Kraft SodaStream Launch Party at 2nd Floor Events

A few weeks ago we received an email inviting us to a product launch.  Not thinking anything of it, I initially didn't respond.  I smartened up later, and yesterday attended the launch of SodaStream's Kraft flavours.  In addition to doing our own events, we feel it's a good idea to see (and enjoy) others' events as well.
 
Being an event designer, I couldn't help but check out the venue, 2nd Floor Events (261 King St. W)  for future opportunities.  It is a good looking venue, with retro lighting and a nice open loft space that could be used for many different types of events.



At this particular event, the decor - which included a water bottle chandelier (what else to do with old drink bottles), a large clear globe filled with plastic bottles, and lots of lemons - tied the brands together nicely in a cool setting.  It highlighted that you could use SodaStream instead of prepackaged drinks that come in the bottles.  I enjoyed the Kraft flavours in the drinks provided at the bar, including the lemonade.  Oddly enough, as much as I'll deny this if asked in future - yes, I had fun at the candy station (I was a kid again)!



While it was a fun event, at a great venue I hadn't seen before, I was excited by our parting gifts ... I'm looking forward to using my new SodaStream at home!  At a time when companies are rethinking their gifts, Kraft and SodaStream were smart to get a product that I'd been eyeing for some time into my hands - yes, I'm impressed.  Cheers!

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Interactive Furniture

A year ago, we met the coolest couple at the most unexpected location.  While sourcing furniture for our retail store at Toronto’s annual furniture show, we stumbled upon this young company promoting what we thought was the coolest product.
Unfortunately for Nuno and Erin, the young minds behind this innovative product, most of the bodies passing were looking for residential furniture to sell to the masses and not necessarily innovation; however as event designers we were excited to discover their line.

The NunoErin products have won worldwide acclaim in the design world.  Simply put, they create interactive furnishings with beautiful lines, that responds to touch with light.  After someone gets up from sitting on one of their chairs, you’ll see the lit outline of the guest who sat on it just moments before!  How fun would it be at a TIFF event to sit on George Clooney’s bum print (that is an led lit bum print … get your minds out of the gutter people!)

www.nunoerin.com

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Decor Inspiration

When we create an engaging, creative event, one of the things we're often asked about is where the idea came from.  Our answer is that inspiration is all around us.  Whether I'm browsing in a shop, taking a walk in a park, looking at cars in a dealership, or shopping for products for our store, event ideas often pop into my mind, and I can't wait to match an event to the idea.

The latest inspiration was actually at a bargain store ... I could imagine using many of the colourful LED lights to create a wall of interactive light & colour ... these could be used to spell out words and messages.  It's just one example of how one relatively inexpensive element, when used in multiples and over a large area, can transform a space.

Check out future postings for more ideas and inspiration.

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House of Moments

  

Last night, we attended an industry night for a relatively new venue, House of Moments.  The space is quite large - the first time I had ever been to that location was when it was a furniture store (Dragon Heir) - I had loved the space then, and thought it would be great as an event venue.

Fast forward to 2013, House of Moments is an art gallery, a restaurant, and a lounge all in one.  Hamid Kouchak, the owner,explained he'd be comfortable with 450 people in the space; we observed that it could probably hold more than that.  A great addition to the East End, it's a hidden gem in Leslieville.

As event designers, we loved that the furniture onsite was quite mobile - many of the pieces were on wheels, or were lightweight.
We also loved that the big warehouse space was divided up with doors that Hamid sourced from India.  They added to the decor, as well as functionally separating the space into cozier areas.There is much in the venue to capture guests interest.

Since we're always on the lookout for versatility, we observed that an event host could leave the venue as is, or could easily put their own stamp on it through decor.


In addition to being a venue, the space nicely showcases local art, with new art every month.  The food we sampled was great also.  We tried the salmon sushi, as well as a delicious potsticker and a slider.

All in all, it's a fantastic venue/restaurant/gallery that we look forward to working with in the future!

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Welcome to Cry If I Want To Events

Thanks for coming over to look at our events page!  We plan to use this page to tell you about new trends and favourite classics in the world of events.  We'll feature venues that we have the opportunity to visit, and highlight a few caterers that we've had the pleasure of working with.  Last but not least we'll talk about one of our favourite things - design & decor - as it pertains to the event industry.  We hope to use this forum to interact with you, and hope you get as much out of it as we do!

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Grey Goose Lounge at Muzik

Last night we (Rochelle, Allison & our intern Eva) went to visit the newly designed Grey Goose Lounge.  We came away with mixed impressions.  Eva, our party girl, was happy to find a new place she could bring her friends to.  Rochelle and I weren't extremely impressed with the decor - it didn't feel like anything new.  "Bling" and sparkle have been done for years - aside from having used it at events, we've been selling the bling ribbon (found all over lamps, pillows and stools in the Lounge) in our retail store for years.  Have to admit, it still had the wow factor though - just not a "it's so unique and original" wow.

We liked the size of the venue - they say it's great for events of 80 to 3000 people, and for some types of events - company offsites/team building, meeting with friends - the venue would be fine.  I'm not into the beauty bar that they have - if I need to fix my hair, I kinda prefer not to do it in front of my fellow partygoers.  The white VIP lounge at the back is cozy.

If you're hosting a marketing event, the branding is already very much specific to Grey Goose (although the AV screens/monitors would allow you to tweak it a bit to state what your event is).  Overall, not my favourite venue, but it's always great to know what options the city has to offer.

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