This year The Special Event was held in Orlando, Florida. Although the weather wasn’t as warm as I’d hoped for, the show was everything I expected and more. I have a passion for décor and the more over-the-top and grand, the better. I was not disappointed with the events or during my time on the trade show floor. From the trends I was seeing, it appears it’s all about the sparkle again this year.
The opening night party was held at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, a Cuban restaurant that was built wonderfully well to look like a Cuban town. The atmosphere was alive with a Cuban band and wildly costumed dancers. From the stilt walker to the red, peacock-like costumes we knew we were in for a special night.
All around the space, our host made sure there were many delights; the open bar was flowing with about any drink you could imagine. Throughout the space, there were street performers, artists, and giveaways that made the experience even more complete.
Decor trends:
Upon entering the The Special Event trade show room, it was immediately obvious that this year is all about crystals and drape as both were visible in almost every booth as far as the eye could see. I did see some other décor items, but this is by far the overarching décor element.
Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE the sparkle and glam. I’m glad this trend is hanging around for another year. Here you could find cake and serving trays with crystals all the way up to eight-foot-tall crystal vases. Wow!!
I also found some great furniture options and large non-crystal options. The taller and more over-sized, the better!
Entertainment trends:
You can always count on wonderful entertainment at event industry shows. The opening night party really set the pace for the rest of the week. At various events throughout the week you could find girls on stilts that swayed back and forth, impersonators, and themed music. They even had Sally Hogshead speak at the opening general session – they really hit it out of the ballpark! IF you are looking to wow your attendees like we are at all times? We have great options for you to consider, just give us a call and we’ll help you find that one act or speaker that puts your event over the top!
Tech trends:
I’m not much of a techie, but there are some cool apps out there for meeting planners! We will explore many options in upcoming blogs. The one that really catches my eye right now is video mapping. I’m still working on getting my head around this, but I noticed it’s becoming a more usable tool for the event world. Like video mapping on wedding cakes! Unbelievable!
More to come on all the tech stuff so stay tuned!
CET Panel:
This year I was lucky enough to be speaking on a panel with some of my Creative Event Team partners. My partners are located all over the US and we also have strategic partners all over the world.
Our panel was tasked with sharing AV trends, new technology, different types of services from AV providers, how to avoid pitfalls, how to work with unions, and what equipment is new to the marketplace. It was a very full 90 minutes of information. If you have questions on any of these topics or issues, give me a call!
Overall, I had a great time meeting with my fellow industry peeps, learning about hot industry developments, and most of all networking and building relationships to bring you the newest ideas, hottest trends and widest variety of entertainment to WOW your audience!
Sincerely,
Tracy
