Gloria Benaim Events in Conversation on planning an “Art Themed Party inspired by the Bat Mitzvah Girl’s Art”at Airship37 event venue Toronto.
You say that at “Gloria Benaim Events, we take the planning off your shoulders but never out of your hands.” How do you strike this balance with your clients?
When it comes to design and creation of the event, every client is different. Some want to be involved with everything and look to to me for suggestions and guidance. Others want me to ultimately use my experience and make decisions for them because they trust me.
The client will always give the final go ahead on what we choose but from there, I handle all the logistics surrounding it. For example, a client may choose the style of a centrepiece but then I deal directly with the vendor on how many we need, when they will be delivered, etc. They don’t have to worry about the details surrounding it.
How would you describe the “Art Themed Party inspired by the Bat Mitzvah Girl’s Art” that you planned at Airship37 and what was your process for arriving at this innovative design with your client?
One of the first questions I always ask my clients is if they have a theme in mind, especially with Bar or Bat Mitzvahs. Often if they don’t have a theme, I will try to find things about the guest of honour that we can incorporate into the party-favourite colours or foods, hobbies-after all, this party is about them. In this case, the Bat Mitzvah girl loved to paint so we decided to showcase her artwork. She had done a lovely painting of hands holding macarons, for example. This became the main image for the event that we then incorporated into the invitations and centrepieces. We also used the image in the seating cards and had nut free macarons made in similar colours that were individually boxed and labelled with the guests seating assignment.
You transformed Airship37 into a personalized unique environment for this important celebration. What were some of the best choices that were made that lead to the success of the party? And secondly, what made Airship37 an ideal location for this party?
You often choose the space based on the kind of party you want to throw. In the case we wanted a fun, chic, cocktail style party. Attire was not too dressy and we chose fun food stations over a sit down dinner. Airship 37 was a great space, perfect for the vibe we were trying to create. We loved the raw and industrial elements such as the brick/reclaimed wood walls and open ceilings. It also has an amazing outdoor space that we utilized by bringing in a specialty coffee truck later in the evening.
When you approached the table planning for a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah what are some of the most important things to consider to make a statement?
You want to make sure that the room is balanced and is not overpowered by too much. You also want to make sure that while everything looks good, it also functions well and people are comfortable. Originally when we booked the space we thought we would have fewer guests so we were going to put all the tables and the bar/food stations in the room. As the numbers grew, we realized this would be too crowded. Not only would this not look good; logistically it would not work for the event. You have to be able to be flexible and make adjustments as things change.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah party lighting is very important in creating a fun and stunning environment. In this case you created a fun “club like” feel. How do you best achieve this?
A lot of people don’t think lighting is necessary at events but I happen to think it is crucial in creating a look and feel in the room. A colour wash on the walls for example can completely transform a room into a certain mood or ambience and moving lights in different colours and designs enhance the party atmosphere.
An important part of the success of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah includes interactive and engaging event experiences that work with the theme of the party. How do you gauge the right amount of experiences to add for a successful party?
Its about balance and timing. You don’t want to have too many experiences happening at the same time as they can compete against one another. I like to stagger things at my events. This way nothing competes and there is always something new to look forward to next.
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