Dear Atlas Blog Readers,

Have you ever done paint by numbers? I mean have you ever done one after kindergarten? I tried one recently with the hope of learning, in some small way, how to actually paint for real.

It didn’t work and I have come to the dramatic realization that I am no Picasso. Not even close. In fact, I’m not even the kid in kindergarten who can color within the lines. I’m that bad at anything in the artistic realm. Even my stick figures look like horribly disfigured abominations.

I feel much the same way when I go to an event that is spectacular. Some people really just have a talent for putting together a celebration. I have come, more and more, to the realization that this is a talent that is artistic in nature and the events that they put together are works of art.

For a little while I believed that being submerged in the presence of such individuals would rub off on me. It hasn’t. I’m constantly reminded of that fact every time I attend a party or an event that is thrown by someone who really knows what they are doing.

I recently had an “I would have never thought of that moment” at a friend’s 25th anniversary. Both my friend and his wife are architects. They design buildings and homes. Where you could even begin to do something like that I have no idea. I tried building a fort once out of pillows and a blanket; within five minutes the city declared it structurally unsound and made me destroy it.

Despite their artistic and visionary natures, my friends happen also to be somewhat simple in their personal lives. They aren’t extravagant, nor are they flamboyant in their tastes. I knew that their anniversary party would be perfect without being showy.

I was right. The gathering took place at their home (which, of course, they designed and built). There were many people there: family, friends, business associates, etc.. Food stations had been set up in different parts of the house. At first, I couldn’t figure out why they hadn’t decided on a single buffet area or something similar. When I got closer to the first station, I discovered why.

When I picked up the plate I was surprised to see that it was a triangle shape. I’d never seen a plate like that before. All of the food at this station had also been cut and shaped in the form of a triangle. The shapes were natural; it wasn’t as if they had taken a hamburger and pressed it into a triangular shape. There were pies, quiche, and the like here.

Across the room a food station was set up with oval dishes. Again, the food had been prepared to naturally match the shape of the plate it was being served in. As I stood at this station and looked back at the “triangle station”, I realized it had been placed below two magnificent wooden beams that started at the floor and met each other at the ceiling in the shape of a triangle.

Similarly, the other food stations complimented some feature in the home. Rectangles, hexagons, squares, cubes . . . you name it.

I had been to my friend’s house many times. I had always admired the beauty of their house. I had seen everything before, but this was the first time that the shapes of the house started to stand out to me. The way that they had been placed together or used as juxtapositions was remarkable.

All that time I had never seen it for the piece of art that it really was and it finally took some shaped dinner plates to open my eyes.

Art. Plain and simple.

I’ll never be able to come up with things like that. It just isn’t in my nature. I’m glad that there are people out there who see the world so differently and can make things like this for the rest of us to enjoy!

Dear Atlas Party Rental Blog Readers,

Sometimes we all have to do things that we don’t want to do. It is just a fact of life that we can’t get away from.

Sometimes there is nothing I want to do more than just sit on the couch and stare at the wall. Inside every man lives the soul of a hermit. You all know it’s true. Sometimes a man just needs to retreat into the depths of his house and loose himself in a cycle of naps, junk food and more naps.

It is a universal truth.

I couldn’t wait for this past weekend because that is exactly what I had planned. I had even gone as far as to plan a very intricate web of excuses and lies (I’m not proud of lying, but sometimes it’s necessary) to avoid any social interaction whatsoever: My friends thought I had some work to do. My family thought I was going out with friends. Work thought I had a big family event I had to go to.

It wasn’t complicated but it was perfect . . . except for the big family event that I had to go to!

I had completely forgotten about it, but a single phone call from my mother reminded me that it was my 7 year-old cousin’s birthday. I tried desperately to get out of it but anyone who has ever gone up against a well-executed guilt trip from their mother knows that that wasn’t happening.

I couldn’t imagine a worse place to be than in my cousin’s back yard as an army of screaming 7 year-olds who were all hopped up on candy and birthday cake looked for an infinite number of ways to cause mass destruction and end all life on the planet as we know it.

It was going to be a very, very bad scene, but there was nothing I could do. I had familial obligations to fulfill (and by that I mean my mother’s wrath would be epic).

So it came to pass that on Saturday after I picked up my mother it was with a great deal of surprise that I learned the birthday party was taking place inside a local science museum. I’d never heard of anything like this before. Growing up I was an extreme nerd (at least that’s what all the other kids used to call me) and I would have loved to have a birthday in a museum. Heck, I would have loved any party in a museum!

When we arrived, I was even more surprised. There were no screaming kids running around hell-bent on destroying life as we know it. In fact it was the exact opposite.

The museum staff was on hand and they were doing cool experiments and mini-shows that educated and mystified the mind. Kids sat in rapture in neat rows as someone dropped Mentos into a 2 liter bottle of soda and watched the ensuing explosion. In other areas the staff was showing off the museum’s animals like snakes, lizards and even a falcon. A FALCON!

As the birthday continued, guided tours of the museum exhibits were offered, or you could wander off on your own and go through the museum at your leisure. This particular place had a great deal of hands-on exhibits and it was educational and fun playing with them.

Again, I was completely surprised; I had never been to a party inside a science museum before. Aware of my Mr. Event duties, I approached the attractive staff member who was holding a pretty cool looking lizard and asked her if they limited the facilities to birthday parties.

“Why do you want to know? Are you Mr. Event or something?” She asked.

I rolled my eyes and started to giggle nervously, “N-n-nooooo,” I stammered and rolled my eyes at the obnoxious suggestion. She looked at me suspiciously but didn’t press the issue further. I’m just smooth like that, you know?

I was amazed to learn that they hosted all kinds of events. In the evenings, after the museum closed, they hosted corporate events, fundraisers, movie screenings and even weddings (which I thought was a little weird, until I realized that I would get married there in a heartbeat)!

For adult events they set up facilities and food stations inside the actual halls and exhibits of the museum. I imagined how cool it would be to be there after hours in a social setting. I certainly had never experienced that before and I thought it could be a great twist in the event realm.

As far as I could tell, the parents and adults were having just as much fun as the children. That is not something that I have experienced at birthday parties in the past! So, the time my mother was done with the whole thing and said we could leave, I pleasantly opted to stay a while longer so I could learn about the mysteries of “Gak”!

It was really a great time. Take a look at some interesting venues like a museum when you’re planning your next event whether it is a birthday, anniversary or networking event. It certainly adds flavor to the standard meeting/ballroom affair!

Until next Wednesday!

Dear Atlas Blog Readers and loyal customers,

I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Event and the brilliant minds at Atlas Party Rental and I got together and decided that I was going to write for their website for a while.

I’m sure you’re asking who could possibly be named, “Mr. Event”.  You’re right to be suspicious. I exist in the real world. I’m one person, but we’ll never meet; you’ll never know who I am . . . but trust me, I’m out there.

My new purpose and goal is to visit various events, shows, restaurants, parties . . . anything fun really, and write about what I see: the good, the bad and the ugly. Hence the name Mr. Event which, said quickly, sounds like “Mystery Event”. Clever right?!

You will learn things about me in a general, anonymous way of course, and the way I view these things through a single man’s perspective.

Why should you care? There are several reasons really, but one of the most important reasons is because I’m the guy who is going to be attending these events on the arm of a beautiful woman (hopefully) or with friends and family. If I, a fairly oblivious guy who has traditionally only paid attention to the bar and menu, notice the other important aspects of the events I attend you’re going to know that they are either very good or very bad.

The hope is that you, through reading of my experiences, will get some ideas about what to try as you throw your own social gatherings.

Last week, for example, I attended a local non-profit’s annual dinner. Like many non-profits they wisely use their money for their stated purposes and goals. When they throw a non-fundraising event to honor those who have supported them over the years, it isn't out of the question that they try to provide the greatest possible time while spending the least amount of money.

I happened to arrive at the venue a little early to lend a hand with the set up (Yes I happen to be a NICE single guy . . . did I mention that I am also ridiculously good looking?). Four hundred people were attending the dinner with a dance afterwards. It was a formal event (men wore suits and women had on what I was told were their versions of the little black dress) and the organizers wanted things to look very nice.

The brilliant idea that I noticed was the centerpieces on the tables: bowls of water. 

Yes, I said bowls of water! Stay with me for a moment.

The organizers took these simple bowls of water and floated candles and white rose petals inside the bowls. Left like this, the centerpieces would have looked fine, but one of the organizers brought a small bottle of blue food coloring (the organizations colors are white and blue). Before guests arrived, she went through the tables and placed a few drops in each bowl and stirred the color into the water. The affect was really surprising and the now blue water cast a brilliant contrast against the white table cloth. The overall affect in the room also was dramatic as the blue, glowing (because of the candles) centerpieces spread over the 40 tables in the ballroom really stood out. In the words of one of my tablemates it, “Looked simply fabulous!”

If I hadn't seen how simple it was, I would have thought that a lot more effort and cost had gone into the preparation. I realized that sometimes the simple solutions and ideas can turn out to be amongst the most memorable parts of the evening. It serves as proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune to make things look great.

Next week, I’ll tell you about some of the unbelievable service I encountered at a local restaurant, and a surprisingly disappointing dessert at an event that could have done much better! It’s the little things that add up!

I’m looking forward to writing for you all! I’ll be seeing you . . . but you won’t be seeing me!

Sincerely,

Mr. Event