Event Planning Ideas, Trends & Inspiration

In honor of the incredible news sweeping the nation, we want to celebrate the past features and ceremonies we have had the pleasure of putting on! Here’s to many more!

Out With The Old, In With The Gay

Private Home Ceremony at Lake Spivey

Destination Anniversary on Necker Island

Formal, informal or casual, France & Son knows all the tricks to putting on an incredible dinner party no matter what kind you’re having! From how many utensils to what kind of china will complete your tablescape, F&S has let the secrets out! Regardless of the type of dinner party, your tablescape can still be an elegant one!

Formal

A formal dinner party should have the most variety when it comes to the table- refined plates, multiple drinking glasses for drink options, and more utensils than will seem necessary! Here are the secrets:

•  A charger, placed at the center of each setting, will be the base for the dinner plate.
• On the left side of the charger, from left to right: a salad fork, a fish fork (if needed), and a dinner fork.
• On the right side of the charger, from left to right: a dinner/meat knife, a larger soup spoon, and a smaller dessert spoon.
• Towards the top left of the table setting is where the butter dish and knife sits. If there is no use for a butter dish, then replace with a salad or dessert plate.
• Towards the top right of the table setting is where the coffee cup and saucer resides- if coffee is to be served.
• For drinking glasses, arrange from largest to smallest on the upper right-hand side of the table setting. The water glass is first, followed by the wine glass and then a champagne glass.
• To complete the formal dinner party look, place a cloth napkin in the center of the dinner plate.

Informal

An informal dinner table setting is similar to a formal one, in the sense that there is a charger and the same utensil set up. Here is what you need to know:

• A charger and dinner plate are center stage of the place setting.
• On the left side of the charger, from left to right: a napkin (with napkin ring if one is present), a salad fork, and a dinner fork.
• On the right side of the charger, from left to right: a dinner/meat knife, a soup spoon, and a dessert spoon.
• The salad or dessert plate will sit to the upper left-hand side of the setting.
• A large water glass and a smaller glass for alcoholic beverages will complete the setting on the right-hand side.

Casual

A casual dinner party has the most basic table setting design, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be as beautiful as a formal or informal tablescape! Here is what each place setting needs:

• Like the formal and informal table setting, a casual dinner setting starts with a charger and matching dinner plate, topped with a cloth napkin.
• On the left side of the charger: a dinner fork.
• On the right side of the charger: a dinner/meat knife and a dinner/soup spoon.
• The top left of the setting will sit the salad/dessert plate.
•  The top right of the setting will be where the water glass sits.
• If coffee is to be served, the cup and saucer will reside on the right, above the knife and spoon.

We recently ventured over to scope out Gallery 874, Atlanta’s newest art gallery and event space. We were immensely impressed with the unique feature of having 3 separate venues within the gallery’s partly exposed brick walls. The main gallery is 8,500 square feet and is complete with a prep kitchen, 16 foot ceilings, and artwork from in-house artist/gallery owner and artists from all over the world. The studio space is 5,000 square feet and is in-house artist’s, Mousa, personal studio. Luckily, he is willing to share the incredible space for events as well as art-related team building exercises! The last event space, completing the grand total of 17,000 square footage, is the private living space. This edgy gallery is completely transformable, full of endless event opportunities!

Nowadays most people can’t make it 24-hours without checking their Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram feeds. And usually checking your social media during a corporate event is frowned upon. Not anymore! Social media has worked it’s way into the working world with apps and software created for easy sharing and updating during conferences and events!

The Wallrus

No matter the event or how you want your company’s social media to be presented, Wallrus can provide a custom look to display all your social media desires during a huge event! Whether you choose a template or design your own, every post made on your Wallrus wall will be branded with your logo. Combine your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest pages or loop a video- either way, your wall will constantly engage event attendees with what is going on! Wallrus even offers social media training courses to help your company better engage its audience.

Mosio

Mosio is a two-way text messaging web-based software. Using Mosio, conference attendees can be more engaged by simply sending a text from their phone and having it projected up onto a screen, the mediator’s computer, phone or tablet. The mediator can send scheduled messages, reminders or surveys with Mosio and preview and approve the messages before they’re broadcasted to the conference.
 

DoubleDutch

DoubleDutch is a data-driven app for events that is more than just an app. Event attendees have access to your branded mobile guide and can create their own personalized agenda. DoubleDutch has surveys and polls embedded into the software, and allows users to connect with each other based on personal or professional interests. This app offers integration with social media platforms and companies such as Cvent. DoubleDutch can do it all – including event engagement analysis – when it comes to event and conference social media!

Shipping up to 90% of products in the U.S., cardboard is more than just a container. This recyclable material and can be transformed into nearly anything- environments, shoes, and even birds! Here at WM Events, we pride ourselves in being eco-friendly, and recently used cardboard boxes to create a transformable environment and stage decor. What can you make out of cardboard?

What better way to end a three-day conference than by attending a creative art party inspired by the hosting city? Presented at the historic Georgia Freight Depot, Transformed: Industry to Artistry was a party unlike anything WM Events has ever created. Guests were greeted by a drumming circle, dancers, and some of Atlanta’s favorite street artists- Evereman, Ike Madness, and Ms. ATL on the front porch. Dancers led guests past the yarn-bombed rocking chairs inside the Freight Depot and to the dance floor where they performed numerous routines and solo break dances.

Once inside, guests were awestruck by the site-specific surroundings, entertainment and activities filling the space. Installations included a splattered painted paint brush wall, an 18 foot tall balloon wall, paint chip chandeliers, and giant ribbon letters hanging from the ceiling! Also drawing guests’ eyes toward the ceiling were hip-hop trapeze artists! There was an LED hula hooper, a roller derby stunt girl, stilt walkers, and walking contortionists. Graffiti masters (Nels and a private artist), a photo booth, and DJ Tim DeGroot continued the hype throughout the venue. Color blocked floral arrangements, custom Atlanta pillows, eclectic furniture groupings, glow cubes and personalized bars carried the creative flow through the space! Lastly, we had guests transform the 6′ tall ZO letters from the conference space by pouring colorful paints on top of them, bringing the interactive elements home.

Caterers: Affairs to Remember
Photography: Cassie Xie Photography and PWP Studio
Production: Active Production and Design
Rentals: Collection Event Furniture Rentals, Event Drapery, and Peachtree Tents & Events

After a day full of work and conferencing, night two was full of excitement! Hosted at  Ventanas, this party had all the bells and whistles. Overlooking both Midtown and Downtown Atlanta, this rooftop venue was dripping elegance and living up to the party theme of Centennial Chic– from the table decor all the way to the helicopter tours. That’s right! Guests were able to go on helicopter rides throughout the night. Surrounded by ghost chairs, the dinner tables were dressed in white rhythm linens, mirror runners and chargers, floral arrangements of white orchids and hydrangeas and custom napkins with silk-screen printed menus. In between the helicopter tours, guests danced the night away to the Atlanta Soul Band while playing Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, and Texas Holdem with custom Poker chips.

Caterers: Legacy Catering & Events
Photography: Cassie Xie Photography and PWP Studio
Production: Active Production and Design
Rentals:Collection Event Furniture Rentals, Monte Carlo Productions, and Peachtree Tents & Events

This three-day conference only had two days of general session, but the nights of fun began with the night before the first session.

Day one consisted of conference attendees arriving at the Four Seasons from all over the world- 44 different countries to be exact. After guests were settled, the night began with a tech expo featuring Georgia Tech’s eTV, Georgia Tech’s wearable and interactive technology, Reel FX, UGA’s virtual reality technology, and  client future experiences. There was even a 3D printer!

After a few speeches, a banjo player plucked a tune while leading the guests upstairs to the terrace for the party- Moonshine & Magnolias. Moss runners, twinkle lights, tree trunk slabs, and colorful floral arrangements dressed the farm tables and whiskey barrel highboys. Market lights were strung overhead and rustic lounge groupings completed the perimeter decor. Guests played corn-hole, giant Jenga, and giant Connect Four as The Dappled Grays filled the space with a vibrant bluegrass sound.

Caterers: Four Seasons
Photography: Cassie Xie Photography
Production: Active Production and Design
Rentals: Collection Event Furniture Rentals

From transforming three different event venues to transforming the entire conference space overnight, this three-day conference followed by a different event each night was one of the most exhilarating things WM Events has ever done.

Day two started with an optional sunrise run through Piedmont Park. Once at the general session’s venue, a gospel choir welcomed guests down a walkway lined with flags from the 44 countries that attendees call home. After check-in, guests followed a gradient sidewalk to the general session. Conference attendees were greeted by a coffee and breakfast bar, box installations, lounge seating, custom printed pillows, and Xbox racing video games. Large 3D wall decals and graphic column gradients completed the look of the general session space. But what really made this space unique was the stage decor. White cardboard boxes, varying in size, framed the stage, while cardboard box chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Day three’s general session began a bit differently than the day before. The general session venue stuck with the conference theme and transformed overnight! As a change of pace from day two’s gospel choir, guests were greeted by a drumline at check-in. Once in the general session space, the transformation was immensely evident. Cardboard box installations and lounge groupings had been reconfigured. The installations were now branded with colorful custom vinyl graphics while the furniture now had colorful pillow pairings. The large 3D wall decals now had prefixes and some of the cardboard boxes surrounding the stage transformed into birds- completing the look and feel of the conference theme.

Caterers: Affairs to Remember
Photography: Cassie Xie Photography
Production: Active Production and Design
Rentals: Event Drapery and Peachtree Tents & Events

What if there was a better way to spend the summer other than swinging underneath the blue skies? You may recall The Event Of A Thread, created by Ann Hamilton and constructed at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The installation consisted of interactive swings that would generate the movement of attached fabric when swung. Some people enjoyed the childhood past-time of swinging, while others would enjoy the art from lying underneath the flowing fabrics.

There is a new swing installation that is redefining the elegance of childhood. Recently, in Milan, London designer Philippe Malouin encouraged people to swing on a swing set in the Palazzo Serbelloni. Can you imagine visiting an elaborate 18th century palace and finding an over-sized swing set? Each of the eight seats were constructed from different forms of Ceasarstone, pairing with the matching Ceasarstone runner underneath the swing. To showcase the versatility of Ceasarstone, Malouin also designed geometric planters, varying in size.

Annually held at the Ritz-Carlton, WM Events has now put on three conferences for a large financial firm. The first conference we coordinated involved celebrity guest Chris Moneymaker’s expertise, centering the conversation on “beating the odds.” The second conference used Steven Levitt’s strategic analysis provided insight for statistical interpretations. The most recent conference we coordinated was a grand slam starring Billy Beane and his insight on sabermetrics analysis.

The first day of the conference consisted of a general session and Billy Beane’s famous insight. After, the conference attendees enjoyed a brief cocktail hour and were then bused to the Georgia Aquarium for dinner and a night of simulators. Shooting, driving, flying, and golf simulators entertained the guests throughout the night. However, the star of the night was the BMW i8! Guests took turns gazing at the beautiful car and even getting their pictures taken sitting in it! The next day, the conference continued with the round-robins and shark tank. The conference ended with guests receiving custom miniature Louisville Slugger baseball bats. Check out the photos, taken by PWP Studio, capturing this stimulating conference.

Amsterdam based illustrator Kustaa Saksi, with the assistance of Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh, created an immaculate paper installation at the third annual Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair. This display was to generate conversations about workplaces- future and contemporary.

A total of 700,000 sheets of paper were hung from 44,000 points in the ceiling, creating a delicate and intimate environment. Inspired by ceiling frescoes, church domes, and alters, Saksi and Wingårdh chose paper because they believe it is the most commonly used means of communication. Take a look at this exquisite display of paper that will transform right before your eyes.