BizBash's 2017 New York Hall of Fame Ceremony

 
 
 

BizBash's 2017 New York Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place Wednesday, May 24th at the Manhattan Center. Event professionals gathered to pay tribute to industry leaders and rising stars who are making the industry better, one innovative idea at a time. The night was full of giant paper flowers, delicious cocktails, beautiful ceilings (carved by Freemasons!) and a whole lot of fun.

We had such fun cheering on our dear friends at Tinsel and Twine, recognized as Rising Stars. How fitting to receive this accolade a few short days before their 7 year anniversary! Keep up the innovative work ladies!

 
 
 
 

The five 2017 Hall of Fame Honorees offered wise words of wisdom to the crowd of event professionals gathered in the Grand Ballroom. We heard topics ranging from Whitney Houston inspiration (who hasn't she inspired?!) to new technological advances to new opportunities in event studies. One thing every Honoree had in common? Passion and excitement for the industry!

 
 
 
 

Having that same passion and excitement, we feel a mix of inspiration and invigoration for the future of the event industry and DTE!

Congratulations Inductees!
-DTE Team

 

Behind the Met Gala's (Hand-Painted) Red carpet

 

The Met Gala is arguably one of THE most elaborately orchestrated, complex and closely watched productions every year. Major respect to Vogue’s special projects consultant Sylvana Ward Durrett and director of special events Eaddy Kiernan with the help of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s in-house staff who were responsible for creating a flawless celebration of the acclaimed avant-garde designer Rei Kawakubo with "Art of the In-Between”. The red carpet (well, technically hand painted sisal with royal blue trim) was expectedly glamorous, only this time we were enthralled by shapes not usually seen on it. Seriously, how did Rihanna get in this dress?!?

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As event planners, we like looking behind the glamour to see how the largest museum in the US transformed for this momentous evening. Because who doesn’t want to know every detail about the larger-than-life floral installation (first photo above) by Raul Àvila inspired by a single dress? The place settings paid homage to Kawakubo’s Japanese heritage - sake cups and gold-tipped chopsticks - love!

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Those sake cups were placed on the table for good reason! Ginjo and wine flowed freely throughout the evening with Japanese-influenced cuisine. The menu was all things luxurious from Caviar with Lobster and King Crab to Matcha to Coconut Mango, and Yuzu Citrus Mochi dessert. This year’s menu gave us serious hunger pains!

We may still be thinking about Rihanna’s dress or the countless hours it must have taken Raul's team to complete the floral installs, but one thing is certain: this year’s Met Gala was another one to remember and a fitting celebration of Rei Kawakubo.

Here's to the next first Monday in May!
-DTE Team

Photo Credit: Vogue

 

Your Own Private Island

 

Have you dreamed of relaxing on your own private island, sipping a nice bottle of vino while listening to waves crash? Luxury Retreats makes this a reality (for at least a week) with Coco Prive, a private island in the Indian Ocean. So how can this 1.4 hectare island make your dream a reality?

Let’s start with the basics. Guests arrive via luxury yacht to "a place where no one can find you, and there is no one to hide from." Greeted by white sand beaches, the only thing you will need to worry about is how to live your dream. Want to learn about the plethora of marine life around you while snorkeling? The in-house marine biologist can introduce you to the resident sea turtles! If culinary is your delight, indulge in a Maldivian culinary masterclass or choose a bottle of wine from the expansive cellar to drink while gazing at the sunset over the Indian Ocean. The opportunities are endless on this private oasis with a dedicated staff to ensure anything you can imagine is obtainable.

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With unique properties like this and over 3,000 other professionally inspected luxury accommodations around the world, it is no surprise Luxury Retreats was recently acquired (Congrats!) by Airbnb. There you have it - there's really no excuse not to get your own private island now (at least for a week).

Enjoy Island Living!
-DTE Team

Photo Credit: Luxury Retreats

 

#dishwasherproblems

 

We all remember rolling up our sleeves and doing dishes as kids. But do you know many Asian-American families never outgrow this? Dishwashers in many Asian-American households are frequently (almost exclusively?!) only used as drying racks. Truth. We love how this cultural quirk has now made it to mainstream media on ABC!

Fresh off the Boat uses humor to shed light on different experiences of Asian-Americans and growing up in the 80's - and we love it. While in reality parents won't go so far as to tape over dishwasher control buttons to hide the machine's true identity as Eddie's mom does in this FOBT episode, the show is frequently spot on.

Whatever quirky customs you may have, we welcome that some of ours are on primetime TV - so we can stop explaining the double decker drying rack in our kitchen already :)

Happy Drying!
-DTE Team

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed