Social Event Trend: Possible Fail?

In the past few months we have noticed an on-going trend of extending the traditional time frame of a social event. Normally hotel ballrooms and venues book a 4 hour time block for a social occasion. Asking around in Houston, it turns out this trend of extending the time frame to 5 – 6 hours is becoming popular. We polled many of our past and current clients as well as others on this trend and below are the results, you decide if this is a trend to stay or one that needs to go away!

Plus
More time to socialize, hosts actually get a chance to circulate
More time for innovative food and exciting cocktails
Leave time for guests to “sober up” in case you had an open bar
Time flies to fast, the extra time helps, so you feel like you really got a chance to enjoy
If you have a crowd that likes to party, then they can party longer!

Minus
Time can drag on for too long
More money on food
Most guests leave when the bar closes
Hosts are exhausted
The event ends with only a few guests, not a high note

The journey with Social Media

Since the creation of social media there has also been a new creation alongside of it – the birth of the self-proclaimed social media gurus. I get it, you know how to use facebook, you have a lot of fans, good for you. But guru, really? There are so many companies out there now talking the talk – and they do sound good. But so far I have only met a few, truly a few, that actually can take their social media skills, get the followers AND get a ROI on all the time and energy spent. They can literally show you the money.

I had the opportunity to listen to one such man this week. Maarten-Jan Waasdorp shared some of his FRESH ideas with me. I can’t give away his secrets but I can give away his website. I would highly recommend checking him out. He also has some great advice on his website. http://www.us4interactive.com If you want to get on his good side – I hear he likes Churchills :)

So my journey with social media continues, but now I have at least 2 people I will call “Guru’s”

Texas Meeting and Events Spring 2011 Featured Article

"You can never just walk away. There are constant changes in the industry and you have to know all about them—or be the one creating them."

HALEY HUGHES DIDN’T CHOOSE THE SPECIAL EVENTS INDUSTRY. “I think it chose me,” she says. Hughes started her career in the nonprofit sector, working in the Austin Parks and Recreation events department. It seemed like a natural progression when Hughes decided to handle in-house events and branding parties across the country for The Knot magazine. Before long, however, she took it a step further, launching En Vogue Events in Houston. Recently, the company opened a Dallas office.
Today, as a certified event and wedding planner, Hughes does everything from events management and marketing to writing proposals and staffing events. The company’s diverse undertakings include planning a launch party for a winery, coordinating a grand opening for a historic theater and hosting a dignitary event. In 2010, Hughes’
company was named a “fastest growing woman-owned business” by the Houston Business Journal.

Hughes’ record of solid growth hasn’t always followed a clear-cut path. She admits she didn’t really know where to start networking when she entered the meetings industry. “If I had only known of ISES or NACE,” Hughes muses. “Those organizations have since unlocked several doors for me. They have provided me with
great contacts, education and a better understanding of the industry.”
Hughes’ current understanding includes a desire for continued improvement. “There are constant changes in the industry and you have to know all about them—or be the one creating them. When we leave an event, the planning for that date may be over, but the research for the next is just beginning,” she says. This steady information stream is part of the appeal, says Hughes. “We are a dynamic industry,” she says.
“Some years are good, some are bad and some are great. We have seen a lot more growth this past year. More businesses are expanding into major cities in Texas, which brings more events to us. The value of business events seems to be on the rise as well.”

photo by Jill Hunter

HBJ's 40 under 40

40 Under 40 at the top of their game:

http://www2.bizjournals.com/houston/events/2011/40_under_40/

"Houston knows it's an innovative town. If you had forgotten just how innovative, the Houston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Class of 2011 will remind you.

Don't underestimate these young business leaders. They aren't up and comers. They've arrived. Many of them started their own companies — 10 years ago. They've created hundreds of jobs in Houston — with more to come.

Picking our 40 Under 40 Class of 2011 was one of the most difficult judging sessions our newsroom underwent this year. We reviewed over 150 nominations — many of the winners received perfect scores from the judges.

You'll be impressed by what they've already accomplished and inspired by what they will do in the future."

Candace Beeke
Editor, Houston Business Journal

Special Congrats to Haley Hughes of En Vogue Events for being one of this year's 40 under 40!

Sponsors
Read more: Houston Business Journal's 2011 Celebrate!Enterprise

Blue Jean Bar - Awesome!

Great for events, very interactive!! With more than 40 lines of blue jeans for both men and women, Blues Jean Bar provides a cozy atmosphere for all who go there trying to find that perfect pair of jeans. The stores’ central feature is a large wooden bar lined with barstools; this allows shoppers to “order up” from a menu of jeans from their favorite brand to the wash color to the size they want. With locations all over; San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Santa Monica, Denver, San Jose and New Orleans, people from all over can have the chance to enjoy the Blues Jean Bar experience.

Featured Jeans:
Genetic Denim
Vintage Revolution
DL1961
TAG Elements
Fidelity Denim
Citizens of Humanity
JamesJeans
Hello! Skinny Jeans
Crate
Dylan George
Denimocracy
Stone Blue and many others