Secrets of Super-Productivity by Neen James

A few weeks ago I attended a private business conference in Indianapolis. It’s an annual gathering that’s kinda like a Dead Poet’s Society for special event entrepreneurs. One of the featured presenters at this multi-day event was  productivity expert, Neen James, from Australia.

Not only did she offer sage advice with regard to personal and professional efficiency, she totally owned a room that was filled with 40 alpha-male control freaks who can be very unforgiving if you don’t bring your A-game.

I can’t share specific details from that particular presentation, but I can at least refer you to her public book release, Secrets of Super-Productivity: How To Achieve Amazing Things In Your Work Life. Neen graciously sent me a signed copy in a  very impressive follow-up package after the conference.   It read like a modern version of How To Win Friends and Influence People.   James touches on everything from task prioritization, the importance of social surroundings, continuing education, financial fundamentals and general wellness tips.

Secrets of Super-Productivity would make a great gift for anyone you know who is old enough to read and who’ll eventually be on their own someday.   Like the ability to balance a check book and display simple social graces, I firmly believe that the gospel of Neen should be standard fodder for school curriculums everywhere. SOSP is also a great investment for the successful professional who likes or needs a little  reminder of what got them to the top and more importantly… how to stay there.

Here are a few excerpts to whet your appetite:

Neen James

“Stop trying to manage time and learn how to make time.“

“…The other thing most people overlook is the need to schedule time before and after each meeting to prepare and complete follow-up activities…“ Jason and I had a ‘decompression session‘ after each day of educational content in order to digest what we learned, discuss implementation strategies and just to chat about anything else BUT business in order to avoid information-overload.

“Many people have a tendency to want to keep e-mails.  Set yourself some guidelines for what you want to keep and delete the rest once you have read or actioned them.” Jason @soundconnectdj recently tweeted:  ‘WOW.  Just hit 10,000 unread emails.‘    It’s good to be busy and in demand, but I think JJ needs a little Neen-inspired Delete Key session.

“Make an appointment with yourself for the first of January every year to reflect on the year that was and the year to come. “ My friends know that I’m usually on a plane to Costa Rica at the beginning of each New Year.  The reflection begins on take-off and evolves into a month of introspection and rejuvenation.  11 years ago I read that mandatory sabbaticals yield significant results for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, it’s been a part of MMP’s annual playbook ever since.

“Sleep is vital for renewing body and mind and yet we often forfeit sleep time so we can do other activities.”  ..  “The important thing is to discipline yourself to get a good night’s sleep and  rise early so that you can make the most of every day.”

“You will feel more in control of your life when your home is a retreat rather than an obstacle course or a constant reminder of things that need doing!  Spend some time spring-cleaning… remove the clutter, tidy problem areas, create storage solutions and eliminate the mess.”

Connect with Neen on Linkedin, Twitter, & Facebook or visit her online productivity store for additional resources & booking information. -mp

*Editor’s note:  I still get choked up every time I see that scene from Dead Poets. 

The WeddingWire network reaches over 8 million people each month via their impressive online social network that includes; Martha Stewart Weddings, Wedding Bee, and Project Wedding.

Wedding Aces is an online community that offers advice and tips for engaged couples via articles and blogs from experts in the Wedding industry.

The 7 Ways article highlights some of the best Wedding professionals in the New York City metro Area as well as several unique ideas that can make your event an exceptional experience.  I wrote the article for engaged couples that are like many of MMP’s clients who feel that the entertainment, ambiance and hospitality are a priority.  They demand dramatically different results from what they’ve seen and they are willing to invest accordingly.

A high resolution pdf of the original article can be viewed & downloaded here.

If I can be of service in anyway to help you Bring The Wow and Have The Best Wedding Reception Ever!, please call 973-366-9776, text 732-547-1677 or e-mail mmp@mmpentertainment.com to schedule a design session.  Best wishes! -mp

7 Ways To Bring The WOW and Have The Best Wedding Reception Ever! By Marcello Pedalino http://www.mmpentertainment.com/articles/7ways.pdf

Special thanks to the Wedding industry rock stars who gave me permission to interview them for the piece and to share their excellence with the world.  Jason Jani,  Peter Merry, Martin Hardy, Greg Lassik, John Arcara, Jim Cerone, Alan Berg, Mike Walter & Andy Ebon.

And to Sonny and Jeffra from WeddingWire.com, my sincere gratitude for including my work on their incredible site.

R.I.P Mr. Squirrel

Conference Producer- Robbie Britton

If you’re in the middle of producing a jammed packed two-day business conference and a curious squirrel somehow finds its way inside the hotel’s transformer- which subsequently blows up the transformer, causes the entire hotel to lose power- and obviously sends the little varmint to an early grave…. what would you do?      Some people would panic, some would start to make excuses and then some people, like Robbie Britton, would keep their cool, inform the attendees of the back-up plans, and then proceed to get a generator from their personal work vehicle to restore power to the essential audio/visual components within the hour.

As luck would have it, seasoned professional speaker, Rick Brewer, was on stage when the outage occurred.  Without skipping a beat, Rick continued his insightful presentation sans microphone and power point slides.  Robbie and his crew got the power restored in time for Rick to wrap up his excellent marketing advice regarding the psychology behind designing  appealing package options for your clients and to show a highly impactful video clip that gets me every time I see it.

Wedding Toasts Made Easy

That afternoon, I had the chance to sit down for lunch with Rick and Tom Haibeck, author the book, Wedding Toasts Made Easy.  If you’ve ever been to an elegant reception, gala or intimate dinner where the best man or person giving the toast was…  let’s just say… less than stellar- to put it nicely, that’s the reason Tom’s book has sold over 100,000 copies and people like Regis Philbin used it to prepare for his daughter’s wedding. After Tom’s presentation,  I bought a case of his books (that Tom was gracious enough to autograph) and couldn’t wait to give a signed copy to the next bride and groom that I met with.   This past week, I had a consultation with Jackie and Rody, who just hired me to Emcee their wedding reception for July of 2012.  They mentioned that the Best Man and Maid of Honor might want to propose a toast so I gave them a copy for each.  Look for Wedding Toasts Made Easy to be featured in an upcoming “Marcello Recommends” article.

As always, I gave Jackie and Rody a copy of The Best Wedding Reception…Ever! as well.  Peter Merry, TBWRE’s author, was also a featured presenter at the Armdjs conference.  Like his book,  Merry revealed some unique ideas that we can pass along to our engaged couples with regards to personalizing the  entertainment and tastefully highlighting traditional moments.

Customer Service A to Z

David Louis, who flew all the way from Hawaii to join the Tennessee roster, introduced a genius concept that I’ll be incorporating very soon to assist the 1/2 of MMP’s newly-engaged couples that usually need more help than the other…  David created a Groom’s Workshop.   There’s tons of information and resources out there for the brides, but not so much for the grooms.  If you’re a groom-to-be and would like to know… “What do I do now??!!” after you make an awesome proposal that’s worthy of a bazillion hits on youtube…  contact us at 973-366-9776 to schedule a private workshop.   And if you’re a bride who wants to sign up your future hubby so he doesn’t screw anything up, you can call us too and we’ll help you sign him up. These workshops are complimentary for our clients and simply considered part of the customer service level that MMP clients can expect when working with us.

Fellow Wedding Entertainment Director’s Guild board member and author of Customer Service A to Z, Larry Williams, went pretty deep into the finer points of customer care and hospitality during his session.   It was quite evident that he practices what he preaches…  His good friend and mentor, the legendary Dick Clark, has unfortunately been under the weather lately.  Larry arranged for several of us to record video get well cards for Mr. Clark to help raise his spirits. Larry knew that a situation like this required more than a generic Hallmark card.  It was a very classy and thoughtful gesture.

Running Your Multi-Op

The ArmDjs conference gave attendees numerous ways to go above and beyond the public perception of the norm and the status quo.  Industry veteran, and one of the most talented performers I’ve seen in action, Todd Mitchem, drove this point home when he warned the audience not to become a Ferrari on the Freeway.  It’s a ‘reality bites’ type of expression that I learned as a kid through a basic sports example.   If you are an exceptional athlete in high school, chances are you’re going to be in good company when you get to college.  Meaning:  You ain’t that special kiddo.  And if you happen to be fairly awesome compared to your university counterparts, don’t celebrate until you get to the pro leagues because again, there are already some incredible athletes out there.   Now, if you manage to stand out in the Major Leagues, the NFL or the NBA… then you can pop the champagne and celebrate a little.  THEN,.. If you can combine your uber-athleticism with intellect, social graces and business savvy… you’ve earned the title of a Ferrari on the F1 (Formula One) circuit.

Author of his first book release, Running Your Multi-Op, Mike Walter, who we featured here on the MMP Blog last month, should have rented a Ferrari to get to Tennessee to give his seminar.  Instead of flying out from New Jersey, he chose to break-in his new car and drive 10 hours to avoid one of his pet-peeves…  a connecting flight.   Fortunately,  in addition to being one of the most successful businessmen in the mobile dj world, he’s also a marathon runner- so he still had plenty of energy when it was showtime. The attendees expected Mike to dish out a lot of training and management-related nuggets from his book like he normally does when he’s on the speaking circuit, but they (and I) were also treated to video examples regarding common performance-related pitfalls that Emcees can avoid.  Essentially, knowing when to say something is just as important as knowing what to say.

Keynote Speaker best-selling author, Michael Port with Featured Presenters- Patrick Henry and Marcello Pedalino

While we’re on the subject of  good timing, I want to thank my friend, Alan Trisler, for sharing his photo coverage of the event. Like all great photographers,  he knows how to be in the right place at the right time.

 As we often do when we are brought in to speak at the same conference, Mike and I met up before the seminars began on day one to start the morning off with a nice run.  (We always invite everyone to join us, but it’s usually just us who end up meeting in the lobby at sunrise.)  I’d have to say that this run was one of the most memorable in the 10 years we’ve known each other.  Check out Mike’s running journal for the detailed recap.

As a father, something that was said that I’ll  never forget was delivered by Gitomer Cerified Speaker standout, Patrick Henry.   This was the second time I’ve had the pleasure of watching Patrick light-up the stage with his musical anecdotes that strike a sharp and humorous chord with his audience, but this was the first time I’d heard him say this…  “Some nights, I’ll be holding my beautiful baby daughter, Meredith, in my arms.  And all I can think about when I look into her gorgeous blue eyes is… Please don’t grow up to be a skank!” It was hysterical.   I don’t really tweet that often, but this one had to be shared with other fathers and anyone else in the world who needs a good laugh.  And if you appreciate this type of real-world humor with an edge like Patrick’s tweetable moment, check out Tina Fey’s prayer for her daughter from her new book, Bossypants.

Alan Trisler captures Marcello Pedalino presenting, "Energy" at the ArmDjs 4.0 Business and Performance Conference

When I think of professional goals, Book Yourself Solid, which was written by the Keynote speaker, Michael Port, can easily be considered one of the entrepreneurial bibles that I looked to in my formative years for insight and inspiration. His “Red Velvet Rope” philosophy is right in line with my business model and hard-earned company reputation.  Port gave an enthusiastic presentation that featured one gem after another on the subjects of marketing and branding.   No notes or slides necessary.   I guess that’s one of the perks of being considered an expert in your field and being the author of a NY Times Best Seller… the ability to effortlessly speak on your specialty subject matter becomes second nature.   Just fly to the next destination, engage, teach and wrap it up with a standing ovation.    Highlights from his seminar included Michael telling the famous, “If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye” story and his strong recommendation that you focus your efforts on “commitment and fulfillment” and “sharing information and compassion” when you are looking to build a deeper relationship with prospects and colleagues you already know.

The chance to see Port in person was very exciting.  The opportunity to speak with him for 15 minutes after his presentation was exhilarating.  And now that I’m kinda out of big adjectives, the fact that by chance Mr. Port and I sat next to each other on a connecting return flight home from Tennessee to Charlotte and talked about everything from the economy and the UFC, to the politics of politics and Donald Trump, to cross training, yoga and how to travel fashionably...well.. let’s just say… WOW!-  Life is pretty cool sometimes. And as if I needed another cherry on top,  Mr.  Port extended a  very gracious  lunch invitation for sometime in the near future. How surreal would it be to break bread at the home of one of your literary idols?

Marcello Pedalino presenting at ArmDjs 4.0

I’m delighted to report that my performance workshop on Energy, “The World Belongs to the Energetic,” was well received by the  attendees and that a lot of positive feedback has been buzzing around the industry’s social media outlets.

These are two comments that came in via MMP’s Facebook Page:

“I traveled to attend this event from New Zealand. I loved Marcello’s presentation.” -David Seel, The Perfect Wedding, NZ

Marcello Pedalino shows attendees how "the world belongs to the energetic"

“I have been a DJ for 24 years and although I perform at over 250 Mobile Disc Jockey events every year I have chose not to attend DJ Conferences during my career…..until ARMDJs 2011. The presentation put on by Marcello and Mike Walter was the best 2 hour investment of my career. Marcello not only gave us great ideas but he demonstrated how to implement them first hand. He is truly a highly talented performer. Mike Walter has an incredible perspective on business and talked about the details of our job that really matter. I look forward to learning from these two pros again in the future!” -Rob Vollmar, Grant Hemond and Associates, FL

Special thanks to Mark Maillet, from Eternal Lighting Company, for spotlighting my stage performance with the sleek  Premier 120- LED fixture.  It really enhanced the over-all presentation and helped me demonstrate how professionals can use lightscaping and special effects to adjust the ambiance accordingly and raise the level of energy in any room.

2012 Keynote- Gary Vaynerchuk

Apparently, Robbie Britton already knows how to create energy, end an event on a high-note and leave a crowd wanting more.  Like a little kid on Christmas Eve who couldn’t wait to open his presents, Robbie finally showed everyone a video clip of  next year’s keynote speaker giving a pre-recorded teaser of what’s in store for ArmDjs 5.0 in the summer of 2012…    Gary Vaynerchuk, the author of Crush It and The Thank You Economy will be  bringing “the hustle” and “the thunder” in a “serious way” because “that how he rolls.”  The attendees (including yours truly) were totally amped.

See you next year!  -mp

Theme: JMK International Airport (Justin’s Initials)

Photographer: Linda Stark, Linda Stark Photography

Decor: Sandy Hines, Jersey Street Furniture

DJ Entertainment & Production: MMP Entertainment

Emcee & Entertainment Producer: Marcello

He’s intelligent, handsome and has a great personality.   I know there’s a lot more to being a steller pilot, but since Justin already has these prerequisites covered and he’s a big fan of airplanes and engineering to boot…  Justin can literally write his own ticket to any 5 Star destination in the world.

As you can tell from the paparazzi candid photos in the Encore Gallery that we took throughout the night, Justin’s mom and dad, Dorit and Neil, and his younger sister, Jessie, along with all of the Kransdorf’s family and friends, weren’t shy about taking this celebration high above the clouds.

Justin’s Bar Mitzvah featured everything from a heart-warming mother-son dance courtesy of My Wish, by Rascal Flatts, to a hilarious David Letterman skit that Neil prepared for Justin after the blessing.

When the seat belt sign finally turned off and Justin’s adult guests were free to move about the cabin, they were either enjoying each others company while eating the delectable cuisine at their gorgeously-appointed tables or they were showing off their best moves on the dance floor to the Kransdorf’s favorite songs. The music programming included everything from the 80′s all the way up today’s current hits and Bar Mitzvah favorites.

Justin and his friends were kept busy and entertained from the moment the cocktail hour began until the finale with unique interactives and games in between the dance sets.   We even incorporated a brand new Minute To Win It challenge called “Raise Your Glass” that was a huge hit with all the kids.  It was an exceptional evening!

Don’t take my word for it, watch the video testimonial below and listen to what Dorit and Neil had to say…

*Great news!  Dorit just booked Jessie’s Bat Mitzvah for December 2012! We are honored to be chosen again and very excited for the chance to celebrate with Kransdorf family one more time!

Special thanks to Colette from Trump for her hospitality and professionalism.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, only when the venue is on board with the entertainment time-line and production agenda can extraordinary results be achieved.   Teamwork is paramount among all the professionals. Colette was extremely accommodating from the initial site survey through the last dance and load out.

Jessie wants to fly her passengers on another one of New Jersey’s premier airlines.  Her Bat Mitzvah will be hosted by our friends at The Palace at Somerset Park. Can’t wait!    -mp

Encore Gallery:

Like her brother, Julia has a very bubbly personality, is very bright, and isn’t shy when it’s time to dance.  When I did the V.I.P meet & Greet Dance Party at the Kirschenbaum home one week before the Bat Mitzvah (part of the Signature Simcha Service that MMP offers exclusively), Julia and her best friends Sidney, Brooke, Alexa, and Erica all showed the same enthusiasm as well.  We practiced everything from the Cotton Eyed Joe Remix to the Down Dance to The Apache.

At the reception, one of my favorite moments was the Face The Cookie competition from Minute To Win It.   This interactive has by far been the most fun to play and the most entertaining to watch when we recently polled our clients.    The most sentimental moment was the parent’s toasts.   Just when I thought they couldn’t top the toasts they gave to Josh, Wendy and Abram delivered in fine-fashion once again.  Eloquent and heartfelt.   

For Josh, who is a big Beatles fan, we played Hey Jude for his event finale song in which all of his friends and family gathered in a circle to sing a long to give him the proper send-off.  For Julia, we went with Lean On Me, which was remade by the cast of the hugely popular T.V show Glee. It was perfect because all of the kids who watch the show knew the words and all of the adults who grew up listening to the original by Bill Withers sang their hearts outs also!

Best wishes to Julia, Josh, Wendy and Abram.   -mp

Special thanks to Milan from Milan Photography for sharing his photos for this article.  It’s always a pleasure working together.   Check out Milan’s work in the delicious Sweet Utopia book and blog.  -mp

Encore Gallery:

Zach and all of his friends pose for the traditional group photo after cocktail hour at Portobello

If you had to choose the ideal venue for your Le Chaim finale, you’d want a location that was close to the Temple, had great food and offered excellent service. If you’ve ever been to lunch or dinner at new Portobello Feasts in Oakland, NJ, you already know that those  bases are covered.  But what about their sister property… the original Portobello right next door?  Under new management and featuring some notable renovations, Portobello Banquets deserves your attention once again if you’re planning a Bergen County social or corporate event in the near future.

Time Flies... Zack with his older brother Jared- We did Jared's Bar Mitzvah 9 years earlier at the Westmount Country Club

Over the past nine years, we’ve had the honor of providing the entertainment and event production for the Fischer family.  We did Jared’s Bar Mitzvah first back in ‘02, Samantha’s Bat Mitzvah in’04, then Julie’s Bat Mitzvah after that in ‘06, and this past October, it was time for Zachary to be the guest of honor.

If you’re getting a little stressed out just thinking about what it’s like to have to plan 4 Bar Mitzvahs… relax.  It actually gets easier.  Once you find just the right combination of professional vendors and resources, you just keep hiring them back and let them do most the work. On the other hand… having to pay for 4 Bar Mitzvahs, now that’s a different story.

Zack’s mom and dad, Jeanette and Glen, once again trusted our recommendations for the kids cocktail hour and reception enhancements.  We provided the MMP trifecta for the kids cocktail hour. It included The Interactive Game Show, Paparazzi and DJ Hero.

As you can see from the photos, these activities were very well received by all of the young adult guests as usual.

Jeanette and Glen take it all in and enjoy a romantic dance after dessert

For the reception, the Fisher’s upgraded to our dual plasma multi-media package. We created custom visuals for Zack’s Casino theme, we designed personalized video clips for the dance sets and featured candid photos of all the guests on the screens during dinner and dessert.  As you can see from the photos, Zack and his friends were entertained and kept busy from the moment they walked into Portobello until the moment they walked out, so Jeanette and Glen were very pleased with the return on their additional investment.

Special thanks to Vincent Amen, Portobello’s Director of Catering, for his hospitality and professionalism.   He was instrumental at the site survey when we needed to ensure the necessary spacing for the activities, to review the planning logistics, to confirm the timing of the food courses and verify our power requirements. (just a few of  ways that an Entertainment Director can enhance your over-all experience) Vincent can be reached at 201-337-1383 ext. 4 or Vincent.Amen@PortobelloNj.com.

We’re looking forward to our next collaboration with the Fischer family and Portobello   … which by the way time seems to be flying by lately, will be Jared’s Wedding Reception.  Unreal.   –mp

Encore Gallery:

Photo Credit: Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS

Chances are if you turned on the news or listened to the radio over the past two years, an over-whelming barrage of doom and gloom was being relentlessly shoved in your cautiously-optimistic face and into your ‘everything’s gonna be alright” ears.

By no means was it all rainbows and butterflies, but there were definitely some success stories that went under-reported or got conveniently left out of the conversation because they didn’t jive with a political agenda or enable another greedy speculator to manipulate a particular investment.

Case in point, Samsung Electronics.  We have had the pleasure of entertaining the Samsung team and their families since 2005.  Throughout the decade, they have become one of the dominant global companies for consumer electronics and technology.  If you’ve picked up anything other than an iPhone or iPad that was really cool in the new milleniem or watched something on a flat-screen television latley, you’ve probably seen the Samsung name on it.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

In 2009 and the first three quarters of 2010, Samsung Electronics did the seemingly impossible by pessimists everywhere...  “The manufacturer of the 7000 Series 3D flat panel TV estimated that consolidated revenue during 2010 came to $137.31 billion, which would be an increase of 13 percent from the previous year’s record performance.  (source: Kelly Olsen,  AP Business Writer)

And check out this quote from Robert Yi, Vice President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ Investor Relations Team, from almost a year ago to the day… “Despite the uncertain business environment in 2009, Samsung was able to achieve record revenues and strong profitability based on our technological and marketplace leadership.  We see this positive growth and performance flowing on into 2010 as the global economy continues to stabilize.”    Like I said, unfortunately, these weren’t the stories earning prime-time sound bytes for the general public to sink their teeth into when a little positive reinforcement could have had significant positive impact on morale.

Anywho, when we provided the entertainment and event production for their Holiday Gala at The Venetian in 2009, I was admittedly a tad curious as to how everyone could be so festive when most people you ran into kept saying that the sky was literally falling.  Now  I know. 

This year, at their new corporate headquarters, when we produced their annual Holiday Family Fun extravaganza, you could also sense the joy and optimism in the air.  Granted, who wouldn’t be smiling when they’re playing Minute To Win It interactives and dancing with their kids to Bar Mitzvah classics and current hits, but you could tell there was more to it.  It was more than just a fun and enjoyable vibe- which is fine by us, it was a refreshing and invigorating sense of  … “oh yeah, life is good!… we earned this celebration!”

Listen to the word of Matthew..."just keep livin"

As I continue to follow, study, and learn from our impressive portfolio of corporate clients, one distinctive factor for achieving success is glaringly obvious;  a stellar CEO is what will ultimately take a company from good to great. The stellar CEO’s that are also humble will usually defer much of the credit to his or her team.  This, in most cases, is the right thing to do and is certainly a valid truism.

Beyond that being an established fact, if you ever get the opportunity to meet a fortune 500 CEO, a note-worthy entrepreneur, or even a super-cool actor, you will encounter some uber-impressive men and women.  They usually have just the right combination of natural instinct, intelligence, people skills, vision, perseverance and leadership skills to make for a formidable force to be reckoned with.

Matthew McConaughey

I’ve always been told that you are who you surround yourself with.…  Now MMP didn’t quite make 137 billion last year and Jim Kramer wasn’t interviewing me to learn more about my company, but just enough of the Samsung aura of hard work, team work, resourcefulness, and foresight rubbed off on me to keep my glass half-full of positivity and prosperity.

Special thanks and sincere gratitude to Kristen and the entire Samsung team for having us back again.  We’re looking forward to the 2011 event schedule.  -mp

p.s Just in case you need another reason to feel good about Samsung or life in general, check out the strategic partnership they made with Best Buy and Matthew McConaughey‘s j.k livin Foundation

After the opening dance set, grand entrance and motzi, their son Michael, the guest of honor, started things off by taking the mic and giving the official welcome-toast to all of his guests.    Then he took a moment to describe the significance of the Cup of Life Ceremony.   Each small cup of wine represents a special ingredient in the recipe for a happy and healthy life.    One by one, the glasses are poured into one large decorative goblet which the Bar Mitzvah Boy or Bat Mitzvah girl drinks from.

The ingredients include; a cup of Good Health, Wisdom, Faith, Compassion, Good Humor, Dedication, Success, Prosperity, Generosity, Friendship, Happiness, and a cup of Love.

The cup’s ingredients and musical selections can all be personalized to fit your preferences and candles can still be incorporated.   Either way, if you are looking for more options on how to honor your friends and family without doing the same ‘ol same ‘ol, the Cup of Life ceremony is worth looking into.

As you can see from the photos and the video testimonial from Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg below, Michael had a “fantastic” celebration.  His younger  brothers, Jason and Aaron, looked like they were already getting excited for their big day 5 years from now. 

The Rosenbergs booked our Classic Simcha production which included;  2 cocktail hour interactives for the kids, background music for the adult cocktail hour,  the dual plasma screen multi-media package for the reception and one of our many photo booth selections.  It also features a light show to add energy to the dance floor, 4 party motivators, dance stages and plenty of cool giveaways.   The Classic Simcha was designed for the client who wants an exceptional event and wants their guests to have a great time… but doesn’t want to go “over the top” and lose focus on the significance of the occasion or their child’s accomplishments.

Special thanks to my friend, Peter Wallburg, from Peter Wallburg Studios for referring us to the Rosenbergs.  We’ve been teaming up for a few years now and have a great working relationship.  As I’ve mentioned in many articles, having your photographer and entertainment on the same page at your event will result in all of the special moments being captured forever. Check out Peter’s  facebook page to see his work and for weekly articles on how-to tips, tricks and best practices in the photography world.

Best wishes to the Rosenberg family.  Mazel Tov!  -mp

The Palace At Somerset Park

Last month I teamed up again with my good friend and Signature Event partner, Jason Jani, for another exceptional portfolio piece.  Our client, Pomptonian Food Service, was celebrating 50 years of excellence in conjunction with the New Jersey School Board Association’s 2010 Convention and Member Appreciation Gala.

Throughout the day, upwards of 2000 attendees were shuttled back and forth from The Palace at Somerset Park to attend educational seminars and informational symposiums.  Topics included; social media, energy efficiency plans, public relations, health benefits and the effects of nutrition and wellness for students.  Speaking of nutrition, the Pomptonian currently provides staffing, high quality lunches, and innovative culinary concepts to over 70 school districts in NJ.

Guests enjoy the festivities at the V.I.P Lounge

After a long day of taking notes and networking, the Pomptonian and the NJSBA wanted the remaining attendees to return to the Palace to relax, enjoy a nice dinner and have some well deserved fun!

In addition to several other performance and specialty interactives that were taking place simultaneously throughout the colossal Palace, Jason and I were given 1/2 of the West Ballroom to create the Pomptionian V.I.P Lounge. Since most attendees registered in groups of 3 to 5 people, we were told we’d be catering to intimate crowds of 10 to 30 guests at a time who would stop by and leave as they wished, have a drink or two, grab a bite to eat, and maybe even bust out a few of their favorite dance moves. No problem! 

Jason Jani, Marcello Pedalino and the Signature Event Team

Jason’s vision for the production layout was on point as always.  From the luminescent projection of Pomptonian’s signature logo on the cathedral ceiling, to the L.E.D decor lightscaping to the surround coverage of 4 plasma screens displaying custom visuals, retro music videos and guest candids, word spread quickly throughout the Palace that this was a cool place to stop by and enjoy life for awhile.   Of course Jason, as one of the top DJ/Remix artists in the country, manned the DJ booth all night and dropped a masterfully-blended soundtrack of lounge, pop, classic funk and current musical audience pleasers.     I handled the on-site logistics, client relations, hospitality and interactive Emcee hosting.

Marcello entertains the guests with an interactive game from Minute To Win It

Over the course of the four hour reception, we had several occasions where a select group of guests were either enjoying the evening’s soundtrack with a nice glass of chardonnay, dancing to their requests with colleagues or competing in an impromptu challenge from our Minute to Win It repertoire.  We were very pleased with the feedback from the NJSBA, The Palace and the happy guests.

Special thanks to the Palace team; Stacie DeMicco, Senior Conference Planning Manager, Kristie Pappas, Senior Corporate Sales Manager, Anthony Panchery, Banquet Manager and Richard McConney, Director of Banquets as well as Erik Endress, Director of Association and Meeting Development and Marcia Lavingne, County Activities Coordinator from the NJSBA for their professionalism and coordination assistance.

If your company is planning a convention, team building workshop or a holiday gala and you’d like to take it to the Signature Event level, contact us to schedule an on-site consultation and design session. Our client portfolio includes The Allen & Co. Media Summit in Sun Valley Idaho, Macy’s, The Borgata, Samsung Electronics, Bank of America, Pathmark, LG Electronics, David Tutera, Synchronoss Technologies and AnnTaylor.    -mp

The WKIP crew (from left) Paul Rallo, Terri Contaxis, Michael Walter, & Marcello

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a beautiful 8 mile WKIP run with my good friends, Terri, Paul and Michael.   It was cool to hear Michael, who has 14 marathons under his belt giving advice and encouragement to Terri, who is training for the New York Marathon in November… her first!  Good luck Terri!

Huge bonus… my mom lives right up the road from my house at the mile 6 marker of the scenic country road loop.  She had plenty of hugs, kisses and cold water for everyone.  When Mom sent this photo last night,  I couldn’t help but notice the flag she has hanging from her house.

After a delicious al fresco lunch on the deck back at my house with Terri and Paul, Michael stayed to rehearse for our upcoming presentation at the Wedding MBA in Las Vegas on the 21st. We figured if we’re going to give a seminar about life balance and health and wellness, we better practice what we preach. 

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie.