*Voicebox opened its doors in NW Portland on Halloween night, 2008.” Happy Anniversary!

To help celebrate their third anniversary, Voicebox invites you to help replace the boring old CDG of their top twenty songs by creating your own karaoke video. And you don’t have to be a professional video editor to participate. Voicebox is looking for anything from animations to live action, from cue cards to bouncing balls, as long as the displayed lyrics are synchronized to the actual vocal syllable being sung—not just the word. No need to digitally superimpose, so be creative! Click here for more information about the video contest. Entries are due 11.11.11, so get creating!

If you haven’t visited Voicebox, you’re missing out! Here’s what you’ll find at Voicebox…

Voicebox isn’t just Portland’s premier karaoke lounge – it’s a catalyst. No other venue compares as a place to gather friends, family, or colleagues for an unforgettable night of singing, dancing, unique sake cocktails, and incredible service.

Their six private suites are perfect for all kinds of events, from a small gathering of friends to a full facility rental. Voicebox will do whatever it takes to make your party a wild success, because the go beyond good – they truly care about every person and aspect of your night. Let them handle the details while you take the credit.

If we could give everyone who participated in Bravo! Live an award, we would! It was an unbelievable show thanks to all the exhibitors who created eye-catching displays, served delectable food, showed exciting team building activities and more.

Alas, we have just 3 awards to give out. This year show attendees and exhibitors voted for the Best of Bravo! Live 2011. The winners are…

Best Caterer: Premiere Catering
The Premiere Catering team provided attendees with a scrumptious array of comfort to gourmet food to sample. Delicious!

Best Booth Design: Peter Corvallis Productions
Peter Corvallis’s talented team of designers created their modern & edgy take on a NW Lodge from scratch! Yup, everything from the backdrop, fireplace, stage and tables were all meticulously created by Kristin & Nick.

People’s Choice: Royce’s Prop Shop with Cort Event Furniture Hollywood Glam – with feathers, gold star-men, bling, and modern furnishings, no detail was left out of their design. Gorgeous!

Premiere Catering - Best Caterer Bravo! Live Bravo! Live 2011

Peter Corvallis Productions - Best Booth Bravo! Live 2011

Royce's Prop Shop & Cort Event Furnishings - People's Choice Bravo! Live 2011

WOW! Bravo! Live exceeded our expectations and that of both vendors and attendees. Not only did we see excellent attendance but we had multiple people tell us during and after the show how much fun they had and how great everything was. For some Bravo! Publication employees and attendees it was their very first show and for others, it was a welcome gathering of old colleagues and friends. It was unanimously decided that it was Bravo’s best show ever and for very good reason. With the endless help of the Oregon Convention Center we were able to produce a seamless show that drew an amazing amount of attendees. Plus with our amazing group of vendors we were simply blown away by people’s creativity, hospitality and unique products.

The theme this year was Destination Northwest and immediately as you walked into the exhibit hall you were transported to a lush, inviting entryway that directly reflected how inspiring our landscape is. Just by walking around and seeing the different array of booths you could sense that it took a tremendous amount of work, most of the vendors working late into the night before getting everything to look just right. The collection of vendors that participated put on a fantastic show and many said that Bravo! Live is their favorite event of the year.

Many vendors also commented that they saw a tremendous amount of foot traffic and emphasized that it was the right type of foot traffic, making valuable connections with event planners from all types of industries. We were thrilled to hear this feedback because that is Bravo’s number one goal for putting on this type of event.

Hybrid Moon put together a great video for us which they recorded, edited and uploaded directly from the event, right from their iPhone! Check it out below:

Bravo! Event Live 2011 Tour • Shot, Editied and Uploaded using an iPhone 4

Again, this event was spectacular and the only way it was possible was with the joint efforts of so many hardworking and creative people. For us, it’s our biggest event of the year but also a chance for people to come together and do business in a way that is fun, interactive and unique. The success of this event inspires us to make the Bravo! Wedding Affair even more of a triumph. As the year winds down the work picks up and we thrive off the positive feedback we get from vendors and attendees after our shows.

People came hungry and the caterers did not disappoint- we’d list all the amazing food but the photos from Andie Petkus Studios simply speak for themselves! Take a look at the pictures below and make sure to check out the entire gallery from the show here.

Again, thank you to everyone involved and who came and here’s to next year’s show!

Peter Corvallis Production’s amazing booth. We loved the colors and mounted deer head!

That’s right folks, we needed TWO blog entries on transportation for our upcoming Bravo! Live event showcase on October 19 at the Oregon Convention Center. You’ve already heard us gush about Eco Shuttle, Aspen Limo Tours and Double Decker PDX but we simply have to rave about our other four transportation experts: Game Truck, Games 2 U, Twilite Limousine and Tour and Konect Aviation.

Game Truck and Games 2 U offer a fun and unique party experience- they literally bring the games to you. More importantly, it’s not just about playing games. Game Truck likes to look at video game parties as a way of team building and also stressing that they’re not just for the couch potato- they encourage kids and adults to get active. But its not just for kids- Game Truck can be utilized for your next corporate, bachelorette or birthday party!

Inside one of Game Truck's cars. Check out all those flat screens!

Games 2 U also offers great, exciting team building activities for both kids and adults. Need we mention that they have laser tag, 4-D video, foam machine AND a giant hamster ball? The real question is- who wouldn’t feel like a kid again?

Seriously, doesn't this look like fun?

If giant hamster balls and foam parties aren’t your thing, fret not! We have two other great transportation vendors that will be at the Bravo! Live event. Twilite Limousine and Tours offers all sorts of vehicles to get you where you want and need to go. They have a fleet of trolleys, limos, Hummers and even Prius’! How’s that for luxury and being environmentally friendly!

One of Twilite's awesome vintage trolleys!

Finally, let’s not forget Konect Aviation. They were at the Willamette Valley Event Showcase at the beginning of October, flying in their helicopter as the sun was barely rising. They offer tours, lessons and commercial work and taking a ride in one of their ‘copters is a truly COOL experience. C’mon- we KNOW you’ve always wondered what it would be like to take a ride in a helicopter! Started in 2009 by Michael Kopera and Ingo Nehls, they transformed their love for flying into a quickly growing business and we’re lucky enough to have them again for the Bravo! Live event.

Susan from McMenamins, Ingo from Konect and our very own Mary Lou from Bravo!

Make sure to visit all of our fabulous transportation experts at Bravo! Live from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oregon Convention Center-Hall D. Admission is complimentary for all qualified event planners. For more information on the event please see below:

http://www.bravoevent.com/bravolive/

When planning an event the issue of transportation can be a tricky one- what kind do we need? How many people are we taking? Will it be comfortable? If you underestimate or under compensate you could be in hot water. Sometimes just getting to and from the event is the most important part!

Luckily, these three fabulous transportation companies take the guess work out and make it simple, affordable and fun. Aspen Limo, Double Decker PDX and Eco Shuttle all offer great ways for your guests to travel in style and comfort. What’s more fun than riding in a limo? Or a double decker bus painted cherry red? Let’s not forget the sustainable Eco Shuttle!

All three of these companies will be at the Bravo! Live event showcase displaying their services and offering great deals for attendees. What’s great about Double Decker PDX is that they can go anywhere- no seriously. Whether its a wine tour or touring downtown Portland’s nightlife, they can do it. each bus can fit up to 30 people, which makes for planning a corporate event a breeze. Plus, with their affordable rates you don’t have to stress about people finding a safe way to get to your event.

Aspen Limo is great if you want variety. Maybe you want a limo for a bachelorette party or a Black Denali for a more private event. They have five types of cars to choose from, easily fitting around your party size and criteria. Did we mention they offer more than 15 different types of tours? Yup, from wine tours, Columbia Gorge tours, Oregon Coast tours and more, they’ll take you there!

Eco Shuttle is great for the environmentally conscious party planner. They use waste vegetable oil which is free from most restaurants and causes significantly less damage on the environment and is 100 percent safe on motor vehicles. They offer everything from Green Beer Pub Crawls, wine tours, sporting event transportation and of course, corporate events.

Make sure to check them out if you come to Bravo! Live! For more information on Bravo! Live and how to register, please visit http://www.bravoevent.com/bravolive/

What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been! We’ve hardly had time to breathe let alone soak in the success of our very first Willamette Valley Event Showcase. Looking back we can see just how great the event went and how wonderful all of our vendors were- we couldn’t have done it without them and their hard work! This success makes us even more motivated to put on killer Bravo! Live and Bravo! Wedding Affair shows and seeing how well our vendors operated we have no doubt they’ll be a hit.

The day started early at 6:30 a.m. as Konect Aviation flew in a helicopter as the sun was barely rising. What a way to kick off the day, right? Mary Lou Burton, owner at Bravo! Publications even went for a ride!

Mary Lou Burton, owner of Bravo! Publications and the folks from Konect Aviation

The variety and quality of each vendor  was simply immense and for being one of our smaller shows it reflects the amount of detail that goes into it. More importantly, you could tell that the event was fun for both vendors and attendees! We really can’t say enough kind things about our vendors and we’re so excited to be having some of them return for our next events and judging by how successful the Willamette Valley Event Showcase went, there’s no doubt in our minds it will be an event to remember. Below are more pictures from the WVES and information on our two upcoming events on October 19th and November 6th.

Flight Deck serves homemade berry punch on this amazing ice luge!

Yum! Deliciousness is served at the Salem Conference booth. Who else is hungry?

Foremost Marketing interviewing Shirleen from Danner & Soli Gifts

West Coast Drape and Blush Furniture display their chic, contemporary products

Owner Mary Lou Burton cuts the ceremonial red ribbon to start the show!

For information on Bravo! Live on Wednesday october 19th at the Oregon Convention Center-Hall D and who will be there and how to register go to www.BravoEvent.com

For more information on Bravo! Wedding Affair on Sunday November 6th at the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland and how to purchase tickets go to www.BravoWedding.com

Only a few more days until the Willamette Valley Event Showcase at the Salem Conference Center! This will be a culmination of hard work from a fantastic group of people and vendors and we simply can’t wait to see it all come together. This is such a fantastic opportunity for event planners and vendors of the Willamette Valley to meet face to face and do business with each other. For event planners, this show is free, allowing them to preview the services of vendors from all different categories. Caterers? Check. Transportation? Yup. Live entertainment? Oh yeah. Every little detail that goes into throwing an amazing event will be there at your disposal.

Bravo! Publications and the Willamette Valley Showcase was recently featured in the Salem Business Journal and we’re glowing with pride. One of our main efforts is to help stimulate the economy of the Willamette Valley and inspire event planners to throw fantastic events for companies which could in turn, motivate employees. We also want to highlight the amazing companies that are so integral in event planning.

If you’re interested in this event and would like to register for free, you still can up until noon today (October 4th) or on-site at the Salem Conference Center on Thursday October 6th starting at 11 a.m. When you register you will also be able to snag one of our new 2012 Bravo! Event Resource Guide for free.

Come hungry and ready to meet great vendors and other event planners in the area! Below is more information on the event, where to register and some of the vendors that will be there.

Register here

Complete information here

Vendors:

Adam’s Rib

Bentley’s Grill

Flight Deck Restaurant

Roth’s Catering

Wild Pear Catering & Restaurant

Wooden Nickel Catering

Courtell Talent Agency

Destination Events

Will Rogers Live

A to Z Party Rental

Danner & Soli

Eric John Photography

Olson Florists

Special Occasions Parties & Events

West Coast Drape & Blush Furniture

Grand Cru Wine Tours

Konect Aviation (on display outside)

The Trolley (on display outside)

Beckenridge Vineyards

Columbia Cliff Villas

Corvallis Country Club

Evergreen Aviation Museum

Flight Deck Restaurant

Grand Hotel Salem

Independence Civic Center

Kahneeta Resort & Casino

Keizer Renaissance Inn

McMenamins Pubs & Breweries

Mission Mill Museum (Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill)

Salem Conference Center

Have you ever stopped and imagined what a wedding would be like without “The Dress?” For some, it’s merely secondary and for others, it’s absolutely necessary. For the latter brides-to-be, sample sales are the way to go because you can get your dream dress at a price that doesn’t send you running for the hills. Anna’s Bridal Boutique in Lake Oswego is hosting their designer gown sample sale featuring brands like Priscilla of Boston, Jewel, Melissa Sweet, Vineyard, Matthew Christopher, Pronovia and more. Did we mention that Anna’s Bridal Boutique was voted Best of 2010 by Oregon Bride Magazine? Now imagine a store full of beautiful designer gowns for your picking that are an additional 25 percent off their already discounted prices. This sale goes from October 1-October 31 and is by appointment only, so we suggest you call ahead. Additional info is below!

Anna’s Bridal Boutique designer sample sale

October 1-October 31

17050 Pilkington #210, Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Appointments Required

(503) 636-1474