1st Place, Budget $1,000 and Above Rogelio Gonzales, owner of Fantasyland, an event design firm in the Republic of Panana, took first place in the Budget $1,000 and Above category. His elaborate, colorful untitled tablescape was a celebration of human creativity from the past and present; places were set with name cards for actors, writers and artists throughout history. Its vibrant, over-the-top decor represented the celebratory aspects of the approaching millennium.
Table budget: $2,270
2nd Place, Budget $1,000 and Above Designers Martyn Fernambucq and Judy Goldberg of Skokie, Illinois-based BBJ Boutique Linens took second place in the Budget $1,000 and Above category. Their "Elements of Time" tabletop featured a sculptural centerpiece embellished with clocks, hour glasses and other symbols of time passing. Table budget: $1,968
2nd Place, Budget Under $1,000 Joanne Hulme of Main Line Party Rental, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was awarded second place in the Budget Under $1,000 category. Her table, "Tick, Tick, Tick," incorporated clocks of all shapes, styles and sizes into an artistic centerpiece. Table budget: $478
1st Place, Budget Under $1,000 Janet Landey of Party Design in Johannesburg, South Africa, took first place in the Budget Under $1,000 category for her extraterrestrial tabletop titled "The Mars Millennium." Silver lame table and chair linens, an alien figure and a Milky Way's worth of aluminum tubing completed the intergalactic experience. Table budget: $672
In this two-part Focus On Lighting seminar, lighting designer Jim Block and event designer Douglas Johnson explored the myriad design aspects of event lighting. The designers demonstrated projections, rear and front illumination, and other lighting techniques.
Flower Power: Funky sixties fashion meshed with fabulous floral creations at this year's wedding luncheon, where a runway fashion show highlighted bouquets and nosegays created by floral designers Randy Baehre, AIFD, Carolyn Shephard, AIFD, and Jen Stone.
Attendees became part of the crew in this two-part, hands-on set design seminar taught by Sandy Zeigler of Nashville, Tennessee-based Zeigler & Associates. Attendees designed and constructed the sets used for the Closing General Session-an eclectic array of wooden frames representing the Windows of Opportunity theme.
Caterers and rental dealers learned the logistics of producing successful off-premise, tented events at an educational luncheon hosted by Ralph Rendsland of Black Tie to Barbecue and Pat Mobley of Kirby Rentals, both of Orlando. Topics discussed included use of flooring and staging, building an off-site kitchen, measuring table distance and more.
Chef Tony Baran of legendary Trader Vic's restaurant in Los Angeles created Asian-fusion cuisine at a catering seminar that explored foods and cooking techniques from the Middle to the Far East.
