Port of San Francisco's 150th Anniversary Gala

The Port of San Francisco celebrated their 150th year by hosting an exclusive gala at the Ferry Building last month. The theme of the night was “San Francisco: Past, Present, and Future”, and we were honored when Leftwich Event Specialists asked us to come aboard (pun intended) to provide the plentiful entertainment elements.

The event kicked off with a VIP reception in the Port Commission Hearing Room, where guests delighted in the Latin melodies of solo guitarist Q Morrow.

When the main event began one hour later, two stilt walkers in playful handmade nautical costumes greeted guests on the red carpet that lead up to the second floor of the Ferry Building. Gypsy jazz quartet, Le Jazz Hot, played high above the crowd on the upper walkway for the duration of the night while guests enjoyed light hors d'oeuvres and beverages.

Throughout the evening, guests had many interactive activities to choose from, including: have their portrait drawn in a different San Francisco era by caricaturist Rene Pulido, witness a mind-blowing magic trick by “sailor” MagiKai, have a wacky photo taken in the photo booth, and munch on Ghirardelli squares from two strolling “Chocolate Girls”.

The night also featured a performance from Leung’s White Crane Lion Dancers who meandered through the crowd as their percussions echoed throughout the building.

Jam-packed with activities and great company, the event truly captured the spirit of the city and the history of the Port’s 150 years. Special thanks to the teams at Leftwich and Davis & Associates - you were a blast to work with!

Q Morrow during the VIP Reception - Drew Altizer Photography

White Crane Lion Dancers - Drew Altizer Photography

White Crane Lion Dancers - Drew Altizer Photography

Caricaturist Rene Pulido - Drew Altizer Photography

Guests having fun in the photo booth - Drew Altizer Photography

"Sailor"/Magician MagiKai leaving guests in awe - Kelsey's iPhone

Le Jazz Hot Quartet performing on the walkway - Kelsey's iPhone

Nautical stilt walkers - Kelsey's iPhone

Ghirardelli Chocolate Girls - Kelsey's iPhone

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Bishop Ranch Holi Celebration 2013

The spring festival of Holi – which is celebrated by Hindus primarily in India and Nepal – was observed at the Bishop Ranch business park in San Ramon last month. This “festival of colors” traditionally involves the throwing of brightly colored powdered pigment to celebrate the onset of a joyous and vibrant spring season.

Bishop Ranch hosted the San Ramon community and neighboring East Bay cities to a free festival in one of their building’s parking lots on a sunny Friday afternoon. We were honored to be a part of such a fun and festive event, bringing in some of our best henna tattoo artists, a bindi artist, and face painters to treat the community to free body art. We also brought a talented and colorful Dhol drummer to play during the pigment throwing, which really set the tone for an exciting celebration. Our rockin’ DJ Raffy played contemporary Indian hits which quickly turned into a dance party for all!

Along with our talented artists and entertainers, Bishop Ranch brought in food trucks and a local Indian dance company who put on a great performance. Toss in some colorful pigment throwing and you have yourself a Holi celebration!

Many thanks to Bishop Ranch for bringing us on board for this first annual event – we look forward to next year’s!

Throwing of colors with Dhol Drummer

Dhol Drummer

DJ Raffy

Dance party courtesy of DJ Raffy's beats!

Henna Tattoo Artist

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

SF80 Venue Launch

Formerly known as “RF80”, the Design District private venue space was recently renamed to “SF80” and Bartenders Unlimited celebrated the launch with a fabulous party for event industry professionals.

Upon arrival, guests were greeted with sparkling wine as they entered the venue decked out by Hartmann Studios, Enhanced Lighting and Well Rehearsed. The elaborate decor and lighting set the mood for an elegant charm with a touch of sass while guests filtered in and out of the vibrant vignettes and private rooms. With music bumping, courtesy of Denon & Doyle’s DJ, guests made their way to the food stations and in-house bars for some unique flavors.

Caterers for the event included Michi Catering, Carrie Dove Catering, Work of Art Catering, Jane Hammond Events, Small Potatoes, Cake Coquette and Sweet Lauren Cakes. Feeling well fed, guests enjoyed signature cocktails courtesy of Bartenders Unlimited.

An event just wouldn’t feel complete without a little bit of ENTERTAINMENT! We were proud to be a sponsor for the launch as we brought along talented caricaturist Laura Gilmore to draw her best portrait of the guests. She is spot-on with her drawings, and everyone had a blast with their keepsake caricature.

Many thanks to Bartenders Unlimited and SF80 for including us in this fabulous event, and thanks to Orange Photography for the below photos.

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Are You Ready To Rock?

Two of our bands, Moscow Radio and Strong Like Bull, joined the long list of iconic bands that have performed on The Fillmore stage when San Francisco Travel hosted their Partner Business Exchange in January. When considering which bands would be appropriate for us to sponsor for this event, we took into account the professionalism of the event, of course, but come on…it’s The Fillmore! So naturally we turned to good ol’ rock & roll for this event, and boy was it fun!

Both bands rocked the house while SF Travel partners danced, ate, and networked in the historical building. With a variety of food prepared by Global Gourmet Catering and refreshments provided by the venue, attendees spent the evening mingling with friends, old and new, while enjoying the rockin’ sounds of these two bands.

Special thanks to SF Travel for asking us to be a sponsor – we were happy to do it! Also, thanks to The Fillmore for hosting the group in their unique venue, and upholding the tradition of a basket full of apples in the lobby – our team definitely took a few on the way out…

Moscow Radio at The Fillmore

Strong Like Bull at The Fillmore

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Event Professionals Mixer - Roe

Founded by Erica Ota of Erica Ota Events, an ever-expanding group called Bay Area Event Professionals helps bring professionals in the industry together for a night of networking at a different venue every other month. January’s mixer was held at Roe in San Francisco who served as the catering sponsor as well as the venue sponsor.

We were more than excited when Erica asked us to sponsor the entertainment for the night. Who better to bring with us than one of our talented caricaturists, Zach Trenholm?

Guests quickly lined up for Zach to sketch his best rendition of them, and by the looks of it, he did a great job!

Thanks to Erica and Roe for hosting us at such a fun event! 

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Oakland City Center Tree Lighting 2012

The community of Oakland came together at the Oakland City Center last month to celebrate the holiday season during the annual Tree Lighting sponsored by the Center’s management company, CBRE.

Complete with cookie decorating, assorted holiday snacks, beverages courtesy of Fountain Café, and pictures with Santa and his elves, families delighted in holiday sounds from local talent.

The evening kicked off with a performance from a cappella youth ensemble Vocal Rush, who wowed the audience with harmonies and beat-boxing. Next up was SoVoSo, who never fails to impress a crowd with their unique spin on classics. Then, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier from the Oakland Ballet Company made a featured performance showcasing their flexibility and graceful dance style. Last but not least, the Oakland Youth Chorus brought the community together as they sang “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” as Santa lit the tree!

The night was magical and entertaining as the community rejoiced in the holiday season. Special thanks to Rick Herns Productions for their fantastic holiday décor, and to Barbara Llewellyn Catering for providing tasty gingerbread cookies for cookie decorating.

The Entire Productions team helping out at the cookie decorating station

Santa & his elves

The Oakland Youth Chorus

Oakland City Center Tree Lighting 2012

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Tis The Season For Campari

The historic and unique brand of Campari hosted some of San Francisco’s most notorious bartenders on a progressive night out in the city, spreading holiday cheer wherever they landed next.

One of the stops was at the Union Square ice rink, where we quenched their thirst for entertainment. Greeted by friendly elves with gift bags in tow, guests spent some time sipping on specialty Campari drinks and delighting in the smooth sounds of the a cappella carolers, SoVoSo. After snacking on bite-sized grilled cheese sandwiches and warm tomato soup, guests were encouraged to skate alongside the dashing Count “Sno-Groni” and his Snow Bunnies on the rink.

The evening was stylish and classy in true Campari fashion! Thanks again to Dominic Phillips Event Marketing for bringing us on to another amazing event and to Gamma Nine Photography for capturing the magic.

Happy Holidays!

Campari Elves

SoVoSo

Count "Sno-Groni" & his Snow Bunnies

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Wilkes Bashford Rebranding

Going on its 47^th year, the always posh and fabulous Wilkes Bashford decided it was time for a facelift. To celebrate the completion of the renovation and new look, the store threw back-to-back fetes at their San Francisco and Palo Alto locations. The events reflected the luxury brand of Wilkes Bashford: elegant, current, and a touch playful.

With a chic vintage-circus theme, the events featured talented contortionists, stilt walkers, a magician from LA, a contact-juggler, hoop and ribbon dancers, a tarot reader, photo-shoot style photo booth, and DJ. Guests were able to interact with the talent as they snacked on passed hors d’oeuvres, browsed the shelves for new winter accessories, and watched a fashion show of all the latest men and women’s fashion.

Needless to say, the events were unique and sophisticated – just as the founder, Wilkes Bashford, intended the brand to be.

Thanks to Dominic Phillips Event Marketing for bringing us on and Gamma Nine Photography for taking these amazing images of our talent!

Stilt-walkers at Wilkes Bashford Palo Alto

Catie Brier - Contortionist

DJ Fox

Cherry Hoops - Hoop Dancing

Contact-Juggler

iNKa - Contortionist

By Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

Indian Event Trends

Breaking into niche markets within the event industry can be tricky if you don’t have a good base of knowledge to draw from. Often times we get wrapped up in areas we find comfortable and the task of marketing ourselves to others can seem daunting. Thankfully, here in the Bay Area, our event community is both supportive and generous, and richly diverse. If you don’t know, ask. And if you don’t know the questions to ask, thankfully we have special event experts like Ranjan Dey to educate us!

Owner of New Dehli Restaurant, our friend and colleague Ranjan Dey has long been a part of the special event industry catering Indian weddings. As the star of documentary series "My India", we feel so lucky to rub elbows with a celebrity chef and Indian spice expert. On November 20th he graciously shared his knowledge about the niche market of Indian weddings and events. “Indian Event Trends” took place at City Hall, showcasing local vendors who can help supply a beautiful Indian- themed event leading guests through the venue progressively as they experienced the vendors’ décor, refreshments, and entertainment.

The evening kicked off with an informative speech from Ranjan in the North Light Court about commonly used spices in Indian cuisine and gave several tips on how to connect with an Indian client. Guests were then guided to the South Light Court where a Henna Party was taking place – including a ghost chili eating competition (for those brave enough to volunteer), henna tattoo artists, passed hors d’oeuvres, and two photo booths. The event concluded with colorful Bollywood dancers emerging down the steps of the Rotunda to perform an upbeat number. The dancers even taught the guests how to shake their hips along to the beat!

Bollywood dancers in the Rotunda

We were honored when Ranjan asked us to light the gorgeous Rotunda for this event. With pattern washes, uplights and a spotlight for the dancers’ performance, we helped to create a striking entrance as guests arrived.

Our talented A/V division lighting up City Hall

Among fellow sponsors Denon & Doyle Entertainment, Orange Photography, Blueprint Studios, Classic Party Rentals, and Henna Garden, we were proud to be a part of such an exciting and unique event! Special thanks to the venue sponsor, San Francisco City Hall and Elsie McAteer for hosting us - what a great setting!

Our own Natasha and Elise even dressed the part in authentic saris! Way to go girls – you looked great :)

Elise & Natasha looking glamorous in authentic saris

by Kelsey Pavao, © Entire Productions

A City Club Affaire

What do you get when you combine newly engaged couples, mini red velvet cupcakes, bubbling mimosas, a stunning venue, and talented vendors? An affaire to remember!

As one of The City Club of San Francisco’s preferred vendors, we had the opportunity to participate in the venue’s annual wedding and event showcase, “A City Club Affaire”, earlier this month. The event featured passed hors d’oeuvres and a scrumptious buffet provided by the on-site chef to accompany the many sweet offerings from various bakeries. Fortified with treats, future brides and grooms were able to peruse the 10^th and 11^th floors full of the City Club's preferred vendors. 

We had a great time visiting with couples and educating them as to what we can provide for their big day! Most of them hadn’t begun to think about music or lighting needs, so we were happy to provide suggestions and options that they have. String quartet? Harpist? Cover band? Karaoke machine for your mother-in-law’s musical debut? From classical to crazy, we have it covered.

A special thanks to La Tavola Linen for helping to complete the aesthetic of our booth with their fragrant and beautiful flower arrangement! And a few more shout-outs to our friends Gustavo FernandezPhotography, Darcy Padilla Photography, New Delhi Restaurant, and Amy BurkeDesigns who joined us at this wonderful showcase. Last but definitely not least, a huge thank-you to the friendly staff at The City Club for hosting us in their gorgeous event venue!

masterful instagram iPhone photo taken by Gustavo Fernandez