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 Blog Readers,

So here we are: The first Wednesday of December.

Bust out the eggnog and your best stress-management techniques! It’s time to get real about the Holidays.

A long time ago, I subscribed to the belief that the best way to throw a Christmas or Holiday party was to go to someone else’s Christmas or Holiday Party.

You may agree. You may not.

I’ve seen holiday parties go down from both sides of the serving dish. I’ve watched as my own family events have degenerated into a Chevy Chase, National Lampoon-like disaster . . . only without the laughs or the cute, albeit confused, aunt who sings the Star Spangled Banner instead of saying grace.

I’ve watched my mother literally blink out of existence after my uncle asked her if she had enough sense to buy organic eggnog. Seriously. One minute she was there, the next she wasn’t. She reappeared two days later without a word, looking at us all with a jaundiced eye. We’ve never, ever talked about it.

I’ve been to some great holiday parties and some not-so-great parties. It’s almost a cliché to talk about the person, or persons as the case may be, who have a little too much to drink at the company holiday party and make some bad decisions regarding secret crushes or hatred for bosses . . . but I’ve seen it happen. I once saw two coworkers almost come to blows over the correct pronunciation of some lake in Michigan.

Yes, there’s something about the Holidays that can bring out the crazy. The way I see it, something has to balance out the stress. That’s fine, but it’s always a good idea to make sure that your memories of this time of year are happy ones.

It’s easy to get caught up in all of it, but it’s very important to have fun. The best holiday party I ever attended was, at the beginning, the most confusing thing I’ve ever seen.

I had a girlfriend once whose family had started a tradition of having themed Christmas Parties. There was only one rule: have fun with it. They did.

That particular year’s theme was Santa’s reindeer. I had no idea what it meant. I literally thought that I was supposed to dress up as a reindeer. When I asked her about it my girlfriend would say: “Have fun with it. Be creative.”

My creativity with Santa’s reindeer amounted to some cheap reindeer antlers and a Rudolph nose. I’m good like that.

When I got to the party no one was dressed like a reindeer . . . they weren’t even close. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t a reindeer in sight.

I walked up to my girlfriend who was dressed in a red leotard, a tutu, leg warmers and ballet slippers. She saw the confused look on my face, laughed and said, “I’m Dancer. Get it?!”

I did.

Her uncle had on a football helmet with some decent sized football pads underneath his Christmas sweater. He looked at me and said one word: Blitzen.

The cousin with the bow and arrow and little angel wings was Cupid, of course. Others were dressed in similar ways. The real rage of the party was my girlfriend’s father who came down the stairs dressed head to toe in his wife’s close clothes, adorned in jewelry and complete makeup. Everyone stood there looking at him until someone finally shouted out, “VIXEN!!” He blew a kiss, winked and strutted around to thunderous applause.

It was a great deal of fun.

It wasn’t the most traditional party I’d ever been to, but it was one of the best. Don’t be afraid to stretch the limits this Holiday Season . . . and please don’t be the person who tells off their boss at the company party . . . or just shows up with a red clown nose and a cheap pair of reindeer antlers.

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 (all of whom I hope are becoming huge Mr. Event fans),

It’s the time of week again to learn what your favorite mystery man (that’s me, Mr. Event) thought about something he experienced! I’m excited about it, and I know that you are too.

In my first blog I told you that I was going to tell you about a disappointing dessert that I had at an event. Then, in my last blog, I completely forgot to write about it! I know that our relationship is new, so I don’t want you to think that I’m building it on lies . . . I’m not. I just forget things from time to time.

I first realized that I broke my promise when I was walking down the street and two people were talking in an outside café about the Mr. Event Blog and how they were kind of bummed out that I didn’t talk about the dessert.

The conversation went a little like this:

Person 1: I just read Mr. Event’s second blog and I’m kind of disappointed that he didn’t write about the dessert he said he was going to in his first column.

Person 2: Yeah, me too.

Person 1: In fact, I think I’m kind of angry about it.

Person 2: Yeah, me too.

True story. I swear.

All I can do is apologize. I’m sorry I made everyone disappointed and angry. But I can correct it by talking about desserts now.

This particular event I attended was a number of years ago. Long before I became the fabled blogger known as Mr. Event, so I really wasn’t looking for anything to write about. However, the crushing disappointment about this dessert has stayed with me for a number of years.

So there I was at this event. It was a nice event and I mean NICE. Two companies had just merged in a deal that I’m sure made a number of people a serious amount of money and they were in the mood for some celebrating.

We’re talking about the standard show-off kind of stuff: white gloved waiters, hor d’oeuvres made from expensive animals, fine suits, an open bar with top-shelf liquors, etc. They really rolled out the red carpet . . . literally.

After the obligatory cocktail hour, we sat down for dinner. The dinner itself was amazing. It lived up to the hype and buzz that the cocktail hour had promised.

I remember being upset that the dinner was over, but I was so excited for dessert I hadn’t noticed the subtle warning signs that we were in trouble, like the lack of dessert silverware on the table.

Some of my tablemates had even started to speculate on what could be coming. Bananas Foster, Baked Alaska and profiteroles were quietly being whispered from ear to ear. I thought individual chocolate fountains would be nice at the very least and I found myself wondering if it would be a faux pas to bury my face in the liquid chocolate and just start gulping it down.

Then a hush went through the room as the waiters appeared carrying trays towards the tables. When they reached us, they paused and lifted the trays high into the air. The anticipation was at a boil. A woman somewhere to my right let out a restrained squeak and passed out. In one synchronized, arching motion, the waiters placed the trays down on the table and there it was . . . our desert:

Chocolate chip cookies.

Seriously. That was it. Chocolate chip cookies.

The disappointment was evident and immediate. I could see people looking around at each other with confused looks on their faces. The woman who had passed out in anticipation had been revived and, upon seeing what awaited her, passed out again. (Ok, maybe I’m embellishing a little bit, but it was a serious disappointment.)

It was a tray of chocolate chip cookies. A dessert that, in any other setting, would have probably been enough to make everyone in the room happy. Heck, I’ve been to family parties where fights have broken out over the last chocolate chip cookie. They’re a classic. But here, it wasn’t enough.

I went to a wedding once of two recent college graduates. They didn’t have two pennies to scratch together but they were truly in love. You could see it every time they looked at each other. The wedding was small with only the closest family and friends on the guest list. In place of a cake they had cupcakes that the bride had made that very morning before she got ready to walk down the aisle.

They were nothing special, but they were the best cupcakes I ever had.

The tray of chocolate chip cookies was grossly out of place. Apparently the wife of one of the owners loved them and had made a big stink about serving them. She thought it would be fun. It could have been, but in this setting it wasn’t.

Years later, whenever I see people who were there, they don’t talk about the waiters, or the open bar, or the great location . . . they talk about the tray of cookies.

I suppose what I’m saying is that anything can work anywhere, but you have to consider things as a whole event with little working parts. If one of those parts doesn’t fit right, it could put the whole event out of sync.

Until next time everyone. Remember, I’ll be seeing you, but you won’t be seeing me.

Dear Atlas Blog Readers and Loyal Customers,

It’s been another week and I’m back! I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about it.

Believe it or not, but for me, not every week is packed full of super-fun events to attend. I would imagine that the same is true for many of you, and if it isn’t, please don’t tell me. . . I already feel bad enough!

This last week was one such time that my calendar was blank. There was a moment where I even thought that my phone might be broken. It was working fine of course. It turns out the reason it wasn’t ringing was because no one was calling. Go figure.

My salvation finally came from my father. The phone rang, and I quickly answered. I didn’t answer it too quickly. . .  I didn’t want to appear desperate you know? I’m smooth like that.

A short 3 years ago, my brother gave my dad a gift certificate to Ruth’s Christ Steakhouse. We had begun to believe he was going to leave it in his Last Will and Testament but thankfully we were mistaken (although there is still the unused McDonald’s gift certificate I gave him).

So, thanks to the thoughtfulness of my brother and the timeliness of my father, I found my Friday night beginning to look promising.

I had never been to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse before. All I knew about it was that the word STEAK was in the title and that is really all I needed to know. I have, of course, been to other restaurants; I believe I’ve already mentioned McDonalds. The night at Ruth’s Chris was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

Previously, my idea of good service was getting a table at a restaurant in a decent amount of time, having an attentive waiter/waitress who keep the drinks full and served the food hot and that’s really about it. I’m a simple guy but I think that is what makes most people happy when they go out to dinner.

Apparently, my brother had called ahead and told Ruth’s Chris that it was my father’s birthday. He left out the fact that we were using a 3 year old birthday present and my father’s most recent birthday was several months ago, but the staff at Ruth’s Chris didn’t need to know that.

When we arrived at our table my father was very delighted to see that “Happy Birthday” confetti had been sprinkled across the table. The hostess acknowledged my father and wished him a happy birthday. She didn’t need to know it wasn’t really his birthday, and from the glint in my father’s eye, it seemed that he had even forgotten it wasn’t his real birthday.

I’m not a huge fan of confetti (glitter is worse), but it was obviously a nice touch and made my father feel good. When we sat down at the table, I noticed something else that was quite a surprise. My brother’s girlfriend was wearing a very nice black dress. While my father’s, brother’s and my napkins were all white, my brother’s girlfriend’s napkin was black to match her dress.

Now we’re just getting silly!

My father ordered a T-bone steak. The waitress informed us that there was only one left, but she would hurry to put the order in so we could get it. While we were waiting for our steaks the waitress came back with some bad news. She thought she had put the order for the T-bone in in time, but there was a mix up and someone else got it first.

My father looked a little despondent . . . this wasn’t supposed to happen on birthdays. Then the waitress informed him that she they had prepared the closest steak to the T-bone that they had left for the rest of the night: A 44 oz. Porterhouse for Two!

I thought my father was going to die of happiness right there. By comparison, if this had happened with my gift certificate at McDonalds, it would have been like my father ordering a basic cheeseburger and getting 20 twenty Angus Burgers instead.

As my father began to dive into the steak that was bigger than his head a manager came over to gently ask how we were enjoying our meal. He apologized for the confusion with the steaks. When the bill came the Porterhouse wasn’t on it. Class act.

When we left the restaurant and approached the valet stand, our car was already waiting for us.

Taken separately all of those things would have been nice.  Put them all together and you have an experience that really makes you feel special. My father had such a great night that I believe he is officially changing his birthday to last Friday.

I guess that’s what real service is. We are nowhere close to being royalty, but for one night we felt pretty close.

Some things you just can’t put a price tag on. We’ll definitely be back.

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

 

Easter is just a short hop away and for most grown-ups that means many different things than it used to.

Gone are the days where they  get to delight in running around their yards and houses looking for free candy that a magical bunny has hidden near trees, windowsills, closets, bushes and stones.

Instead, adults get to focus on the best part of any holiday: Dinner.

Unfortunately, from time to time, one of the most crucial elements of a great holiday dinner that gets over looked is the table.

A festively decorated table can heighten everyone’s enjoyment whether it is Easter, Christmas, Chanukah or Flag Day!

So how should an Easter table be decorated? Here are some simple tips:

Whatever you have planned, Easter is a special holiday that should be experienced with family and friends.

Think back to the Easters of your past and try to remember your happiest memories. It may not have hit you at the time, but it was probably the little details that a loving parent put into the day that you remember most.  Just a little more thought put into something as simple, yet crucial, as the Easter Dinner Table can make your Easter one that will be remembered by friends and family for the rest of their lives.

Charity. That one word means many different things to many different people.

For some it is the cause that may lead to a loved one’s cure; to others it is the helping hand that lifts a person up and reinvigorates their spirit.

Charity lives in all of our hearts but in the world of business, charity is also an expense.

How do we, as business leaders, walk the careful line to continue our commitment to sponsoring charity while maintaining the financial health of our companies?

The answer is that we must begin to think of our role in charitable contributions in a new way.

This year, at Atlas Party Rental, we discovered an approach to charitable giving that lifts us from being just another nameless, faceless vendor on a list to a truly dynamic group of people who are a part of the charities to which we contribute.

APR, in conjunction with Seaview Radio, has begun a program called the Charity Minute. Every week APR picks a specific charity and provides free commercial airtime on Seaview Radio to promote their charities.

This new approach to our involvement with charities has allowed us to get to know the great people involved with the charities and the actual purpose of the charities themselves. Instead of providing a table, or chairs, or glassware, we contribute a service that has deeper, far reaching effects.

This season we have redefined the way in which we view our social responsibilities. By taking the time to think about our role, we have opened a door that not only aids charities in a better way, we have also honored our responsibilities to our business.
All it takes is a little time. And as most people involved in charities know, giving time is what makes everything possible.