School Dance Theme Tips

School has just begun, and it is time for school administrators and committees to start thinking about those big school events: the high school prom, homecoming, semi formal, and other great dances and events.

The first step when planning these events is determining the theme. The party theme will affect the invitations, fliers, decorations, favors, music and dress code. Having a theme will set the stage for all planning activities and make the dance more memorable.

First, determine how many events you will have this year. Would you like them to all follow a similar theme? Would you like them to flow with the seasons, or be based on a series of books or movies? You may want one large event, or several smaller ones. Getting these on the calendar immediately will help the planning process.

Next, choose a theme. Think romance for proms, or school spirit for homecoming--but be careful--students are notorious for finding humor or misconstruing things that adults come up with--so keep it simple, and avoid any kinds enteof double entendres. Movies, books, or popular themes like "under the sea" always work well and can be fun for the students and staff to plan.

The best way to set your theme is with the music. Work with your DJ company to choose songs that are appropriate for your audience and that follow your theme. For example, a "70's disco" dance will be even more fun and thematic if 90's pop-rock songs are not thrown in to the mix!

One of your biggest factors will be budget. While you can go with almost any theme and fit it into your budget, how much you can spend will determine how far you can take it. Do you want to give away favors? Will there be food? Will decorations be bought or made? These are all factors that will affect your budget.

Choosing and running with a theme will not only help you make decisions about the event, but will help get the student body excited about the upcoming dance and guide a student-run dance planning committee's creativity--ensuring a successful, unique and memorable event for all!

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Two Hot New Trends in Corporate Event Entertainment

Businesses have been trying to entertain their employees for decades, with holiday parties and summer picnics, and even at conventions and company meetings. But in the last few years, corporate event entertainment has been taken to a new level. Event planners are looking at new ways to motivate, team build, train and entertain—and out of that, some exciting new trends are emerging.

One new trend in corporate event entertainment is tying in a positive message or training throughout the week or weekend session. Things like comedy skits, and high-energy group activities assist employees in learning better customer relations techniques, build confidence, and work with each other more effectively.

Here are some hot ideas:

Entertainment ideas for courage-building: Ideas like group sky-diving, mountain climbing, ropes courses and white water rafting are all courage-building ideas that can be used as good bases for thing like team building and problem-solving.

Environmentally sound entertainment ideas: Being green is on everyone’s mind these days, and businesses are taking notice by “greening up” corporate events with green awareness training, organic foods, freetrade favors, and brainstorming sessions on how to bring environmentally-friendly ideas to the work place.

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Choosing a Wedding Florist

As professional DJ's we see a lot of wedding flowers, and deal with a lot of brides who are in the midst of choosing a florist. We would like to offer some advice to couples choosing floral arrangements, bouquets and other wedding flowers for their big day.

Every florist has their own style when it comes to wedding floral arrangements, so it is important to be familiar with a florist’s work before signing a contract.

The best way to start is to ask friends who they used, and what they thought of their work, price, and professionalism. If the florist comes highly recommended, chances are they will do a good job for you too. But don’t forget to also look at pictures (online and in-store) and if possible, check out a bridal order they are currently working on.

When you visit each florist, look at pictures of their previous work and look around their shop.

-->Do you like the arrangements that you see in the shop's displays?
-->Do the flowers in the pictures look fresh? (are the petal edges brown?)
-->Are the pictures current and do they follow contemporary styles?
-->Talk to the specific florist that will do your arrangements.
-->Do you feel comfortable with your florist and are they willing to take your ideas and wishes?

When to Book:
You should begin your search for a florist about 6 months before your wedding date. This is something you can’t do too early or too late because you need to have your reception and ceremony sites picked out before you can hire a florist, (because of size, location, amount, colors), but you also don’t want to wait too long, especially during a busy “wedding season,” so you can have your choice of florists.

What to Bring:
When you go to meet with your final florist-prospects, you should bring pictures of flowers and arrangements you like from magazines or photographs, pictures of your gown, color swatches and a list of the flowers you will need (i.e. centerpieces, boutonnieres, bouquets, etc.). You may also want to bring quotes your received from other florists.

What to Ask:
While you are looking over their portfolio, make sure to ask if the person who did the arrangements you like, is the same one that will be doing your flowers. Ask for their creative ideas and get a sense of what kind of artist they are. Ask if the flowers you want are in season when you need them. A florist may be able to get out-of-season flowers, but there may be additional costs, and they may not last as long. There are also some technical questions, such as “is there a delivery charge?” and “when must the final order be in?” and if there are hidden costs.

With these tips, we are sure you will haev beautiful arrangements on your special day.

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Top 5 Party Theme Ideas

Every great party has a theme. The theme sets the stage for the attire, decorations, entertainment, even food and activities! Below are a list of our Top 5 Party Theme Ideas.

Western: Saddle-up and let’s have a hi-ho good time at this rodeo, Cowboy! Western style parties are fun and easy. Ask guests to arrive in the “Western Wear,” serve chips and salsa, BBQ, and give mini cactus away as party favors!

James Bond: "Bond, James Bond" Ask guests to dress in black tie for your 007 shin-dig. James Bond parties can include showings of movies, casino games, even a Bond-style murder-mystery game. Serve martinis and give away poker-chip key chains as fun favors.

Luau: Aloha! Spice up a pool party with a Hawaiian Luau theme. Ask guest to show with their beach attire, and supplement with grass skirts that they can take home. Serve fruity drinks in coconuts, and hand-out flower leis as the guest arrive. Decorate with raffia table skirts and tiki lamps. And of course, play some beautiful Hawaiian luau music!

70’s Disco: “Ah…. Freak out!” Think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, and get in “the groove” for a fabulous disco style party. Decorate with a disco ball, hand out 70’s style sunglasses and ask guest to arrive in their bell-bottoms and leisure suits! If you want a fun food idea, think fondue! Don’t forget the tunes: The Village People, Elton John, Kool and the Gang… this era is a great party theme idea!

Hollywood: A star-studded, glittery, paparazzi-filled night is ahead of you when you host a Hollywood party! Perfect for awards-nights, celebrations, company gatherings, and more, a Hollywood party can be a glitzy and glamorous affair. Ask guests to show dressed as their favorite super-star. Put a red carpet out, give away cameras as favors, and decorate with star-cut-outs. Stop by the trophy store and pick up some awards for your guests of honor: Best Hairstyle, Most Glamorous, etc.

These are just a few of the great themes that you could use for your next party. Remember, starting with the theme when you plan will help shape all the planning, and giving your party a great theme will get the guest excited and make the event spectacular.

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Hosting a Cool Company Party

Partying with co-workers can be fun, as well as a great opportunity to network with people in your business you may not get a chance to talk to on a regular basis. You can throw your company party onsite, at a restaurant or pub, convention center or as a company picnic at a local park. But no matter what the venue, you can use the following tips to get the planning started.

Recruit a Committee: Get help from co-workers to help brainstorm creative ideas, and split the responsibilities. You can choose a small group, or a larger one with sub-committees depending on the size and scale, but it is always good to have a team to get things done!

Move It: If your office is a place of business… full of computers, paperwork, desks and distractions, consider moving the party out to a more festive site. Think about something unusual, such as an art gallery, cruise-ship, or city tour bus.

Bring in the Music: Hire a DJ, to “get that party started.” Music can set the tone, and keep things moving.

Don’t go Overboard: We all want to have a good time, but there is always “that guy” (or girl) who has just a bit too much to drink and regrets it back at the office on Monday. So take it easy on the alcohol, and as the party planner or host, make sure there are plenty of non-alcoholic options and a coffee-bar towards the end, and have a plan to help guests who shouldn’t drive home find rides or a taxi.

Remember, company parties can be a great time, but they still need to be planned, executed, and enjoyed in a responsible way—after all, you still need to work with these people when the party is over!

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Professional DJs, MCs, VJs, Event Coordinators, and Party Motivators: Charlotte, North Carolina