Why should you hire an expert event planner

Hiring a planner will help you plan correctly, minimize errors and eventualities, keep in mind every last detail, save time and money, ensure success and enjoy the event. We have some great reasons that will show you the benefits of having professional help at hand. Here are the top reasons why you should consider hiring an organizer for your business events or other types of event.

Zero stress

The organizer is ready for everything, and for what is not, find a solution; he knows what, how, when, where and why. Your work will allow you to focus on your priorities, and you will be totally free from all anguish. There is nothing sadder than watching everyone participate and have fun, and you are busy with the guest registration. With the event planner, your only concern will be to find the right outfit for the occasion, sleep well to be lucid and enjoy the moment; without a doubt, they will make your life easier.

To the smallest detail

“Attention to detail” one of its characteristics par excellence. Although his work demands many things at once, the planner has the ability to listen to what you want and especially what you need, even managing to bring to reality what you cannot say with your words. Keep in mind each stage of the event and keep track of all the activities perfectly.

Due to its level of organization, he handles checklists, both standard (for all types of events) and customized (which demand something special or important to take into account in a given event).

Save time and money

All the tasks of an event involve time and money. The first cannot be recovered, and although the second yes, nobody is willing to invest in losing, so the planner is an expert in optimizing time and adjusting the budget to the event.

Due to his organizational skills, he does not waste time! Take advantage of every minute and know how to prioritize the importance of the urgent, even set aside time for possible unexpected events.

And well, for his experience and relationships with different distributors, he is an expert in negotiating and getting the best prices adjusting to your budget without neglecting quality.

It is better good known than bad for knowing

His career in the industry has allowed him to know a wide variety of suppliers, which means that his contact list is too complete, and according to your needs and expectations, he will hire the most suitable service for the occasion.

An event planner for the organization of your event brings too many advantages and will undoubtedly take a great weight off you; The level of stress, effort, organization, creativity and coordination that an event implies is a challenge that requires total willingness and commitment so that absolutely everything goes well. We hope you keep it in mind when creating an event.

Hiring an organizer for your event may seem like an unnecessary expense for some people. In reality, the most likely is that if you want to organize your event yourself, instead of saving money, you will be wasting time and money. It is also very likely that you will face many problems that you never imagined. Here are the best reasons why it is best to go through an organizer for your business events.

Your event organized in record time

This is one of the first advantages of hiring an organizer. He is able to organize an event quickly. If you are right about timing, then trust a professional. This advice will also probably save you a lot of money. Indeed, when you are stuck with a last-minute problem, you often have to pay a high price for a solution or employ temporary workers at the last moment or go through a professional. The organizer knows how to control and anticipate such problems. It also has a directory of people who can correct last-minute problems.

Hire an organizer to save money

This may seem paradoxical, but hiring an organizer will allow you to stay within your budget but also save money. Indeed, an organizer will manage your budget as best as possible without forgetting anything. It is a recurring problem among people who organize an event for their business themselves, forgetting certain details and realizing it at the last moment, thus increasing the bill often far beyond the budget. A professional will also be able to tell you if your budget is unrealistic in addition to knowing where to save.

Take an organizer to reduce organizational stress

Organizing an event means dealing with 4 important elements: the budget, the list and location of the guests, the location of the room and the catering part. To this is added a multitude of small details to be coordinated within a determined period. These details are generally those that increase stress to levels that are sometimes difficult to bear. Choosing an organizer for your event will save you these stresses and allow you to focus on the important.

An organizer to achieve business goals

Whether it is a product launch, a general meeting, a B2B fair or any other special event, you will certainly have business objectives to be reached given by management. An organizer can help you best achieve your business objectives, even strict ones. Not only will he save you time and money, but his work will allow you to focus on your business goals. It can also be excellent advice to help you optimize your strategy and better manage the return on investment of your business event.

Take advantage of an organizer’s contacts

This is an extremely important element. An event organizer knows a lot of people, whether in terms of room rentals, equipment suppliers or even restaurateurs. Its privileged contacts often allow it to have more attractive prices but also help you to choose the most suitable suppliers for the type of event you wish to organize. He generally has different contacts for each activity and will be able to direct you towards the professional adapted to your needs and your budget.

Conclusion 

As we have seen, hiring an organizer for your event is the ideal solution. Not only will he be able to advise you, save you money, but also you will be able to take advantage of his contact book and his expertise to have the best event, which meets your expectations and stays within the allocated budget. Hiring an event planner will be your safest bet when it comes to making your events successful. 

Fun, free family event in NJ

Families are welcome and encouraged to join Universal Kids for a fun, free family event in NJ offering an interactive art & crafting experience for families tied to various summer premieres. 
 
The morning will feature activities tied to the new tween home decor show, Get Out of My Room, kids crafting competition series, The Big Fun Crafty Show, a dream room diorama with Oh! Canary and more.

6th Annual Walk for Kids Growth & Festival

Join the community for the 6th Annual Walk for Kids’ Growth on Saturday, April 28, 2018, at Flushing Meadows Park (at the Fountain of the Planets), from 11 am to 3 pm. The event will feature a 3-mile scenic, fun walk, FREE food, carnival games, display booths, live entertainment and much more! This is the nation’s largest fundraising event for childhood growth disorders and rare genetic diseases. The Walk raises significant funds and awareness for the disorders, celebrates patient advocacy and honors those who have reached new heights. All ages and leashed pets are welcome. Sign up (FREE) to participate at www.WalkForKidsGrowth.org.

 

 

ScotsFestival at the Queen Mary Giveaway!

Kilts are not required, but are encouraged… Comment and Enter Below

The 25th ScotsFestival is taking place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach California this February 17-18 from 9am-6pm and we are giving away 4 General Admission Passes for opening day! Food, fun, and family activities are all on the agenda with live music, dancers, and the Scottish Highland Games. If your only connection to Scotland is Braveheart than this is the perfect opportunity to get an authentic feel for the culture and the history.

So what are the Scottish Highland Games? They consist of some activities you might be familiar with and others that might sound strange. Putting the Shot is similar to what we do in track and field today, but then the Scotts start throwing the interesting stuff. The Caber Toss – a large pole, The Hammer Throw – an actual sledgehammer, The Sheaf Toss – throwing a burlap bag of straw with a pitchfork. Who doesn’t want to check that out?

After watching the athletics you might want to put yourself to the test. ScotsFestival comes complete with a sixty-foot obstacle course FEAT OF STRENGTH. No joke. You can see where you stand after competing against your peers and rising to the challenge. I am for sure going to give it a try! For the little ones there is a whole section of kids activities to enjoy so everyone can get involved in the games.

There is plenty to see and hear with piping competitions, drums, dancing, and at night the Greyfriar’s Pub for live entertainment and a few cold pints. The athletic displays are more than just those involving pitchforks and sledgehammers. The dancers are there to compete as well with the Highland Fling, the Sword Dance, and the Scottish Lilt.

Food and other venders fill the rows of the Scottish Market offering traditional wares and tasty treats for visitors. You can take home your very own kilt or other authentic garb so when you come back again next year you are ready to rock it. Find out more at the Queen Mary site – Queenmary.com or on Social Media – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

So one more time – Enter here to win 4 General Admission Tickets for Saturday February 17th to the Queen Mary’s ScotsFestival in Long Beach California. Be sure you are close enough to travel to the Queen Mary before you enter!  Giveaway ends February 13th.

Leave a comment on the post and enter below!
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Win Tickets to The Liberty Science Center #LSCStarShow

 

The Liberty Science Center in nearby Jersey City, NJ has a ton to do for kids and families. They recently opened the Largest Planetarium in the Western Hemisphere- not too shabby, ay?

 

“Its diameter is almost twice as long as a bowling alley lane. Its screen is taller than four giraffes. It offers a true 8K projection. Its lights produce trillions of colors. And it will provide breaking space and astronomy news and discoveries in real time.

It is Liberty Science Center’s greatest experience yet–the largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the entire Western Hemisphere. The only three that are bigger are in Beijing, China, and Nagoya and Niihama, Japan.”

Liberty Science Center, the largest interactive science center in the NY-NJ metropolitan area, officially opened the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium on December 9, 2017.

The kids had an amazing time watching the live show in the domed theater. The seats we were in were pretty high up, but you can choose seats closer to the ground should you want to. The speaker used a laser pointer to show different stars and constellations in the sky, and made the sun rise and set as you watched in just a few seconds. He was also able to zoom in and out of very specific locations- one of which being the science center itself. You and your kids can see the stars at different times of the year as the speaker zooms around and gives explanations of each constellation.

“You can fit any other planetarium in the Western Hemisphere inside the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium,” said Hoffman. “Add in the state-of-the-art technology and you have a spectacular unique theater like none other in the world. Visitors will be able to fly through the universe, experience the grandness and vastness of space, roam planetary surfaces, navigate asteroid fields, and watch the latest full-dome movies.”

 

Other unique features of the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium include:

• A dome that has a diameter of 27 meters, or about 89 feet. That means if you made a straight line from one end of the dome to the other, it would be 1.5 times the length of a bowling alley lane.
• From the bottom of the theater to the top of the dome screen is 60 feet, the same height as 4 giraffes.
• 588 perforated aluminum panels are seamlessly joined together to form the domed screen with a surface area of 1,145 square meters, or 12,345 square feet. That’s a nice size four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in terms of area.
• The 10-projector system features an 8K resolution of 88 million pixels.
• The sophisticated software allows for downloads of the latest animations and images from NASA to keep up with breaking science news.
• The lighting system can produce over 281 trillion individual colors, which can allow the planetarium dome to look like the blue Earth daytime sky, the red sky of Mars, or a rapidly changing pattern to enhance laser shows. A human can see about 10 million colors, while a computer screen displays about 16.8 million colors for a “full-color” image.
• In addition to out-of-this-world planetarium experiences, guests will also enjoy immersive 8K films on the wraparound dome screen courtesy of a brand new digital projection system.

Find out more info here.

 

Also available is the new rotating exhibition, Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience.

“In this interactive, immersive exhibition based on one of the world’s most popular sci-fi series, you’ll step into the shoes of a newly minted cadet in the 26th century. As you travel through nine different zones, you’ll receive the necessary science, engineering, medical, and command training to navigate your way from orientation through graduation.

Both Trekkies and non-Trekkies will be engaged by the science behind the science fiction. Learn how Star Trek paved the way for many of today’s cutting-edge technologies—such as a functional tricorder, NASA’s warp drive theory, and experiments involving phasers and teleporters—and even get a glimpse into the future of Star Trek science.”

star trek museum

Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience will be at LSC through May 28, 2018.

If you would like to win a 4 pack of tickets, please just leave your name and email in the comments below. Ends Feb. 20, 2018. Thanks!
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The Glow at Monmouth Park Racetrack, NJ

If holiday lights are your bag of tea, or if October is your favorite time of year, you will love The Glow.   The Glow at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ is fun for everyone.  This walk through seasonal event is a Halloween lovers dream, with over 5,000 carved pumpkins ranging from pirates, to rock stars, to movie stars, and even dinosaurs and Pokemon carved into them.

pumpkin carving

There is a carving that is destined to be your favorite.  Your visit starts with a warm Fall beverage and a meeting with a real pumpkin artist as he creates a work of art.  Then there is a small tour through some Halloween themed exhibits, with various Jack o Lantern, pumpkin, and Halloween facts on display and indoor pumpkin decor.

halloween events

Then comes the main event, a walk through outdoor light up event where you can go scene by scene through the time of the dinosaurs, an extreme skate park, and more.  There are even local NJ spots like Asbury Park to visit in gourd form.  Check out government officials commemorated in pumpkin, as well as those running for president.  Best thing about those? They rot quickly, LOL.

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Some of our favorites of the night were definitely the 15 foot tall T Rex, the pirate ship along with pirates and loot all made out of pumpkins and carved with intricate detail, and the Pokemon collection.  Some displays are animated, but all of them have ambiance and accompanying sounds to complete the experience.  Once you are done walking through the display there is a chance to walk through a pumpkin patch and get a pumpkin to bring home and start your own display. There is also a little stand where you can buy snacks and drinks- a candy apple and some cider really are a must.

pokemon pumpkin

The Glow is a great way to spend a nice evening  it’s  a fun, family friendly Halloween event, just be sure the weather is co-operating.  The Glow is on display throughout the month of October Friday and Saturday from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm and from 6:30 to 9:30 Sunday.

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Preview the new #DisneyMagicalWorld2 by @NintendoAmerica #nintendo

This past weekend, we visited the Nintendo Store in NYC for the preview of Disney Magical World 2 Video Game. “Nintendo and Hollywood Records Recording Artist Olivia Holt Celebrate the Upcoming Launch of the Disney Magical World 2 Game, Launching Exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS Family of Systems.

Live your dream life alongside classic Disney characters in six Disney-themed worlds! Anyone who pre-purchases the title in Nintendo eShop or at select retailers will receive three in-game Frozen outfits free for characters like Elsa, Anna and Olaf. The game launches Oct. 14.”

disney video games

We were able to be among the first to try out the game, and there was a Disney costume party as well as jewelry, hair, and makeup stations.

disney magical world 2

Here is a video of a demo- we will give you our review soon! (Sorry about the dude that kept walking in front of my camera- what can you do, manners are a lost art, LOL). Make sure you pre-purchace the title so you can get your freebies!

Ocean Spray Bog and Spinach Salad #ad #CranberryClassroom @OceanSprayInc

Thank you to Ocean Spray® for sponsoring this blog post. I’m partnering with Ocean Spray® for its NYC Cranberry Classroom. #ad All opinions are my own.

With Fall around the corner, it is cranberry season. As such, it is time to make some fun and seasonal  recipes with cranberries.  One such fall favorite is a spinach salad- great year round, but even better when gussied up.

Spinach

Ocean Spray’s ® Spinach Salad

Effortless Spinach Salad

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, optional

DRESSING:
1/2 cup bottled balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest, optional

Directions

Wash and clean spinach. Tear into bite size pieces and place in a serving bowl. Add half of the feta or goat cheese and onion; toss to combine.

Combine dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with dried cranberries and almonds. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.

Another way to celebrate the joys of cranberries is with the Ocean Spray® cranberry bog.

The Ocean Spray® cranberry bog was recently at Rockefeller Center® to celebrate the first day of fall. Nothing says fall like cranberries- and when will you ever get to see a bog in the middle of New York City? Not very often, at least.

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Did you know that 2016 marks the bicentennial of the first cultivated cranberry harvest? I didn’t. The NYC bog also shared cranberry’s story of taste, health and heritage with visitors in a fun and delicious way.

Farming Ocean Spray ® cranberries is often handed down generation to generation- it’s really a family business. It is interesting to see growers and their families (who were on-site) talk about the harvest and how it’s changed over the last 200 years.  Nothing like a first hand experience- but if you can’t have one, you at least get to hear it right from the horses mouth (as it were).

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Those who didn’t make it to the bog can experience The Most Beautiful Harvest for themselves at www.OSharvest.com.  You can see the little canberry’s journey from bog to bottle. It’s cute- check it out.

Here is some more information on it-

“Featuring fully immersive, 360-degree views of a bog, it’s the next best thing to being there! Ocean Spray launched the “Most Beautiful Harvest” experience in 2015 using Oculus Rift technology. The desktop, mobile and Google Cardboard ready versions of this fully immersive 360-degree harvest experience are now available to consumers online at www.OSharvest.com.”

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