Sometimes it is difficult to decide when you need an event planner for an upcoming event. Penta put together a few tips to help determine:  When To Hire An Event Planner.

When You Plan To Host An Event With A Large Amount Of Guests
Planning a Friday night get-together for twenty people in your apartment is one thing; it is another to plan a two hundred plus dinner party in the city. The bigger the event more likely you will need help.

When You Need To Hire A Specific Vendor To Fit Your Needs
An event planner has connections with many different vendors including DJ’s, live bands, caterers, venues, and more.  Having this relationship with vendors, event planners can negotiate pricing and provide the best rate for his/her client.  Also, vendor contracts can be long, wordy and sometimes confusing if you are not acquainted with the industry lingo.  Event planners have experience shopping around to make sure their clients are getting you what they request and within their budget.

When Planning An Outdoor Event
Planning an outdoor event can add stress due to unpredictable weather, noises and distractions, unwanted guests, etc.  An event planner can be your stress reliever. They are skilled in preparing for unforeseen incidents and have experience working outdoors.  Troubleshooting is part of an event planners job and they are well prepared for any disaster.

When You Need Creative, Cutting Edge Ideas
Not everyone has a creative side to them.  Hiring an event planner can help you come up with a great theme and tell you the hot trends of the season.  You will have a party that your friends will be talking about for months.

When You Are Not Organized
Not everyone is great organizer.  Hiring an event planner can help you keep everything together and make sure any outside vendors or venues are scheduled, confirmed and arrive on time.

When You Want To Enjoy The Event
Hiring an event planner means you get to eat, drink, and mingle at your event. The event planner will take care of everything so you can have a great time.

When You Need To Evaluate Your Event
Event planners will remember to review all aspects of the event after it is over. Event planners want to make sure to take note of items that could be improved to make the next event a bigger and better success.

Please feel free to reach out to Penta for all your event planning needs.  Contact cgallagher@pentaevents.com for a free event consultation.

Halloween has long been a favorite holiday of a few of our team members here at Penta.

It’s a welcomed excuse to dress up, experience a guilt free sugar high, and of course throw a fantastic party.  Since many others have the same idea, I thought I’d share a few quick ideas to take your party up a notch.  Let’s face it, candy corn and a keg in the corner only cut it in college.

Creating the atmosphere is so easy this time of year.  There’s no need to go as far as turning your apartment into a certified haunted house.  Please start by ditching the plastic images of witches and ghosts.  Cut the lights and put candles on every available space.  Nothing says scary as well as shadows flickering across the walls.

Gradually adjust the music to change the momentum of the party.  As your guests enter pipe spooky noises throughout the house and then move onto theme songs reminiscent of our favorite villains.  Reserve the Thiller soundtrack until you want to get people moving.  When you’re ready for things to die down (excuse the bad pun), return to the spooky noises.

I’ve often seen that a great party is gauged by the caliber and presentation of the food and snacks.  This holiday is a great opportunity to take a more literal spin on finger foods.  For a bloody accent drizzled across plates mix simple syrup with red and blue food coloring. Serving any red colored shots?  How convenient that shooters look so much like test tubes.  Before you hit the kitchen or start mixing drinks please do me one favor… be aware if any of your guests have a weak stomach.  Gory images combined with too much liquor can serve to ruin even the best party.

If you have any specific questions for your upcoming Halloween party, shoot me an email at bkramer@pentaevents.com.

At Penta, we agree that an inexpensive and fun event is always a few creative ideas away. We have compiled several ways to plan a great event for friends and family that won’t break the bank.

1. Potluck and BYOB: Have your guests bring a food item or beverage (alcoholic or not) large enough to share with others. Set up a buffet and allow everyone to get a taste of everything.  Your guests will also get a chance to show off their cooking skills.

2.  Theme Parties: A theme can be displayed in the selection of décor, food, drink and music.  Some theme ideas:

• Around the World Party: Guests choose a country and bring items based on that specific culture. Once set up, label each with the country and name of the dish or specialty drink. You can serve a hearty Hungarian Goulash Soup beside an all American Apple Pie.
• Dessert Decorating Party: Decorating cookies is not just for children.  Cookies are easy to make in any shape or size.  Each guest can then decorate the dessert to match their personality.
• Wine and Cheese Party: Guests bring a bottle of their favorite wine and accompanying cheese.  It’s a perfect way to indulge in a taste test.
• Dress Up: Plan an event where guests have to dress up.  For example, host a Mad Men themed party where guests dress in a 1960s look.
• Color Theme: Host a party based on a color.  You can purchase    inexpensive colored light bulbs to replace throughout your home and use food coloring to color your snacks and drinks.

3.  Soup Night: Perfect for the cold season. Almost everyone likes soup and everyone has their favorite. Think beyond cream of tomato and chicken noodle and get creative.  Make a large pot of soup to enjoy by a fire or with a great movie with guests.

4.  Use A Public Location: NYC has many beautiful parks – Central Park, Bryant Park and the often forgotten Prospect Park (designed by the creator of Central Park). Each has unique features, from “Great Lawns” to BBQ grills, and the best part is that they are free. Choose a meeting point that is easily accessible, and close to the restrooms. In certain areas, picnic benches and tables are available and sometimes you can even find a roof to provide shelter from bad weather.

5.  Use A Donated Location: Many office buildings have conference rooms with great views.  Ask around your group of family and friends to see if they have an available workspace that can host a classy event.

Events do not have to be expensive to be memorable.  Combine great friends, good food and a little creativity and you will have a successful and unforgettable event!

BIZBASH recently published an article in their May/June 2010 issue called “Event & Meeting Technology,” a list of tools and trends to help planners do a better job. We at Penta Events have narrowed their choices down to the top 5 we believe to be the most helpful. Enjoy! LINK TO BIZBASH

• The IPAD: 2010’s most popular technological device is undoubtedly the IPAD. Event planners need this new and savvy computer because with it, they can deliver presentations just about anywhere without having to carry around their portable computers. With tons of event-specific applications, this is the perfect device to carry with you on-site and be prepared for anything! For information on where to purchase your IPAD visit: www.apple.com.

• Event Apps for Smartphones: In the event community, applications become important because content about any event can be delivered straight to the user’s mobile device. FollowMe, QuickMobile and My Mobile Meetings are all accommodating event planning industries with their development of apps that show floor maps of the venue, registration forms and schedules of each event. There are so many apps to discover, see our blog to see the ones we recommend for you!  

• Twitter: Every event planner needs to be “tweeting”. With over 100 million users, your message is sure to get across. There is no easier or faster way to connect to as many people about an event. All it takes is a few seconds of your time to tweet-whether for promotion or feedback. Please follow us on twitter @ PentaEvents and PentaCares.

• Google Wave: The newest addition to the Google functions is one that allows users to communicate and work together, with text, photos, videos, maps and much more. There is also a polling function that allows users to vote on all aspects of the event posted; from the date of the event to the venue and catering options. For more information on how to sign up for Google Wave, visit: www.wave.google.com.

• Convenient Videoconferencing: This is not just your typical iChat. Videoconferencing has expanded and companies such as Cisco have partnered with Marriott and Starwood Hotels to offer videoconferencing suites at low hourly rates. These videoconferences allow groups of as many as 20 people to sync with co-workers in affiliated hotels in the U.S and in some international ones. For more information on videoconferencing visit: www.cisco.com

So you want to set up the ultimate New York City bar crawl with your friends? Let Penta give you some helpful tips and great NYC locations to get you started and set you up for a night of non-stop fun and excitement!

It’s important you remember the essentials to take with you before you embark on your adventure!

• Valid ID – This is #1 to remember to take. It’s never more frustrating when a group of friends go out and someone forgets their ID. No ID = No Entrance, simple as that!

• Metro Card – New York City blocks are long, so it might be in your best interest to hop on a subway in between your bar destinations.

• Emergency cab cash- At the end of the night, it’s probably a smart idea to hail a cab to take you home. Place $20 in your back pocket to make sure that you have enough cash remaining to safely get to your final stop for the night.

• Advil – We all have different tolerance levels when it comes to alcohol. Taking one Advil an hour before your first drink will make you feel a whole lot better in the morning.

• Keys – You’re going to need your keys if you want to enjoy the comfort of your own bed after a long night out…be sure to keep them in a safe place so you don’t risk losing them.

• Comfortable shoes – Dressing up is nice but, for a bar crawl, comfortable shoes are highly recommended. Your bound to be doing a fair amount of walking and your feet will thank you in the morning.

• Fully charged cell phone – Bars tend to be twice as crowded on St. Patrick’s Day and it can be difficult to keep track of your friends. Make sure you have a fully charged phone before leaving your apartment so that you can stay in touch with your friends if you get separated.

• Camera – Pictures are worth a thousand words, so be sure to bring a camera with you to capture the memories of the evening.

• Designated Dave – Why do you need a “Designated Dave” if you’re not driving, you may ask? In case you exceed your comfortable tolerance level, it is always a good idea to make sure you have at least one friend who will look out for you and your belongings.

Now that you have some of the essentials down, here are a few easy tips for planning your bar crawl.

Step 1: Choose your starting location
Figure out where and at what time you and your friends will meet up to begin the bar crawl. It’s always a good idea to start at a restaurant so that you make sure you eat something before you start drinking.

Step 2: Map it out
Once you have chosen your origin destination, determine your end point and the bars in the middle that you want to make a stop at. Having each address and even walking directions between your stops is a good idea.

Step 3: Call the bars you have selected
If you tell them you are doing a bar crawl, they may be willing to join in your event by offering drink specials.

Step 4: Have fun
And drink safely and responsibly of course!

You can research some great bars to include for your bar crawl on www.murphguide.com!