July Event :: ISES Year Kickoff Celebration

Thursday Night's ISES Indiana Fast and Furious Summer Kick-Off Event was amazing! Everyone loved the five different event "pit stops" at the different exhibits at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.  It was fun to see how the food and beverage selections were paired within each of  the Children's Museum exhibits and how each exhibit was beautifully uniquely decorated with gorgeous tablecloths to compliment each exhibit.  


All of the ISES Indiana members and guests got to mingle and network with friends and make new connections.  It was such a blast and we thank all of our wonderful sponsors for helping put together a wonderful event! The event was sponsored by several ISES Indiana members and they included:

• Beautiful linens by Linen Hero by Chair Covers and Linens 
• Super fun location at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis 
• Entertainment by new sponsor Encore Entertainment 
• Wonderful food by new sponsor and members Sodexo 
• Event photography captured by Kristin Hornberger Photography 

We started off in the Dinosphere Exhibit with Hibiscus Champagne, Ginger Shrimp Wontons, Lemon Ricotta Croustade with Basil and Acai Honey.  We then moved to the All Aboard! and Fireworks of Glass Exhibit with Lime Gin Fizz, Sweet Pea Shooter with Pancetta Crisp and Infused Cayenne Cheese Straw, and Mango Curry Shooter with Cilantro Sprig and Creme Fraiche.   We then visited the ScienceWorks Exhibit with Carrot Martinis and Zucchini Fettuccini with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Then off to Take Me There: Egypt Exhibit with Dukkah Crusted Lamb Kababos, Za'atar Halloumi Pizzette, Kibbeh Kabobs with Fresh Lemon, and Meza Table.  And then a crowd favorite with the new Hot Wheels for Real Exhibit with Checkerboard Cookies & Victory Milk and S'mores.  Chaircovers and Linens' did an amazing job providing great tablecloths for each of the awesome themes. So fun! 


Thank you to ALL of you who attended the event and thanks again to our sponsors!

Your ISES Indiana Board Members (July 2012 - June 2013) were officially sworn in at the event. We missed Kate Bergland while she was on vacation. 

Decorating your own hot wheels was so fun and definitely a crowd pleaser in the new hot wheels car exhibit.

Thank you again to all you came!  We are all looking forward to, hopefully, seeing you at the two upcoming August ISES Events: Wednesday, August 22nd ISES Luncheon at the NCAA Hall of Champions and Monday Evening, August 27th ISES at Victory Field for the Indians Game. 

Sincerely, Your ISES Indiana Board of Directors

Upcoming Events :: Mon, August 27th @ Victory Field!

ISES Networking Event at Victory Field!

Monday Evening, August 27, 2012!!

This fun event will be FREE to members!!!  Event will include happy hour before the game with complimentary food & beverage and a ticket to the game!  This will be a super fun ISES event at Victory Field, the Indianapolis Indians' baseball field, that you won't want to miss!

Registration will close on Monday, August 20th so don't delay.
Monday, August 27, 2012
 
Time:  5:30 to 7:00 pm Picnic with complimentary food, beverage & game ticket
7:05 Game Time!

Where:  The Left Field Picnic Area (located in the Northwest corner of the stadium)
***There will be a table outside the gates to pick-up your ticket.

Cost:  Members are FREE
  NonMembers - $27

Only 50 seats are available so register and reserve your ticket today!

REGISTER NOW

Sincerely, your ISES Indiana Board of Directors

Upcoming Events :: Wed, August 22nd @ NCAA!

ISES Indiana August Meeting

Ready, set, GO!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012!!

Get ready to explore the brand new NCAA Hall of Champions and Conference Center in an Amazing Race! Teams will be created and given a passport of clues that leads them to a destination within the hall and conference center. At each stop, get ready to work together for some extra points… but remember, teamwork is key! It’s all about working together and encouraging each other.. and someone will always be watching you. Once the race is done, points will be calculated and one team will be given the title of Champion - earning major bragging rights and a fun ISES Indiana prize pack.

Registration will begin 11:15.  

Amazing Race starts promptly at 11:45 am - so don't be late!

Top 3 reasons to come to this meeting:

1. FUN! We all deserve a good time, and what’s better than getting silly on a Wednesday with a bunch of industry friends.
2. NCAA Conference Center has just expanded! With over five new breakout spaces and a 5,300 square foot ballroom, there is so much more to love!
3. Networking + Teamwork = Success! Get to know your ISES Indiana colleagues. The more we know each other as an industry, the bigger and better we all become.

Cost:
$30 Members
$50 NonMembers

Register Now!!!

 

A Very Special Thank you to our Event Sponsors:
 

 

 

Register Now for this August 22nd Luncheon!  Looking forward to, hopefully, seeing you there!  Sincerely, Your  ISES Indiana Board of Directors  

Upcoming Events :: Thurs, July 26th @ The Children's Museum!

Fast and Festive
ISES Summer Kick Off

Thursday, July 26
6:30 – 9 pm

Join ISES for the FAST and FESTIVE Summer Kickoff at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. We’ll be racing through the museum’s galleries making scheduled pit stops Dinosphere: Now You’re in their world!, ScienceWorks, Take Me There: Egypt and crossing the finish line in the museum’s newest exhibit Hot Wheels For Real, nibbling on food and drink at each turn.

Adults only.  We hope to see you all there!  Please be on time so you don’t get left behind!

Location:
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
3000 North Meridian Street
(complimentary parking garage at 30th and Illinois, enter museum through skywalk from garage.)

Cost:
$20 for everyone

PLEASE REGISTER NOW

Registrations must be received by 5 pm, Monday, July 23.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be received no later than 5 pm, Monday, July 23-- registration fees will not be refunded for cancellations received after this time/date. No shows will be charged the full registration amount.

Walk-in Policy: A $20 surcharge will be added to the meeting fee for all walk-ins. Walk-in guests will NOT be guaranteed a meal until all paid and registered ISES guests have been seated. We ask that you please be seated at the designated 'walk-in' table for lunch. If seats become available at the other tables, one of the ISES Board Members will make sure to escort you to one of these seats. We appreciate your understanding. 

Thank You to Our Event Sponsors:

 

 

We hope to see you on Thursday, July 26th at The Children's Museum for this super fun upcoming ISES Event.  
Please make sure to register! 

PLEASE REGISTER NOW

Sincerely, Your  ISES Indiana Board of Directors

June Luncheon :: Getting in the Mind of Brides

Wednesdays luncheon was a great time for over 100 ISES Indiana members & guests to get together and talk weddings. With a panel of brides from throughout Indiana answering candid questions everyone wanted to know. For instance, Who were the first vendors you selected for your wedding? and What are your top 3 most important details for your wedding? There were surprise answers for sure!

The meeting was sponsored by several ISES Indiana members and they included:
Cake Zen, Chair Covers & Linens, Eventfull Planning, Indianapolis Marriott - Downtown, JP Parker Florals, KB Design, Molly Connor Photography & Party Time Rental.

The beautiful space was designed to have a parisian boudoir feel with unique antique centerpieces amongst the elegant florals. Hand held mirror menu cards with accents of sky blue, gold and burgundy helped continue the theme throughout. The cocktail/networking time was divided from the ceremony/luncheon time, so all guests were surprised upon entrance. A mock wedding entrance then kicked of the event with the ISES Indiana Board of Directors introduced as the bridal party would be, then all of our brides from the panel entered to Canon in D and a description of what their special day was about. As guests and members listened to the panel and the questions geared to the sweet treats, music started again-How Sweet It Is (by James Taylor)-and the delicious Créme Brûlée Cake was served! A great way to wrap up another wonderful event!

Thank you to all you came!
Your ISES Indiana Board of Directors

Member Spotlight :: Elizabeth Lenzi Wertz

Elizabeth Lenzi Wertz

Owner & Founder | Maraschino Events, LLC

Follow: @MaraschinoEvent

What is your title and position at your current company? 

I am the owner and founder (and CEO, CFO, COO, secretary, janitor...you name it!) of Maraschino Events, LLC.

What does your company do? How is it different than others like it?

Maraschino Events offers full service event planning and consultation - from complete planning and coordination of large scale corporate events to assisting clients in finding great local vendors for small parties, and everything in between. My services are all completely customizable based on the client's needs. I primarily work in fund raisers, corporate events, events for small businesses such as open houses, and private parties such as birthday parties, holiday parties, etc.

I find my niche in "going local". My goal is for 100% of my events to be supplied by local vendors, and it has been wonderful to find such a variety of great local people and
places to work with. There is always a new local vendor coming out of the woodwork!

How many years have you been in the industry? 

About three years.

What was your very first job?

My very first event was the Winter Indy Tweetup, an INDYCAR- and social media-based fan event that I planned with a friend of mine. After a lot of hard work and coordination, we pulled off a two day event complete with welcome party, exclusive tour of the legendary basement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, go kart grand prix, and a farewell dinner with plenty of prizes and giveaways. We had over 50 guests from as far away as California and Canada in town just for the event, and it was even featured on WRTV 6. After that, I started planning more and more and began to work toward making event planning more than just an on-the-side job!

What lead you in into the event industry? 

Like many planners, I have always enjoyed hosting parties and organizing people and events. There's something about that combination of detail, creativity, and challenge that just clicks with me.

After my first event, my friend and I planned a similar event in May for the 500, traveled to INDYCAR races around the country hosting smaller similar events, and the Winter Indy Tweetup became a growing annual event. My friend went on to start her own PR and marketing firm, and I began to volunteer my growing event planning portfolio of skills to help some local organizations in planning their own events. After a while, I started considering making this passion an actual career and, after a lot of thought, I officially launched Maraschino Events in June 2011.

Why did you decide to join ISES? 

I've been to a few ISES events before as a guest, and I really enjoyed them. It was great to be able to network with others in the local event industry, which is a bit harder to do otherwise given everyone's busy schedules. I feel I can learn a lot not only from the people there, but also in the topics discussed.

What are you looking to gain out of our ISES membership and how can we help you achieve that?

As a relatively new business, my main goals are to learn and network. I look forward to talking to other event professionals to see not only what I can learn from them, but also in how we can work together. I'd love to be able to network more, both in person at events and online through social media or other forums.

What is your most memorable event? Why?
I will always have a special place in my heart for the Winter Indy Tweetup. It's been fun to see it grow into an annual event that INDYCAR fans look forward to attending. One guest from the most recent WIT came up as the event was winding down for the day and told me that the experience made him and other guests feel like they were VIPs in the sport. Bottom line: creating unforgettable experiences is why I do this!

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

I also work as a NICU nurse. After getting a degree in neurobiology from Purdue and going back to school for my nursing degree, I have worked night shift full time in a NICU of a large local hospital for about two years now. I have recently gone part time at the hospital in order to help grow Maraschino Events, and I couldn't be more excited to be able to have two great jobs that I truly enjoy.     

If you were not in the event industry, what would be your dream job?

This is my dream job, and I'm so excited and thankful to be able to pursue it!

Member Spotlight :: Erin Hession-Wooton

Erin Hession-Wooton, Owner/Photographer

Erin Hession Photography

317-382-5264

What is your title and position at your current company? Owner of Erin Hession Photography in Carmel, Indiana.

What does your company do? How is it different than others like it? We specialize in fun, artistic wedding photography and we truly go above and beyond for every client. For example, we provide vendor recommendations and custom photo schedules to our clients, we bring an emergency kit with us on the day of the event in case of any mishaps, we provide cold bottled waters for our bride & groom during their photo sessions and we even print a folio of images at the reception, which they can take with them on their honeymoon!

How many years have you been in the industry? 17 years

What was your very first job? My passion has always been photography; I actually photographed my first wedding at the age of 14! I built my portfolio and website while studying photography, art & marketing throughout high school and college. By the time I graduated college, I had built a successful full-time photography company!

What lead you in into the event industry? I love photographing people in love, so weddings were a natural choice!

Why did you decide to join ISES? I enjoy networking with other event professionals and following the trends in our industry.

What is your most memorable event? Why? Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to photograph a 5K event for one of our past clients who is suffering from cystic fibrosis. Despite her illness, double pneumonia and 50% lung capacity that day, she crossed the finish line with her walker and dropped to her knees thanking God for the chance to be an athlete for a day. I felt so honored to be there to capture all of those emotions for her and it was one of those moments that make you remember how important our jobs are as photographers. She and her family will have those photos from one of her greatest accomplishments forever.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you? My husband and I actually went to daycare together! We reconnected in high school and got married after college. We’ve been happily married for over 8 years now and he’s amazing husband, web developer and photographer.

If you were not in the event industry, what would be your dream job? I can’t imagine not being in the event industry, I feel like I’m lucky to have found my dream job already!