Being Green

Being green isn’t as hard as you might think. In fact everyone’s business can be a bit more green by making some small changes. For the next few days I’m going to describe some of the ways Out of Box is green. First off, I love Google so I was so happy to find http://www.blackle.com/ it’s Google, but with a black background. This black background uses less energy than the white background on Google making it far more green.

Here’s what it looks like:

Pride Brunch 2008

I’m really excited about the Pride Brunch that is coming up on June 15th! Tickets are for sale at http://www.iowatix.com/ I need volunteers for this event. If you are interested please email me at pridebrunch@inbox.com and we can send you all the information.

Here’s the details:

What is Out of Box? Day 5: Staffing and Everything Else

Staffing is a key part of any event, and something that can add a huge expense to an event. Out of Box uses contracted employees for their events, and can staff your event too. You can email Out of Box for rates on servers, bartenders, event planners, etc. Another large part of our business is customized services based on the client’s needs. Specific vendor management, finding a location for your event, help in hiring, speakers, talent, coaching. If it’s something that we cannot provide we will help put you in touch with the person, business, or group that can provide you with your need. So this is Out of Box in a nutshell – I hope to be doing business with you soon!

What is Out of Box? Day 4: Marketing

Each event has it’s own set of marketing needs. Not all event planners work with their clients on the marketing of their event. They may simply send the person to a marketing company or to an advertising agency. At Out of Box we’ve created a separate entity called In The Know where we will email to our email list and invite people on Facebook and Myspace. It’s a way of building your event by keeping people in the loop in a more grassroots fashion. If you want to stay In The Know, email intheknow@inbox.com to be added to the email list.

What is Out of Box? Day 3: Design

Taking an environment and making it into something that meets and exceeds a clients expectations can be one of the most challenging aspects of an event. Often times, what the client envisions isn’t always what they receive when working with designers. It’s really the designer’s job to communicate or demonstrate what they plan to do in a way that clients can understand – a lot easier said than done!

Below are a few photos of some of our design work:

A red carpet isn’t just for Hollywood anymore:

Each orchid bud was hand tied on these branches – Did you know that most orchids are edible?

Projectors shot the Liars Club logo on screens that we made to fit in the windows.

What is Out of Box? Day 2: Catering

One of my favorite parts of Out of Box is Out of Box Catering. My goal with Out of Box Catering is to focus on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients combined with fresh ideas to make delicious food that is presented in an interesting and beautiful way. Here is a site with some photos of the food I’ve prepared:
http://outofboxcatering.wetpaint.com/

I have multiple sample menus, lunch menus, and snack menus. You never, however, have to order from a menu. We will customize a menu for your special event or we’ll even use your recipes if you just don’t have the time to do it yourself. Please email me at outofbox@inbox.com for my sample menus or client referrals. This summer we will be purchasing most of our ingredients from the farmers market! We can ever create full organic, vegetarian, or vegan menus for you! I’m having a big birthday this summer, and I’m really excited to feature some wonderful seasonal dishes for my guest to enjoy.

Check out tomorrow’s blog for more information about Out of Box!

Here's a few photos of some of our dishes:

What is Out of Box? Day 1: Event Planning & Management

Out of Box is an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). I actually set it up by myself with help from Max Cardenas. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be! I’d be happy to help anyone set up his or hers too! The first branch, if you will, of Out of Box is the Event Planning and Management of those events. This is any type of event from a wedding to a fashion show. Here is a temporary site that I put together with some more information about the event planning side: http://outofboxevents.wetpaint.com/

Some of the events that I’ve helped planned have been charity events, costume parties, fashion shows, music events, conferences, art shows, and of course weddings. My fees for these vary on the amount of work and the type of organization. I will customize packages and fees based on your needs.

The next big events I have going on are below:
Style Eyes (Eyewear and fashion show): May 2nd and 3rd
One Iowa House Party: May 8th
Miss Ames: May 8th
Possibilities Fashion Show at Liars: June 12th
Pride Brunch: June 15th (www.myspace.com/gaypridebrunch)
I also have a quite a few private weddings in the next few months!

It’s certainly my busy time of year, but I’m really enjoying being busy and being able to grow and learn from each of these experiences!I hope to see you at these events, please email me if you would like more info (outofbox@inbox.com).

Check out tomorrow’s blog for the 2nd branch of Out of Box!