Monday, October 24, 2005
Great chocolate is Entertaining!
Have you ever had a dessert that was so good that you ended up having a moment where it was just you and the chocolate cake? Come on...I know you have. Well I had a moment like that not so long ago.I went down to SONO (South Norwalk) to see my friends John and Margot at SONO Baking Company. They are pretty new on the scene and they are good people so I wanted to support them by buying a chocolate cake for my friends birthday...well let me tell you, it was more my treat than theirs I am sure! The cake was perfect...flourless, dense chocolate that melted in your mouth...it wasn't too much and it wasn't too little..."perfection" was what my friend blurted out after she devoured her share of the cake (OK, it was her birthday).
Needless to say, I recommend SONO Baking Company http://www.sonobaking.com. Don't stop at the chocolate...check out the breads, the sandwiches and the other goodies that are created every day at this hands- on kitchen run by two ex Martha Stewart "Everyday Food" hosts. You won't be disappointed!
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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Meetings should be like a Party!
So I went to this big time lunch/meeting/awards show for the PR industry..did I tell you that I do PR and Marketing too? Well, anyway you would think that PR people would have pizaaz, lots of energy and snappy things to say...I was surprised to see that this wasn't the case or it wasn't planned which is a shame.The luncheon took place at the Grand Hyatt http://grandnewyork.hyatt.com in Grand Central NYC and I have to say they did a great job. The food and the service were very good considering it was en masse (many people served at the same time). The speeches were average, the energy was dull and the networking possiblitites were non existent. The awards looked good, the audi-visual was well timed and easy to look at, and there was an occasional story that was worthy of note taking.
Would I go again? Only if I were winning an award!
This meeting, and any meeting for that matter, goes back to the basic principals of throwing a party. Understand who your guests are, understand why they are attending the event, and exceed their expectations on every level (food, lighting (why did they lower the shades in the middle of the lunch..it just put an added dullness on the room), personality and energy from the welcome at the door, to the speeches, to the goodbye, audio visual, and if it is a business meeting where you are bringing all kinds of people together, help them network...at the very least give out and attendee list!)
Throwing a party always comes back to understanding and then fullfilling your guests needs!
For more information about any event, call or email White Linen Events! 203.254.4490, info@whitelinen-events.com
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Port at the Party
Hello all, oversaw a party over the weekend and I invited Susanna from Evanton Distributors..a nice portugese/argentinian distributor of wine, port, cordials, sambuca...Susanna did a port tasting and while you tasted the difference between rubies and tawney in the ports, she educated and guided each guest. A great idea I must say for those who don't know much about port, for port enthusiasts and for wine drinkers everywhere!
So the difference between tawney and rubies is the color and the taste. I loved the Offley ten year tawney. It is tawney in color because of being aged in oak and it is not as fruity as the redder, sweeter rubie port. Yummy.
For more information about Evaton, go to http://www.evaton.com or call 203.968.8220 x 305.
For more unique party ideas call White Linen Events, 203.254.4490.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Final countdown for the Party
Yes, the moment has arrived..it is the day before the party and everyone is a flutter! All the components have been put into place...caterer, tent, staff, wine, cordless mike...this is the time when you have to oversee the final details but for the most part, you need to sit back and let every item and every person fall into place (most people don't do this and that is why they need an event planner to calm them down).If you have done your job both with the vendors (make sure they know the who, what, where, when and how) and with your clients (give them agendas/schedules so everyone is in the know), then you can watch everything fall into place. It is the same as a painting that was just strokes that has now become a landscape filled with all sorts of nuances...it is the same as a business deal that you have been working on for a year and finally all of the players say yes and your product/service is aiding your clients just like you knew it would. Hate to say it cause it is such a dated phrase, but it is a win/win for all invovled.
My motto is "with planning comes freedom," so let the liberty bell ring!
For more information about events call me, Valorie Luther, White Linen Events, 203.254.4490 or email info@whitelinen-events.com
Thursday, October 13, 2005
ENTERTAINMENT WITH Play With Your Food?
What is “Play With Your Food?” Is it a new theme party? Is it an innovative approach to cooking at a local restaurant? No, it is a new concept (only three years old) that sparks your imagination and your spirit in addition to providing you with a midday break. Play With Your Food is a popular lunchtime series in Westport, Connecticut that features a gourmet lunch and one act plays that are read by professional actors from Connecticut and New York. The program in total lasts forty five minutes so the busy professional and the harried parent can attend and be on their way back to the office or home before anyone notices them missing.Play With Your Food has consistently sold out. For anyone who truly supports the arts and worries that theater may disappear because of a lack of interest know that what Nancy Diamond and Carole Schweid, founders and producers of Play With Your Food, have accomplished is no small task. They have provided us with a social outlet, theater that moves us, and an environment that is both comfortable and educational.
Play With Your Food...lunch and good theater in downtown Westport (and soon in Stamford and Greenwich).
For more information about Play With Your Food in Westport, call 203.222.7070 or check out the website, http://www.westportartscenter.org/
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Entertaining News: Theater and Parties Go Together!
Hello all, let me talk about what is going on this weekend, October 15 from 6:30-8:30.Want a new car, want to support NYC theater that comes to Farifield, want to go to a smashing party, want to network, want to experienc a port tasting from Evanton ( a portugese distributor of fine wines and ports), want to experience Greeenfield Hill, a lovely neighborhood in Fairfield? If you say yes to any of these things, then call the Fairfield Theater Company to buy tickets to this very fun cocktail party where the price at the door gives you a chance to win a mercedes or audi, gives you a chance to eat good food and drink great wine and gives you a chance to say hello to old and new friends.
For more information and to make reservations, call FTC http://www.fairfieldtheater.org, call 203.259.0070
For more information about this event or planning your own, call or email White Linen Events, info@whitelinen-events.com or 203.254.4490
Monday, October 10, 2005
ENTERTAINING and Men
Andrew Mitchell of Mitchells of Westport (clothing store extraordinaire both in service and selection) has graciously agreed to sit down with me and tell me about the link between entertaining and menswear. Check it out!Men over the past five years are paying more attention to dressing, why?
Casual dressing threw out the standard rules and opened Pandora’s box. Men are afraid because it is the unknown, but a professional can help and give confidence to the wary buyer. The clothes never make the man but they are an expression of his personality and a reflection of who he wants to be.
In addition to the workplace, men go to a lot of events from the most casual pool party to the most elegant black tie fundraiser. Do you have any advice on what to wear?
Casual parties? Dress appropriately, “casual” is vague. Find out what type of casual is required. If it is business casual, wear a sports coat with light tropical wool pants and Todds driving loafers, or to someone’s house or a pool party wear a bold striped shirt with jeans. Step back and look at the environment you will be in and reflect that environment with your clothes. Men don’t want to be out of place! If you are not 100% sure about what to wear, step it up a notch and you will find yourself in a safety zone.
Fundraiser that is not a black-tie? The standard is still the suit that you are comfortable in, otherwise a great sports coat with interesting patterns (window panes, tone on tone and/or stripes) would be appropriate.
Work? Everyone is moving up a notch with their look. People want to look the part of the executive, so take your dress code to the next level. Look at the higher ups in the company and see what they are wearing. True casual hasn’t changed much while business casual is moving up to a sports jacket and a nice shirt. The occasional business casual dressers wear suits all of the time now.
Nothing is more flattering to a man’s body than a suit and it is comforting for men. Technology has created light weight cashmeres and tropical wools along with beautiful linens, so the suits are more comfortable now and travel well. The tie is also coming back with bold stripes.
Wedding: 70% is black tie. Men still like to stick to a safety zone of wearing a tuxedo, but they are experimenting with cufflinks and other small details.
An event where one is being honored? If a man is being honored, again step it up a notch. If you wear a sports coat, make it a beautiful fine wool. Make sure you pay attention to the detail too: shoes should be polished, items pressed, thick tie if wearing one. Attention to detail makes the man stand out. If you are not buying a new outfit for the event, then have the suit taken out of the closet and re-altered so it looks like a million bucks.
How does the time of day and type of event affect what a man should wear?
Usually, the later the event the more dressy it will be. More importantly, though, is who is at the event and what is the structure of the event: is it a dressy day wedding or a casual sunset wedding?
What are the important points that a man should think about when choosing a tux or suit for a wedding or high end affair?
In terms of the tuxedo, be cognizant of how often you will be using it and how long you want to keep it. Fabric is also important, the drape and the feel.
A suit is an investment. A better quality suit will last six to seven years where a $250 suit will break down much sooner. In terms of care, don’t over dry-clean suits, just have the suit pressed. Chemicals involved in the dry cleaning are too hard on the fabrics.
What are the dos and don’ts for accessorizing a suit or tuxedo?
If working with colors, work with a similar color palette. Shine your shoes and concentrate on details like cufflinks and belts. The suit is like the frame for a piece of art, accessories are the canvas and that is where the artwork shines through: the shirt, the tie, the cufflinks, with the belt! Accessories are the most difficult to put together and so the personal shopper can help you complete your look. They have interesting ideas and lots of experience.
Anything else a man should think about when dressing for an event?
Really find out what is appropriate. Better to be a little stepped up than stepped down.
Thank you Andrew and all of Mitchell’s for your helpful hints for men who are entertaining!
For more information about menswear, go to Mitchells of Westport, 203.227-5165, info@mitchellsonline.com, http://www.mitchellsonline.com/
For more information about events, call White Linen Events, 203.254.4490, info@whitelinen-events.com
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Party in Greenwich
Well another good party has been laid to rest. "A party downtown with Mike Brown" (who is with Countrywide Home Loans BTW in Greenwich and is a great guy and will do all he can to help with your mortgage!). Mike just made a move to Countrywide so he made his announcement with a big bang at Sundown Saloon in Greenwich by having a party for all of the Greenwich realitors.We started out with a great invite, very upscale and yet in keeping with the southwestern/casual theme, I, as White Linen Events, oversaw the RSVPs (a great service for busy executives) and I made all of the arrangements (food, bar....).
I have to say that Theresa, who is one of the managers/owners, was awesome to work with. She understands how to throw a party, knows how to make the restaurant pop (it is always busy with all sorts of people from happy hour after-workers to familes with kids), and most importantly, she does it all with a great attitude and a big smile. Theresa and her partners also own Thataway Cafe http://www.thatawaycafe.com, Beach House Cafe (Old Greenwich) and they are putting together another restaurant in Fairfield.
For more information on Sundown Saloon403 Greenwich Ave. 203.629.8212
For more information on White Linen Events call 203.254.4490
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Empathy in Entertaining
Well, hello all. Haven't been around lately and I have missed you all.I started an event company with a pal and all of the sudden he decided he couldn't handle another company, so we broke up the partnership, got rid of the company name and then I had to hussle, create a new logo and brand, and recapture present and potential clients so I didn't loose any ground...lots of energy but it is all good.
I am the sole owner of White Linen Events based in Westport Ct. Still working on my website and brochures but amazing people have come to my aid to make this transition not only a reality but a work of art! Thank you to all, especially Whitney Mercurio who is my graphic guardian angel!
Now on to the topic at hand...empathy. What is empathy? It is feeling the other person's pain and joy. It is getting into the shoes of someone else and putting your own issues aside and truly understanding what is going on around you. I recently had a client who got cranky about her party. She started demanding all sorts of things at the tenth hour. Well, what was happening was she was in a new house and this was her first party in the house. Nancy wanted to impress her friends with her sense of style, design and well her amount of money spent and she wanted everything perfect. I put my ego aside (that is what gets in the way when you get angry or offended) and I took the time to understand her needs and so I addressed them. I let her know that the caterer had handled many parties and was the best in the area, I gave her hints on what would impress her friends and what they most likely expected once they walked into the front door, and I let her know that I would be watching over everyone every minute of the night and that everyone would feel blessed once they left her new and beautiful home. Nancy feels at ease now and is confident of all of the people/vendors that have been put into place.
You see, I stepped out of my own head and reached out to someone and addressed her fears and anxieties and let her know that all was well in the world of parties.
Empathy in Entertaining, as in life, goes a long long way!
Glad to be back,
Valorie
