In This Issue...
	ISES Design Forum A Message from Our Chapter President Partnering With Your Event Photographer An ISES Winter Wonderland, Jan. 2006: "To Theme or Not to Theme?" The Special Event Show 2006: "Art of the Event"

A Message from Our Chapter President

By Judy Brillhart, PBC, CPFM Director of Catering Sheraton Commander Hotel Happy new year to all of you! I hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. We've been busy behind the scenes at ISES New England. A.C. and I traveled to the ISES leadership meetings at The Special Event Show in Dallas, Texas earlier this month. It is always great to see all of our fellow ISES members from around the country and around the world. I had the opportunity to spend some time with the international folks at a reception they hosted. It is truly amazing what they are doing in England, Canada, and Europe. TSE is always a mid-year charge for me. I think I get the most inspiration for our Chapter when I am surrounded by other leaders with different viewpoints than mine. Leadership is always a great way to get the creative ISES juices flowing and also to work on processes to improve the Chapter. Howard and his Communications team have been working on the new ISES New England website. I've seen the beginnings of what is going to be a powerful membership tool for this chapter. The site is professional, fun, and energizing, and encompasses all that we are at ISES New England. Look for an e-mail in the next few weeks announcing its debut. Diane and Chris also are busy working on a VERY exciting special project. I know that I am being vague at this point, but I am sure that you will be hearing more about this after our February 7th Board retreat. I look forward to seeing all of you at the Hotel Commonwealth on February 21! Best wishes, Judy _______________________________________________ A note about Northeast REC from Sue A. Werb, CSEP Regional Vice President, Northeast Region The Northeast Regional Education Conference (REC), originally scheduled for March 4-5, 2006 at Kingsmill Resort, Hampton Roads, Virginia has been postponed. A great deal of effort is being made to reorganize, modify, and restructure the educational conference as it presently exists as well as creating long-range goals that will ensure successful conferences in the future. We look forward to resuming the Northeast REC in 2007. Instrumental in this decision as well is our desire as a region to support our destination conference, Eventworld, in Honolulu, Hawaii in August, 2006. We are encouraging all of our members to invest in this opportunity that provides excellent education and networking opportunities and also serves as a forum for uniting our global ISES community. Hope to see all of you in Hawaii!

Partnering With Your Event Photographer

By David and Greta Fox David Fox, Photographer info@davidfoxphotographer.com The goal of professional photography is to tell the story of your event by capturing both its essence and details. The number one question we always seem to be asked by event producers is, "We have this visually incredible event we've spent months preparing for - why is it that our photos just don't seem to capture it?" The key to receiving the services and products you want lies in knowing what questions to ask and what to look for. What is different about photography is that much of the life of these services and products begins after the event takes place. Prices and fees vary widely. Choosing a photographer based on price alone is risky - you really do "get what you pay for". Do you want a photographer who will just (hopefully) show up, shoot whatever s/he thinks is important, and provide you with photos of potentially hit-or-miss quality? Ensure that there is an adequate budget in place for professional photography services. The questions that the photographer asks you are as important as the answers to the questions that you pose. The photographer who just wants to know "when, were, and how much?" is not a fellow event professional. If the photographer asks detailed, educated questions about the nature, theme, and flow of the event and the ultimate usage of the images, you are speaking with an experienced vendor. Some questions for you to ask are: Can s/he provide quality images in a timely manner? Can the proofs be posted on-line quickly? Can finished images be delivered to the media on deadline? Can you, your client, and their guests readily view and purchase photos on-line after the event? Photography is an art form as well as a craft. Look at their work: Are the images sharp, clear, well-lit, and composed? Do they make the subjects and sets look good? Do they tell a story? Do they clearly express the vision of the event designer? Are you enjoying looking at them? Are they exciting? Is the photographer's passion for his/her art evident? Would you want similar photos to represent your work? There is a great difference between proofs and final images. The purpose of the proofs literally is to "prove" what the content of each image is so that you may select from them. Think of them as rough drafts. The labor-intensive finishing process, which is applied only to your selections, balances light and color, with results much like those of the polishing of a gemstone. The final step is the creation of finished image files (high-res for print, low-res for web) and/or final prints. It is important to understand these differences and to specify what products and services are included, and which are available for separate purchase, as well as any additional fees. Some current trends in event photography include having prints made on site to be given to guests at the end of the event in frames or folios, or having the proofs posted on-line for guests to select from as part of the package or for separate purchase. It's worthwhile to invest in professional photography. In addition to enhancing the event itself, the photographic story of the event will bring back memories for your client. They enjoy a second life on your website, shop walls, and in your portfolio, promoting your business. Great photography benefits everyone! David Fox, Photographer website »

An ISES Winter Wonderland, Jan. 2006: "To Theme or Not to Theme?"

By John Zucco Sales Manager/Entertainer Curtis International Associates What do you do when it's January in Boston, the temperature is near 50 degrees, and there is no snow on the ground? Why, create an ISES "Winter Wonderland" of course! The new Boston University Agganis Arena was the host for our January meeting. The Francis D. Burke Club Room was transformed into a beautiful winter park courtesy of Party by Design, complete with a miniature skating rink (and a live ice skater!) provided by Perfect Parties USA. White drapery absorbed the constantly changing color kinetic and color blaze 4 ft. LED lights, snowflake gobos, and ice blue lights designed by Hans Shoop of Rainbow Production Services. Very impressive! Since we were in an arena, it was only fitting that the food reflect what might be served during a game, but with an upscale twist. Delicious New England clam chowder, sausages with peppers and onions, jumbo cocktail shrimp, a Mexican station, passed appetizers, Asian spring rolls, cheese, fruit, and chicken tenders with dipping sauces were in abundance, delightfully enhancing some fabulous networking opportunities. After guests were invited to move to the program portion of the function room, ISES New England President Judy Brillhart welcomed the attendees and briefly touched upon The Special Event Show in Dallas held the previous week. She also thanked our sponsors and introduced Amy Brown, General Manager of the Agganis Arena who, along with Kristoffer Brassil, Assistant GM and Events Manager, spoke about the unique features of the event facility and informed the audience about upcoming events at the arena. Next, Judy previewed the upcoming "Design Forum" meeting in February and Eventworld to be held in Hawaii in August. She then turned the floor over to VP of Membership Robert Miot. Robert announced the results of the December Membership Drive, with the New England Chapter placing second nationally with 21 new members. Way to go, ISES New England! It was then time for our program and our featured speaker Kevin Cummiskey, Executive Producer and President of Cummiskey & Company, and faculty member at Northeastern University. Kevin spoke about the factors that should be considered when producing a themed event. He touched upon the challenges associated with theming an event and, most importantly, why an event would need to be themed. Kevin also discussed the relationship between themed events and branding. These events are not only fun but they generate interest above and beyond that of a standard event. Our Director of Education, Karen Hill, also spoke about the importance of a production schedule. To close out the meeting, we separated into groups with each group creating their own themed event with an unlimited budget. (Alas, most of these events only happen in Fantasyland!!) The raffle followed and a big Thank You was given to Jessica Zirpolo of Gourmet Caterers for conducting the new member orientation prior to the start of the meeting. A very special thanks to our generous sponsors: Agganis Arena, Amy Brown, 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215-1204, (617) 358-7000, amybrown@bu.edu Cummiskey & Company, Kevin Cummiskey, (978) 464-0079, cumiskey@ix.netcom.com Perfect Parties USA, Michael Gallant, www.perfectpartiesusa.com, (800) 275-0185, mikeg@perfectpartiesusa.com David Fox, Photographer, David Fox, www.davidfoxphotographer.com, (508) 820-0558, info@davidfoxphotographer.com Groove Entertainment, Joe Toto, www.grooveentertainment.com, (781) 393-4449, joetoto@grooveentertainment.com Chair Covers & Linens, Inc., Susan Otolo, www.chaircovers.net, (866) 456-1030, susan@chaircovers.net Party by Design, Chris Gasbarro & Kathy Lobdell, www.partybydesign.com, (781) 848-1665, info@partybydesign.com Rainbow Production Services, Karen Hill, www.rainbowproductionservices.com, (603) 329-6943, karenh@rainbowproductionservices.com View photos of the January 2006 meeting »

The Special Event Show 2006: "Art of the Event"

By Howard Boles, President, Lyrical Edge Productions, Inc. When you think of Texas, you often think of things like lariat roping, bull riding and armadillos -- at least I do! But when 2006 rolled around, if you mentioned Texas to a member of the special events industry, you'd have likely also heard them mention fantastic parties, gourmet food and spectacular entertainment. That's because this year's The Special Event conference and trade show was held in the #1 convention destination in the Lone Star State: Dallas! With the theme "Art of the Event", TSE 2006 gave a special focus to the artistic elements that go into making an event truly unique. These elements were discussed during informative educational sessions, were demonstrated on the trade show floor at the Dallas Convention Center, and were seen in abundance at the sensational parties that were put on for attendees at some of Dallas's finest venues. Memorable events at this year's conference included the NACE Welcome Event at Gilley's where guests sampled food from some of Dallas's finest restaurants and danced up a storm to the sounds of Grammy-winning country band Asleep at the Wheel which was fronted by country superstar Johnny Lee. Party guests also were treated to some uniquely Texan experiences such as watching a lariat demonstration put on by expert ropers, riding a mechanical bull like the one seen in the movie Urban Cowboy, and playing with a pair of exceedingly cute armadillos that were on display (an amazing sight if you've never seen one before!). The Theme Lunch was held the next day at Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. This ultimate tailgating party featured NASCAR simulator cars, meet-and-greet sessions with professional athletes, and a dance performance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The Opening Night Party at the Texas State Fairgrounds was over the top, with a multitude of sights, sounds, and tastes that appealed to all the senses. The abundant entertainment offerings ranged from expressive dancing to a Latin jazz band to elaborately costumed harlequin mimes to a Marx Brothers comedy troupe. The SEARCH Cabaret, held the following night in a ballroom at the Adams Mark Hotel, was hosted by veteran emcee Michael Cerbelli. Many memorable musical acts were presented to raise money for the SEARCH Foundation including a couple of accordion tunes played by none other than ISES Rhode Island President (and upcoming ISES New England speaker) Richard Carbotti. Be honest, did you know Richard played the accordion? Well, you do now!! Trust me, he was good. Other highlights of the conference were the Wedding Lunch and the Leadership Brunch. Unfortunately I was unable to attend those events myself, which just goes to show that there's so much going on at TSE that you can't possibly get to everything, try as you might! The conference closed with an amazing Gala Awards presentation and dinner, also held at the Adams Mark. After a cocktail hour where guests had the chance to experience a series of "dreamlike fantasies", the ever-exciting Gala presentation began. Entertainment during the Galas included two songs by former American Idol finalist Celina Rae and a performance by a "flamenco rap" group, a genre which I admit was new to me! A gourmet dinner was then served while guests experienced the sights and sounds of circus troupe Cirque Fantastic Concept from Montreal, a truly fantastic experience. After dinner, guests danced the night away to the sounds of the amazing DJ Timbo. All in all, this was yet another wonderfully planned and executed TSE conference that definitely got the creative juices flowing for the coming year. Planning is now underway for The Special Event 2007 which will be held in beautiful, sunny Los Angeles, home of Universal Studios, Grauman's Chinese Theater and, as veterans of Eventworld 2005 might fondly recall, the elegant Power House cocktail lounge. ;-) See you in L.A., baby! The Special Event Show 2006 - Photos! »