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/