ISES Talks Social Media

                The March ISES networker was held at the beautiful Pelican Grand Resort in Fort Lauderdale. This seems to be a popular space as many associations are having events there! Attendants received tours of the property which included their roof deck, beach side tent, pool, beach side deck, and suites. The hotel was previously remodeled and has a southern comfort feel.

                Lou Blondin from El B Marketing spoke to the group about excelling in social media. He introduced everyone to sites like HootSuite and Vine. He also stressed the importance of being on all social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and having a blog. Keep a look out for the blog about ISES’ April networker. We sponsored! Learn to love your linens! 

Beach front tent

Beach front deck

Aerial view of the hotel and pool area

Lobby

The roof top deck can be for receptions

Or for ceremonies

*Photos taken from the Pelican Grand website

American Rental Association's The Rental Show

The Rental Show is put on every year by the American Rental Association. This is a closed show and only those who are involved in the equipment rental industry are eligible to attend. However, every year, it keeps growing into a bigger and bigger convention. This show also offers an entire day of educational classes called “Tents & Events”. There were a variety of seminars including “Accelerate your growth with an Effective Sales Team”, “Storm Watch: Plan and Expect for the Unexpected”, “The Right Tent for the Right Job”, “Go Social: Link, Code, Pin and Post to Market your business”, among many more.

Over the Top was a clear winner in Las Vegas this year!  We had a successful show and met a lot of new, friendly faces!  What seemed to capture our visitor’s attention were our reversible fabrics like Intrepid, Herringbone, Element, Rabanne, Trees, and Opulence, among many others. Of course, Chevron and geometrics were very popular as well. It seemed like everywhere you turned, you saw a geometric fabric. As country chic becomes a rising popularity, the rental companies seemed to be very interested in Burlap, Sedona, and Lace. The Inspirational Exhibits mixed different linens, circular and square tables, and emphasized events with a natural garden feel.

Over The Top are the perfect words to describe the Las Vegas scene and our hotel at The Cosmopolitan! The Cosmopolitan debuted its new “Pop Up Wedding Chapel” just in time for Valentine’s Day!  Their concept is commitment ceremonies that can be just for fun and non-binding, as well as ceremonies that are legal and binding!

Next year’s show will be held in Orlando. Hope to see you there! And also, remember to love your linens! 

Jennifer, our Orlando rep, talks to a new client

The Pop-Up Wedding Chapel at the Cosmopolitan

Indian Weddings 101

                The February NACE meeting was held at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort located in Fort Lauderdale. The night started off on the roof top deck. This space has a breathtaking view of the Fort Lauderdale skyline and beach. In most cases, this space is used for ceremonies and cocktail hours and you have the option to face north or south.

 After the initial meet and greet, we made our way down to the beachside tent. Here we were greeted with beautifully arranged tables, decorated with our Purple Roses overlay atop our Purple Lamour underlay. Purple Lamour sashes adorned the hotel’s folding chairs. Floral centerpieces were arranged by Beautiful Kreations.

The hotel supplied two stations. In honor of the night’s education, an Indian station was to start, followed by a pasta station. Café Ala Carte kept us warm with their delicious drinks and Crepe Makers supplied the desserts.

Raj Shah, owner of Desh-Videsh, spoke about Indian Weddings and all that goes into them. There are numerous rituals that go into this special occasion:

-The pithi ceremony is performed to grant good luck to the bride and groom. Pithi is a homemade paste that is applied to the bride and groom’s skin. This is thought to brighten the skin tone.

-The Mehndi is held the night before the wedding and is generally celebrated by the women from the bride’s family. A mehndi will apply henna to the bride’s hands and feet. These designs symbolize a number of things including beauty and spiritual awakening.

-The Baraat is the groom’s procession. The groom makes his way to the ceremony riding either a horse or elephant. He is accompanied by his family and friends who dance and sing.

-The Milni is the meeting of the families. The groom’s future mother-in-law greets him with a welcome ritual and all the relatives greet each other with garlands. The bride’s family then escorts the groom to the altar.

-The bride’s entrance is called the Kanya Aagaman. She is escorted to the altar by her mother’s family, signifying that they approve of the marriage.

-The start of the ceremony begins with a prayer to Lord Ganesh. The families offer gifts to Lord Ganesh.

-There is an exchange of garlands called the Jai Mala. The bride and groom give each other garlands, just as the two families did during the Milni.

-The Kanyadaan and Hasta Melap is the bride’s father’s way of giving away his daughter to her future husband.

-The bride and groom take seven steps called the Saptapadi. In doing so ,they take a vow to love, respect, and care for one another.

-The last ritual is the Aashirvaad. Family members, including the parents, send blessings to the married couple.

                So now you’re educated on the different Indian Rituals. Get out there and show your clients what you’ve learned. And remember, learn to love your linens! 

A view from the south roof deck

Our Purple Roses with Purple Lamour Sashes

MPI at China Grill

                The last Meeting Professionals International Mix’n’Mingle at the China Grill in Fort Lauderdale was a quaint meeting. Held in China Grill’s private room, attendees noshed on passed sushi and dumplings among other tasty treats. A huge variety of people showed up including Eynat Karp from AFR Furniture Rental, Marla Lasine from Showbiz Productions, Jeff Gold from Zazz Events, and lots of fresh faces from FAU and BC. Students often frequent the meetings so they can meet industry professionals and start to learn about the ways of event planning.

                Be sure not to miss out on MPI’s “Touch Down Experience” tomorrow night at Sun Life Stadium. It is an event not to be missed with networking and games on the 50 yard line, photo ops with the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders, mingling with former players, and good customer service tips by Jay Gubrud. Hope to see you there! And remember, learn to love your linens! 

Signature Grand Bridal Show

                The Signature Grand put on another spectacular bridal show this past January. Hundreds of people came out to see what the venue has to offer. Vendors lined the hallways, showcasing their product. Everything you could possibly need encompassed you as you walked around: bakers, photographers, videographers, DJs, florists, weight loss trainers, coffee carts, make-up artists, bridal shops, and LINENS! As usual, we sponsored the linens for the entire event. Hope to see you at the next show on April 30^th!  And remember, learn to love your linens!

The Chapel

Decorations: Lazarus Flowers

Entertainment: Master Musicians

Linens: Sage Lamour Chair Covers with Raspberry Bengaline Sash

 Salon #1

Decorations: Fantasy Designers

Entertainment: Power Parties

Linens: Coral Rope Sheer with Lime Lamour underlay, Lime Rope Sheer with Coral Lamour underlay, White Spandex Chair Covers with Lime Spandex and Pink Spandex Bands

Salon #2

Decorations: Flowers by LeFleur

Entertainment: Elegant Occasions

Linens: White/Silver Bridely with White Lamour underlay, White Lamour Chair Cover with Light Silver Lamour Sash

Salons #3 and 4

Decorations: Flowers by Sandra

Entertainment: Vision DJs

Draping: Special Event Decorators

Linens: Silver Roses with White Lamour underlay, Silver Satin Chair Cover with White Lamour Sash

Salon #5

Decorations and Draping: Unique Flowers

Entertainment: Park Avenue Party Productions

Linens: Raspberry Organza and Gold Organza with White Lamour underlay, White Lamour Chair Cover with Raspberry Organza and Gold Organza Sash

Atrium #4

Decorations: Party Deco

Entertainment: Strings USA

Linens: Ivory Twirl with White Lamour underlay, White Lamour Chair Cover with Silver Squiggle Sash

 The busy buffet line

Our booth featuring: Light Pink Lovable, Orange/Gold Blooms with Victorian Gold Lamour underlay, Light Pink Crushed Satin Chair Cover with White Crushed Satin Sash, Victorian Gold Lamour Chair Cover with Orange Satin Sash, Black Spandex Chair Cover with Raspberry Spandex Band, Papaya Lamour Chair Cover with Chocolate Bengaline Sash,  Light Olive Fortuny Chair Cover with Ivory Fortuny Sash

The Special Event 2013

The Over The Top team bundled up and headed up to the great city of Chicago for The Special Event 2013. TSE is a conference that is geared towards event professionals to further educate them through classes, showcases, and the ever popular tradeshow.

During the day, our trade show booth was rocking! We are the leader when it comes to fabric trends. This year, geometrics and bold prints will be flooding your market.  We were able to show off some of our new fabulous linen and favorite classics. New additions to our 2013 line include Chevron, Chains, and Riviera. You can see all of the new featured fabrics at www.overthetopinc.com.

But TSE is not all work! We had the privilege to attend some fabulous events and galas.  Skyline Loft Bridgeport Art Center was a little gem in Chicago that hosted the first of two events. An industrial size elevator greeted the crowd and the celebration started instantly with a DJ and dancer to entertain your journey up. The prohibition themed speakeasy was fun and put you in the mood to enjoy the night. There was a unique array of entertainment including a dueling piano bar and a full on casino. It was a great night had by all! The linen featured at the event was Ivory Ruffles, which we have in stock!  

To wrap up the beauty and excitement of TSE, “The Wedding Event” was a must see! It was held at Chicago’s Downtown Marriott. With almost 800 guests in attendance, new table designs and décor ideas came to life. In the linen aspect, it was all about the double runners. They looked great on royal tables, placing them on each seated side. It’s a really affordable way to bring another layer to your table design.  The room was also broken up by risers holding 10 tables on each riser. It really gave the room life and showcased the table designs beautifully.  Contact us at 1-800-582-1031 for information about our fabulous runners to recreate the looks!

At the end of the day, TSE Chicago was a great experience for the entire team of Over The Top. See you all next year when we get our boots strapped on and mosey on over to Nashville for The Special Event 2014! And remember, learn to love your linens!

Our amazing staff! Alan, Jenn, Julie, and Katie