ISES Gives Back II

Tuesday night we had the pleasure of hosting the second annual ISES Gives Back meeting and working with great vendors! Attendees were asked to bring donations for The Mustard Seed (furniture and clothing bank) and Ton by Ten (canned foods) so they can do their part in paying it forward.

Ben and his team from Kaleidoscope Production Services did an awesome job lighting up the space with market lights, LEDs and spotlights.

Barfly rocked the bar and served up some nice cocktails for everyone.

TS Productions provided a solid stage for the entertainment and black drape around the perimeter.







Vice President of Programs and Education, Jason Logan, did a terrific job emceeing the evening and kept everything rolling.



Levan’s Catering dished up delicious sliders, potstickers, scallop and chicken skewers, prosciutto, and different spreads.

Peyton & Day Entertainment rounded up the creative improv music and comedy team that is Jeremy and Shalisa James of Songs on the Spot. They took everyone back to their “Dirty Dancing” days and involved ISES members in some of their songs.

Votive candles complimented our Pacific collection with ambient mood lighting. It was truly showcased by the focal point of the room; a gazebo with fabric treatment, chandelier and extended Pacific sectional. Everyone looked comfortable, relaxed and happy- looking forward to the next meeting!

Headdress Ball 2009

The Hope & Help Center of Central Florida's annual Headdress Ball was in full swing this past Saturday, October 3rd at the new Hilton Orlando International Drive. The charity event raised over $270,000 a successful result despite the current state of the economy.

The event theme - Red Carpet, Red Ribbon & Red Lipstick inspired the VIP cocktail reception. I incorporated a 24 x 24 foot custom bar in the center of the reception, complete with a back bar and overhead canopy giving that permanent installation signature of my design.

The bar was flanked to one side by the mermaid lounge which was adorned by the beautiful Mertailor land & sea creatures in and out of the water. Situated to the other side of the bar, the dance club, where American Audio Visual's designer Tommy Hart wow'ed guests with his dramatic reveal of the dance floor hidden behind Moss Inc's fabric walls. Guests danced to the music of DJ Joanie who had a commanding position within a custom built scaffold/ industrial stage and DJ booth surrounded by water walls.

The party went all night long, "ABSOLUTELY", says DJ Joanie- I loved the layout you created for me. The dance floor was perfect and kept the energy high and made people stay in the area. Hope to work with you again in the near future and to see ya out soon!

To make a donation to this very important cause visit:

http://hopeandhelp.org

-Awny K

Friend us on Facebook to view more photos from the event.
http://tiny.cc/uofacebook

What's Hot in Rental Furniture

Furniture in events definitely make a great impression and impact on any environment. Serving as functional decor and setting the layout of the space and the flow of the event.

In the latest August/September edition of Event Design Magazine, our Creative Director, Awny contributes to What's Hot in rental furniture:

Rental furniture specialists are on top of the latest trends, materials, and what’s next in this arena, so read on and see what’s hot in rentals, and what everyone will be talking about next year.

Temporary Elements
What's Hot in Rental Furniture


“In is out and out is in as a design concept. A lot of people are leveraging outdoor furniture indoors with natural organic materials like wicker. When you use it indoors it can become a theme—it adds an element of surprise, you’re not expecting it so you notice it,” says Awny Khashoggi, creative director at Unique Option. Khashoggi says 30 percent of Unique Options’ rentals this year have been for outdoor furniture for indoor use.





Up Ahead. Khashoggi says the event design world is heading toward the use of electronic graphic presentation as the main form of theme delivery, and furniture will reflect that. “You’ll see themes delivered electronically through plasmas and screens, while furniture becomes a functional complement to that theme. Media, furniture, and lighting are the tripod of the future of event design,” Khashoggi says.


CLICK HERE to Check out the full article for more trends and insight..

Customized Solutions

Customized branded solutions from Unique Option! Furniture and accessories can play as the perfect frame for your logo, monogram or customized screen prints, whether on Pillows, waterfalls, coffee, bar, end and conference tables, the possibilities are endless!

How do our products differ? Why choose us?
Our high quality products and furniture enhanced with your branding will be executed in a tasteful, accurate and professional treatment. As our creative director, Awny Khashoggi points out- "Branding products is a detail that requires all the attention to detail, after all it represents our client's image and our company assures that."

Orange Appeal - Headdress Ball Photoshoot

A purposefully transformed showroom acted as the perfect backdrop last week, as we hosted a photoshoot for Orange Appeal Magazine& The Hope & Help Center.

The editorial spread will be featured in next month's September/October issue of the magazine, all in preparation for Central Florida's most anticipated charity event- Headdress Ball. A decadent Vegas style, black tie event benefiting the Hope & Help Center of Central Florida and their fight against AIDS and HIV.

Headdress Ball Founders- Sam Ewing & Hattie Wolfe, along side with the event's long time supporter and hostess -Jackie London, TV anchor from Local 6 and the event signature, showgirl posed for the cameras looking elegant and fabulous.

Hope & Help's Development Director, Maggie King commented "Thanks again for allowing us to use your venue for the Orange Appeal photo shoot, as long standing sponsors of the event and with Awny serving on the board of directors for the charity, we are excited and enthusiastic about this year's event entitled- Red Carpet, Red Ribbon and Red Lipstick.

For more information on the event and to purchase
tickets visit:
http://www.headdressball.org/

Wedding Style Magazine Fall 09

Modern Furniture groupings are all the rage and a new necessity for every bride's reception, after party, cocktail hour or to act as a great focal point to tie together the event's theme and create a central area that is comfortable and inviting to all guests.

A recent wedding we collaborated on with one of our Tennessee planners was amazingly executed and featured in the Fall 2009 edition of Grace Ormonde's Wedding Style magazine. Our white leather eccentric line accented with custom screened lime green pillows and pedestals added a great punch of color to the groupings.

We are pleased to announce Unique Option now offers customized branded pillows, furniture items and accents to add that perfect touch of personalization to your next event.

*photo credit by Meggie Velasco Photography

WOW Awards!

July 17th, 2009, the best contributions from Central Florida's event industry were honored at the WOW Awards at Orlando's World Center Marriott, presented by ISES Orlando. All of Orlando's event, convention, meeting and hospitality association professionals convened for the event.

Unique Option is pleased to announce our award for Best Event Support for the May 2008 WD-40 Surprise birthday event.

For this 80's inspired 40th birthday, Unique Option creative director Awny Khashoggi was called upon to add authenticity in the re-creation of the various environments created for this event, the areas worked on to recreate the night club, which was set to be reminiscent of an era when people cared more about enjoying themselves than being seen, the 80’s was truly brought back with the layout of the furniture and decor items. The furniture groupings provided included lavish lime green sofas contrasting club chairs in red, cobalt blue, and lime as those colors reflected on the black glossy cocktail tables.



We congratulate all the winners this year and are honored to be in such company. Awny commented"Event support is coveted by Unique Option since it is what we excel in. And of course could not been successfully done without our client and colleagues.

For more information on the winners and nominees check out:

WOW Awards 2009

Consistency of a Brand

Unique Option along with graphic design agency- Treefrog Cinegraphix, LLC collaborated last Summer on the re-branding of our company’s logo and corporate identity. The design and execution of this project were crucial as we wanted to capture the essence of our company, past, present and highlight the new direction of Unique Option.

We strategized on the best way to add impact, longevity and most importantly reflect our company’s business values and our mission to provide success to our clients and vendors.

Our owner, Awny Khashoggi explains the rationale behind our new branding- "The new logo with a revised font and presentation, embodies the strong foundation represented by Event Partner and the soaring aspirations of the company. The color on color executed beautifully with UV coating is a graphic display of the harmonious varying textures exhibited by our talented team."

The end result- An award winning corporate identity package!

We celebrate today as we just learned that we were awarded the 2009 Communicator Creative Excellence Award in the category of print / Corporate Identity – for the best Identity Program Campaign.

The winning new logo, featuring a modified font & orientation along with the business tag of Event Partner is presented here as it appeared on the collateral.

Now that they are retired, we wanted to share our past identity which was an award winner at the time, presented here for your viewing pleasure:

Tough Times Make Planners Stretch Decor Budgets

Lisa Hurley, Editor of Special Events Magazine writes in this week's Eventline E-newsletter on event designers tips, including a unique perspective from Unique Option's President, Awny Khashoggi on how to effectively stretch budgets without eliminating decor elements:

Check it out.... CLICK HERE for the full story

NACE Jacksonville

May 13, 2009, We had the pleasure of speaking to the Jacksonville National Association of Catering Executives. The topic-

DESIGN & SPACE PLANNING FOR HIGHER PROFIT MARGINS

A topic on a lot of catering executives and industry professionals minds, as the state of the marketplace is becoming more and more competitive and with client's expectations increasing the challenge is to win the job, so you keep winning jobs and make your offering unparalleled to your competition. In this 30 minute presentation our creative industry expert, Awny Khashoggi discusses how to position your team to incorporate effective design, space planning and your Black book of resources for higher profit margins in your business.

The lunch meeting was hosted at the Selva Marina Country Club in Atlantic Beach in Jacksonville, a classic country club, the Jacksonville NACE committee greeted us for a delightful luncheon. Thanks goes out to Chapter President- Robert Capers and VP of Programs and Education- Kevan Wilson.

The Return of the Bonding Event...

Now that we are settled into the Unique Option "home of hospitality". Our friends and partners enjoyed an evening, last Thursday, 5/7/09 of networking, relaxation and the welcoming of Michele Butler Events to a crowd of industry professionals. Michele collected her shower gifts along with business cards and catalogues from those in attendance.

We were happy to see photographers, entertainment companies, venues and caterers all present making this a successful networking event for all.

Happy Earth Day!

Being green in your life and business is all the rage and with the celebration of Earth Day, Unique Option reiterates our dedication to green practices in our business, as the future and health of our planet, the beloved Mother Earth depends on it!

Our owner, Awny Khashoggi is not only a expert on event design and decor, but also an expert on green and earth conscious techniques for decor in your home. Check out his tips and advice as he appeared on the Wednesday, April 22nd's edition of the Daily Buzz....

Look out for a future blog entry on smart green for the event industry!

The Promise of Spring...

A note from Awny Khashoggi...

I am delighted by the personal connections my team and I had during our SPRING IT ON event on 4/3/09. I always understood and relished in the fact that we are in the business of “promise”. Every time our clients come together to do business or celebrate, they do so with anticipation of a happier tomorrow. When it was our turn to have an event, there was no exception. We picked spring as a time, theme, and spirit.

I would like to share a few reflections on the conversations and memorable inspirations I had with the guests that day. They centered around three words: real, partners and trust. The three notions work in tandem and are interchangeable with each other as you cannot have one without exercising the others.

We demonstrated at this event, along with our partners, that we can deliver real solutions for real needs. This get-together was marked by our community’s REAL need for collective comfort. The Unique Option Demo Room could not have gotten a better initiation than being the kitchen in which guests gathered for their heart to heart conversations as they kicked back and relaxed with friends.

We are grateful for Puff N’ Stuff’s hospitality, along with our event PARTNERS. American Audio Visual, who artistically enhanced the ambiance and the amazing entertainment throughout the day provided by Ms. Sammy, Belly Dancer, Jewels of the Nile, and the music of Alejjandro, and DJ Lu Fontanez.

If you joined us, you know that we had a real Spring celebration. To celebrate Spring is to reaffirm your TRUST in the promise of better tomorrow.

Thank you, I will end with some of the responses I received from guests after their visit.

Best regards,
Awny Khashoggi, Your Event Partner!
__________________________________________________________________
Your team did an outstanding job as well. It was a great event and beautiful facility. I too look forward to our next successful partnership.

Respectfully,

Warren Dietel
President
Puff 'n Stuff Catering, LLC
__________________________________________________________________
Dear Awny,

Thank you so much for your fabulous event! I didn't expect such a warm reception, great food, wonderful presentation and nice people! You made us feel welcome immediately. And you took so much time for me and my team showing us around - that felt really good! I think Puff N'Stuff did an excellent job - I tried the salmon/brie omelet and it was tasty, healthy and very unique! Actually your reception was an eye-opener for us: we realized that you and Puff N' Stuff are true leaders in town and that you know what you are talking about. Hopefully we can work more with you in the near future!

Please come and visit us at our new office as well - you are always welcome!

Thanks again,
Best regards,

Iris Langanke, DMCP
Owner / Director of Operations
PRA Destination Management Orlando
__________________________________________________________________
The event was FABULOUS!!! The food was wonderful, and as usual, your creativity and remarkable event décor transformed your show space into a scene from ‘Breakfast at Awny’s’ I wish I could have seen and tasted what lunch and dinner had to offer.

Thank you for the invitation!

Rashida Erskine
Sales Manager
BBJ Linen

It was a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. I am quick to refer business your way if anyone asks for furniture rental. You have the best quality and selection of anyone in town.

Congratulations on your new space. I loved your showroom. I wish you and your team the best.

Warm Regards,

Mike Cruz
Sales Manager
BBJ Linen
__________________________________________________________________
I greatly enjoyed the event. I enjoyed meeting you, Awny and talking with your wife and being introduced to the wonderful food and furnishings your companies provide. We look forward to working with you.

Leya Black
ASI Production Services, Inc
__________________________________________________________________
Awny,

It was great to see you and thanks for inviting my entire team out. We loved the new showroom, and look forward to bringing clients by to showcase your product.

I could not agree with you more on Puff-n-Stuff’s level of product and service.

Take care and good luck to al of us in these “UNIQUE” times….

Rich Whiddon
President/Owner
Exclusive Destination Management
__________________________________________________________________
Awny~

It was wonderful! Congratulations to you and your team and partners! Well done!

I really hope we get to work together again soon!

Warmest regards,

ELISA DELGARDIO CSEP, PBC
principal, event & wedding designer | A Flair for Affairs
__________________________________________________________________
Hello Awny,

Thank you, so much for your email. It was great to see you and your team again. You always know how to have fun and entertain your guests. Your event was wonderful to include such amazing food.

Thank you so much, and I look forward to working with you soon.

Best regards,
Jackie Zumaeta
Catering Manager
Reunion Resort & Bella Collina
__________________________________________________________________
Awny:

Thank you so much for an amazing evening. You have some amazing items that I foresee will be a huge hit in the bridal industry. WE look forward to the opportunity to promote you in the future. Thank you again for a wonderful event!

Kind regards,

Brandi Zrallack
Market Manager, Perfect Wedding Guide
Managing Editor, Central Florida Bride
__________________________________________________________________
Hello Awny,

It certainly was a pleasure meeting you and your team. Both events were great and so was the food.

All the best,

Kim H. Lightbourne | Hilton Orlando
__________________________________________________________________
Hello Awny and Warren,

Thank you very much for including us for such a wonderful event ! We had a great time, and I really look forward to our continued partnership in the future.

Hope to see you both soon-

Best,

Janine M. Boylan, CFBE
Director of Catering
Waldorf Astoria Orlando
Hilton Bonnet Creek
__________________________________________________________________
No Awny and Warren, thank you. Both your companies did an amazing job and your invite to our team and the community as a whole was greatly appreciated. Like both your company's Greenery Productions has been growing emotionally, in it's design capabilities and with it's partners. We look forward to becoming as strong of a strategic partner to each of you as you have been to those in our industry.

Thank you both again,

Tommy Murphy
Greenery Productions
__________________________________________________________________
RISE N' SHINE
Breakfast Event

IT'S A PICNIC
Lunch Event

SPRINGING HOUR
Cocktail Reception Event