Whether the company is having a fourth quarter report meeting or strategizing for the upcoming year ahead, one needs a meeting space that is convenient and centrally located. Our Central NJ meeting and banquet facilities are holding a deal for the businesses that look forward to 2012. With this offer, people who book 5 rooms inside our hotels can redeem a FREE meeting room space up to $500. Companies can take advantage of getting a well rested night’s sleep before the big meeting early in the morning.
Today Hotels Unlimited continues its Behind the Scenes series as we proudly introduce Bettse Birnbaum, our promotional items consultant. Bettse is the owner of All That Jazz a premiere promotional marketing company specializing in customizable items that people can use to personalize their NJ sweet 16, Bar/ Bat Mitzvah, NJ weddings, or corporate events. For example, when guests book their wedding at any of our facilities, inside their thank you gift bags are promotional items from All That Jazz.
HU: How long has All That Jazz been working with Hotels Unlimited?
BB: All that Jazz has been working with Hotels Unlimited for at least six years, and has been in business for more than 22 years.
HU: What kinds of items can people personalize for a social gathering such as a NJ Bar/ Bat Mitzvah?
BB: We have balloons and banners, sweatshirts and t-shirts. Most Bat Mitzvahs have a theme that we can always work with. For example we can create personalized CD covers, and aluminum key tags with event information to create a Broadway theatre themed event. We can create products to match any theme.
HU: What kinds of items can people personalize for a NJ wedding?
BB: All that Jazz can order favors and gifts for bridesmaids and the entire wedding party. We have done picture frames, chocolates, and mints with pictures of the bride and groom. We also have fortune cookies, with custom fortunes and flavors including Oreo flavored cookies. We can do edible cookies and chocolates with an imprinted logo which is good for both corporate and social events.
HU: What items are popular for a corporate gathering?
BB: Corporate items are our specialty. We can do pens, badges, folios, high tech computer accessories, journals, or totes depending on the type of corporate event. We can produce a myriad of promotional products including print and packaging services.
HU: What are your most popular bridal items?
BB: Some of our most popular items include: t-shirts, chocolates, purse hooks, picture frames, candles, wine accessories, bride and groom mint containers, and spa kits for weddings. For children-based events such as Bar/ Bat Mitzvahs and Sweet 16s, some items we have included pajama pants with a monogram logo and t-shirts, sports paraphernalia and more.
HU: What are your most popular corporate items?
BB: Our popular conference items are pretty much ordered on a client to client basis and are based on theme., exhibit stands are popular right now for the corporate realm.
HU: What hot trends do you foresee coming up for the holiday season?
BB: People are going back to basics. Commonly we have sold a lot of baskets with gourmet food. We have packaged mugs with treats and gourmet coffees and teas. Some other hot products for the season include desk products, umbrellas, computer bags, flash drives, and digital picture frames which can come pre-loaded and link back to the company website or the bride and groom’s website.
HU: Which of the items available are your personal favorites?
BB: I really like the picture frames. I will put in a piece of parchment with a card or invitation inserted into a picture frame. I also like giving out food in special packaging that can be used later for other purposes. Holiday cards that come packaged with music are a nice gift.
Ahh fall.. the temperature gets cooler, the leaves become crisp and change colors and the kids start returning to school. But as we begin to gear up for fall, the National Conference Center is offering a NJ corporate meeting deal to the public. NJ event planners can take advantage of our 15% off deals when booking their event in October OR patrons who book an event in October can then save 50% off their next event.
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.
After introducing the National Conference Center in the blog earlier this week, (see our last post) Hotels Unlimited formally invites our blog readers, neighbors, friends and colleagues to our Pool Side Networking Party. This free NJ networking event is open to the public as we reach out to create more community connections. Those who register in advanced will receive a chance to win in our prize drawings.
You are cordially invited to attend a night of social business transactions, free food and drinks, and a chance to win our prize drawings.
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.
Welcome to our blog! Here at Hotels Unlimited we are committed to keeping you informed with all of our new and exciting opportunities and events that will be occurring at all of our Central NJ locations. Our locations serve the Northern Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer County communities. In this blog, we will be featuring our promotional discounts as well as the latest event information at our facilities. Our hotels and banquet facilities can host a wide array of events from corporate events, seminars, educational events, fundraisers, galas, sweet 16, bat/ bar mitzvah, weddings and more to suit your needs.
