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

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

Venetian, a venue known for its ornate décor, delectable cuisine and outstanding hospitality.

With nearly 600 guests in the recently renovated ballroom with an all-marble dance floor, the ambiance was elegant and festive.

Among many, one of the highlights of the night came during the annual video montage presentation. Beyonce, Joe Torre, Carlos Santana and other famous celebrities made special guest appearances to extend their Holiday Greetings. A collective set of “oohs and ahhhs” could be heard from all of the guests (myself included).

Just like when we provide the entertainment for their kids at the Samsung, family Holiday Party, the adults at the Holiday Gala love to dance and celebrate another season of health, happiness and success.

Special thanks to Dave, Jimmy and Carlos from the Venetian for their hospitality and professionalism.