Simply Mumtaz wishes you a Happy Holidays!

We are hoping that you are enjoying your holidays! We are so lucky to have the time to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. Here is to wishing you a holiday season filled with lots of love, joy and laughter! Also, to a more prosperous 2010! Happy New Year!

All the Best!

SImply Mumtaz at Beverly Hilton for LAEDC's Eddy Awards

Simply Mumtaz Events was thrilled to be back at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to coordinate the LAEDC's Eddy Awards! It was fun using the "building" concept through out the event... take a look at the stage as well as the centerpieces.

LAEDC's President - Bill Allen with honorees Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong (Abraxis BioScience & Health), Richard Stephens (The Boeing Company) and LAEDC Chair Lloyd Greif. Congratulations to Dr. Soon-Shiong and Mr. Stephens!

Simply Mumtaz Wins Third Girari Table Top Competition

Simply Mumtaz Events, Inc. won Third Place at Girari Event Furnishings recent Table Top Competition that was held at the Luxe Sunset Hotel! It was a fantastic event with tons of creativity. We are also honored to have received a special recognition award from Cort.

Our table was Eco-Chic / Eco-Funk! So, here are a few details of our table to inspire your table tops...
We had the bar stool height long rectangle table from Girari to decorate. We wanted to keep a sustainable feel to the table top, so we took all the ribbon from events we've done in the passed - decided to create our own runner. Based on those colors we decided to move forward. Then, to add the visually green element we had a gorgeous "tree" in the center of our table. So, based on that we painted our repurposed tomato cans with little trees and used them as flower holders... then we took our empty glass jars (that we'd been saving forever!!) and created candle holders and planters for our small cactus plants...

then, with that same theme we had decals made for the gorgeous bar stools - the same tree image... Our glassware and flatware was generously provided by Classic Party Rentals & Unique Table Tops.

Kudos to the Simply Mumtaz team for creating a true team inspired design. Here they are showing off their third place win with Girari Founder - Darryl Aken. And, here's Simply Mumtaz President with Holly Davis, CORT District Account Representative. We are honored to have won their special recognition award.

AND, we couldn't present all of these wonderful images without a fabulous photographer! Dmitry Morozov from Photography by Alexander. We're thankful to have been introduced at this event and look forward to a new working relationship!

Simply Mumtaz Events produces 4th Annual Hospital Hero Awards

Simply Mumtaz Events, Inc. is very proud to produce such a heart warming event - the Hospital Hero Awards! This event highlights the unsung heroes of the health care industry and hospitals in general... miracles happen everyday that get no attention in the general media. This event is all about that... bringing a positive light to the wonderful work that health care professionals perform on an every day basis!

We held the event at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel's famous Crystal Ballroom. With a full house our Mistress of Ceremonies, Suzanne Rico, CBS2 News Anchor presented our honorees. And, the best news is that in the current ecomony this year's fundraiser raised more than any other year!

Please check out our photos below!!

And, Joella got a shot with Suzanne before she had to leave for the afternoon. Thanks Suzanne! You always do such an amazing job!

Help Us - Operation Blankets of Love

Hey everybody! The Simply Mumtaz team has been posting on Facebook and Twitter that we are working hard to raise old towels and blankets for Operation Blankets of Love. If you are interested, please give us a holler or stop by our offices to donate. We will be dropping off our donations on December 15th.

Operation Blankets of Love: Help save the planet and the lives of homeless animals by donating recyclable blankets, towels and other comfort items. Studies have shown that shelter animals given blankets and comforters relax, feel happy, safe, secure and warm. Being comfortable in a more home-like setting increases their chances of being adopted.

Please help us raise towels and blankets! We look forward to seeing you ~ arms filled with goodies!


Happy Holidays!

See Simply Mumtaz at Girari Table Top Competition & 600+ at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

Hey all! It's been a super busy Fall, so we are just now starting to catch up and will be posting about everything going on over the next few weeks here.

The coolest thing is we hope to see you at the Girari Table Top Competition happening at the Luxe Hotel Sunset Blvd tomorrow at 5pm! We are super excited about being involved and participating - our table theme is Green Funk...

Also, here is a teaser on details coming up on an event we produced last week at the Beverly Hilton Hotel! Pretty cool... stay tuned for more details!

GUEST BLOGGER: Bryan Phelps from Classic Party Rentals

We are very pleased to introduce our next Guest Blogger, Bryan Phelps from Classic Party Rentals. As we strive to bring our readers industry tips as well as cool ideas from our posts we hadn't seen anything that was really from the Rental Experts viewpoint. If they could tell planners ahead of time what would those top tips be... Well, we were lucky enough to get Bryan to help us out.

Please see below his Top 15 Tips for Planners Using a Rental Company.

1. Dont go in with a pre-conceived notion of what you want to pay. Create a table you like and then take away items if you needto cut costs.



2. Never cut costs or lengths on linens.



3. For bar glassware, order 2.8 glasses per person.



4. Have your rentals delivered the day before your event, especially for tenting.



5. Always add something of your own, a personal touch to bring it ‘home.’ A pair of salt & pepper shakers, napkin rings, a vase etc. Something that says you brought yourself to your event as well.



6. Review your order closely before your event. Make sure you have every plate, fork and glass needed for what you are serving.



7. Ask for an outside sales person when placing an order. Take a moment to tell them a little about what you want to achieve with your event. Develop a working relationship with that person and their assistant.



8. Check with your caterer to make sure you have everything they need. Send them a copy of the rentals for their review.



9. Rest assured that your event won’t end up in the National Enquirer or on TMZ.



10. Bring your sales person on all site surveys where tenting & space planning is required.



11. Your sales person should treat your event as if it was his or her own personal event.



12. Don’t assume the rental company will move your furniture.



13. Have phone access to your sales person 24/7 for any event emergency.



14. Don’t object to the costs of required permits. You don’t want to see your event shut down – mid party.



15. Use a rental company. It makes such a difference to not worry about dirty dishes etc. No matter how many people attend your event, rentals make it fun for you as well as for your guests.

Bryan A. Phelps is an Event Consultant for Classic Party Rentals. Since joining Classic Party Rentals (2006 & 2009 Rental Company of the Year) in 2000, Bryan Phelps has built a strong reputation on integrity, quality and performance. Bryan works closely with Universities & Schools, Collegiate & Professional Sports, Corporate Entities, prominent Los Angeles Restaurants & Catering Companies, the Fashion Industry and a number of celebrities. Prior to joining Classic Party Rentals, Bryan held positions for notable companies within the event industry. From 1996 - 2000 he held key sales & marketing positions with Hollywood Party Rentals. As a sales executive for Aggreko, Inc. from 1994-1996, Bryan supplied generators, electrical distribution and HVAC. He has accumulated a wealth of event knowledge for both inside and outside the tent. Bryan holds a B.S. in Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) from the University of Southern California.

Very Cool Event for Homeless Org in Downtown Los Angeles

Simply Mumtaz had the pleasure of planning the 20th Anniversary of Skid Row Housing Trust & the Grand Opening of the New Carver Apartments in downtown Los Angeles. It was a great event as we opened with the yellow carpet... Yellow was the accent color Michael Maltzan used in designing the building. We had a ribbon cutting, tour of the apartments and a reception in a tent. Skid Row Housing Trust looks to to provide a permanent solution to homelessness. It's a really amazing organization and we feel very lucky to work with such a great organization.

Please check out the photos below. Photos courtesy of Lee Brubaker and Julianne Backmann.

Target Terrace at Grammy Museum - L.A. Live

So, if you haven't heard - At L.A. Live, Downtown LA, there is the Grammy Museum. This is an awesome. The Museum itself it totally rockin', but if you are looking for a wonderful event space to hold an interactive event - this is your place! Since there are no photos of the inside... I only took one of our meeting on the top floor - Target Terrace! Check out the view. We had a business lunch - catering was provided by Wolfgang Puck and the folks at the Grammy Museum were a breeze to work with! So, I highly recommend you get down to L.A. Live and check it out! Ask for Gyna.

10th Annual Women in Business Awards

Simply Mumtaz' own Joella Hopkins, CSEP, CMP was honored last week Friday at the 10th Annual Women in Business Awards. The Awards are presented by Assemblymember Paul Krekorian, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino and State Senator Carol Liu. The Awards were given in a variety of fields ranging from Outstanding Corporate Women, Small Businesswomen, etc. Simply Mumtaz' President earned an award for Environment & Energy Efficiency. The award honors a woman engaged in a business or non-profit organization that is making significant contributions to environmental preservation, waste reduction, energy efficiency or alternative energy development.

Joella founded the California Green Special Events & Meetings Resource Directory and continues to speak on Greening the Events Industry locally, regionally and nationally. In addition to running a Green business and leading the Southern California market in Green Events.

For more discussion on Green - Please visit our Linked In Group - Green Special Events!

Joella Hopkins, CSEP, CMP with Assemblymember Paul Krekorian, 43rd District.

Congratulations to all of the honorees! What an inspiration to see so many powerful and inspiration women business leaders.

One of Our Fav Hotel presents FOUR - Classic Cocktails and Tapas!

So, check this event out... http://www.checkersdowntown.com/. We love this place. Chef Todd on their staff is simply amazing! We hope that you can get a little Downtown into your Life!

GUEST BLOGGER: Jorge Lopez - Technical Production Tips for Planners

Simply Mumtaz is proud to welcome our newest Guest Blogger - Jorge Lopez, President of J&M Entertainment & Event Production. We've done several events together over the past few years and he is exceptional at being a team player as we design our programs / technical production with the client's goals in mind. Please see below a few of his Top Tips for Planners using a Production House. LOAD IN:
When scheduling the load in for your event, tier the “Call Times” for the different services. This will help you to avoid a bottleneck at the loading lock. This will also help to avoid having your production staff in “hurry up and wait” mode because some equipment cannot be set up until other equipment is installed.

Although it does vary by specific event here’s a successful example:
- Rigging team & Load in Supervisor (Technical Director)
- Drapery installation team
- Lighting & Trussing
- Audio team
- Visual team
- "Show” team

RIGGING:
Once you have confirmed your design for your event your technical director should meet with the Rigging team to create a “Rigging Plot”. This is to confirm the best way to achieve the client’s desired result while also taking their budget into consideration.

* This is an additional budget category and sometimes it is necessary to convert to a ground support floor plan to lower costs.

The “Rigging Plot” will confirm where equipment will be hung from the ceiling. This generally includes Trussing, Audio, Lighting, Screens and Projectors as well as décor elements.

TECHNICAL DIRECTING:
You create the relationship with your client and sell the event vision, you and your design team create the design and concept…then…it’s your technical director‘s responsibility to make sure all of the technical production elements work seamlessly together. This includes having the foresight and experience to see anything that may affect the event’s production. When such a situation arises the technical director is prepared with solutions and options to keep the event moving smoothly.

Your technical director will be in charge of running the rehearsals which break down as follows:

- Cue to Cue Rehearsal
- Technical/Dress Rehearsal

If you have a “Hands On” client who likes to be involved in the production and wants to see the rehearsal, recommend they sit in on the “Technical/Dress Rehearsal” as the “Cue to Cue” rehearsal can sometimes take much longer. The relationship with your Technical Director should be a trusting one based on their experience, creativity, problem solving ability, resourcefulness and flexibility.

A little about Jorge Lopez...
Jorge Lopez spent 15 years in the radio business as a morning “Drive time” Personality, Program Director, Sports Director and as a Sales Account Executive. In 1979 he started J & M Entertainment, a DJ Company based in Southern California that has since grown into a full service Event Production Company that produces corporate, association and social events.

Jorge Lopez and J&M Entertainment Event Production have built an excellent reputation, counting among its clients: Disney, LA Inc. NBC, Capitol Records, Doubletree Hotels, Hilton Hotels, FOX Sports, Hyatt Hotels, Avis car rental, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonalds, JBL, Nestle, Macy’s, Cheesecake Factory and many others! Jorge has become a respected speaker, presenting sales and business growth seminars at educational conferences in Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Atlantic City, Chicago and many others. He has also presented for many business organizations such as NACE (National Association of Catering Executives), VIA (Valley Industrial Association), ISES (International Special Event Society), LBA (Latin Business Association), ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants), M.P.I. (Meeting Professionals International) as well as many others. Among his unique credits, Jorge serves on the ISES board of directors, was once a ringmaster for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey’s Circus and he flew with the Navy’s Blue Angels…

Simply Mumtaz quoted in Special Events Magazine

Event Pros Juggle Tactics to Go Green in Tough Times

Simply Mumtaz with other "Green" special event and meeting leaders discuss options for cutting back and moving forward in keeping Green a priority.

Please visit the article at: http://specialevents.com/green_events/special-event-professionals-juggle-tactics-to-go-green-in-tough-times-0826/

Simply Mumtaz - Elected Officials Reception at Downtown LA's Coolest Lounge

Simply Mumtaz had the opportunity this past week to produce an Elected Officials Reception recognizing LA's newly and current Public Servants. It was a great networking event with fabulous eats. Below you can see new LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich welcoming the crowd alongside other LA City Councilmembers, new LA City Controller, LACCD and LAUSD reps.
Getting the "networking" on...

The event was held at J Restaurant & Lounge! If you haven't tried their restaurant or hung out for cocktails - you gotta try it... http://www.jloungela.com/.

In terms of design / event coordination - this event was all about the people - provide good eats, short program and allow the schmooze to happen.

Simply Mumtaz takes home FOUR ISES LA Special Event Awards!

YEAH! We are very excited about this post... This week we won FOUR ISES Los Angeles Special Event Awards! The winners were announced this week at ISES LA's Installation & Awards Dinner held at the Regency Club. BizBash covered the event too - click here for their article link!

Special Thank you to our clients who allow us the opportunity to plan their events and to our clients for being so awesome!

Best "Green" Event - 4th Annual Green GalaBest Achievement in Logistics - Annual Hospital Hero AwardsBest Wedding - Daftary Wedding in Cancun, MexicoBest Allied Team Event - Treasures of Los Angeles 2008
We won alongside J&M Entertainment and Wildflower LinensOne of the best things about these awards was that two of them were in the same day... Best Green and Best Achievement in Logistics! Talk about an achievement in Logistics!

Needless to say - it was a fabulous evening!

Simply Mumtaz - Guest Blogger on Design Dawgs!

Hey everybody! Happy Monday. We (Simply Mumtaz) hope this post finds you well. We are honored today to be posted on AOO's Design Dawgs as their Guest Blogger on Greening the Special Events & Meetings Industry. Please check it out!

http://www.designdawgs.blogspot.com/

Happy Greening Ya'll!

Simply Mumtaz President joins NLBWA National Board

Simply Mumtaz President, Joella Hopkins, CSEP, CMP joins the National Board of the National Latina Business Women Association.

NLBWA Mission & Purpose

NLBWA's mission is to promote, develop and support the rapid growth of Latina business owners and professionals. The national organization supports the development of chapters throughout the country and these chapters deliver programs and services enabling greater success for this critical, but underrepresented market.

The purpose of NLBWA is to create more representation, visibility, and business development, networking and mentoring opportunities for Latinas in the world of business and at the executive levels throughout the country.

Stay tuned - We will be having our National Conference on November 19th in Sacramento. Please visit http://www.nlbwa.com/ for more information.

Guest Blogger! Desiree Patterson, Director of Sales & Marketing with Wildflower Linen

I was so excited listening to Karli speak at the May WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association) event about “green weddings and events”, especially since going green is an important issue for me. It was not until I heard her presentation that I realized my wedding had some “green” elements. I was so honored when Karli asked if I would share about some of the experiences from my wedding.

We wanted unique touches throughout our special day that truly represented us. We had a “vintage chic western” style wedding. It was never our intention to “go green”, yet without even trying, we did. My dress, for example, was purchased from Brides against Breast Cancer. After I wore it, I donated it to a bride-to-be that was less fortunate then myself. Also, our entire wedding party and even my husband dressed from head to toe in items that were and could be worn again. Both cool tips Karli shared as part of her suggestions for hosting a green wedding!


Other items included eco-friendly linens; my wedding band was created from some of my mother’s diamond rings, and even my favorite cowboy boots that I still wear till this day. As Karli says, “something borrowed = something green” and incorporating items we can use after the wedding day make good sense for the environment.


The biggest hit of our whole wedding was homemade signs that my husband created out of two huge, discarded tree trunks. These recycled signs were hung everywhere, some giving directions and locations, while others just had our initials with a heart etched around them. After the wedding, family members took the signs to put in their gardens and the sign with our initials with the heart etched on it hangs in our home.


Even though not every element of our wedding was green, we’re happy to know that our special day created a smaller carbon footprint. We’re excited to know that we had the amazing wedding we wanted while being friendly to the environment at the same time.

Homemade signs add a personal touch and bring new life to discarded pieces of wood.

Wedding rings made with diamonds, gold or jewels from special family members or ancestors is a great way to recycle and reuse

Bridal party ensembles that can be worn again and again makes good sense for the Earth and the wedding budget

Wildflower Linen offers an assortment of linens that are eco-friendly, beautiful and elegant. From manufacturing to laundering and shipping, think about the negative impact your wedding can have on the environment and do what you can to lessen it.

Simply Mumtaz presents Your Lucky 7 Tips to Maximizing Your Trade Show Experience

Your Lucky 7 Tips to Maximizing Your Trade Show Experience

1. Know your Budget. You know the saying Dress to Impress, well this would be a similar thought. You want to shine to those potential customers!

2. Make sure you train the personnel manning your booth… the last thing you want is someone standing there and watching the clock! This is the time to sell, sell, sell!

3. Don’t pass up the opportunity to network with your peers and competition!

4. If you’ve got that hot prospect in front of you, give them your attention! Ensure that you have another team member to continue to greet as you draw your prospect in.

5. Never block off entry into your booth – don’t stick that 6 ft table in front of you, invite your guests into your world!

6. Customize your promotional materials; make sure you also know what they say about you!

7. Know how one or many trade show(s) fits into your strategic marketing plan.

Simply Mumtaz speaks at WSEA

Hey everybody! Last night Simply Mumtaz President, Joella Hopkins, got the opportunity to speak at the WSEA's monthly meeting and presented "Maxmizing Your Trade Show Experience". It was a great group of event / wedding professionals. Check'em out at http://www.wsea.com/. Below is a copy their flyer for their upcoming Trade Show.

Also, wish us luck! Tomorrow they announce the BizBash Award Winners. Fingers Crossed!

Simply Mumtaz - BizBash 2009 Event Style Awards Nominee

Hey everybody! Yeah Simply Mumtaz Events! We've been nominated for one of the BizBash 2009 Event Style Awards for Best Corporate Event Concept. We're pretty excited.

The meeting’s overall concept was pretty simple – appeal to the commercial brokers at the event, this is where they want to bring their client’s business. The morning meeting would take place in the newly renovated AT&T Center’s auditorium. This initial meeting would address the current market and build the excitement to the next phase of the meeting which was a rotating tour of downtown Los Angeles. But, in order to keep the attendees interested we assigned everyone a bus when they registered that morning. Each bus would depart to a different venue and then they’d go on a rotating schedule (all busses in essence went on a clockwise rotation). The five different locations were all very different in style and features. This allowed the brokers to get a feel for what Downtown L.A. has to offer. Once, the tours were completed, all busses returned the AT&T Center to close the day’s meeting with a quick lunch wrap meeting in a raw space available for leasing. All attendees were also provided at their seats, complete information of the morning’s presentation and stats as well as the information from all venue stops on the tour. Quick closing remarks were planned and off our guests went.

Simply Mumtaz Welcomes Guest Blog by David Merrell, AOO Events

What We Do
By David Merrell

I have a confession. For the past 25 years, I’ve been living a lie. A blog is not a confessional, that’s for sure but I feel like this is important to say. It’s something that’s been almost impossible to tell friends and family. But I’m not the only one is this predicament. In fact, Joella of Simply Mumtaz is in this boat right beside me.

Now, before you get the wrong idea, let me tell you what I mean! The big secret that no event professional can really tell anyone is what we actually do for a living. Well, we can tell them, but the question is, will they understand it?

Oh sure, we try telling them we create temporary environments. That is only met with quizzical looks and requires an additional 10 minutes explaining that we are not architects. Saying that we totally transform spaces for one night makes them wonder if we have lost our sanity. And although people do understand when I say, “I design parties,” that just makes me feel so misunderstood!

But I’ve found a way for us to let people know what I do as owner and creative director of AOO Events. The answer is visual -- before and after photos. While these are on my web site and posted on my blog, www.designdawgs.blogspot.com, I am also supremely thankful that Apple invented the iphone so now I can also show friends and family what I do!

Here’s a little of what I show them. And I think you’ll see why, after looking at these photos, they finally GET it. Hallelujah! A ballroom at a hotel in Detroit the morning of a bar mitzvah. That same ballroom, now totally transformed into a very contemporary, lounge space and dance floor. We produced this event working with Star Trax (http://www.startrax.com)/ who has been branding high-profile social events in Detroit for years. For this event, the brand was 13/13 and the theme was hip-hop (read “bling”) to reflect the birthday boy’s musical passion. Sometimes you have to get very creative when budgets are cut. I was able to transform the main ballroom at the Marriott Grand Lakes with some age-old design tricks. Yes, this is the same ballroom about six hours later! Using a sheer light gray fabric to divide the room, we projected a break-up pattern in cobalt blue coloring and projected a one color gobo on top. With the drape used from floor to ceiling, this created a BIG effect. This raw space was transformed into a nightclub in 48 hours. Drama is as much an ingredient of our design recipe as props, lighting, fabric and furniture are. Here we brought lighting, draping and large set pieces that define the space. The event was for a 50th birthday celebration so here again, we branded the event, Club Glen, with lighting projections. Glen Frey performed and David Spade emceed the night. What an amazing night. During this year’s Super Bowl in Super Bowl, AOO Events worked with Pulse 220 to turn this empty room into art gallery for Gatorade’s new brand. The event was the launch of Gatorade’s new brand, “G.” We created an artist’s loft/lounge complete with an artist who created portraits of sports stars who would be visiting the lounge for media coverage. We put in a 12-foot brick wall and we installed a hardwood floor using dance floor from the rental company (everyone thought we were nuts but it came out beautifully). Wood panels on the wall, lounge furniture, and, of course, great lighting, were the final touches on a very artfully designed effect.

David Merrell is owner and creative director of AOO Events, http://www.aooevents.com/, an event design and production firm. Merrell and AOO are based in Los Angeles but travel the country and the world producing high-profile events. David is widely regarded within the special events industry as a leader in design and has been recognized as such with many event design awards from the Special Events Magazine Gala Awards (often called the “Oscars” of the events industry) and from International Special Events Society. And in 2007 he was named Designer of the Year by one of the industry’s top magazines, Event Solutions. In 2008, David began to explore his design inspiration in one of the first blogs in the event industry, http://www.designdawgs.blogspot.com/