THE GREAT GATSBY PARTY

the VIP table

The Gatsby themed dinner

Anything creative has always fascinated me a lot.  So it is not really a surprise that I have also dabbled into events design and planning.  My first try on events was a mask party as well as a wedding event in Singapore.  However, since I was busy with my day job, this hobby had came into a halt for a while until another opportunity knocked a few years ago.  My company being based in China, always have a yearly spring dinner and I became part of the planning committee.  I was in charge of the Creative side together with a dear friend of mine, Marcus.  Nelsie, another Filipino colleague, was head of the Employee Engagement Committee then and was overall in charge.  We actually brainstormed for a lot of themed ideas and eventually settled for a Gatsby inspired party.  Why so? well, we wanted to dress up and we believe that the timeless elegance of that era is just right for our annual dinner.

I took care of the decorations and the multimedia videos; from invitations to actual loop videos during the event.  Marcus and I sourced the materials for the centrepiece idea that I had as well as the souvenirs.  We had to work on a very strict budget because lights and sounds are included in the decoration budget.  The truth is I had to do the centrepiece arrangement for each tables; from cutting the flowers to decorating it with the silver bauble chain accents.

It was a lot of work but a very rewarding one especially when the regional bosses expressed their delight and happiness over the event.  It was a start of an era; the time where our Guangzhou office made its mark on creating a memorable annual dinner that is to be carried on yearly from then.

WHAT I USED:

peacock/ostrich feathers and silver chain baubles from HAIZHU DISTRICT

fresh calla lilies from the FLOWER MARKET DISTRICT

candles and ribbons from HAIZHU DISTRICT

tall vases from FANGCUN PETSHOP DISTRICT

linens and plates from WESTIN HOTEL

stage construction and lights by LIGHT SPECIALIST

the basic arrangement

the entry to the ballroom

the setup

the stage and lighting design

details

plate setting and souvenirs, I had to go to the hotel with Marcus prior to the event for ocular and choosing of tablewares and linens.  We had to tell them that we only want gold/champagne colours to stick with the black and gold colour scheme.