Building lighting

Ever since we did the event at Feastivities (thank you Meryl!)back in November, we have been getting submissions for us to light up other buildings. In fact, we have been doing this for a while, its just we have done it more frequently over the last few weeks with it being darker out earlier.

Cairnwood was one of those properties. In December, Shannon asked us to provide some cool lighting to the Cairnwood by Candle light event. We designed a lighting scheme that would allow all the guests, as well as the cars on the pike, to see the outside building in all its grandeur. We up lit the building in a amber/yellow wash and then projected a green floral pattern over it. The effect looked great! As people were driving up to the event, the mansion stood out.

Thanks Shannon for letting us be a part of the event and we look forward to more events with you and the staff in the future.

In house A/V company vs. outside production company

Many times when we talk to prospects about providing A/V for their corporate, private or social event, they are having their event in a private facility. Be it a hotel or private country club, many properties will have an “in house” A/V department. And with that in mind, at first glance, they can be a great option for them to choose. But we want to give you a few things on why going with an outside company could be a better option for you. And I stress could be, because there are some really good in house companies. But these things could give you something to think about.

First thing, you probably won’t be having your events at that exact location in the future. You are going to hold them at different properties in the area or even across the country. With that in mind, you will have to deal with another in house company each time. In going with an outside A/V company, we understand everything that you need. No matter what property you choose to hold your event, we remain the same and do all the leg work for you. It is as easy as a phone call.

Second, would be the contact people. Each property would have a separate person that you need to constantly go over everything that you need. You will deal with a whole new group of sales people, crew members and technicians. This can waste a lot of time and money on things that one company could easily handle and make your job easier. Come the day of the event, we think working with the same group of people makes for a better show.

Thirdly, we can save you money. With in house companies, sometimes you are being charged for things you don’t need and labor requirements that are way over board. Many of these companies are nationally based, so there mission is a little different then ours. We are locally based, can travel with you across the country and are able to organize everything you need efficiently and affordably.

In some cases, in house may be a better choice, but it is always nice to find out all your options. Give us a call and see how we might be able to help you on your next event.

Jason

Lighting Demonstration on the 27th of January

Don’t forget about our lighting open house coming up on January 27th, 2010. It will be held at the Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland Pennsylvania starting at 5pm and going to 9pm.

We will be showing off all our production capabilities including lighting, draping and A/V options. It is a great way to see everything that we can do for your next event.

We will also be running specials that night, so make sure you call and get on the guest list.

Thanks to Jenn Childress for the picture.

The Team at Synergetic

Andrew & Lauren

There’s something about the initial meeting with a client that I can tell a bit about how their reception is going to go. From the connection we have, to the descriptions about their friends and family, the meeting is where the foundation is built. The most important part of the meeting for the client is getting a chance to meet me and feel out my personality to make sure we’re a good match for the reception. The most important part of the meeting for me to figure what type of couple I am going to be working with. The strength of our relationship ultimately plays into the success of the reception.

Immediately after meeting with Drew and Lauren back in November of 08, I knew how fun their reception was going to be. Not only were they excited to be planning their wedding, but they were very interested in making their reception the best time anyone has ever experienced; and their goal was attained quite well. Drew and Lauren put together an amazing team of vendors in Cairnwood Mansion, Robert Fair Caterers, Artistic Imagery, Video from TJR, and Synergetic managing the entertainment and lighting. I had this wedding circled on my calendar for quite some time now, so when the day finally came I was excited to be able to take part in what was to be the best reception ever. However there was one huge problem.

The Eagles were scheduled to play against Dallas in an epic playoff matchup. When I learned that the game was to be played during their reception I was disappointed because I didn’t want it to take anything away from the hard work Drew and Lauren put in to making their reception a great time. After speaking with Drew we came up with a plan that would work not only for the reception but also for the after-party as well. DVR is a beautiful invention. The plan was for the guests to not mention any score during the reception, and all go to the afterparty to watch the game as if it were live. The key to the success of this plan was to make sure no guest mentioned anything about the game (good or bad) during the reception. So right before introductions I made an announcement that the Eagles had learned about Drew and Lauren’s wedding and made an agreement with the Cowboys to delay the game for 4 hours until the reception was over; and any guest who thought there was a “playoff football game” going on would keep the imaginary score to themselves. The planned worked perfectly, except for the Eagles loss, and the wedding lived up to its excitement. Lauren looked absolutely beautiful even though some of her pictures required her to outside in the cold with no coat!!

At the end of the reception one of Cairnwood’s staff members mentioned to me that you know it’s a great reception when the entire library’s windows are fogged to the point where you cannot see out of them. From myself, and the entire Synergetic team we wish Drew and Lauren the best of luck in starting their new family!

Matt

Thanks to Jen from Artistic Imagery for the amazing photographs.

He did it!

So he finally popped the question and you said yes! I have noticed that many of my friends have recently been engaged and I have been giving them some advice and I thought I might share that with you as a newly engaged couple.

I think the first instinct when someone gets engaged is to immediately start planning. Get the church, the hall, the photographer, etc. (of course the entertainment and lighting too!). With that, there comes a ton of stress. Which professional to pick? Who to invite? Figure out a bridal party? And, well, I can go on and on. But what is forgotten are a few important and key things.

#1-It really should be fun. Planning your wedding needs to be fun. The two of you are going to be planning for such a fun day, for such an important reason. You are getting married! Remember to keep that in mind. Take time throughout the process to make each other smile. You will only do this once and you want to keep those memories for the rest of your lives.

#2-Don’t let others get you stressed out. For as much as they want to help, the day really is about you. You should make decisions that you are comfortable with and you shouldn’t do things because you are being forced to.

#3-He might not be that into the planning as you are. And that is normal. Most guys will want to do whatever makes you happy. And I mean that. They don’t just say that. They want to truly make the day special for both you and him. One of the things you can do to help him get involved is to run things by him and make sure he knows what part of the process you are working on. This way he can tell you how he feels about it.

#5-The whole process will go by so fast. Slow down and take it all in. Take your time and don’t rush things. Enjoy each moment that you will have. When the day comes, you will blink and it will be over, so make sure you spend some quality time with each other when the day comes.

#6- Make sure to sit down and have “the talk” to come up with a rough budget…know what’s important to each of you and make a working budget to keep you on track.

A couple hundred dollars over on one contract is OK, but without a guide you can easily go thousands over budget by the end of the planning.

#7-The people that you choose to work with (your team of professionals), make sure you click with them. Price is one thing, but you want to feel completely relaxed the day of your wedding, but you want to know that you hired people that will make sure you have incredible memories!

I wish you luck in the planning process and if you find our company one that you want to surround yourself by, we look forward to talking to you more about your style and personality. And, of course, congratulations on a wonderful road your life has taken! Enjoy it.

Thanks to Mark Kingsdorf of the Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants. If it is in the budget, a wedding consultant makes your life so much easier! Thanks to Rebecca Druckenmiller and Dan Richman for letting us use one of Laura Eaton's awesome photograph's from the night of their engagement.

Jason

Snow (And what professionals do)

Who would have thought that Saturday, December 19th, 23 inches of snow would have come down over the city. Brides and grooms were getting very anxious about their weddings! Everything was closing down and travel was becoming very difficult. And yet professionals all over the city braved the conditions and managed to make it to their events that they had been contracted for. See, when you hire the right people, they make it to the event. No excuses. As I was keeping up to date with my Facebook account, I saw plenty of posts that backed that up. All my professional associates were getting to the events.

But there was one story that I just had to share. The staff at Conroy Catering, particularly Eileen and Adam, went well above and beyond what one might expect. Their client was booked at the Glen Foerd Mansion and they were on top of the storm from the beginning. Their staff was there early, (some even 3 hours before they had to be there, just to be safe) the snow was plowed and the food ready to go. Even the cake was there! But the problem came in with the transportation company. They were unable to actually get around due to the snow. So the bride and groom were stuck at the hotel with their guests. What a disaster this was going to be! But not for Eileen and Adam.

They both filled up their own personal vehicles with all the food that had been cooked, even the cake! They drove down to the city and personally dropped off all the food to the bride and groom. They made the bride and groom so happy. This is the kind of professional you want on your side. They do whatever it takes to make sure you have the best day possible, no matter what the situation. If you haven’t considered looking at the properties of Conroy Catering, make sure you add them to your list. If this is what they did with snow, imagine how they handle events with the sun is out!

Jason

Justifying the Value in Your DJ

Of all the decisions made in planning a wedding, the most difficult always seems to be the entertainment. Most clients will ask the question “Band or DJ” first. Once they determine which route to go to, a whole new set of questions are presented. What type of DJ do we want? Have they worked at our venue before? What type of music will our guests relate to the best? And my personal favorite, “How much should I spend on my DJ?”

Obviously one of the most important aspects in planning a wedding is setting a budget and sticking to it. But how much of that budget should be allocated to a DJ? Recent studies (TheWeddingReport.com) have found that 70% of the overall success of the reception is based on how talented the entertainment is. However the average budget for the Entertainment is less than 6% of the entire wedding budget.

The most important decision you and your fiancé will have to make is the priority of your vendors. You will have to decide if the Photographer, the Food, or the Music is the most important aspect of your wedding reception. That will help you decide on how much time/money to allocate to it.

In my opinion the most remembered part of your wedding reception is the time your guests had. No one ever leaves a wedding saying, “wow that wedding was great, the cake was very moist!!” Nothing against bakers, but taste/design of a cake can only go so far. Typically a guest will remember if they danced all night and enjoyed the food/entertainment. The DJ can make or break the reception. The difficulty in this part of the planning is deciding what makes $700 DJ’s different from $1400 DJ’s.

Both offer similar packages with similar time constraints, yet are priced completely different. So what is this invisible factor that makes the two different? TALENT. This is what will define your DJ and further define your reception. One can argue that the type of equipment, the management, and the broad range of music also play a factor, but the most important is the TALENT of your DJ.

Talent is being able to read the crowd and select the right music to play.

Talent is the ability to mix the music together so that the best parts of the songs are playing at the right time.

Talent is having the skills to speak on the microphone so that the guests are attentive without being overbearing.

The only way to be able to determine your DJ’s talent is to meet with him in person. Ask him/her the “what would you do in this situation” questions. This will help you determine if you should invest more money into your DJ or not. If your wedding budget is $30,000 and the majority of the success of the reception is depended upon your DJ, would you want to take a chance on a $700 DJ?

Matt