Custom Events | Bringing Our Clients a Taste of Chicago
The idea of planning custom events is both intriguing and daunting. In a day and age where what works for one person almost never works for another, planning events tailored to your company or group’s needs is truly ideal. It can also be intimidating and expensive!
If you’re interested in planning custom events just right for your mission, vision, and organizational values, we have plenty of experience and would love to help! For now, check out this fun feature about a memorable event we helped plan in The Windy City.
REMEMBERING ONE OF JRDM’S PAST CUSTOM EVENTS
One of my very first custom events ended up as one of the most unique events I have ever done. Developing the concept was actually easy. Our guests had been visiting Chicago for years, yet most of them had never left the conference center or their hotel space. Can you image going to Chicago for 20 years and never trying their famous deep-dish pizza? So for our conference kickoff reception, we decided to bring Chicago to them—an exploration of all the best parts of the city in one space!
THE CHALLENGES
As with most custom events, there were challenges we had to overcome. The caterer had never done a menu this diverse. The decorator had to design custom pieces for us. The A/V team needed to customize the sound and lighting around the space—an empty rooftop overlooking Millennium Park—for both a day and night transition. It felt like at every turn, I learned something new!
One of the most unexpected challenges was trying to help my client envision the final outcome with only a floor plan, the renderings of the custom builds, and reference photos. Many clients are used to looking at a catalog and seeing “XYZ Chair” and easily envisioning it at their event. When you special order a piece that has no photo, it requires a lot of trust that the final product will match the expectation in their head. Fortunately, my clients had that trust.
The hardest element of this custom event’s design was a unique, clover-shaped bar designed and built to transport guests to Lincoln Park. We only had photos of the plants used by our greenhouse vendor, the sample shape and render of the build, and similar pieces we had done in the past. It ultimately ended up as the most interesting bar they had ever seen. They loved it! But getting there was an obstacle course of revisions, archive diving, and convincing someone to have faith in me.
THE OUTCOME
This turned out to be one of the biggest smash hits among all of our custom events! Every food station not only had custom menus themed around the themes of Chinatown, Little Italy, Pilsen, Wrigleyville, and Lincoln Park, but the food containers, catering staff outfits, and the way food was displayed was all custom-designed to showcase that area of town in a memorable way. Guests enjoyed famous traditional Chicago-style food in an elevated and unforgettable fashion. The stunning view of Millennium Park drove home the entire concept. Guests still talk about it today, two years later!
Don’t be afraid of planning custom events or including custom elements to fit your company’s exact vision. This is often the best way to get exactly what you want out of your occasion. Should you partner with our team on your event, we will not only support and guide you through the process, but ensure the outcome is even better than your expectations!
Let’s Connect!
Want to chat? Reach out to me any time at kelly@justrightdm.com just to connect or to discuss your event planning needs.
Custom Events | Bringing Our Clients a Taste of Chicago
