The Cafe at the Alhambra

Event Solutions has acquired 10,000 sq feet of space in The Alhambra, a 45 acre office campus north of Downtown LA. The space includes a 4,000 sq feet commercial kitchen where all of our catering is prepared and The Cafe at the Alhambra, a restaurant that provides breakfast and lunch items to the office workers on the campus. So now in addition to our corporate offices in Culver City we have a huge facility in Alhambra where our clients can enjoy our food. The Alhambra is located off the 10 and 710 freeways and can be reached from anywhere in Southern California. We are now hosting monthly BBQ for the office workers in order to make our Cafe and its activities something to look forward to. Tomorrow we are having a traditional American BBQ complete with hamburgers and hot dogs and music from 11-1pm. After you've been in an office all day it's nice to have something to look forward to. We try to be festive here at Event Solutions and with the acquisition of our Alhambra facility we have a lot to celebrate.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

A Necessary Evil

VIP. It is a very necessary evil and if your event requires one make sure you handle it the right way. How do you get around the sticky situation of who is considered "very important" and who isn't? Thankfully, VIP is usually only needed at corporate and entertainment affiliated events so people should be quite familiar with their position on the totem pole, however your mismanagement of the VIP section can really present a problem at your event. Company executives, sponsors, celebrities or other people who for some good reason should not have to mix with the masses are the only people who should be VIP status. There are two ways of handling this. One, you could create a VIP list or two you could hand out wristbands to VIP guest during check in. If you don't use wristbands, stickers or stamps could also work. Secondly, every person on your event production team should know the procedure for VIP guests- it is not VIP if your guests have to argue with security. VIP guests should be escorted swiftly to the denoted area and have access to their own food and drinks. It would be helpful if you could provide a waitstaff for the guest because it discourages them from having to leave the VIP area often. VIP areas are created out of respect and basic safety concerns and should not be used as a tool of power, otherwise the whole thing could blow up in your face. The president of a company, whether its the company throwing the event or a sponsor, should not have to wait in line for food when they are partly responsible for making sure the food is there. A celebrity or other special guest should not have to worry about being mobbed for autographs while trying to enjoy themselves. VIP areas should be maintained to make sure that all of your guests needs are being considered and addressed. If you really want the VIP section to be totally private then VIP guest should know their status ahead of time and have their own entrance or parking. This of course would be necessary at a huge event where there is a big mix of celebrities and non celebrities. It allows for people with the same interests to be grouped together so that each group can enjoy themselves. Executives at an event, might want to discuss business or monitor how the event is progressing from a different view. The VIP section allows this to happen. If you want your event to remain classy then don't use the VIP as bait... in other words people who aren't in VIP don't need to need know about it and if they do they should be having such a great time at your event that they aren't trying to get in there. VIP has such a negative elitist connotation when that really wasn't its first purpose. Obviously, whenever you separate two groups and cater personally to one group more than the other it will cause problems. So make sure that you keep the VIP stigma to a minimum by deflating the hype and keeping your mouth shut about its inner workings.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

Parking 101

The parking available to one's guests is a very important part of the event and can ironically set the tone of the event. No one likes to be at a venue that is confusing or where the parking is difficult. If you have invited guests to a venue, you should think about where they are going to park. If the parking location is a distance from the place where the event is being held, you should figure out a way to get your guests from their cars to the party. Valet parking is always a great option at your event because people can drive to the closest and most direct entrance and walk straight into the party without having to think about change for a meter or parking in a spot that minimizes possible damage to their cars. Normally, valet parking requires a fee from each patron, but if you use a valet for your event- the parking should be free to your guests. There is nothing more tacky than requiring your guest to use valet and them making them pay for it. Parking might seem like a minor detail but I know of some people who will veto an event altogether it there is a funky parking situation. Make the experience fun for your guests by offering appetizers near the valet station or if there is self parking and it is far away, use a cute circus trolley to drive your guests where they need to be. It is the little details that really make an event seamless. If your guests have trouble parking or are worried about their cars it will limit the excited they had for your event. You want your guests to be relaxed and in the best possible mood- not frustrated because they couldn't find a place to park. It seems like a simple thing but parking planning is something no one wants to do but it is very necessary. It is also important to estimate how many cars you will need to account for. For a corporate Holiday party if you are inviting 500 people, you probably only need parking for 250. This is because most of the guests will be bringing a plus one in the same car. If you are organizing a summer picnic and are inviting 500 people, plan on having parking for 375 because it is more likely that people from one family will be arriving in more than one car. Parking doesn't have to be a hassle, if it is something you tackle head on. Decide first if the location permits a large number of cars if it does, then determine how far the parking is from your event location. If parking is close (within a short walking distance) then plan on having a server to greet your guests with champagne. If it is a long distance plan on a trolley and maybe an entertainer to liven your guests up before they walk into the venue. If there isn't convenient parking near your venue then plan on an extra cost for valet parking. Valet looks very upscale and attracts attention thus creating a buzz about your event. Your guests who own expensive cars will greatly appreciate your gesture as well because if there is a ding or scratch on their car after the event... the valet company will have to fix it. The bottom line however, is that parking is crucial to the overall event. An event does not run smoothly if everyone is late because they can't find parking!!!

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

The day after Thanksgiving is a good time to start thinking about planning your Holiday party for 2008. It is never to early to begin planning a party. It gives you an opportunity to manipulate and plan your budget and secure the venue of your choice. If you are planning a corporate Holiday party, the best venues and options go early. If you, at the very least, begin talking to an event planner you can eliminate the extra stress the comes with last minute planning. Event planners have more options to work with when you begin planning early. So, even though you are stuffed with Turkey, begin thinking about planning for 2008. Believe me, you'll be happy you did.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

Thankful for Event Planners

Event Solutions is a full service event planning and catering company and because we are an intimate group we believe in getting things done in the most effective way. I wear many hats, as does everyone at the company, and our main goal is to satisfy our customers. We do the errands that no one wants to do so that our client doesn't have to do them. This includes printing and mailing invitations, buying gift bag and raffle prizes, buying extra supplies the day of the event... basically anything that requires legwork. I have two such things on my plate. While everyone else was out today (the day before Thanksgiving) running into each other with their grocery store shopping carts, I was doing my favorite activity- shopping. It was even more exciting that I wasn't using my money and a little disheartening when I remembered I was buying items for myself. I was out buying raffle prizes for one of our parties. Roxy gave me advance notice, I collected the cash and then was on my way to Best Buy, Starbucks and other places that owned the goodies I needed. Danielle told me to go to Pavilions to buy all the gift cards I needed... they have so many gift cards its insane. You can get cards for anywhere from American Express to Baja Fresh. They have a huge display that bears hundreds of gift cards in different denominations. I found 2 of the 3 gift cards I needed on a table near the entrance and i thought I was home free and ready to checkout. I figured I would just have to go to another store to get the last one, but the checkout lady told me where to find the display on aisle ten. I ran to the aisle, in my heels trying to collect my last gift card and make it back to the checkout line ahead of the women with the two hundred Thanksgiving items in their basket. Luckily, I made it and was out of the store in twenty minutes. Event planning takes every type of skill you can imagine. We are problem solvers in a true sense of the word and I am sure our clients are Thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

So the Red Party was cancelled because the company throwing the party wanted to donate the money to charity instead of throwing a holiday party for their employees. I think donating money to charity is a very thoughful act but at the same time giving back to your employees is beneficial as well. I'm sure employees would rather received a bonus check instead of a holiday party but giving to charity is definitely understandable. We were a bit disappointed over here because well, the event seemed so fun to plan. It was a red theme and everything was going to come together beautifully. We received flowers in the office yesterday from the compnay who cancelled. They were beautiful; pink and orange in a glass square vase- very modern and chic. The compnay wanted to thank us for all of our help and great ideas and were hoping to work with us in the future. So, even though we lost the client temporarily its good to know that they were pleased with us but they decided to go in another direction.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

Mystery Vases

Ostrich Feather Centerpieces are a very popular thing for weddings. They feature an Eiffel Tower type Vase with beautiful white or colored ostrich feathers. You can even light the vases with small colored lights for a beautiful addition. I was on a hunt for these today. We found the perfect picture that exemplified exactly what we had in mind and I thought I had gotten somewhere when I found where the picture originated from. Unfortunately, once i got to that website and found their contact information and actually contacted them I found out they did not have the vases that were pictured. Even though the vase is like an Eiffel Tower vase, it is bigger on the bottom and is shaped like a slender flower vase. She said a lot of people were looking for these vases and that they have been referred to as Spandex Vases. So, i kept looking hoping that she was wrong and I would be able to find these vases. I kept getting close but every time I actually contacted the supplier... they didn't have the vase pictured. Why was everyone using this image to describe Ostrich Feathered Centerpieces if it wasn't indicative of their merchandise? I was even fooled by a supplier on Ebay... Finally, we decided to go with white frosted eiffel tower vases in hopes that it would create the same feel. But i couldn't help but feeling like a carrot was dangling in front of my face. I fell in love with this beautiful centerpiece that can't be recreated. Of course, we will make it work and it will end up looking even more decadent than the picture, but it is still frustrating to run around in circles.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

A Thematic Exercise

I have been given the task of coming up with monthly food specials for one of our sites. I wanted the food that we choose to serve to be under the umbrella of some theme related to the month. Obviously, December is Christmas and March is St. Patrick's Day and February is Valentine's Day but I wanted to either ignore these things totally or put a new spin on them. Since, its kinda hard to ignore bug holidays I opted to put a spin on my themes. I found this amazing website that lists all the observances and national holidays by month. They have all the fun made up days as well as the awarness days such as Breast Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS/HIV. I found out that November is actually National American Indian Heritage Month, "I am so Thankful" Month and National Diabetes Month. I tired to think of foods and themes that would correlate to the month in a fun exciting way. I actually chose the National American Indian Month theme because, well I never knew that before and i'm sure a lot of other people didn't either. I remember in elementary school learning about new cultures and being able to taste their foods and make authentic crafts- this was all very exciting to me then, so why wouldn't it be now. So I thought about Native American foods and went from there. It's funny how much life really revolves around food. People expect food to be present at any event one gives and it is a huge disapointment if one, there isn't any or two, its gross. I learned from my life experience, which was confirmed when I began working at Event Solutions, that not everyone has had the experience of great food. I'm lucky to have been born to a mother who has natural cooking ability, but hey not everyone has been so lucky. That's why when planning these monthly events, I tried to think of simple yet exquisite dishes that Chef Donovan could prepare to really wow our clients. My two favorite ideas were "A Chocolate Covered Christmas" and "An April Tea Party." I thought they were fun and when I started planning the menu I began to feel my stomach rumble. I can't wait to see what comes of it.
Also, we had an appetizer tasting today with fantastic cherry tomatoes filled with cream cheese, artichoke tappenade on tiny pieces of toast and ginger marinated chicken skewers. The clients loved the food and went ahead and booked with us... but now they want tortillas made onsite for their international buffet. Tortillas are really hard to make and we don't have the machine to do... but our company policy is, "Of Course" so we will find a way.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

A Red Holiday

Can't think of a theme for your event? Why not pick a color? The holidays are usually centered around colors such as red, green, gold, silver and other vibrant deep colors. One of our event planners is planning a red themed holiday event but i can't give away her secrets :). All of the decor will be red, which could be spun into several larger themes.. the traditional American, an Asian Christmas or a romantic Christmas. For the traditional American Christmas theme, the tablecloths, napkins and chair coverings could be contrasting shades of red and the lighting in the venue could even be red. This would add a very mysterious and fun touch to the room. There could be red wrapped presents scattered around the room tied with gold and green bows, red Christmas decorations on the tree, and red berry sparkling cider to match. Guests could be served a lamb or beef roast cooked medium well, with red new potatoes and asparagus or spinach. For dessert, they could have rich chocolate cake with fresh raspberries and raspberry drizzle or warm berry cobblers. The celebration wouldn't be complete without a Santa Claus dressed of course in his red suit. If we were planning an Asian theme, we could have red tapestry dangling from the ceiling and a cirque performance for the main event. The menu would entail ahi tuna sashimi, shrimp skewers and red cabbage coleslaw. For the main entree we could plan on dungeness crab with an Asian marinade, with red beets and jasmine rice. For dessert plan on red bean and green tea ice cream with puff pastries filled with raspberries and cranberries. A romantic Christmas theme would include an exorbitant amount of red roses, chocolate covered strawberries and red velvet cake. The decor could entail poinsettias in gold wrapping and if the carpet wasn't already red we would bring in a deep red sub floor. There would even be red wine to enhance the mood. To make an obvious point, event planning is really extremely creative and requires a person who is willing to think outside of the box. Event Solutions believes in upscale, beautiful events and we have high standards and tastes. A Red Holiday sounds so interesting and even if five people had the same themed party they would come out totally different.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

Trash the Dress

I am in the midst of writing a wedding planning guide and glossary so I enlisted Danielle, our wedding planner to help me. We were writing down terms associated with the wedding planning industry and also trying to put together headings for the different stages of weddings. I myself am really into photography and when we got to that heading, I was particular interested when Danielle mentioned, "Trash the Dress." My first instinct was to be appalled... who would ruin their wedding dress? Why would that be appealing and what crazy person would even consider it? Trash the dress is a session in a wedding photography package just like the engagement session or the actual wedding day. After the wedding, the bride puts her dress back on and can decide whether to roll in mud, cover it in paint or go swimming in it... or even burn it. The idea is to reject the anxiety surrounding weddings and combat the imagery of the "bridezilla." Even though I am truly a feminist at heart, I still couldn't get on board with the idea of ruining my beautiful dress for some pictures... that is until I saw some examples.
Danielle found a picture of this woman with wet hair, in her wedding dress sitting in mud.Upon seeing the image - I was hooked on the idea. It was completely feminine, but had an edge of intensity that I found alluring. How quirky would it be to have gorgeous "plastic Barbie" pictures sitting next to some fun pictures of you, the bride, covered in mud in your dress? A beautiful dichotomy exists between being dirty and messy in the dress of your dreams. It shows that you don't take life so seriously and could also display your belief in the reality of marriage and willingness to endure the struggles. A marriage isn't perfectly "clean and pressed" all the time, when the honeymoon is over the real work starts, its time to roll up your sleeves and get dirty! "Trash the Dress" pictures present, I believe, a different side of oneself or maybe just reveal the truth. On the day of one's wedding, I'm sure nothing is the way it normally is. Everyone is super excited and on their best behavior because a wedding, after all, does cost thousands of dollars! I bet some brides don't even remember the day to the full extent, so why all the hoopla? Give the day the best you can and then have some real fun trashing your DRESS!! How incredibly rebellious and mysterious... after all it is just a dress.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

Love = Food

It is always interesting to learn new exciting things about the people you work with. I had the pleasure of interviewing our Chef Donovan and was intrigued by the way his life seemed to just fall into place once he committed to doing what made him happy. Chef Donovan was born in Negril, Jamaica where he received his introduction to cooking from his mother and then later made cooking his vocational subject in high school. While everyone else was taking engineering and other more "important" subjects, Chef Donovan was cooking in a hotel. His passion for cooking took him on a cruise ship and then eventually to California, where he worked for one of the most decadent hotels around, The Beverly Hills Hotel. Chef Donovan has traveled the world doing what he loves to do because he made a decision to pursue it. How often do many of us neglect our passions in life and settle for the obvious? Chef Donovan says his favorite type of cooking is "fusion." He likes to blend his native Caribbean spices with Asian cuisine and other meats to create new dishes. If he comes across a person who doesn't like a certain type of dish or food, then he sets out to change their minds. He told me that his daughter is his biggest critic and he relies on her opinions most of the time because she gives him key words that made him understand why a dish works and why it doesn't. Culinary and cooking skills are a very personal private art and just like any talent it usually is cultivated by ones experience. Chef Donovan told me that he spent many hours with his mother who was always at the stove. I'm assuming he associated her love with her cooking. What a nice association.
At Event Solutions that is exactly the message we want to convey to our clients. We have an executive chef who understands how important food really is. Not only the taste of it, but also the smell, look and presentation of it. We make every catered event special because our food is served hot and was definitely made by someone who loves to do it. That makes all the difference in the world.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

Little People for Hire

So, one of our events this year is a private holiday party in the hilly Southern California City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Because it is a private party, the client gets to have everything she wants, just how she wants it. Well, since we are still in the planning stages it was my job to locate and price some of the things on her holiday party wish list. We have two databases on our computers that allow us to search for vendors, services, clients and any other information that might be pertinent to an event. The database lists services such as animal shows, cirque performers and even an agency that contracts small people. Well, the private Christmas party lady wants reindeer, a horse drawn sleigh and elves. Since we all know elves don't really exist (although I admit her candid request of them made me forget that detail) and the only people who are an elf's size are midgets, i dialed the small people's agency from our database. The agent was obviously in his car and a little thrown off by my 9:00am phone call, but assured me that they did have small people for hire and we could have the two we needed for about five hundred dollars each. Even more interesting to me was the fact that Christmas isn't even their busiest season... its St. Patrick's Day. Apparently, people have parties in which they want small people to dress up as leprechauns. I know that these people are not being forced to dress in costumes that resemble imaginary characters but it seems quite questionable to use these people as additions to one's party decor. But nevertheless, I'm always up for a party and I can't wait to experience elves this December. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind.

crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning

A Taste of the Holidays

Hello! I just recently began my career in the Event Planning industry so imagine my excitement after discovering that in addition to my good fortune, there was a considerable amount of food that circulated around our office. Food Tastings are a normal part of any event planning company but because Event Solutions does their own tasting in house... we are even more fortunate. Our new loft offices in Culver City, CA boast a fantastic kitchen and well lit dining area where our event planners can invite their clients for tastings. The food is then cooked fresh by Chef Donovan and the smell meanders through the office like air freshener. Event Planners invite their clients (prospective or definite) to sample the food that will be served at their event to get a sense of its quality and style or to help them decide what food items to include. Because Event Solutions is an event planning company and a caterer, tastings happen very frequently and I, for one, am grateful.
Today Lauren, one of our event planners, held a noon tasting for a small industrial company that she hopes to book a holiday party with. She handles accounts that are $25,000 and below and because Event Solutions usually reserves tastings for clients with a larger budget, it was her first time conducting one. The company brought 6 people from their event planning committee and our Chef Donovan made a brilliant Thanksgiving meal complete with Turkey, Roasted Prime Rib with au jus, Candied Yams, Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread Stuffing, Homemade Cranberry Sauce and individual apple pie tarts. I had an appointment during her tasting but made sure I was back to sample the meal...
Event Solutions is really moving in a new direction. In the past, we garnered a lot of business doing corporate picnics but are moving towards bigger budgeted corporate and entertainment related events. We actually did a picnic for Lauren's clients about 3 or 4 years ago so she definitely used the tasting as an opportunity talk about our changes. The clients had an opportunity to dine and talk with our new Chef Donovan (who used to work at the Wynn Las Vegas) and he assisted Lauren with all the food questions. Lauren expects to hear whether or not she booked the job later this afternoon or in the morning. She said they loved our food but judging from the two pounds I've gained since joining the Event Solutions team I knew that wouldn't be a problem.


crystal p smith
event solutions
crystal@eventsolutions.com
Southern California Event Planning