Event Solutions | Magazine Articles

MGM Mirage Events Creates 'Infinity' for Corporate Celebration

Aubrey — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:03:50 -0700

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May 2009

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MGM Mirage Events (MME) offered a glimpse into “Infinity” for 1,800 international and domestic marketing customers at Bellagio Las Vegas. A hundred fifty tables were draped in holographic linens. Centerpieces were designed with Lucite mirrored infinity boxes internally illuminated with micro-LED lights and accented with orchids and dwarf calla lilies. Bellagio catering’s delectable menu was laser-etched in holographic lettering on Lucite chargers.

Attendees were dazzled by a variety of lighting and video effects, including lasers piercing the ballroom ceiling. VersaTile panels encircled the stage-in-the-round, which consisted of an 8-foot-tall by 20-foot-in-diameter cylindrical MiTrix LED screen that oscillated up and down, revealing the orchestra and 45 dancers and performers. A 6-foot MiPix LED ball was rigged overhead. Video images played on these surfaces all evening long.

The perimeter of the ballroom featured holographic materials, large mirrored domes framed in black patent leather, and bars constructed with infinity mirrors.

1 MME designed centerpieces incorporating infinity mirror boxes with micro-LED lights reflecting inside. The mirrored surfaces amply reflected the hologram linens provided by Cloth Connection of New York.

2 MGM Mirage Graphic Arts designed Lucite chargers with a menu of holographic lettering laser-etched into the acrylic.

3 Air Twist glassware and flatware were provided by Unique Tabletop Rentals of Los Angeles.

4 Lighting designer Eric Schlobohm of Bellagio Technical Services arranged video content of astral imagery and IMAG that provided sensory stimulation on a 6-foot MiPix Ball supplied by video production company XL Video. Creative Technology provided 600 MiTrix panels to create the video cylinder. Ninety-six VersaTile panels from Video Equipment Rentals were used around the circular stage and throughout the ceiling of the ballroom.

5 Las Vegas-based Smoke & Mirrors FX created the laser show. Entertainment Plus Productions Inc. out of Los Angeles supplied the entertainment.

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Behind the Curtains at the 2009 Spotlight Awards

Aubrey — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:18:42 -0700

Issue Ref

May 2009

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“It was like the Academy Awards — with more energy...” — Ken Doyle, Director of Marketing, Warner Pacific Insurance Services

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“It was like the Academy Awards — with more energy,” said one attendee. Find out why the '09 Spotlights were the most talked about awards reception of the year.

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The 2009 Spotlight Awards and Event Industry Hall of Fame combined their presentation with the ICA CATIE Awards as the glamorous finale to Conference ’09.

Spotlights executive producer Eddie Diaz, CEO and creative director of Orlando, Fla.-based Encore Creations, met the following challenges: headliner entertainment, venue qualifications, fitting 40 awards plus entertainment into a reasonable time frame, cuisine, space and logistics, and food and beverage distribution.

The venue, a sound stage/studio provided by DreamVision Studios, gave Diaz a blank canvas from which to create his “Glow and Plumes”-themed event. The flexible space met the needs of staging for acts from magic to headliner entertainment. Pauline Parry of Good Gracious! Events provided inspired cuisine, presentations and food stations that enhanced the theme.

The timing of the show required close collaboration between Diaz, entertainment producer Anthony Bollotta, emcee Glenn Thayer and all of the performers. Bollotta carefully scripted the awards presentation to provide a seamless, graceful flow. Another timing strategy Diaz devised was having presenters award more than one category during their time onstage. Event Solutions and ICA wanted the awards to be presented in a gracious and respectful manner. Mission accomplished!

Diaz and team brought the theme of the event to fruition with glowing furnishings, chandeliers, a custom program, and elegant, plumed showgirls who carried the awards sculptures. “Glow and Plumes” played on the word “plume,” which can be a beautiful feather or an accolade. Diaz gave the guests both interpretations.

For a full list of Spotlight Award recipients, click here.

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Production Team

Executive Producer: Eddie Diaz, Encore Creations

Associate Producer: Sarah Sheehan, R&R Live

Associate Producer: Travis Dudley

Entertainment Director: Anthony Bollotta, Bollotta Entertainment

Catering Director: Pauline Parry, Good Gracious! Events

Assistant Catering Director: Dan Smith, Good Gracious! Events

Venue Director: Phyllis Carreon-Taie, DreamVision Studios

Stage Designer: Rob Hill, Merestone

Technical Director, Lighting: John Garberson, Creative Backstage

Video Director: TJ Watson, Creative Backstage

Audio Director: Donovan Mote, Pro Production Services

Video & Multimedia Director: Jon Fondy, Do It Yourself Marketing

Stage Manager: Kris Mohfanz

Stage Manager: Karl Kirbie

Lighting Accents: Airstar

Furniture: American Furniture Rentals

Portable Executive Bathrooms: Black Tie Event Services Inc.

Room Design & Decor: By Dzign

Event Photography: Christie’s Photographic Studios

Staging Equipment: Alan P. DeLeon, Dynamic Scenery & Supply Co.

Dance Floor: Holo-Walls LLC

Step and Repeat: Grosh Backdrop and Drapery

Hall of Fame Awards: IceMagic/Bill Whidden Designs

Logo, Program and Menu Design: Kelly Kilburn

Glo-Chairs: Lounge22

Video Equipment: Matrix Visual Solutions

Spotlight Award Sculptures: MK Shannon

Rentals: Pro Em

Chandeliers: MGM Mirage

Catering Team

Water Wall and Buffet-Top Video Screens: b.e. creative

Edible Glittery Chocolate: Bedazzle My Bonbons

French Ginger Liqueur: Domaine de Canton

Petite Desserts: Epicurean Umbrella

Wine and Sparkling Wine: Liquid Catering

Floral Design: Mille Fiori

Wine Sponsor: Mirassou Winery

Cocktail Flowers in Syrup: Wild Hibiscus

Buffet Linens: Wildflower Linen

Entertainment Sponsors

Kathy Sledge of The Legendary Sister Sledge

David Thomas, The World of Magic

Vox Audio

Glenn Thayer

LA Allstars

Larry G. Jones

Black Violin

Champagne Showgirls

Key Artist Group

Castle Talent Inc.

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Fabulous Showcase: A Living Transformation

Aubrey — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:40:07 -0700

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May 2009

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“As soon as we walked in, we were mesmerized…” — Mimi Dinh, Owner and President, Mikel Marketing

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The seamless integration of entertainment and architecture were on display at Event Solutions' signature event, which was truly a "Metamorphosis"

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Armen Gharabegian, principal of Los Angeles-based Lounge22 and Ethos Design, visualized “Metamorphosis” — the 2009 Fabulous Showcase Event — as a transformational event, in which the environment and space constantly evolved. He and his team transformed nightclub Body English as the night progressed and the audience partied.

Gharabegian created the event using 3,000 lumen projectors with independent feeds running a pre-produced slide show. The strength of the concept allowed use of relatively standard equipment to create a big impact. With targeted lighting of specific elements, the space grew to one in which light patterns probed the darkest reaches of the club, revealing otherwise hidden images. The audience and performance architecture became an integral part of the design.

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Sponsors:

Producer: Armen Gharabegian, Lounge22/Ethos Design

Associate Producer: Beth Ballantine

Participating Sponsors

AVI-SPL Inc.

Cayce Andrew

Christie’s Photographic Studios

Ethos Design

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

Mirassou Winery

Patron Spirits

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Welcome Bash Proves the Power of Live Events

Aubrey — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:40:24 -0700

Issue Ref

May 2009

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Cherry Nightclub pulled out all the stops to welcome event pros to Conference '09 — Vegas-style.

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The power of live events was truly on display as hundreds of event pros joined together at Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa’s Cherry Nightclub for the first event of the conference, Opening Night Las Vegas. The evening introduced the venue to planners, many of whom were unfamiliar with the off-Strip hotspot.

“I don’t even know how many hundreds of people made a point when they saw our booth on the show floor later to come up to me and say, ‘What an amazing night!’” said Trish Acevedo, corporate executive director of special events for Station Casinos Inc., which owns Red Rock. “What we kept hearing time and time again was how fabulous the hotel was. They’d say, ‘We had absolutely no clue there was a property of this quality off of the Strip!’”

Attendee Hope-Whitney Davis of the Rhode Island School of Design was impressed with the resort. “I felt it was a great venue — so much so that I actually grabbed some brochures!” she said. The club, which featured indoor and outdoor space, was also ideal for kicking off a week of new connections and new ideas. As the evening progressed, event pros took advantage of all the spaces, packing the dance floor and having more intimate conversations in cabanas that surrounded the pool outside. Inside, Event Solutions Hall of Fame inductees and 2009 Spotlight Finalists enjoyed an exclusive Spotlight Lounge.

“That first night especially I felt like I really bonded with a few people right off the bat,” said Davis. “It was a great way to start the week to make those connections to build upon that networking.”

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Sponsors:

Cherry Nightclub

Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa

Christie’s Photographic Studios

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Award-Winning Tabletop Designs

Aubrey — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:48:36 -0700

Issue Ref

May 2009

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Fresh tabletop ideas were on display at the 2009 Tabletop Competition. Here's what you can take back to your own events now.

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A wealth of ideas awaited visitors to the 2009 Tabletop Competition on the trade show floor. Eighteen groups competed for over $15,000 worth of cash and prizes — while viewers walked away with at least that much in ideas.

Exclamations Catering of Greensboro, N.C., went home with first prize and was awarded Most Creative for tabletop design, “Rollin’ on a River of Love” (above right). Anna Galloway-Currie and husband Ed Currie built a table shaped like a boat, covered it in items scavenged from eBay, and placed it against a hand-painted mural of a river scene.

The couple attributes their inspiration to Carolina culture. “There are not a lot of high-style events in our area,” said Galloway-Currie. “We wanted to bring our culture and our style to life. We wanted to create something people could take back with them and do their own concept.”

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Innovative Exhibitors Offer Ideas

Aubrey — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:40:36 -0700

Issue Ref

May 2009

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“There’s no substitute for the live experience,” said one trade show attendee. Here’s what 1,000 booths and 5,000 event pros added up to.

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Entering the 2009 Event Solutions and Catersource Tradeshow, attendees were greeted with the hum of business deals in the making, tantalizing scents, rows of colorful linens and backdrops, furniture galore, orchids in bloom and more — an event planner’s purchasing paradise.

The 2009 Tradeshow hosted more than 1,000 exhibit booths and was flooded with nearly 5,000 event pros eager to discover the next great event idea.

Live competitions on the show floor created a visual smorgasbord of event ideas in the new Tabletop Contest, and Spotlight Award and ICA CATIE Award nominees were highlighted in sparkling award cases. Attending media found an onsite media room, full of product information for attending reporters and editors.

Tracey Kumer-Moore, an event and wedding professional of Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, said her Tradeshow experience helped her pull her markets together.

“The mix of events and catering just makes sense,” she explains. “Every party involves food, beverage and entertainment, and as professionals we have to make it all flow. It’s an amazing partnership.”

Kumer-Moore, an active social media enthusiast, still believes the experience of the Tradeshow is the ultimate in event education. “Web and social media are amazing, but they should always lead to shaking a hand, touching a linen, testing a drink,” she says. “There’s no substitute for the live experience.”

She said she was inspired by all the products in action, citing the Porta-Décor booth demonstrating lighted, portable plastic blocks.

“You can just envision new things for your clients: a bar, platform, American Bandstand-style stage. You’re at the Tradeshow to discover new, fresh interesting ideas for your clients.”