires a Classic
Crayola made waves in the social media sphere by announcing that they were going to retire one of their iconic crayon colors from their 24-count box. They set up a giant box of crayons in Time Square, and had a countdown going on their website to March 31, 2017 (National Crayon Day) when they were going to announce live on Facebook which color would be getting the ax. Engagement and buzz on social media was high, as Crayola encouraged people to share which color they hoped to keep around (there s lots of Cerulean fans out there).
As it turns out, a box of the new crayons made its way onto shelves one day ahead of schedule, and of course an excited fan spotted it and posted it to Twitter. We give major props to the Crayola social team for reacting to this leak swiftly and positively by saying the color Dandelion just couldn t wait, and decided to announce his retirement a day early. This fast-thinking, positive spin saved the campaign, and may even end up gaining it more attention in the long run. Who doesn t love a good spoiler scandal? Here s wishing that Dandelion enjoys his golden years.
Do you have a favorite 2017 experiential marketing campaign that didn t make this list? Let us know! Tweet us at @DecibelEvent. We re social butterflies.
