“Successful brands make you feel like somebody”. This is a quote from Blogger/Speaker Chris Bogan.
It could not be more true for marketing and it is also very applicable for events – corporate or social! Look at it this way through the event industry eye: “I want people to feel good because they are using my company”. People feel good when they wear Prada, Hermes, Jimmy Coo and Other designer labels. Don’t you feel good when you put on that special brand you purchased? You acquire a certain confidence and a je ne sais quoi. Your brand and your company should give your customer the same feeling! How do you do this? One word SERVICE.
Service is your best marketing tool, why; it makes your clients talk about you. Great service results in return business and referrals. Great service, which by the way, costs nothing. Its return is worth a fortune. How much business did your last $4,000.00 dollar magazine ad bring in (mine brought nothing). How much did you make on the last event you did that came through a referral?
I was in an office today and saw a slogan on the wall which read “GET IT DONE”. We can all “get it done” can we “get it done RIGHT”? Providing a client with what they ask for is not enough in the 2000s, we have to give the client more and it is so easy to do, and again, it cost nothing. Make sure that every member of your organization is a positive personality and is ready to serve your client. I am not saying that we should let our clients walk all over us but it is important to really listen to the client and own your actions to them.
When your company develops a positive brand the employees and associates will value being linked to that brand. With that, comes a sense of pride your client will recognize and respect and soon the client is experiencing, sometimes subconsciously, the same sense of pride that they are in a relationship with your company…You have become their Prada Attache!
I will say one more thing about service. When you and your company go out of the way to provide great service there will also be the residual of warm fuzzy feelings on your end. You will be feeling that way because your Marketing/Service is working and your profit base is showing it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
JPD chosen to Design for DIFFA
J patrick Designs Has Been Chosen to Design a Table for DIFFA
This is a very exciting opportunity for J Patrick Designs to participate with many of the leading interior designers, not only in Atlanta but also, from other major cities including New York and Los Angeles.
WHAT IS DIFFA?
DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS is one of the country's largest supporters of direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS and preventive education for those at risk. Merging care and commerce, supporters of DIFFA come from all fields of fine design and the visual arts, including: architecture, fashion design, interior design, photography and consumer product design.With fundraising efforts bolstered by strategic partnerships and unique events showcasing innovation and creativity, DIFFA has mobilized the immense resources of the design communities and granted over $38 million to hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide.
VENUE: DBD Pavilion at ADAC West
349 Peachtree Hills Ave NE, Atlanta
CONCEPT: An over-the-top celebration of all things tabletop! DINING BY DESIGN brings together established talent, budding artists, and celebrated individuals to create three-dimensional dining installations that awe, inspire, and delight.
SCENARIO: COCKTAILS BY DESIGN
Saturday, October 10th from 7pm to 10pm
This party sets the stage for Monday night’s gala as designers and guests mingle and preview the installations as they sip Castillo de Gabbiano wines and signature drinks from Stolichnaya elit.
Tickets: $100.00
TABLE HOP & TASTE
Sunday, October 11th from 1pm to 5pm
This afternoon table hop is a festive romp through the exquisite dining environments. Sip Castillo de Gabbiano wines paired with treats from Concentrics Restaurants.
Tickets:$45.00
GALA DINNER
Monday, October 12th 6:30pm to 11pm
Cocktails and table-hopping, followed by a seated dinner, dancing, and dessert.
Tickets:$500.00
THE TABLES: Gold, Palladium and Silver Table Hosts receive an 11'x11' space in which a designer’s creativity is virtually unlimited. Platinum Table Hosts receive an 11’ X 20’ space. Guests view and dine at table installations that reach beyond the imagination, making the event a truly unique experience for all who attend.
I would like to thank Brenda Maynard of Event Rentals Ulimited and Dan Nolan of Tents Unlimited for this opportunity. this will be a wonderful opportunity for attendees to see how evnt design can play out in the home.
www.jpatrickdesigns.com
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Hotel Palomar Atlanta
The Hotel Palomar Atlanta
The Hotel Palomar is a relatively new hotel in Midtown Atlanta, located on West Peachtree, just south of Seventh Street. It is an intimate boutique hotel with an excellent staff. This review concentrates mainly on the banquet/meeting operation of the hotel.
On Tuesday September first I attended a networking dinner at the Hotel Palomar, in July, I attended a luncheon at the same hotel. On both occasions attendance exceeded one hundred guests and the hotel, on both dates, experienced great difficulty with valet parking. They just do not seem equipped to handle large groups arriving by car. On September first after waiting around the block for fifteen minutes, I left the valet line and found on-street parking a half block from the hotel (for free).
After entering the hotel I was greeted by friendly staff and asked if I needed any assistance and was directed across the lobby to the pre-function area of the hotel. This is a very long relatively narrow hall outside the ballroom. The area was crowded but, for a networking event, ideal. It was very easy to mingle down the way meeting and greeting within easy eye and handshaking distance. I must say, with one hundred sixty guests the room did become a bit warm and close. This is the second event I have attended in a new hotel (the Mansion Buckhead, being the other one) where the AC was not up to par…not good for a hotel in the South.
When the several pairs of Ballroom doors were opened it was very easy to access the ballroom, which is just as long as the hall outside. The room was set with rounds of ten and there was ample room between tables to move about. I believe I was told that the full ballroom is three thousand seven hundred square feet. Due to the length of the room there is a feeling of “hall” to this room as well. Both functions I have attended had presentations requiring screens and sightlines on the far ends of the room are not great.
The wait/service staff is excellent. They were all cordial and pleasant. And handled the room quite well, no problem with crowds here. I was also told that the hotel only does one event at a time insuring great service.
The food on both occasions has been quite good, lite fare but good. There are certain details that make a meal stand out for me. One, the bread at the table, this was a nice nutty crusty bread with good texture, not just a second thought roll. The salad and dressing was original and very flavorful and the beef I was served was tender and warm, Go Kitchen!
After the event a group of us adjourned to the roof bar for socializing and evening cocktails. The roof bar, on the third floor does not offer up great views but has a great courtyard feel to it. Marble tiles are spaced between turf giving a nice Mediterranean feel to the space, the cabanas echo this feeling. A long Aunt Sally’s Southern screen porch gives the impression of an afterthought not completely thought through for design. I understand bugs in the South but this is rather jarring to the entire décor and architecture and once again has that long hall feeling. The evening ended somewhat as it started, with long lines and not enough staff (one cocktail waitress and one bartender for thirty to forty people). It was a Tuesday evening but the hotel was aware of the group being on the property and there simply should have been additional help.
The Palomar Hotel is great if you are doing a group from out of town, not relying on transportation. Book in to one of the 300 plus rooms and enjoy the elevator ride to and from your meetings. Enjoy the roof bar and hope for adequate staffing.
J Patrick is the owner of J Patrick Designs, an event design and planning company based out of Atlanta Georgia www.jpatrickdesigns.com
The Hotel Palomar is a relatively new hotel in Midtown Atlanta, located on West Peachtree, just south of Seventh Street. It is an intimate boutique hotel with an excellent staff. This review concentrates mainly on the banquet/meeting operation of the hotel.
On Tuesday September first I attended a networking dinner at the Hotel Palomar, in July, I attended a luncheon at the same hotel. On both occasions attendance exceeded one hundred guests and the hotel, on both dates, experienced great difficulty with valet parking. They just do not seem equipped to handle large groups arriving by car. On September first after waiting around the block for fifteen minutes, I left the valet line and found on-street parking a half block from the hotel (for free).
After entering the hotel I was greeted by friendly staff and asked if I needed any assistance and was directed across the lobby to the pre-function area of the hotel. This is a very long relatively narrow hall outside the ballroom. The area was crowded but, for a networking event, ideal. It was very easy to mingle down the way meeting and greeting within easy eye and handshaking distance. I must say, with one hundred sixty guests the room did become a bit warm and close. This is the second event I have attended in a new hotel (the Mansion Buckhead, being the other one) where the AC was not up to par…not good for a hotel in the South.
When the several pairs of Ballroom doors were opened it was very easy to access the ballroom, which is just as long as the hall outside. The room was set with rounds of ten and there was ample room between tables to move about. I believe I was told that the full ballroom is three thousand seven hundred square feet. Due to the length of the room there is a feeling of “hall” to this room as well. Both functions I have attended had presentations requiring screens and sightlines on the far ends of the room are not great.
The wait/service staff is excellent. They were all cordial and pleasant. And handled the room quite well, no problem with crowds here. I was also told that the hotel only does one event at a time insuring great service.
The food on both occasions has been quite good, lite fare but good. There are certain details that make a meal stand out for me. One, the bread at the table, this was a nice nutty crusty bread with good texture, not just a second thought roll. The salad and dressing was original and very flavorful and the beef I was served was tender and warm, Go Kitchen!
After the event a group of us adjourned to the roof bar for socializing and evening cocktails. The roof bar, on the third floor does not offer up great views but has a great courtyard feel to it. Marble tiles are spaced between turf giving a nice Mediterranean feel to the space, the cabanas echo this feeling. A long Aunt Sally’s Southern screen porch gives the impression of an afterthought not completely thought through for design. I understand bugs in the South but this is rather jarring to the entire décor and architecture and once again has that long hall feeling. The evening ended somewhat as it started, with long lines and not enough staff (one cocktail waitress and one bartender for thirty to forty people). It was a Tuesday evening but the hotel was aware of the group being on the property and there simply should have been additional help.
The Palomar Hotel is great if you are doing a group from out of town, not relying on transportation. Book in to one of the 300 plus rooms and enjoy the elevator ride to and from your meetings. Enjoy the roof bar and hope for adequate staffing.
J Patrick is the owner of J Patrick Designs, an event design and planning company based out of Atlanta Georgia www.jpatrickdesigns.com
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