MIKE BERK, president of Carol Stream, Ill.-based M&M Party Rentals, knew two years ago that he needed a new way to reach out to customers. "As our business has expanded, 90 percent of it is done on the phone," he explains. "We can't get...

HOW DO YOU design a garden-themed party that's neither flowery nor feminine? Think green. And think tools. This approach worked for Prospect, Conn.-based Parties with Pizzazz, which last spring created a surprise party for a man celebrating his...

Themes from the American Southwest resonate with Europeans THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST wowed the Old World at a gala dinner for a large retailer from the United Kingdom. Southwest Events Etc., a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based destination management company...

Unique Tabletop Rentals, Bellflower, Calif.-based suppliers of fine china, and Resource One, a linen rental company in Reseda, Calif., plan to merge on Sept. 1 to expand their line of products nationally. The new company-Unique Event Resource-will...

For weddings today, couples are paring down the guest list but beefing up the budget. "Small weddings are coming back strong," says Randie Pellegrini, president of bridal consultants Cordially Invited of Beverly Hills, Calif...

Wind or bad timing can present problems if guests blow bubbles at the wedding couple as they are entering or leaving the room. Instead, gather your guests around the dance floor and have them blow bubbles during the newlyweds' first dance. The...

IN JULY, I ATTENDED the ISES Los Angeles chapter's annual awards ceremony, called the LA-La's. As one of the founders of the International Special Events Society, as well as the first president of the L.A. chapter, I was gratified to see how far...

The Special Event Co., based in London, recently organized a star-studded UNICEF charity dinner that raised more than Pound100,000 ($157,000) for the children of Kosovo...

Don't think of Dianne Devitt, CMP, as a meeting and event planner-think of her as a general contractor. That's how she describes herself...

The melting pot cooks for caterers In the United States, nearly 8 percent of residents are foreign-born. As a result, a "traditional" wedding feast could include anything from chicken breast and wedding cake to dim sum and shark fin soup...