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With the NCAA Final Four coming to Atlanta this spring, we’ve noticed some basketball terms slipping into our everyday language. Our WM logistics team has been thanking each other for “assists” in the warehouse, and in the office, Leigh told Latoya that she would “see her on the court” when referring to the event that night. Even William was heard to say to the team that they needed to be on “full court press” during the busy week coming up.
This casual usage of sports terms got us thinking. Could many of our events be described in basketball terms? More importantly, is our affinity for basketball a subconscious athletic desire sparked by our numerous events with the Atlanta Hawks? To explore what could be happening here, we have reimagined some of our favorite go-to event features in basketball lingo.
In the Paint
To basketball fans, this term refers to points made from the special area near the basket where offensive players can stay for just three seconds. But for our team of creative event planners, “in the paint” relates to the long list of live artists we have incorporated into events. They have added a splash of color, excitement and interactivity to functions attended by a variety of audiences.
Consider live artist Yoyo Ferro, who contour draws guests, or muralist Peter Ferrari who created custom art for the Taste of the Hawks event. We’ve also booked local artists like Matthew Evans and Angie Jerez. And our definition of “paint” goes beyond oils, acrylics and spray varieties. For example, in Phoenix, we brought in professional artist Kris Rhymes to paint a masterpiece in chocolate!
Traveling
Basketball players won’t get a high-five for traveling – it’s a penalty move that incurs a turnover.
But for our WM team, traveling is when we leave our Atlanta headquarters and descend on destinations like Chicago, Alabama and New Orleans to produce a big event. Consider our time in the Windy City planning two events for manufacturing giant Doosan, when we found ways to incorporate branding with lots of appeal. In Huntsville, Alabama, we brought purple passion to a centenary celebration fit for royalty. Our colorful carnival conference in New Orleans had alligators, fortune tellers and fanciful feathers. Once, we even produced an anniversary party on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands and an intergalactic one in Houston.
Fast Break
In basketball, a fast break means the offense moves as quickly as possible to try to score without giving the opponent time to put up a defense.
In the event world, we like to think of a fast break as switching out an environment with light speed – and we are pros at it! We quickly flipped the room from ceremony to reception during our own Sarah’s wedding while guests enjoyed cocktails on the patio. And when an event space was double booked, we perfectly placed 85 intricate, custom centerpieces at a seated dinner for 850 guests.
Overtime
In basketball, like many sports, a tied score can mean extra minutes of play called overtime. But when WM Events puts in overtime, it’s generally in the realm of a late-night party. Along with some of our favorite DJs, live bands and musicians, we make sure guests have the chance to keep it going until the wee hours, and we usually bring the flashy-blinky accessories to make it happen.
We’ll probably never forget BDR Partners’ 10th anniversary, a progressive event that culminated with an after-after party in a speakeasy with DJ Mike Zarin. Then there was the third act of a corporate party in the desert – with street scene décor, including a chain-link fence, colorful lighting and graffiti, the party welcomed High Energy Band, who kept the LED dancefloor occupied until midnight. With less dancing but just as much fun, the Weekend to Remember fundraiser ended with a low-stakes casino in a spacious tent outside the Delta Flight Museum and cigars for everyone!
