Revenge of the Nerds

What is the best way to celebrate both your spouse's and your birthdays? What if you also want to fold in the celebratration of your wedding anniversary? Quiet dinner at a posh restaurant? Backyard barbecue with your closest friends and family? How about revisiting the glory of college and throwing an all-night fraternity kegger?!

That is exactly what this couple did with the help of Florie Huppert Design and a team of incredibly talented vendors.

We're stoked to share these photos from a totally 80's "Revenge of the Nerds" party.

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

Event Design and Coordination, Florie Huppert Design
Photography, Courtney Collins
Catering, Matchbox Catering
Window Graphics, Chief Graphix

Mitzvah Series #1: Basic Mitzvah Terminology

Are you an event planner diving into the world of Mitzvahs?  Will you be attending the Mitzvah of a friend or family member, and are curious about what to expect?  The HELEN MILLS team has hosted many Mitzvahs in the past, and we'd like to compile some helpful information for planning your next Mitzvah.  In the first of our Mitzvah Series, we'll explore some of the basic terminology associated with Mitzvahs to help you better familiarize yourself with this memorable celebration.

• Bar Mitzvah: Male celebration, from the Hebrew word "bar" meaning "son", and "mitzvah" meaning "celebration"
• Bat Mitzvah: Female celebration, from the Hebrew word "bat" meaning "daughter", and "mitzvah" meaning "celebration"
• Tallit: Fringed garment made of wool or linen, typically worn over outer clothes during prayer
• Tefillin: Black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah
• Motzi: Traditional prayer/blessing
• Hora: Circle dance in which the celebrator is raised in the air on a chair and guests dance around them
• Cubbies: Small cubes typically brought in by the entertainment company. Cubbies are convenient for the kids to put their belongings or for the client to put favors in the cubbies for each specific child.
• Mazel Tov!: Phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event
• Motivators: Dancers brought in by entertainment company to get the children to dance and have fun
• Montage video: Short video with music played on a screen of photos from birth until present of the celebrator

In our Mitzvah Series #2, we'll detail the basic run of show for mitzvahs.  Stay tuned!

4 Creative Ideas for Your Company Summer Party

As the weather warms up, it's time to begin planning your company Summer parties. There are certain elements we all expect at these events; namely good food, good drinks, and a great venue. When it comes to surprising your coworkers, however, it's easy to feel stumped.

Knowing how much pressure there is to stand out from other events, the HELEN MILLS team collected some fun ideas to help you as your plan not only your Summer parties, but any throughout the year.

Let's get started!

Company Movie Night

Does your team sometimes get burnt out on high-energy, loud parties? Why not switch things up and book a private movie screening for your crew? With 140 seats, the HELEN MILLS Theater offers an intimate, comfortable, and alternative way to spend your company outing.

With HD projection and 5.1 Cinema Surround Sound, you can offer your team a night at the movies without the exorbitant ticket prices, teens on their cellphones, and chatterbox neighbors commenting on every scene.

Set up snacks and drinks for guests to enjoy during the movie. Photo from this post.

Gif and Video Booths

Who hasn't attended a party with a photo booth? Whether it be a wedding, Mitzvah, or holiday party, we all have our signature "four poses" down to a science. Yes, photo strips are cute and retro, but in the age of ever evolving technology it's important to take advantage of all the latest and greatest gadgets.

Companies like OM now offer several different types of photo and video booths, offering guests a creative outlet to show off your killer party.

OM's orbit360

Edible Floral Arrangements

There's no denying that flowers are a beautiful way to instantly liven up the look of your event, but at the end of the evening you experience a crisis over what to do with your left-over arrangements. It isn't always reasonable to have your guests take the centerpieces home with them, and letting hundreds of dollars of flowers get thrown away can feel like a knife to the heart. If this sounds at all familiar, you should check out companies like Baked Bouquet, a "Bakery Florist" that offers sweet treats in the form of floral arrangements. 

Baked Bouquet creates stunning creations that will have you guests asking, "These are cupcakes?!" 

LED Furniture

You've spent time and effort on creating the perfect setup for your party, so why let your tables fade into the background? Our friends at Cerf carry a large selection of LED tables and more to help you create a vibrant affair. 

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

It's All About Amelia!

On Saturday, March 25, friends and family traveled from all over to celebrate an extremely talented and lovely young woman, Amelia, here at the HELEN MILLS Event Space and Theater.

After saying their hellos and grabbing some delicious appetizers, guests moved to the theater where Amelia and her friends treated them to a number of gymnastics and dance performances.

Amelia, a decorated gymnast, wows the crowd with her beautiful routine.

Guests spent the rest of the evening eating, drink, dancing, and most importantly, celebrating Amelia!

Beautiful chandeliers hang over each table. Adults enjoyed a family-style dinner, while the younger guests grazed at the ample buffet.

After eating and dancing their feet off, the younger guests headed back down to the theater to enjoy a movie on the big screen! They all changed into PJs, grabbed some popcorn, and got cozy. What a fun and unique way to end a party!

Mozel tov, Amelia!

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

Catering by Orange Grill Catering
Decor and Planning by Nikoletta Events
DJ, Emcee, and Entertainment by
Photography by Inessa Sperkach
Videography by Lucent Vision Studio

Welcome to the Team, Melissa!

Join us in welcoming Melissa Assencoa to the HELEN MILLS team! As our new Director of Sales, Melissa works with all of our clients to book their dream events! She has experience planning meetings, conferences, weddings, social events, and more. 

Here's a quick, 7 question interview with Melissa:

 o  Hometown? West Milford, New Jersey.

o   Favorite place in the neighborhood? Madison Square Park

o   What is at the top of your personal bucket list? To run the most challenging marathon along the Great Wall of China!

o   What do you love most about events / planning events? As an event planner, I enjoy bringing people together to celebrate, learn and bond. I enjoy sharing my passion for events to create lifelong memories for social and corporate guests!   

o   Favorite swag item? A portable charger

o   Favorite event décor? Candles. Candlelight can enhance the ambiance of the room in seconds!

o   Favorite cocktail? Moscow Mule – but only with a copper mug!

Rock your Voice, Woman! Inspiring a Community to Be Heard

On Saturday, January 14th, HELEN MILLS hosted the LIVE Rock Your Voice, Woman! event.; a daylong seminar aimed at empowering women in finding their voices and transforming the world through their communities, businesses, and personal lives. 

Rock Your Voice, Woman! utilized both the theater and event space to bring their message to life. The intimacy and versatility of the venue lent itself to the various aspects of the day’s agenda, and the program featured an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and vendor booths.  Through this event, attendees engaged and connected with some of the biggest voices in women’s thought leadership. 

The immersive experience guided guests in mapping out a path towards their own aspirations.  By the end of the day, the voice of the female community was quite a bit louder!

The HELEN MILLS Event Space ready for arrivals! The hot pink wall wash and floral centerpieces set the tone.

Vendor booths provide literature and products to spark inspiration.

CEO & Founder of Rock It Out Woman, Christine Miskinis, takes the stage for a powerful presentation.

Guests participate in a Q&A session in the HELEN MILLS Theater.

After lunch, the event space transforms into three breakout sessions. Coaches capture the guests’ attention through engaging activities.

To the beats of DJ Bumi, women join hands and connect in celebration of their community.

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

Partners of the Rock Your Voice, Woman! event include:

Christine Miskinis, Founder Rock Your Voice Woman at RockItOutWoman.com

Vanessa Canas, Event Management at VanessaCanas.com

Monika Broz, Photographer at MonikaBroz.com

Bastille Flowers & Events at Bastille.com

Chef Angela Lowe at ChefAngelaLowe.com

Video & Social Media Publicity: Brooke & Jason Rash at TheSocialCircleMembers.com

Thomson Reuter's Roadshow Brings Life to Taxes

Thomson Reuter's recently held the East coast portion of their cross-country software roadshow at HELEN MILLS. The event included a number of different activations in both the theater and event space and showcased their ONESOURCE tax software to key stakeholders.

The agenda featured talks from leaders in the organization as well as an indoor dome, stations for attendees to test out software, plenty of swag, and even a professional headshot photo station. The event was rounded out with cocktails and passed appetizers. 

The event provided an excellent example of how to create a unique, unexpected, and fresh experience while maintaining a strong focus on having attendees leave with key takeaways and new knowledge. Below are a few photos from the event. To learn more about ONESOURCE and the roadshow, see here.

Above: The event featured an indoor dome which housed the terminals from which guests could preview the software and get one-on-one training from experts. The dome was an unexpected and dramatic element for one of the core educational activations.

Below: Additional views of the dome with user stations inside.

Guests speak to ONESOURCE coaches during the event. Photo credit: 3D Media Group

Below: The event featured a professional headshot studio, providing attendees with extra value and a memorable event takeaway.

Below: As guests entered the space, they were greeted by by branding on the exterior of the space. Once inside, an LED check-in booth awaited. The space was lit with a wall wash in the Thomson Reuter's brand color.

Guests enjoy cocktail hour and networking. Photo credit: 3D Media Group

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS or check out more recent events here and below.

Welcome to the Team, Emily!

Join us in welcoming Emily to the HELEN MILLS team! As our new Office and Event Coordinator, Emily will help ensure that every clients' vision for their events comes to life! She has experience planning meetings, conferences, weddings, social events, and more. 

Here's a quick, 7 question interview with Emily:

o   Hometown? Columbus, GA

o   Favorite place in the neighborhood? Maysville

o   What is at the top of your personal bucket list? To travel to London and see a show on the West End (Right now, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is top of my list!)

o   What do you love most about events / planning events? I love getting to play a part in so many peoples’ special days. A lot of work goes into planning an event, and the small part I get to play is so fulfilling.

o   Favorite swag item? Anything edible. The cuter, the better.

o   Favorite event décor? Lights! Adding lights along the walls to a room can completely change the look and feel of an event, without putting in too much time and energy.

o   Favorite cocktail? Gin and tonic, extra lime