According to a recent article found on Business Insurance, event planners are showing a trend of NOT insuring their events. According to research, the article suggests that many of the 50,000 event planners across the country are independently operated and will only get insurance for an event at the client’s request.
Photos of some of our outdoor ceremonies & nearby beach weddings
But like anyone else, we are only human and cannot control everything. For example in last August, Hurricane Irene had ruined more than 6,000 weddings across the east coast according to a report from CNN Money. The average cost of a wedding is about $30,000 and about a whopping $70,000 in New York City.. ouch!
So would you consider insuring your wedding or large gala event? As we all have learned throughout life, poop happens and so does the weather. Although we always can hope for the best for anyone’s big day, we can only do just that. Hope.
It’s time to reveal this month’s NJ Wedding Deal in October! Book your new wedding before October 31st, 2011 and receive 5%- 20% off your wedding package. We will also include a special treat that goes toward your package. This offer is an exclusive Central NJ wedding deal available at the Atlantis Ballroom at the Holiday Inn Toms River, The Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada Toms River, The Sterling Ballroom at the Doubletree Tinton Falls, The Crystal Ballroom at the Radisson in Freehold and the Windsor Ballroom at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor.
It’s no surprise how quickly technology emerges and integrates into our daily lives. Although it has its advantages and disadvantages, today we ask the question of the role of technology in the wedding industry.
Is it improper to send out wedding invitations via E-mail or through a digital medium versus a traditional paper invitation?
Although every wedding has its own circumstances and variations based on the couple, we decided to analyze the pros and cons of each side.
Digital invitations:
Pros +
+1: No postage stamps required.
+1: Environmentally friendly. No paper required.
+1: Inexpensive. Many websites will let you customize your own for little to no cost.
Cons –
-1: If you are looking to invite the grandparents, they are probably not tech savvy.
-1: Mass E-mail distribution sites can sometimes be marked as spam and can get lost in cyberspace.
-1: Depending on the style of the message, can set the tone in a cheap way. A traditional wedding with an e-vite? Not so much.
Paper invitations:
Pros +
+1: are easily created and customizable to the couple’s theme/ personality. No template required.
+1: are portable for guests driving to your location for both the church and the reception.
+1: understandable by all ages and do not come with a computer incompatibility error.
Cons –
-1: postage stamps, card paper, and any specialized calligraphy writing will add up $$$ very quickly.
-1: depending on if one makes the invites or buys them, one has to consider gas and labor.
-1: takes longer to deliver and receive RSVP. Bridal party will have to develop manual system of RSVP.
Today, we have some lovely photos for our NJ Brides to enjoy at our Monmouth County wedding banquet hall. Featuring Melvin and Jamie, our happy couple enjoyed great food, fun, and looked stunning. Check them out!
Don’t forget that the Sterling Ballroom is also available for any Central NJ Bar Mitzvahs, Sweet 16s, anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, and corporate events.
Participants who book at any of the Hotels Unlimited facilities will receive a VIP card that will entitle them to exclusive deals and savings that cannot be provided anywhere else. Brides and other event planners can only get a Sound Connection VIP card by booking a Hotels Unlimited event, and can only get a Hotels Unlimited VIP card by booking a Sound Connection event. This card is designed to bring savings and is ready for use.
Happy Friday everyone and the unofficial last weekend of summer at the Jersey Shore. :-/ Although summer is almost gone, we start pulling out our warmer clothes and jackets and get ready for the weather ahead. With the cold, brings the holidays and the families together. Each season has its advantages and beautiful colors that come with it.
What do Batman, Superman, Indiana Jones and a bride all have in common? Each has their own cued theme music. They take command of the center stage and stride into the crowd as the music plays in the background.
Whenever anyone plans a big NJ event the music can completely set the tone. Today Hotels Unlimited met with Jason Jani from Sound Connection Entertainment. Jason has been providing Hotels Unlimited with the latest beats since 2000. Hotels Unlimited is proud to announce in this exclusive interview that Sound Connection Entertainment is our #1 preferred vendor for the latest in music and entertainment for your NJ Wedding and NJ Corporate event.
How long have you been DJ music industry?
I have been a DJ for 16 years. I have done everything from private events to nightclub events, remix production and radio production work. Have done over 2000 events in my life and over 1000 wedding receptions alone.
How did you get started with Sound Connection Entertainment?
I founded Sound Connection 11 years ago. At the time, I was working with different night clubs and I was asked to do a lot of private events. Back then, a lot of private events consisted of doing the staple line dances and doing mostly interactive stuff. Not that I was against any of that, but I wanted to do something different and that was how Sound Connection was born. When I got invites to do weddings, social events, and corporate events I wanted to do a more modern unique presentation. We really wanted to do something that was outside of the box.
What inspired you to get into the industry?
That is a really good question. It’s really interesting to see how the industry has changed now from when I started. When I started, I thought of it as a fun creative job. As I evolved as an entertainer/ DJ, my responsibilities have taken on different forms as a business owner and with the event planning and production aspect. It has evolved so much and it still continues to do so. At SCE, we try to draw inspiration from anything. Movies, concerts, Broadway, industry conferences, music videos, and pop culture are all creative influences to us today.
What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is getting to know people and understanding their unique vision. When I meet with a client, it’s not just a business relationship but a personal relationship too. My favorite part of the job is at the end of the event seeing that everything the clients have envisioned is brought to life or surpassed. It’s fun to see the younger guests on the dance floor all night and the older guests too. It’s the combination of people at the end of the event that say ‘this is the best event I have ever been to,’ ‘It was perfect,’ etc - that makes all our effort and hard work worth it.
What separates Sound Connection from other music and entertainment companies?
Sound Connection Entertainment is different because of our staff. We are fortunate to have a very creative, talented and dynamic full time staff. We also aren’t limited to preparing our events a certain way. Everything that we do surrounds the clients’ ideas and vision. Everyone has a different idea of perfect and what they want for their event. We take the time to understand what that is and materialize it to perfection while keeping people entertained and happy. There isn’t anything we can’t do and we are not afraid to try new things for people. When a client comes to us with an incredible idea, the Sound Connection difference is we try to incorporate the idea into the production for that evening. Our events are as unique as our couples.
Sound Connection entertainment offers more than just music. What other features do you have to enhance the event experience?
Some of the enhancements that we offer include lighting and light-scaping. We will use lighting design to transform both the look and feel of the room. We can change the lighting with the mood and the feeling of the room. For example, when the bride is sharing the dance with her father the room goes pink. When the groom shares the dance with his mom, the room goes blue. When they cut the cake, the room goes white. If we know it is a fall wedding and everyone is eating dinner, we will light up the walls in reds, oranges, and yellows, and it is constantly changing so that the landscape in the room will always be changing and will always be different.
We also offer drapery which can transform any traditional wedding venue into something you would see in Miami or New York City. We will hang fabric up against the walls which really complements the lighting features we offer and it gives the room a new dimension. It really surprises people with how classy it looks, and how it accents the venue in a different capacity. Multi-media presentations, Lounge Furniture, Digital Photo booths, Atmosphere elements, and custom audio production are all services offered by Sound Connection
How long does it take to prepare for an event?
Every event is different so it depends on what the clients’ needs and services that they require. On average, I would say we put in about 20 to 40 hours per wedding production that we do. Some are more than that, others are less. It really depends on the framework or vision of the client. Some couples might want custom voice-overs, custom remixes, lighting design, venue touring, setting up equipment and even appointments that can sometimes last two to four hours.
What is your favorite genre of music?
From a DJ perspective, I am an open format kind of DJ. I am open to any form of music. I can go from 70s, 80s, 90s, top 40, house, rock, to hip-hop in one night.
When I am in my car, I will listen to something different to get a feel of what is going down in pop culture, but recently the 90s station is making a huge comeback for me. If I could only pick one music type though, I would say the dance music because of my club DJ background.
It is almost the end of summer and for most that means back to school season is in full swing. In order of celebrating the season we have decided to honor our NJ Teachers for all their hard work and dedication year round. We have extended our NJ Wedding Deal for teachers who book their wedding now through September 30, 2011 will save 10% off the wedding.
Recently, we interviewed Alina from Doubletree Tinton Falls for her advice and expertise on NJ weddings and events. She offers her wisdom and advice on how to save money on event favors.
For more information, please check out our wedding packages at the Sterling Ballroom website.
Today Hotels Unlimited met with Kate Stevens from the National Conference Center (NCC) located inside the Holiday Inn East Windsor hotel. The National Conference Center has been serving theMercer County NJ community for many years. Kate offered tips as well as information on how to hold the perfect corporate event at the National Conference Center.
How many people can fit in the auditorium?
The NCC has had meetings for 150 to 300 people in the auditorium. We have served everyone from medical societies, corporate associations, to a four day book fair. The auditorium can also comfortably fit 75 people without being overwhelming. The National Conference Center has a lot of variety to it. It is a rare find a venue of its caliber in NJ.
HU: There are quite a few additional rooms here outside of the auditorium. How many conference rooms does the National Conference Center hold?
The NCC has 13 meeting rooms that can range from 6 people to 300 in the auditorium. We offer classroom style seating, U shape, or provide whatever style is needed for the client’s meeting. There are four smaller meeting rooms that can be combined using a retractable wall, so they are very versatile for their size and capacity. We have rooms that are open for exhibit tables that go great with our gallery.
HU: Have you ever run more than one conference at a time?
Generally, we hold only one conference at a time unless we have two smaller meetings. The NCC will focus on only one major event at a time to devote all of our attention to that event. We make sure that at that event the whole team is there to assist them with a successful event.
HU: What technology is available at the National Conference Center?
We have a state of the art auditorium that is very impressive. The NCC includes Wi-Fi access to all of our guests, LCD projectors, sound boards, and mixers. If necessary, we can call outside vendors to set up any additional technologies that would be needed for the meeting.
HU: Have you ever done any video teleconferencing?
Absolutely! Video teleconferencing is very popular with depositions, or seminars that have remote locations in other states or throughout the country. Video conferencing makes things more affordable since companies for example that might have offices in NJ as well as CA do not have to pay to fly those executives from all over when they can set up a video conference.
HU: Why should a company consider the National Conference Center when booking a corporate event?
The National Conference Center is very centrally located. We are right off of exit 8 on the NJ Turnpike, in between NYC and Philadelphia. Not only are we very easily accessible, our clients keep coming back for the experience. The experience is personalized, excellent and seamless. Our returning clients regularly tell us what a pleasure it is to work with our team. At the end of the day, it’s our clients that shine with their guests and attendees, and that’s what it’s all about and why we love what we do. It is a great feeling to know you were a part of making their meeting a success!
HU: What packages are available to companies that want to book a meeting at the NCC?
We offer two meeting packages: the standard package and the preferred package. Both offer tremendous value from the room rentals, continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks. It is such a great value that most of our guests select rather than doing everything a la carte.
HU: Any advice you would like to add?
We just recently extended the bar that is located in our NCC lobby. It is great addition for cocktails and hors d’oevures after the long day of being in the meeting. Our Guests love it!
HU: What is the most memorable event that the National Conference Center has seen?
One event that sticks out to me is one of our clients did a trivia game show style set up in our auditorium. They brought in an outside company and completely transformed the Auditorium, backdrops, props, buzzers, it was amazing!! The guests were set up in teams with themed hats, and noise makers. They had such a great time; you could hear them roaring with laughter the entire day. The best part about it, was that it had all trivia about the company. It shows you that we can provide a fun atmosphere as well as a professional one.
