Special Events

CONFETTI: CLEARWING HAS A BRIGHT LIGHTING IDEA AT MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

Setting out to illuminate the Milwaukee Art Museum's 44th annual Bal du Lac gala, two priorities topped the list for Clearwing Productions, West Allis, Wis., including ...

CONFETTI: GO GLOBAL

Introduced at The Special Event's action-packed Theme Lunch in Orlando, Fla., in January, Audio Visual Imagineering's LaserGlobes excite with light. Each unbreakable translucent globe features a laser show projected on its entire inside surface. Designed for centerpiece, buffet, stage and trade-show display, LaserGlobes use remote infrared t...

THE LAST WORD: CRAIG LEITNER OF CLEAR CHANNEL ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL EVENTS

BY NATASHA GARBER

CRAIG LEITNER MAY have leapt into the big leagues when media conglomerate Clear Channel acquired his company Contemporary Group in 1999. But when it comes to producing large-scale events, he still focuses on the small details. “I love doing the creative development of our projects,” says the vice president of ...

CONFETTI: NEW FLAME

Love the look of pillar candles, but need the safety of votives? Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Joel D. Baker Designs offers a line of geometric wax vessels created to house votives, tea lights and floral. Hand-crafted from high-quality wax, which contains an additive to help sustain high burn temperatures, Baker's luminarias provide hours of glow...

THE LAST WORD: JIM ETKIN OF M.E. PRODUCTIONS

By Natasha Garber

According to Jim Etkin, it was a call for backup that created the boom in his event business. “In the early '80s, we were involved with doing name entertainment like '50s acts, or providing local calypso bands,” says the president of Pembroke Park, Fla.-based production company ME Productions. “People started saying, ‘S...

THE LAST WORD: DAVID SPEAR OF CLASSIC EFFECTS SPECIAL EFFECTS

BY NATASHA GARBER

FOR SOMEONE WHO never intended to specialize in special events, ISES international president David Spear has certainly embraced his industry wholeheartedly. The association leader and owner of Mandeville, La.-based Classic Effects says it was a passion for pleasing people that hooked him on the event business back in 1984. “I can't sing, I can't dance, but I saw a way to entertain people through firework displays,” he explains, recalling the launch of his first company, Classic Fi...