This year’s Gasparilla Int’l Film Festival Closing Night Party was off the chain – as usual. Thankfully, we were able to use the S.H. Kress & Co. Building in downtown Tampa again. The historically designated building has been vacant since the early 80s, and offers no electricity, running water or working restrooms. Pre event, we once again had to make some structural changes to the building to bring it up to conditions set in place by Tampa Fire Rescue.

Being the gluttons for punishment that we are, we decided to take the task on again – including the ordering of generators, restroom trailers, and enough decor to fill an empty 10,000 square-foot lobby. It was important for us to create a new feel to the party, especially since it’s the same venue as last year’s Closing Night. We decided on an indie/glam-rock theme, which we stuck with throughout the entire experience.

In the interest of keeping it industrial, the walls of the building, while beautiful and ‘historic’, were lined with chain-link fence panels from end to end, and bike-rack barricades were used to separate the VIP seating areas. LED uplighting warmed the space, but probably the coolest piece of equipment was Bay Stage Lighting’s new LED-wall panels, which allowed us to project images, patterns – pretty much anything behind the stage (see the pictures, it’s cool!).

We finished off the stage with some very neat chain drape we saw at The Special Event convention earlier this year in Tampa. We prefer to have a DJ as entertainment for these types of events, but having him set up on stage was just too simple. Since the building boasts 28′ ceilings, we decided to rent a scissor lift for the DJ to spin from, which further added to the grit and style that we were looking for.

Aside from the standard decor that we chose, our friends Matt & Amanda from MMD Events, did an excellent job decorating with furniture and floral arrangements. They wove flowers throughout the fence, giving the industrial feel a touch of softness while adding the special touches that MMD is famous for. Their gorgeous lounge furniture also came in useful for filling up our VIP seating areas. Rounding off the special touches were artist Dawn Hunt, who sketched and painted festival sponsor’s logos on a portion of the walls, as well as Stephen Palladino, who used his tagging skills to graffiti on walls and the entrance doors. Food stations featured a pad-thai inspired noodle dish, a nacho bar, and a fantastic desert spread provided by Good Food Catering.

Guests danced the night away to the spinnings of DJ Fresh, and also enjoyed their complimentary GIFF laser pointers, which became beneficial when special effect smoke began to fill the room, giving a hazy – yet very cool added sense of mystery…

After all was said and done, we were thrilled at the outcome of 2012′s Closing Night Party. Our guests had a great time, as did our festival staff and volunteers whom were invited as a ‘thank you’. We couldn’t have done it without the film festival volunteers, as well as our vendors and partners on the event.

Client: The Gasparilla International Film Festival

Event Planner: Elan Event Studio

Venue: S.H. Kress & Co.

Lighting: Bay Stage Lighting

Decor: MMD Events, Rent National, Dawn Hunt, Stephen Palladino

Entertainment: DJ Fresh, Event Show Productions

Photography: K&K Photography

Restrooms: Royal Restrooms of Florida

Beverages: Sobieski Vodka, Stella Artois, Red Bull

Scouting a location was probably the most difficult part of the process. We originally hoped to have it somewhere in downtown Tampa, but due to many scheduling conflicts with other events, we were glad when our friends at Hyde Park Village were willing to host us on one of their parking garage rooftops.

After putting together the basic ideas on our end, we called our good pal, Greg Utley, with Bay Stage Lighting. Needless to say, he was just as excited as we were about the idea. He brought to our attention the some new technology – the LED wall. A series of panels attach together to project an image of any size, and can be fed video by something as simple as a laptop’s video-out port.

The only other issue was how to hang the massive LED-wall, which ended up being 12′ tall by 24′ wide when all was said and done. It was important that cars in the back rows could see it, so it had to be mounted at least eight feet off the ground. Of course scaffolding would have been the most common thought, but a heavy-duty construction crane seemed so much more fun…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNY4p77OgA

After all was said and done, it was time to set up the event. As most Floridians know, our weather can be quite unpredictable – and of course it began to rain early in the day. Our relentless crew worked tirelessly through the wind and rain, and completed the setup. Thankfully around 4pm, the rain let off and we decided to keep the event as scheduled.

We opened the rooftop at 7pm, and were quite thrilled to have what seemed to be a rush. By 8:30pm when the movie started, we had approximately 40 cars on the rooftop, 50 walk-up guests, giving us a total of around 200. Guests enjoyed snacks provided by a hot-dog cart, and could also indulge in beer and wine – proceeds of which benefited the film festival.

In true ‘drive-in’ style, we chose to screen a horror film. The natural answer was John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (1982) starring Kurt Russell and GIFF attendee Keith David. Mr. David and his family happened to be across the street dining at Timpano for a private evening with festival attendees, but ended up coming to the rooftop to see how the event was going. Upon completion of the film, an impromptu Q&A occurred with the friendly end entertaining actor, who also serenaded the audience with a sampling from his new bluesy/lounge CD.

All in all, we and festival staff considered the event to be a hit! Stay tuned, “Reels on the Rooftop” will hopefully be back next Spring…

Client: The Gasparilla International Film Festival

Event Planner: Elan Event Studio

Venue: Hyde Park Village

Production: Bay Stage Lighting, J THOR Productions

To celebrate the kickoff of the sixth annual festival, guests flocked to Tampa Theatre on Thursday, March 29th for the Opening Night VIP Reception. The red carpet and media line hosted festival guests as well as celebrity attendees like Keith David (Platoon, The Thing), Armand Assante (Mambo Kings, Gotti) and GIFF Career Achievement Award winner Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale, The Usual Suspects).

Upon entering the historically-designated lobby, festival guests were ushered into the foyer and invited to enjoy complimentary beer, wine, and food tastings from numerous area restaurants. After 90 minutes, VIP guests were escorted into the theater and the doors were opened for the general admission crowd.

After a short presentation by festival emcee Debra Schrils, whom welcomed the audience, introduced festival board members and sponsors, and presented Chazz Palminteri with his award, guests enjoyed a screening of “Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding”, a new indie flick starring Jane Fonda and Elizabeth Olsen (yes, sibling to the Olsen twins).

After the film, guests were invited to the official after-party at neighboring Fly Bar & Restaurant in downtown Tampa, where they danced and partied until the wee hours of the morning. Special thanks to Fly Bar for hosting us once again!

Client: The Gasparilla International Film Festival

Event Planner: Elan Event Studio

Venues: Tampa Theatre, Fly Bar & Restaurant

Restaurant Partners:
Bernini of Ybor
Ciro’s Speakeasy & Supper Club
Datz
Green Iguana Bar & Grill of Ybor City
Pizza Fusion of Downtown Tampa
Shells Seafood
Sweet Tweets Cakery
Timpano Italian Chophouse

Beverage Partners:
Honest Tea
Stella Artois
Zevia Natural Soda

Our new location offers a central location and a lot more space, perfect for consultations and meetings with clients, and for our fantastic hard-working team!

We have to give special thanks to our interior designer, Lisa Berardo of Collective Construction & Interiors, as well as one of our favorite photographers, Abby Griffith of A.griff Designs.

Be sure to come check out the new digs if you’re in the area!

In case you haven’t updated your records:
ELAN EVENT STUDIO
3312 W Bay to Bay Blvd
Tampa, FL 33629
813.870.2255
info@elaneventstudio.com

What is Pinterest?

“Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.”

We are just getting started but stay tuned for inspiration boards!

Guests dined on a fantastic spread and enjoyed the Russian Standard Vodka (which was strategically placed at each table!). As for the first dance? The two decided on “Stand By Me”, but with a newer, fresher twist…

All in all, it was a gorgeous event to celebrate the joining of a fantastic couple. We wish you two the best of luck, and thank you again for the opportunity to assist on your special day!

Planner: Elan Event Studio
Venue / Food & Beverage: Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina
Florist: A Special Rose
Cake: Chantilly Cakes
Photographer: Life Long Studios
Photobooth: Shutterbooth
Entertainment: Jam Entertainment Services
Linens / Decor: Tampa Marriott, First Class Rentals of Tampa Bay, Connie Duglin
Table-side Vodka: Russian Standard

The ballroom at Pepin was decked out with colorful balloons and sporty centerpieces including; basketball, swimming, volleyball, and more! Our friends at I Have a Balloon turned the children’s area into a realistic soccer scene—complete with the silhouette of a crowd and rowdy soccer moms! Other special touches to this Mitzvah included a handcrafted “Concessions” sign for the kids buffet and lockers (which acted as storage for gifts and an untraditional sign-in board).

This energetic event was full of dancing and games. A big thanks to our vendors for making this Bar Mitzvah a grand slam!

Planner: Us! Elan Event Studio            

Venue: Pepin                                      

Catering: Puff n Stuff                        

Photographer: CR Photo                 

Video: Pro Video Productions

DJ: DJ Perfections                                  

Dancers: Event Show Productions     

Favors: Sure Shot Airbrush

Following their “I Do’s”, the new couple and their guests flocked to the Palma Ceia Country Club in South Tampa. Guests enjoyed scrumptious bites, tasty cocktails, and danced the night away!

Event Planner: Elan Event Studio
Ceremony Venue: Westin Tampa Bay
Reception Venue & Catering: Palma Ceia Country Club
Photographer: Life’s Highlights
Floral: DD’s Blooms
Cake: Publix Bakery
Entertainment: Breezin’ Entertainment
Linens: Connie Duglin
Wedding Dress: CC’s Boutique
Hair / Make Up: Lili’s Weddings

Be sure to check out all of our vendors at www.tampabridalshowcase.com and for details about coming TBS events!

Photography: Jamie Michelle Photography