We’ve been in the event industry for over 45 years, and we’ve have the pleasure of working with so many talented, creative clients. Our clients are not just business partners, though — we’re all part of a community of collaborative professionals. We found that when we work together, build relationships, and share ideas, the whole community flourishes, and, from that simple truth, our Hipposium event series was born.
The Hipposiums — a portmanteau of “hippo” and “symposium” — were designed to be a “meeting of the minds” where we brought small groups of event professionals together to mix, mingle, share ideas, and get inspired. We held two Hipposiums — one in New York City and one in Boston. The result? Two incredible events that encouraged thought leadership and building connections. We had a blast. Check it out!
Our first Hipposium was held at our New York City Design Studio in November 2017 with event designer David Monn as our guest speaker. Through an inside look at some of his most spectacular events, David talked guests through his creative process, focusing on three key elements: authenticity, scale, and detail. Marc Weber of On the Marc Events found inspiration in the presentation, telling us, “I had heard of David Monn, but I had no idea that events like that even existed. He totally opened my eyes to a new world, and it definitely gives me a lot to aspire to.”
Guests were treated to a bone broth station, created and presented by Business Development Manager Jim McManus. Jim designed the DIY-style station to show our guests ways that we can work together to accommodate a variety of dietary needs within one, delicious food station. Guests drew upon this new inspiration as they mingled to talk about the future of events, rounding out a night of learning, growing, and connecting. Bill Coyne from Cloud Catering and Events enjoyed the evening, saying “It was a tremendous honor to be in a room of incredible artists and experiential architects at the Party Rental Ltd. Design Studio for the first Hipposium with keynote speaker David Monn as he discussed nuance, truth, and curiosity. What would the world be like if we all approached everything with a little more curiosity?”
Our second Hipposium was held at our Boston Design Studio in January 2018 with Adam Weiss, Principal of Strategies for Catering Success, as our guest speaker. Adam shared a variety of strategies that our event pro guests could use to increase profitability, including leading and managing internal and external relationships.
Before “talking shop”, Jim led a chocolate a beer tasting featuring local craft brews and chocolates to show different ways you can pair the seemingly unlikely duo. (Tip: Hoppy beers and chocolate-covered bacon are the absolute perfect pair!) Caitlin Carey from Popavent told us, “I was so impressed by your Design Studio and content of the night. The chocolate and beer experience was so unique and unexpected. Adam Weiss was exceptional, and I was so blown away by his experience. He spoke directly to our challenges as event planners — I couldn’t take enough notes!”
These Hipposium events were a brilliant collaboration between our guest speakers and our Business Development Managers — Jim, Errin Verdesca, Brigitte Bates, and Sandy Smith — and is an example of one of the many ways our Business Development Managers add value to our clients’ businesses beyond being world-class rental partners. Our bread-and-butter may be delivering quality products to your events, but we’re committed to contributing to the vibrant, creative events community, partnering with our clients to lead the way, and providing service and value that’s #morethanrentals.