I paid close attention to the relationships between wall dimensions and ceiling heights, making sure the rooms inside the tent would both function well and feel good to be in.
Clearly, these are people that understand that throwing a party is more powerful than any other marketing technique.
If style and an eye for design doesn't come naturally for you, such expertise can be developed.
Unbeknown to me, I was preparing for corporate event planning design gigs and large-scale, multi-faceted luxury wedding planning jobs as I canvassed model homes (subconsciously looking for event planning ideas?) in new subdivisions while I was in high school.
Since then - I've taken weekly strolls in the fine furnishing departments of stores like J.L. Hudson's to Roche Bobois to IKEA to Baker to Restoration Hardware, and walking the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles and the Troy Design Center in Metro-Detroit - which have all served as my event planning guides. I have to go alone because I stay for hours. I'm like a kid in a doggone candy store.
I love designing and planning, shopping for and catering special events and parties. I feel like a party production weirdo or an event planning geek bursting with event planning ideas galore most of the time (unfortunately, with several clients that don't have "Oprah money" to spend, but love my ideas).
I'm no architect by any means, but I do have a few special event planning suggestions that anyone can use to assess a floor plan - and a few tips for rescuing what could become a poorly scaled event space.
Simply put, awkward proportions can be downplayed with furnishings. In a low-ceiling event space, hang pictures or a mirror up to the ceiling to make it look higher. In a space where the ceiling soars (like a music hall or old opera house), avoid scaling up all the rented furniture or you'll feel like a doll in a dollhouse. Don't get me wrong, a few big pieces will help. But then, vary the sizes of the remaining furniture, to add excitement and balance.
In traditional or "vanilla" tented architecture, the larger the space is, the higher the ceiling can be. A small room - say, ten by fifteen feet - feels right with an eight-foot ceiling. If you're building a tented space and you decide to make a room bigger, the ceiling height should go to nine feet or more.
A big space, like The Watermark Detroit's forty-by-one hundred and forty great room or main gathering tent, held a dramatically high ceiling showcasing an over fifteen foot tall, fresh flower centerpiece that was the spectacular room focal point, commanding the attention of everyone who saw it.
Beware of going above fifteen feet without a cornice or other architectural-type reference point for the eye to settle on, or the room will start to feel like a well.
In modern and contemporary-style architecture, "glass walls" or Clearspan tent walls can tone down the effects of a low ceiling, especially in a large tent. A ceiling height of ten feet or more adds exponentially to the pleasure of being in a large tented space of any decorated style.
Outdoor event planning or using open air spaces have many of the same basic design concept considerations. Except for the fact that you can usually go even bolder and get away with it.
Now that's what I call successful event planning when I'm planning an event...
Go bold or stay home.
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