You get engaged, you tell everyone you know, and then you throw a party. Now it's time to get down to business. Typically, the first step is deciding on a venue. The venue ultimately projects your overall vibe of the day. Resources such as WeddingWire and The Knot can be really helpful in your venue search. Once you've narrowed it down to your top picks, we're here to help you ask the right questions, the things you may not even know you should know. We met with our pros and here's what they think you should know when touring reception venues. ​

1. When it comes to your ballroom, how many events will be held in the same room on a given day? What other events will there be throughout the building? and How many hours do you get the space for? If the venue books more than one wedding in the same ballroom, you and your guests may feel rushed to leave the event in order for them to flip the room. It's a good idea to look for a venue offering a five or six hour rental compared to four for an extra hour or so of fun and dancing.


2. What is the guest to bartender/wait staff ratio? Overcrowding at a bar or finishing your dinner before another table has even gotten their meal is enough to ruin a portion of the night. There should be at least one server for every two tables and a standard ratio for the bar would be one bartender for every 100 guests, a great ratio would be one bartender per 50- 75 guests. Speaking of the bar, signature cocktails are super fun...Are they willing to let your creativity run when it comes to your signature drink?


3. How involved is your venue coordinator or planner? You're going to want someone who is responsive to your questions as well as willing to meet with you to go over details. This person should be someone who will be there on the big day to fix any last minute problems that can pop up.


4. Now a days with your vegan cousin and your best friend who has a gluten allergy, menu flexibility can be extremely important, which begs the question - How flexible is the menu? People love options, especially a vegetarian and gluten free option. On top of that, don't hesitate to ask for what you want even if it is not on the menu. Depending on how important to you the menu is, this may be a deal breaker. Does the venue offer tastings? Tastings are not only fun but very informative to your taste buds. They give you a sense of how food will be presented on your wedding day and will be a precursor of what to expect.


5. Does your reception space also offer a space for the ceremony? A huge trend has been on site ceremonies, they make for an easy transition into the reception. If the venue does allow for onsite ceremonies, you're going to want to make sure they are able to keep it separate from the reception space. If it is in the same room, ask them what they do to be sure you can not see any tables or the dance floor.


6. Do they have a list of preferred vendors they like to work with? Vendors who are well known to the venue and have worked with them previously most likely have working relationships and will make things much smoother on your day.


7. What different amenities does your venue offer that would make your wedding different from the rest? Some venues may be able to pop in some extra lounge furniture or a flower wall to liven the space up. Decor has the power to change the whole vibe of your wedding, make sure they can give you what you want, whether its replacing the chairs, or allowing you to bring in your own stuff.


8. Where are the hidden fees? This is a big one as most places will avoid telling you that chiavari chairs and signature cocktails are an extra cost until you book. Make sure they are up front and very clear on what will be included and what is added at an extra cost to you.


9. The last one is a question to yourself - How did your tour experience leave you feeling? Leading up to the tour, your questions should be answered in a timely manner. After the tour, if you leave feeling informed and all your questions were thoughtfully answered there's a good chance you'll have a positive planning process leading to a positive experience on your wedding day.


Upon entering a venue space you should feel welcomed - the tour itself should be informative, detailed and focused on your needs and what you want, if you feel that maybe you missed out on some information, there may be a better venue out there for you.
​

While work-related events, award ceremonies, and parties take you outside the pressure of the office, there’s the stress to perform and represent yourself well. You could be interacting with potential clients or discussing important details of a business deal. To stay mentally sharp and clear, you have to be on top of your game and that means getting enough sleep.

Why Focus on Sleep? 
Lack of sleep changes how different areas of the brain function. The prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain primarily responsible for higher level cognitive functions, becomes less active when sleep deprived. That can make difficult to use logical reasoning or complex problem-solving. Sleep deprivation also affects concentration, memory, and mathematical abilities, all of which may be necessary during a work-related event.

Reasoning abilities aren’t the only way that sleep deprivation affects behavior. During sleep deprivation, the amygdala, the portion of the brain that processes emotions, becomes more sensitive to negative thoughts and stimuli. These changes can lead to irritability and mood changes that can reflect badly on an employee or the company for which he works.

Lack of sleep is also a productivity and safety issue. Impaired judgment can lead to accidents and costly mistakes. Events from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to the Challenger disaster have links back to sleep-deprived employees. While attending an event while drowsy may not put your life at risk, without adequate sleep your career could stagnate or even stop in its tracks.

How Stress Affects Sleep 
Though sleep is a natural biological function, it can be elusive at times, especially if you’re under a lot of stress. With the pressure of a big event looming overhead, you might find yourself dealing with symptoms of chronic stress like:

• Insomnia
• Social withdrawal
• Emotional outbursts
• Lack of motivation
• Inability to concentrate or focus

The truth is – sleep can help reduce your stress.
By focusing on getting a consecutive seven to eight hours of sleep, you give your brain and body a chance to normalize while you put your best foot forward.

How to Improve the Quality (and Quantity) of Your Sleep
A few ways you can help yourself get more high-quality sleep include:

• Remove Distractions: Distractions in the bedroom can keep your mind turning late into the night. Try turning off the ringer on your phone or even better charge it outside of your bedroom. Lights from other electronic devices like televisions or Blu-ray players can also cause wakefulness. You can either remove them from the bedroom or put electrical tape over the light to prevent a sleep disruption.
• Make Comfort a Priority: A mattress that supports your preferred sleep style can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Mattress reviews may help you determine which bed is best for you. Bedding that’s made of natural materials like cotton or linen breathe well to prevent overheating and get softer over time for increased comfort.
• Keep the Room Dark: Natural light signals and controls your body’s sleep-wake cycle. To help your brain know when to release sleep hormones, try to keep your bedroom as dark as possible. That may mean blackout curtains or heavy drapes to block out light pollution.
• Turn Off Electronics: You might want to go over a proposal or client profile one more time before going to bed. However, the bright blue light given off by some electronics including laptops and smartphones can suppress the release of sleep hormones. Turn off your devices at least two to three hours before bed to prevent a delay in the onset of sleep.​

With adequate sleep, you can relax and enjoy your company’s big event. You can shake hands with confidence knowing you’re mentally prepared and emotionally set to represent your company well.

You probably know that peak wedding season runs from about April until October. However, more couples are choosing off-peak weddings for a variety of reasons.  Here are the top 5 reasons we think it’s great to get married in the winter:
 
Availability
 
With fewer people getting married in a given season, it stands to reason that ceremony sites, reception venues, florists, DJs, bands, photographers, and any other vendors that service weddings will have more availability than during peak season. This means that you have a good chance of getting your first choice of date and time, as well as the reception room of your choice, if your venue offers multiple spaces. With fewer clients to juggle at once, you may also get a little more personal attention from your service providers and possibly faster turn-around on contracts, responses to questions, and even getting your completed wedding album back.

​What’s lovelier than a day trip to check out a popup market full of independent artists and makers in a quaint riverside village? Not much!
 
The Waddington Summer Market (one of our latest projects) featured home goods, fashion, art, and food from more than 30 Northern and Central New York small businesses. Most of these businesses don’t have brick-and-mortar stores, so participating in the market gave them a chance to connect with their community and it provided a chance for locals and visitors to check them out in person.

We're thrilled to share that the response has been so positive and the sales so successful that the market is now going to be open year-round permanent shop and artist studio. We're working on re-branding the market and consolidating the websites and social media (previously they were separated by their summer and winter seasonal names) to reflect this new change.  The new name will be Waddington Marketplace and Studios at Clark House. 

​Waddington, NY is about 2.5 hours north of Syracuse (where we are), situated on the St. Lawrence River. The Clark House, the market's location, is an historic building undergoing renovation and a preservation campaign. The Clark House was constructed in the 1800s when Waddington was the industrial hub of St. Lawrence County, boasting numerous mills, shops, restaurants, and taverns. The Clark House served as one of Waddington’s stagecoach stops and was a popular destination for residents, travelers, and businessmen. It was the structural and social anchor of Waddington’s downtown, a place where people stayed, ate, and met socially with their neighbors. In recent decades, a vacant Clark House fell into a state of serious disrepair. 

​We’ve been working closely with the participating business owners, the Clark House Preservation committee, ANCA (Adirondack North Country Association), and the St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to create this market, drawing people to Waddington to revitalize the economy there and give the Clark House new purpose. 

The Waddington Summer Market was an early step in the overall goal of making the Clark House and the village of Waddington into a hub for arts and events in the North Country. The St. Lawrence Arts Council's goal is to turn the building into an artist co-op with gallery and shop space on the first floor and studio space above and with the extension of the marketplace into a permanent shop, they are closer to achieving that goal. By keeping our marketplace there, it helps people visualize the space being used in that way so they can see the potential for both the building and the community.​

We took our team there on September 1 for a visit (and some delicious savory crepes at Artworks Creperie) and we met artist Cheryl Spadaccini who has been managing the store. We were excited to see all the products (we might have come home with a few goodies) and think about the potential for the permanent space. To learn more,  visit the market's website for hours and more details. ​

For the last three and a half years, lead planner and project manager Alyssa Kessler has been a major asset to our company. In addition to planning and producing the majority of The Events Company’s events, she also took the lead on planning several of the in-house events held at our sister company, event venue SKY Armory. Alyssa was initially hired as an intern, but it was very quickly apparent that she could handle much more responsibility and was hired full-time before her internship was over.
 
Alyssa just moved on to a new adventure: she’s joined her father’s company where she will learn the business and be groomed to take the reins someday. Before she left, we asked her for her perspective on her time here.
 
What was your favorite event or type of event to work on?
I loved planning the annual Driver’s Village Christmas Party! It’s such a great event they host for their employees. I love getting to bring the theme to life, starting with a blank slate, watching the kids get to experience the event with so much excitement!
 
What other venues were your favorites to produce events at?
I had the opportunity to go to so many amazing and unique locations and venues. My short list would include Suzanne’s Fine Regional Cuisine, the NYS Preparedness Training Center, the Oncenter, the Double Tree (I love working with Linda!), and the Landmark Theatre.
 
What was your biggest challenge?
The trial by fire of being thrown into a planner position: I was hired as a full-time employee before my internship was even supposed to be over and as the only planner I had to hit the ground running and manage all of the details for each event. But it was also one of my biggest successes.
 
What was your biggest success/proudest moment?
Completing the very first event I was involved in from start to finish – the Mayor’s Ball. Not to mention the [Hancock] airport was a great venue to transform.
 
Favorite part of the job?
Getting to work first hand with clients and bringing visions to life!
 
Least favorite part of the job?
Late night (or should I say early morning) load-outs.
 
What’s the most valuable lesson you learned in the last three years?
Don’t procrastinate! It will come back to bite you… or at least cost you extra money.
 
What is the strangest or most original thing you ever had to do for an event?
Making a chuppah out of a bride’s grandmother’s wedding dress.
 
What will you miss most about TEC?
My work family, although I know we will stay in touch.

Good luck Alyssa!

Music is a powerful tool for conveying thoughts and emotions. Weddings are undoubtedly emotional events and couples often spend a lot of time thinking about the type of music they want to play at their reception.
 
With the 2017 wedding season gearing up, we went right to the source and asked three local DJs we often work with what they’re seeing couples choose for their first dance and what their go-to songs are to pack the dance floor.
 
First Dances
 
The first dance song often holds special meaning for the couple or the lyrics give a little insight into the way the couple views their relationship. Cindy Ormond of Ormond Entertainment finds that even couples who don’t typically listen to a lot of country music select country songs for their first dance. “It’s likely because country song writers pen powerful love stories which perfectly express wedding day emotions,” she notes.
 
To find unique first dance songs that aren’t “overplayed,” many couples are searching YouTube and finding original songs or uploads by new professional or amateur artists who have covered a popular song in a very stripped-down manner (say with only an acoustic guitar).  However, Bill Milham of Black Tie Entertainment  warns that most of these YouTube videos are of very poor audio quality and the legality of ripping out the audio is questionable.  Listening through very small speakers on your phone or computer will not show the audio limitations that exist when these YouTube tracks are played through a large PA system.
 
Need some first dance song inspiration? Here’s what some Central New York couples will be dancing to this year:

Dance All Night
 
After the formalities are out of the way, high energy songs get people moving. “I stress to all of our clients that their goal should be to include music for everyone they invited.  Some of that may have to be during cocktail hour & dinner, but it can really make a person's night just to hear a few songs they absolutely love,” says Brian Simons of Visa Versa Entertainment.
 
Selecting music that appeals across generations often means choosing a middle ground of current hits and classics. “A trend that's been going for the past few years, and I expect to continue, is the popularity of 90s - 2000s pop/hip-hop for dancing,” says Brian. “It's old enough and well-known enough that the people in their 40s-60s know and dance to it, and recent enough that couples and their friends can agree on it as well.” That means songs from The Spice Girls, N’Sync, and the Backstreet Boys are coming back, as well as other favorites.
 
Bruno Mars continues to have lots of appeal at wedding receptions. Bill Milham says, “Although released late last year, “24K” by Bruno Mars is still THE go to song that has the most multi-generational appeal and is a slam dunk for getting people dancing. It’s the kind of song you want to be careful to play at the absolute apex of the evening!”  
 
Keep your guests on their feet with:

​Are you a sports nut? Cindy Ormond often sees couples select their team’s favorite anthem to get the crowd amped up. “’Shout’ for the Bills, “Sweet Caroline” for Red Sox fans, and of course, “New York, New York” for those who cheer the Yankees – these are dance floor winners every time when played for the right audience,” she says.”
 
Don’t think you have to save all these songs for after dinner, either. Bill Milham recommends sprinkling these songs into your cocktail hour music in addition to other upbeat tunes:  “Cocktail hour is much more energetic, boisterous, and loud than many realize and the music should match this energy coming from your guests,” he says.  
 
What song always gets you moving? Let us know!

At a time when there are 9.4 million women-owned businesses in the US, women entrepreneurs are a necessity for economic growth. Here in Syracuse, the WISE Women's Business Center (WBC) - a center that provides information, resources, and support for local women entrepreneurs - has served over 8,000 clients since 2006.

 With that many past clients, there are so many stories of successful business women who, thanks to WISE WBC and the WISE Symposium, received the support they needed to start and grow their business. 

Since we have been involved with the WISE Symposium for so many years, we wanted to highlight the impact the Symposium and the WBC itself have had on women in our community.

Meet Cathy Pemberton, owner of Cathy's Cookie Kitchen

Cathy was looking to start a business on a shoestring budget. "I was looking for something that I could do, something that I was good at and I would really enjoy doing. I narrowed it down to cookies because I have always loved to bake, and I thought I could perfect my recipes and be successful with them." She started baking cookies and selling her goods at farmers markets and other events. "The demand for my cookies became so great that I began taking samples to area restaurants and retail stores. I started to get local accounts that I delivered cookies to each week." When she wasn't sure if that's the direction she should stay in, she turned to the WISE WBC for help and guidance. "I met with Maria Wiklund, she was wonderful and very encouraging, she told me that I had developed a great niche market and should stick with it, and she offered to help me with a marketing plan. With Maria’s encouragement, I felt I was on the right path."
​
In December of last year, Cathy opened Cathy's Cookie Kitchen in downtown Syracuse. "It has been successful beyond my expectation, and it continues to grow each month," says Cathy.

Additionally, the Wise Symposium inspired Natalie and Jennifer, two women entrepreneurs who opened their bakery The Sweet Praxis in November of 2016. (Watch how they started). Lorna Oppedisano of Syracuse Women Magazine (SWM) sat with them for the April issue, here's what they told her about WISE Symposium, which they had learned about from a flyer. “It was really transformative for me,” Jennifer said, “because I’d never been around that many empowered women who just have this creative passion, and are so proud of what they do, and eager to share their knowledge with each other.”

​Lorna writes: She (Jennifer) hadn’t yet met Joanne Lenweaver, the director of the WISE Women’s Business Center, but remembers seeing her speak at the event. That day reassured Jennifer that she and Natalie were on the right track. “I left feeling like, ‘Oh my god, we can do this,’” Jennifer remembered. “I was like, ‘People do this kind of thing all the time. And we know what we want. We just have to get it done.’”

​Full article here.

So what is it that you want to achieve? What's your dream? What venture did you always want to take? Or maybe you're unsure what the next step for your business is, perhaps you need advice from someone who has walked the talk... Come to the WISE Symposium, be inspired by the speakers, be inspired by the women in the room, be inspired to go for your big idea...Who knows?

It is well known in our office that Alyssa, our senior planner, is a big fan of corporate parties! She absolutely loves working with clients to understand their needs and wants, and then plans an event that knocks their socks off.  Weeks prior to the event, you see her shopping online for the event, buying props, backdrops and decor elements that fit the theme.  

In this blog, we'll be featuring Pyramid Brokerage, one of our repeat clients who hire us to plan and produce their annual sales and awards meeting. Every one of their meetings carries an inspirational message or a takeaway for their employees. That message is what sets forth the planning process for us, from it we derive ideas for speakers as well as theme and decor. 

Let's show you exactly what we mean.

For our client's 2016 annual sales meeting, the message was passion! Harley-Davidson came to mind as one of the most inspirational brands out there. From its first bike in 1903 till today, the brand is able to withstand competition (over 200 companies make motorcycles in America)  throughout its 100+ years, and is still going strong.  

Another year, the message our client chose was: Dream, Achieve, Believe. We were happy to find speakers that so aptly embodied this message. The Beekman Boys.  Josh Kilmer-Purcell and his partner Brent Ridge - the former an advertising executive, the latter a VP of Healthy Living for Martha Stewart Omnimedia- both lost their jobs in the recession of 2008. To make things worse, they had bought a farm in 2007 as a getaway from their busy NYC lives. With both jobs lost, their farm was facing foreclosure. They started to think of ways to make their farm profitable, like making soap and cheese and selling their products. The magic happened when they both took part in CBS's The Amazing Race. Not only did they finish the race, they won it, along with 1 million dollars which they used to pay off their farm! They have built an empire of healthy living, and a very profitable business indeed!

The decor, lighting and centerpieces were inspired by the Beekman Boys farm and one of its products, tomato sauce!

This last example we're sharing hits pretty close to home. For this annual meeting, the message was "Totally Engaged, Fully Committed, Now is The Time". Nicole, our founder, thought of her father, Spencer Thew,  who is a successful entrepreneur, a businessman, a college professor, and he happened to complete an Iditarod in 1993. He lived the message that our client wanted to convey to his team! He has so much passion, that at 75 years of age, he has been chosen to participate in the Sleddog World Championship! With him as the event speaker, our vision - decor wise- was pretty clear.  We went with an iditarod-themed corporate event, with a sled on stage, huskies, and a floor-to-ceiling snow backdrop.  

Whether you're planning an annual meeting for your employees, a customer appreciation event, or a team-building activity, we're here for you! We bring over 20 years of planning experience, we know how to plan events that WOW. Call us for your event needs, we'll do all the work while you take all the credit!

September 2016 marks our 20th anniversary. It was back to school time, and Nicole's youngest son, Sean, had just started kindergarten. Looking to start her own business, Nicole read numerous books about emerging industries, and seeing that events management was a developing one, she decided to give it a try...the rest is history.

We thought we'd put together a timeline of the journey over the past 20 years. 

1996: 
The Events Company was established as a DBA. The original name was Events Unlimited. However, when Nicole went to register the name, it was already taken. This prompted a quick payphone call (no cell phones back then) to Nicole's husband to ask if he had another idea for a name. Kevin tossed out The Events Company, she shouted the name out to the clerk who looked it up, said it was available, thanked Kevin, hung up the phone and continued registering the business.
 
Joined the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce (now Centerstate CEO)
 
1997: 
Joined the International Special Events Society (ISES) who are now known as International Live Events Association (ILEA).
 
Our first bridal couple, Jill and Ted got married on August 16th. Ted’s family was Greek and instead of throwing plates, they threw dollar bills at the couple.

​2000: 
Planned the first Coaches vs. Cancer Basket Ball Gala with the American Cancer Society and Juli Boeheim.

​2004:
Moved offices to Harrison Street.

Kevin Samolis (Nicole's husband) joined the team. 'Best decision ever! It was great having someone to strategize with, a person who had the same goals but approached them from a different perspective. Plus, Kevin will take on any task that I prefer not to do…' says Nicole.
 
2006:
Planned our first event out of Central New York in New Orleans. 
 
2007:
Planned our first event out of the country in Cancun, Mexico

Launched our Design and Production Division offering clients who didn't want planning services but wanted decor offerings. Despite of slowdown of the economy, we still saw double-digit growth. 

2008:
Expanded our offices to include an Event Showroom.
 
2009:
Earned the Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) Designation. 
 
2010:
Social Media came onto the scene and Nicole wanted to learn more about it, so she launched the BizBuzz Social Media Conference.
 
2011:
Hearts were broken when The Events Company (TEC)  team member Sean Samolis (and youngest son of Nicole and Kevin) passed away unexpectedly. In tribute to Sean, the TEC team now wears tie-dyed t-shirts as their load-in/out uniform. ​

2012:
Planned our first event on 2 islands. A wedding for 500 guests included barges to get the goods to the island, and Uncle Sam Boat Tours to get guests to the islands.

2014: 
The Events Company gets a ‘sister company’ with the opening of SKY Armory. The Events Company still plans events in other venues.  ​

​2015:
The Events Company starts to create its own events using SKY Armory as a host venue. Our events include BizBuzz Social Media Conference, Night Market, He Said Beer She Said Wine, Little Black Dress Event, New Year's Eve Bash, and St. Patrick's Day Parade.
 
2016:
It’s been 20 years – doesn’t seem like it. It’s been a fabulous journey and we have had the opportunity to create amazing events with some really cool clients who were open to our zany ideas. We’ve met some great people and made a lot of friends along the way.  We thank you for entrusting us with your events.
 
The Next 20:  Who knows where this journey will take us, but know that we are always committed to the WOW!

​As an entrepreneur, I like staying on the forefront of trends and seize opportunities that keep my businesses moving forward. Remember when there was MySpace and then Facebook and you started hearing about ‘social networking’ and wondered what people really meant by that?
 
I wanted to explore how ‘social networking’ could help expand my markets and grow my business. When I couldn’t get enough information, I decided to do what any forward-thinking entrepreneur and event planner would do – create a conference to learn what I want to learn! We reached out to our colleagues who were in the web and digital marketing fields, BizBuzz was conceptualized, and we held our first conference in 2010.
​