Handcrafted, handwritten, personalized wedding favors: Today’s brides are all about personalization.  These chalkboard tealight holders are an inexpensive, unique way to let the bride and groom leave their mark. The best part? Guests don’t get stuck with a favor they’ll never use.  Just wipe the chalkboard clean, and they’ll be able to customize it for their own use.

Green wedding venues: Green will still be on the mind’s of some brides in 2012. Look for unique wedding venues that are green like the High Country Conference Center that incorporate– among other things– those little green touches, like opting for water fountains instead of water bottles for guests.  We also love this beautiful table setting from one wedding held there. Can’t you just see those chalkboard tealights fitting in nicely?

Vintage wedding elements: That old-fashioned look came on strong in the past few seasons, and it will still be popular in 2012. Why? Because it incorporates both green and handcrafted elements into a one-of-a-kind look.  We love these bouquets that are made of vintage jewelry, especially the one made of the bride’s grandmother’s jewelry… a perfect way to include “something old.”

As always, be sure to check through our unique wedding venues located over at uniquevenues.com.  If wedding planning gets too crazy, let us do the searching for you! Our venue-matching expert, Shannon, can help you find that perfect wedding venue. Tell her what you’re looking for here or call her at 877.244.6110.

How green can you go?

Throwing an eco shindig is simple. People have held some pretty impressive green events in the past, from recycled weddings and organic Halloweens, to sustainable stag parties. The limit to how green your big bash will be is totally up to you. A green event is one that ultimately utilises ecologically friendly ways and means to help protect the environment, both now and in the future.

Step-by-step guide to green events

1. Send invitations out electronically. If the occasion calls for printed invites, look into recycled paper or paper from sustainable sources, and try printing with vegetable inks.

2. Choose a venue that already practices environmentally friendly processes in event hosting.

3. Work with suppliers that have already made a commitment to support your green event.

4. Food can make a party memorable or it can break a party – and the planet. Reduce the carbon footprint of your catering and the amount of waste you throw away the next day.

5. Reusable dishes, utensils, tablecloths, and napkins can be washed instead of being thrown away, and adds both style and substance to any party.

6. Decorate your party using greenery from the garden, organic seasonal fruit, potted herbs, twigs, and fresh flowers.

7. Dress green. There is nothing more fashionable than that little black dress, made from renewable resources. Or better yet, save some cash and help out the environment by popping in to a vintage clothes store. Halloween has never been so green.

8. Create an elegant ambiance, by lighting your party with eco-friendly candles, made from beeswax or soybean. Choose a variety of sizes and shapes for indoors and hang lanterns outdoors.

Benefits of going green at events

There are a number of benefits of hosting or organising a green event. Firstly, you stand out from the crowd, by doing something that is unique. You also conserve vital environmental resources, stop waste from entering over-burdened landfills, and help develop a market for innovators and entrepreneurs to create fanciful delights for your next celebration.

Check out Green 24 for more advice on living green.  Find LEED certified and other green-friendly venues at Unique Venues.

Prior to the show, attendees completed a survey (20/20 Assessment: Strategic Insights for Development) focusing on their opinions and expectations related to the meetings industry for 2009. This survey was filled with useful information; but one area that really hit home with me because of how it relates to the type of venues planners are searching for. The survey stated as advice to the vendors, “Attendees are clearly looking for new and novel locations and promotional items for their events.” With this in mind, speak to attendees about how the unique and special factors of your venues lend themselves to a strong customer experience and ultimately promote customer loyalty to the event planner. Conference and hotel goers are looking for locations with a memorable “atmosphere.”

Search no more planners…Unique Venues has what you are looking for!

Posted by:
Jeanne Feathers
Unique Venues

The weather is cold but things are really heating up at the 37th Annual RCMA World Conference and Exposition in Grand Rapids Michigan. I was able to catch one of the many tutorials that are offered throughout the show. The subject was “Succeeding in a Down Economy”, a subject that gains importance to all of us each day. The presenter focused on the importance of Customer Relationships during poor economic times. He encouraged greater communication and solidifying existing relationships through increased customer service. Go the extra mile for customers and increase value added activities, be creative in low cost or no cost ways. Take special care of your top accounts and establish yourself as an advisor as well as a professional As we all are aware an existing customer base is the backbone of a business, treat it with care and hold it close.

Jeanne Feathers, Director of Sales

A couple of weeks ago our company held a retreat in Chicago to get away from the phones and the distractions of the office. It was hard for me to imagine not being distracted in Chicago with all that is available in the city.

I now think of Chicago as a retreat city even though we were in the center of the city, two blocks from Michigan Avenue. For three days, we were tucked away in a meeting room in the Terry Student Center, which is part of the new residential community on the campus of Loyola University Chicago. The meeting room felt more like a study in an old home including stained glass and rich wood. So, we were away from the phones and the distractions of the office during the day. It was the most productive retreat we have had in years. We did retreat in Chicago.

I will confess that we did enjoy the amenities the Windy City has to offer during the evening.

Thank you to Mary Cashman, Tim McGuriman, Dana Owen & Judy Sunvold for the great accommodations, meeting facilities and customer service!

Tony McGuirt, Director of Marketing