The new year is around the corner. The event industry often takes nods from runway fashion, the entertainment industry, and pop culture as it formulates ideas for future events. Here is The Event Guys’ list of top 5 trends to incorporate in your upcoming events.

5. Bling
Bling continues to take many forms in events, from sequin table coverings to rentable chandeliers, look for ways to bring bold cool tones to your table scapes.

4. Swag
Swag is going beyond the throw away pens and one use book lights. Think about branding your event with something people will use year-round. Popular choices are branded iPhone chargers, backpacks or first aid kits.

3. Ditch the Speaker!
Instead of the old model of one person talking in front of hundreds from a one-way communication road, expect more round table events. Think informal meet ups instead of lectures, and other ways that gatherings can be more interactive and less static.

2. Go Green!
Not the color.Think about using technology to save paper: Electronic contracts with digital signatures, Seating plans using peferct tableplan, digital brochures, and even follow-up correspondence using electronic surveys after the event to track the success of your event.

1. Get Social!
The trend to go social will mushroom in 2012. It is no longer an option for events to embrace social media practices, but a necessity. From QR Codes at conventions to Twitter Hashtags at conferences, it is important to understand and embrace the ins and outs of our digital world in order to offer your attendees the breadth and depth of social media.

Click Here to read the full article by The Event Guys

Parties That Cook® Releases Its Second “Recipe Deck” Collection of Gourmet Appetizers

Parties That Cook®, the mobile culinary events company specializing in team building and cooking parties, is pleased to announce the release of its second recipe deck cookbook: “More Sumptuous Small Plates”, featuring a stylish full-color recipe “card deck” of 30 easy-to-prepare international hors ‘d oeuvres and appetizers, as well as helpful hints for planning the perfect party. The collection retails for $19.95 and is available for presale on Parties That Cook’s online store or Amazon beginning Dec. 1st.

Parties That Cook Recipe Deck Cookbook

The recipe cards, made of high-quality coated cardstock, feature vibrant full-color images of each dish and are conveniently sized to take to the grocery store for ingredient shopping.  The recipes, inspired by Bibby Gignilliat, founder and CEO of Parties That Cook, are a compilation of client favorites offered at various Parties That Cook events.

“Our new recipe deck is the perfect stocking stuffer, hostess gift or party favor,” said Gignilliat. “We’ve taken the guess work out of party and menu planning and make it fun, easy and convenient for anyone to throw the perfect event.”

The “More Sumptuous Small Plates” recipe deck includes small plates each varying in flavor, texture and cultural flair, including: Honey & Orange-Braised Fennel Tartines with Mascarpone; Little Fish Tacos with Tomato Salad & Chipotle-Lime Crema; Curried Indian Flatbread with Mango-Currant Chutney; Porcini Mushroom & Fontina Puff Pastry Tartlets; and Mexican-Spiced Fudge Brownies with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

The “More Sumptuous Small Plates” recipe deck is available on Parties That Cook’s online store for $14.95 through Nov. 29^th or on Amazon after Dec 1^st and retails for $19.95. For more information about Parties That Cook, visit http://www.PartiesThatCook.com or call 1-888-907-COOK (2665).

About Parties That Cook
Parties That Cook stages deliciously fun cooking parties and corporate team building events in private homes and professional kitchens throughout Seattle, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland, Oregon. Founder & CEO, Bibby Gignilliat, pioneered the mobile cooking party concept in 1999, and extended the company’s hands-on, interactive culinary events to include a wide array of corporate team building activities, cooking parties and cooking classes. For more information on Parties That Cook, please visit www.PartiesThatCook.com or call 1-888-907-COOK (2665).

*Blog courtesy of Parties That Cook & Richmond PR

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/

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

Wedding season is in full swing and it’s no secret that the Willamette Valley is often times chosen for the ceremony. It’s ideal for many reasons- beautiful rolling hills of endless vineyards, prime weather and multiple resources for planning a wedding. Many brides choose one of the many vineyards in the Willamette Valley due to its scenery, lodging and affordability. One such location is the Domaine Margelle Vineyards, located near Silverton, OR which is perfectly situated near the Cascades and nearby lodging like Oregon Garden Resort. They offer two bridal packages- a One-Day and a Two-Day Weekend and venue pricing starts at $3,000. The Two-Day Weekend Package includes overnight use of the property  for Rehearsal Dinner, wedding plus vacation rental and “La Bastide” for bridal party prep and overnight accommodations. Speaking of, the Domaine Margell Vineyard has tables and chairs for up to 200 people and can accommodate up to 300, plus they only schedule one wedding per day so no one in your party will feel rushed. They feature several property sites to choose from for your event that overlook the gorgeous Willamette Valley. To top it off, Domaine Margelle Vineyards produces their own Estate grown Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris Wines!

With such a beautiful environment, you’ll want to capture every moment of it. A Light in the Attic Creative Media offers both video and photography services and even offers Super 8 MM film to compliment the rustic feel of the vineyards. They offer a wide variety of packages and prices to suit your budget and tastes plus they offer a free consultation.  In 2010 they were voted Best New Vender by Oregon Bride Magazine and they are an approved vendor by The Green Bride Guide.

The people at Willamette Valley Wedding Professionals will help you put together the perfect ceremony, from start to finish. No wedding is exactly the same so each member of their team is selected based on the needs and specifications of the bride and groom. The Willamette Valley Wedding Professional Members include everyone from caterers, DJs, florists, officiants, planners and venues.

JELD-WEN Field is nestled in the heart of downtown Portland, welcoming Timbers fans from all over and serving as a beacon for sports lovers. True to the Oregon spirit, JELD-WEN Field boasts both architecturally unique and sustainable features. Beyond that, it’s simply a fantastic place to watch a professional soccer game. Even if soccer isn’t your sport, it’s hard to deny that the stadium is beautiful.

JELD-WEN Field not only serves as the home of the Portland Timbers but also as a special events facility and on October 5th you can exclusively view the facility and its new amenities like the brand new KeyBank club level restaurant, the D.R. Horton community and meeting room and the 12,600 square foot Widmer Brothers Southern front deck area along with other outside event spaces within the stadium. This will be hosted by JELD-WEN Field’s Special Events Team where there will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres from Centerplate, tours of the stadium and giveaways. This is an amazing opportunity for event planners to scope out JELD-WEN Field as a possible venue for their next show and experience first-hand the amenities it has to offer. If you would like to attend this event or for more information please see below.

When: Wednesday, October 5th 2011

Where: JELD-WEN Field- KeyBank Club

What: Private Event Space Open House

Special: Complimentary hors d’oeuvres by Centerplate, stadium tours and giveaways

Dress: Business casual

RSVP: Please send RSVP to events@portlandtimbers.com *No later than Friday, September 30th*

Sah-Hah-Lee features a beautiful pavillion to host your next special event or wedding. It is built in classic NW lodge style, with exposed beams and river rock pillars. The pavillion overlooks the putting course and golf course and driving range.  Heated and enclosed, the space can accomodate up to 200 people, 100 banquet seating. There is room for an additional 72 guests on the back deck. 18 hole golf and mini-golf is available for guest. Sah-Hah-Lee uses Bistro Catering or outside caterers on approval. LaSalle Class of 1981, Mary Lou Kern-Burton had her 30th reunion at fellow classmate/ client- Steve Lisac’s Sah-Hah-Lee Golf Course and Venue.  What a great location, with putt-putt golf for entertainment, great band and yummy food by Indudge Catering.  This is the perfect spot for any event- many of the reunion guests were able to golf prior to the party!  Thanks Tracy & Steve Lisac and all the entire planning committee for a unforgettable 30th reunion!  It was nice to be a guest for once!