Congrats Sharon Barwick on receiving your CSEP! We are so proud of you!

Click here to view the embedded video.

We created the wow our client was looking for.
Many thanks to Aydin Productions for the fabulous video.

6 servings
2 lbs “boiling” potatoes, peeled
1 cup milk
A 6 cup flameproof baking dish, 2 inches deep
1 small clove mashed garlic
1 tsp salt1/8 tsp pepper
3 – 4 Tbsp of butter

Preheat oven to 425° F. Slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick and drop into a bowl of coldwater. Bring milk to a boil in baking dish with garlic, salt, and pepper. Drain potatoes,add to boiling milk, and distribute butter over them. Bake in the middle level ofpreheated oven for about 25 minutes, until milk is absorbed, potatoes are tender, andtop has browned. (If not served immediately, keep warm, uncovered, adding a bit moremilk if potatoes are dry.)
Serve with roasted, steaks or chops.
Enjoy!

A corporate event is a chance to send your company message out to the world. It may signal that you are ready to do business. It can galvanize your employees, engage new customers, reward your existing clients, launch new products and grow your bottom line.

Your company message may say “hire us,” “buy from us,” “thank you,” “you are awesome,” and “we are worthy of you.”

If corporate events are not done correctly, however, the company message could be “leave us alone,” “you still here?” “we’re better than you,” and “your job is hanging by a thread; by the way, so is the company.”

The fact is, no matter how big or small your corporate event is, it is actually the forum for a very important conversation you are having with your target audience. Before you make any decisions around your event, you need to be very clear on who you are trying to reach and the company messages you want to leave with them.

A good Corporate Events company can help you through this process but it’s something you can begin on your own as well. A productive place to start is by determining who you want your corporate event to engage.  Who your event is for will determine how you communicate with them through your event, both directly (demonstrations, shows, announcements, speeches, invitations, brochures, website, etc.) and through subtle choices like colours, themes, staging and food, if that is part of your equation.

The questions you need to answer depend on the circumstances but, at the very least, you need to think through the basics on the members of your target audience, including:

• How old are they?

• What do they do?

• How familiar are they with your company, product or service?

• How far have they had to travel?

• What is their income bracket?

• How educated are they?

• Are they predominantly female? Male?

• And what time will they be eating?

When you have a good sense of who you are talking to, you need to think through what you would like them to do as the result of your corporate event. In other words, what are the goals of your event and what is the company message?

Far too many businesses undertake corporate events for vague reasons: they’ve done them before, their competitors are doing them, they feel they should do them…. Unspecific reasons lead to unspecific results. Successful corporate events come from setting specific goals you want your target audience to do, feel or think.

• Are you rallying existing customers around a new product or service?

• Are you winning back clients who have left you for competitors?

• Are you establishing your position in the marketplace?

• Are you mitigating the delivery of bad news to stakeholders?

• Are you helping your workforce redefine itself after restructuring or downsizing?

The more you understand about your audience, the more successful your event is likely to be.

Once you know who you are talking to and what the goal of your event is, you need to think about what your company message(s) will be to your target audience through your corporate event.

An event with a message that says “your business will improve by joining our exclusive club” looks very different than “we have reinvented ourselves to be immediately relevant to you and responsive to your needs” which looks different again to “you are the staff that are the lifeblood of our company and we value you.”

Your company message will be as unique as you are and the people you are trying to connect with. No matter what else is going on, corporate events are about connection and about people.  Everything you do at your corporate event sends a subtle message, from the colour of the drapings to the type and quantity of food (if any) you serve.

The point is to make all of your corporate events work for you and not against you. And yes they can work against you. With advance thought, clear objectives and an understanding about who you are targeting and what you want to say to them, however, your corporate events can be an effective tool to for your company message to connect more resonantly with those you need to reach.

Don’t shoot the messenger! Now that we have our gorgeous spring weather, of course we have to remind you to plan for your Christmas party.

Event planning. Say those two words and see how fast your coworkers run for the door. But you’re game. And fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. We are award-winning, event
planning experts. We plan all aspects of any kind of event, no matter the size or circumstance. From extremely small to a cast of thousands, we’ll keep our eye on the details so you don’t have
to. Simply Elegant – Event planning that makes you look good.

Party Planning
You’re thinking: great friends, great time, great party. We’re thinking: great parties come out of great party planning. It’s hard to believe that something as fun as a party can take so much work. But it does… Always. Of course, great hosts make it look easy. Great hosts rely on great people. We’re your people. Your party planning people. We’ll do the planning. You have the fun.

The rewards of a successful Christmas party will carry on throughout the year. There are many steps to planning leaving it to the demands and challenges of the holiday season is a recipe for headaches. Here are some tips to lighten the burden in planning this years parties:

Things to think about in planning this year’s Christmas party:

Use task lists and schedule deadlines to complete all your planning on time. If it’s an office party, then the location, budget, and date all three are usually determined by management so you’re working within limits already. Be mindful of your corporate culture in planning on food and entertainment. (IE food restrictions due to religion)

It is never too early to start organizing. In fact, numerous 500 guests or more companies have completed this planning already. Many of the large facilities are pre-booked on an annual basis with first come first served for the smaller ones.

Book your facility now. The larger the number of guests, the less number of local facilities are available. Why not look at unique locations such as a museum, garden or cultural centre. The environment in these locations create the base decor and give a refreshing feel to the festivities.

Re-think your theme. Successful parties create a common thread that tie everything together using the budget as your guide. Coordinating the entire Christmas program with the menu, decor and entertainment allows for a memorable celebration. An example of this is an international Christmas theme with world food/action stations with matching decor and entertainment.

Poll your employees as to what type of theme and entertainment they would like this year? You could make it a competition! Instead of the comedy show, perhaps they would like to experience a cirque show or a Christmas themed murder mystery? Focus the opportunity for an engaging and interactive party this year.

Guests love to take the dinner table centrepiece home. Why not set up a centrepiece creation competition between departments where the pieces are raffled off to generate money for your favourite charity. Remember to make a note in the invitation that there will be a prize for the department that decks out the most ingenious Christmas centrepiece.

Promote the designated driver concept and these alternative forms of transportation in your invitations. Let’s face it – drinking and driving never mix. Offer a variety of non-alcoholic beverages for the designated driver and others who prefer not to drink alcohol. If preparing an alcoholic punch, use a non-carbonated base like fruit juice. Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream faster with a carbonated base. Provide for for alternative modes of transportation for guests range from shuttle, limousine service or passenger vans taxi fare for the end of the evening. Don’t forget to budget for this!

Save a tree and go green e-invites for your event.

Planning a party is a lot like buying a house. You do the research, crunch the numbers, think ahead – and you put the best possible team around yourself to help you achieve your goals. When party disasters happen, it usually comes down to poor planning. And many smart, capable social committees just plain and simple don’t think through some of the basic details that will make or break their party. That’s what a planner is for.

Call Simply Elegant if you need support with some or all of your Christmas event. It’s what we do best. From planning, to decor, to entertainment, to catering, we work hard to ensure that every facet of your corporate event says what you want it to say. After all, this isn’t just some corporate event. It’s yours. It reflects back on your Company — and on you. Every detail has to be on message. You wouldn’t let an email go out that didn’t look good on the Company. You’re sure not going to let your company look bad through a poorly thought out or executed event.

Ultimately here are the Top Ten Signs You’re at a Bad Office Christmas Party according to CBS
– Late Show with David Letterman

10. Eggnog smells suspiciously like Liquid Paper.
9. Anyone caught under mistletoe gets choked by Latrell Sprewell.
8. Because of corporate downsizing, Santa is only 120 pounds.
7. Only food available is something called reindeer kebabs.
6. Last time you saw this much sucking up was on the Tommy Lee-Pamela Anderson videotape.
5. Christmas tree is just a fat intern in a green sweater.
4. For the 16th year in a row, the Canadian band leader has passed out in the eggnog.
3. Thanks to the alcohol-free punch, not a single butt gets photocopied.
2. Boss offers to give you a raise, and hes not talking about money.
1. Its held every year on July 23rd.

Our Spring appetizer tasting was such a treat. Sous Chef Chad created beautiful pieces of art that were a delight to the all the senses. This photo features ‘Oyster & Pearls’ with a raspberry mignonette sauce and fresh fennel.

Ever wonder how you can create a great party that is fun and safe for your children for less than $60 including gas?

Considerations for age appropriate parties:

1. Invite a maximum of children to match the age of the child. An easy guideline is to invite only as many children as your child’s age, plus one. This keeps the party small with young children reducing the opportunity for them to be overwhelmed. Each year your child learns to emotionally handle a larger group of children.
2. Have the child choose a theme. It makes your job easy (a favorite book, sport, movie, or a TV show. Then they can further help with the planning plus make decorations.
3. Keep the party simple.
4. Focus on structured group activities. Individual games focuses on a winner which leaves children out – maybe even the birthday child.
5. Always ask parents about food allergies.

Ways to cut birthday party costs without cutting the party experience:

1. Hold the party in your home
2. Avoid traditional meal times by holding the party between 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and serve snacks & dessert.
3. Bake your own cupcakes and let the kids decorate their own cupcake for a fun activity.
4. Make and hand deliver your own invitations, or “be green” and send e-vites with an RSVP date.
5. Resist hiring an entertainer or bouncy castle! Kids only remember the fun activities and birthday cake.
6. Make it a family affair and ask family members plus the guests parents to assist with activities.
7. Source theme decor from your own home first, then purchase the rest of supplies from economy stores.

ACTIVITIES FOR A BEACH PARTY (GEARED TO 5 YEAR OLDS)

We chose a beach theme to counter against our snowy Calgary weather. Collect all your colourful beach towels to cover your
party table and inflate all beach air mattresses and balls to decorate the party room.
Welcome each guest at the door with a lei and a tropical sun visor (can be part of their take home goody bag).
Encourage everyone to dress the theme (beach shorts, T shirts, flip flops, sun glasses and visors)

Simple party activity starters:

1. Decorate the birthday cupcakes (while the children are calm) using an assortment of frostings and toppings.
2. Do simple crafts (stickers, buttons with yarn, straw crafts, using little sea shells with beads and pebbles etc. Glue these onto mini frames or juice-cans. You can even use lids and add a magnet on the back.
3. Save time and purchase simple craft kits for only $1-$2 at the numerous economy stores.

Games for children with energy:

1. Fill balloons with small treasure based on your theme before you blow them up. For beach we used mini fish, wiggly worms, costume jewelry. The children then pop several balloons and gather their treasures. You can hang, hide or put them in a large garbage bag or box.
2. Group hunting games (same as Easter egg hunts) This can be treats, treasure chest items or even a puzzle piece to a treasure map that all the children work collectively to put together.
3. A circle dance of ”Hokey Pokey” works great and is completely non competitive.

Move into quiet games:

1. Hand make Lei Necklaces made from yarn, drinking straws, and colored crinkled tissue paper.
2. Simple relay races such as potato-on-spoon using a beach water toy.
3. Pin the “crab on the beach”. No winner needed here too!

Holding the party mid afternoon reduces the cost on food. Create a mock tail with juice and give it a beach name. Snacks can
include vegetable sticks and dip, seasonal fruit kabobs, mini pita pockets or bagels and finish with the individually decorated
cupcakes.

BEACH THEMED GOODIE BAGS

For less than $9, our goodie beach pail was equipped with a shovel had a snorkel face mask strapped to the outside of the pail
and was filled with a house safe beach sponge ball, squiggly florescent worm, a motorized bathtub sail boat plus a colourful
slinky. The children go home in their colourful foam visors (we collected a mixture sharks, butterflies, monkeys and pink
flamingos) Always make a few more in case extra guests arrive – yes this often happens!

THANK YOU NOTES

It is never too soon to teach etiquette to children. Create a list of the guests’ names before the party, and then jot down each gift
beside the giver’s name as they are opened for thank you cards.
Take photos of the children dressed in theme or put them in front of a prop. Download the photo onto your computer and
colour print them into thank you cards.

The party is a quick two hours, organized with a logical rhythm for child interest and safety and it was super inexpensive. Plus
why not forget our Calgary snow for awhile and transport yourself to the beach? Happy Birthday!

Creating this arrangement for a client today reminds us that spring is just around the corner. Bring on the sunshine!