by Kristin Healy | Sep 26, 2022 | blog
Events have many moving parts, and getting your attendees to smoothly locate and move throughout your venue is vital. Swank Events can help your company create impactful signage that can offer more than just directional value!
This summer we were apart of IntelyCare’s Summer Outing at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Larger venues like this can be tricky to navigate and can lead to your participants getting lost. Signage is the most overlooked and forgotten ingredient in a successful event because of their plain nature. Corporate events especially, have the ability to form employee comradery and lose the formality of the work environment. An easy way to do this is with décor, and it is easy to include your signage in that vision.
Allegro Photography
Create a Welcome Sign to help the attendees know they have found the correct location and are not wandering around the property. The Welcome Sign is the first touch point that guests will interact with, and it is important to make a good impression. Include eye-catching colors and branded material to ensure that your guests can easily find it. At this event we added company colored balloons next to each sign, keeping the overall theme in contact.
Allegro Photography
Swank Events created the concept of using different sports quotes on each sign leading the guests to the main event. Using these signs as touch points rather than arrows was our way of promoting the company’s core values and also carrying through the theme of “We are the Champions.” Signage can look and represent anything you want!
Event Planning Tip: After determining the placement of your signs, be sure to walk through the venue as if you were a guest. You’ll want to ensure that the location of your signage provides the most benefit for your attendees and serves it’s purpose, whether that be wayfinding or decorative.
by Kristin Healy | Feb 1, 2022 | blog
It’s cold out, we just made it through a nor’easter, and it’s time to show your employees some love! The smallest of gestures can make your team feel valued, appreciated, and special this Valentine’s Day. Couple that with a team lunch or coffee run on the boss and you’ll have the perkiest team in town. Here are six sweet swag items to gift your team this month. Everything below is sourced from the Print House.
For the entire month of February, mention SWANK EVENTS and enjoy 10% off your first promotional product order.
A pair of sleek, subtle branded bluetooth headphones to take calls on the go, listen to music or podcasts, or dial into a meeting from anywhere!
An insulated, vacuum sealed bottle with your logo in elegant silver to hold water or coffee hot or cold for up to 10 hours! You could even accompany it with a Dunkin’ gift card to fill up right away.
Cozy joggers to rep their favorite place to work while feeling nice and toasty warm in their off-time.
Have a team that’s extra on-the-go? Field sales representatives or employees who work outdoors? Why not gift them a warm and stylish way to wear your brand with an insulated packable puffer!
With many teams coming back to the office after two years at home, their old work back may be shoved deep in the back of a closet, or long gone. This laptop backpack has room for much more than just a computer – including designated iPhone pockets, a water bottle holder, and lots of space for desk snacks and other necessities.
And finally, if you’re feeling extra sweet, couple a branded tumbler with decadent Godiva gift box and you’re sure to be Manager of the Month!
Any of these gifts are sure to be a hit, and don’t forget to mention Swank Events to score 10% off at Print House!
by Kristin Healy | Dec 16, 2021 | blog, Featured Blog Post
To design an event with intention means to break down the event into smaller elements: food and beverage, entertainment, venue and physical space, decor and ambiance, and use your creativity to view the event both from the perspective of a professional planner and an attendee. Ask questions like,
“How do I maximize this space so people can eat, dance, drink and socialize?”
“How do I make sure attendees know who is hosting this event without being overbearing?”
“How can I make everything flow naturally and look beautiful?”
Let’s begin with furniture elements – it’s easy to switch up the style and color from velvet to leather, sleek bar stools to wooden low and high tables, to add to the overall atmosphere and bring out the theme. With so many options, intention is key. The type of furniture you choose impacts how your room looks and feels to your attendees. One of our favorite secrets to making a room feel larger is bringing in clear chairs!
Mirrors can have a stunning impact on elevating your event space. It’s an amazing investment that reflects the lighting and enhances the theme especially coupled with conscious design elements like candles and warm lighting.
Bring intentional design into your floor plan and showcase your exhibits and guide guests to take in the whole experience by placing the bar, photo moment, stage, or main attraction towards the back of the event. Are you worried your bar line will be too long? Consider passing wine, champagne or a signature cocktail at the entrance. Guests will feel extra special upon arrival and it’s a win-win to cut down on wait times!
Looking to warm up a space? Add area rugs, trees, greenery or plants to bring color into your space! Large, leafy plants can help absorb echoes and other ambient sound. Outdoors, live plants can help create a barrier to soften the sounds of traffic from outside or music from within.
Signature drinks are an automatic crowd pleaser! This blue cocktail was delicious and fit in perfectly with the blue, white and gold theme. Check out more seasonal cocktail ideas in our blog post HERE.
Are you looking to add an extra activity to your event? What about a cocktail tasting? Make it even more special with local distillers.
Having a DJ is lots of fun BUT a live band can really get the crowd going. Nothing quite beats the energy and production quality of live music!
And finally, bring your branding into everything – from straws in your company’s signature colors, to matching the flowers and balloons, or even your socks, the little details go a long way. Whenever you have an opportunity to customize something or add branding we highly recommend doing so! It may be a small detail, but in the overall experience it ties everything together.
by Kristin Healy | Oct 12, 2021 | blog
Some are drinkers and some are not, and hey, that’s okay! You want everyone to feel comfortable at your event and able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Here are some simple but fun and photo-worthy mocktails to add to your next open bar.
by Kristin Healy | Mar 12, 2021 | blog, Featured Blog Post
Here we are a year into the Pandemic and have the same event-related questions – do you move forward with the in-person event that has been in the works for over a year, postpone, go virtual or land somewhere in between? The timeline on getting back to “normal” is still unclear so these decisions are still difficult ones. Don’t worry, we’re here to break down your options.
Keep Calm and Plan On
Depending on the size and date of your event, you may still be able to hold it in-person. You will, however, need to adjust your plans, along with your expectations. This event will be different than what you had originally planned. Your guests will need to wear masks and keep their distance from each other. There may be less dancing. Food service will likely be handled differently. HOWEVER, with a sense of humor and a good attitude, your event can still be fun, successful and impactful. Some of the most beautiful events we’ve seen have been the more intimate, thoughtful ones so don’t discount this option.
And if your event is scheduled for the fall of 2021, we say keep the date! We are so hopeful for the return of larger in-person events by the fall and have many clients who are proceeding with this. Think positive thoughts and ALWAYS have a plan.
Keep Calm and Go Virtual
If your attendees are not local or if you are hosting a larger event, it may make more sense to take your event to a virtual platform – for the first half of this year anyways. If you aren’t sure, read our COVID-19 and Your Event: Can It Be Held Virtually? blog post on how to determine if going virtual is a feasible option for you.
Since the beginning of the Pandemic, virtual event platforms have really come a long way and the possibilities are endless. You can now make your event as interactive and as customized as you’d like, ranging from tradeshow booths where your guests actually feel like they are roaming the floor to having attendees create their own avatars, virtual coffee breaks, meditations and happy hour, offering many unique sponsorship opportunities and more.
All platforms are not the same so we encourage you to do your research and shop around to find the right option for your event. This can be an overwhelming process (it’s similar to determining the venue with in-person events) so if you still need help, let us know!
Keep Calm and Go Hybrid
If you’re not quite sure which option is most suitable for your event and you have some attendees that are traveling and others who are local, it may make sense to do a combination of in-person and virtual, or Hybrid. This could mean many different things depending on what type of event you are planning. It may be a meeting or tradeshow where some attendees are in a room, safely spaced out, and others are watching it via livestream. Or perhaps it is an awards ceremony that is held virtually and then there are smaller in-person gatherings within teams to celebrate their achievements.
We are expecting to see this in the late summer, as in-person events are returning and attendees may still be a bit hesitant to travel or gather in large crowds.
There is no easy answer when it comes to planning events these days so if you still have questions, please contact us today! We are here to help. Happy Planning!
