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2016 Event Trends

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2016 Event Trends: What will the future hold?

The 2016 Event Planning Season is upon us here at the Ice House and Crushed Ice Catering. With every passing year, we reflect on the trends of that year’s previous events and weddings and look forward to what the New Year will bring. We don’t claim to be psychic, but we typically have a knack for predicting trends for the New Year. Here are the Team’s predictions for 2016:

Erica’s Predictions

The Big Bucks are Back

Luxury. Spending is on the rise again for Weddings and Corporate Events. Clients are willing to spend more money now, than in the previous years. What does this mean? For Weddings, it means more Champagne, longer parties and extravagant amenities. For corporate, it means entertainment, entertainment, entertainment – bands, lighting, audio/visual. Corporate Clients are looking to deliver that “wow” factor that is bright, bigger and louder than ever.

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Pop the Bubbly for 2016!
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Bigger Budgets = Brighter Lights

Lindsay’s Predictions

Say Goodbye to the Southern Theme

The Southern Theme is taking a backseat to the Earthy/Woodland/Bohemian trend.  Expect to see more earth tones and elements such as wood, stone, garland, lanterns – the list could go on and on. Need inspiration for this concept? Look no further – our Friends over at Ruffled Blog (ruffledblog.com) seem to nail this trend on their Blog and their Instagram page.

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The Ruffled Blog nails this upcoming trend

Derek’s Predictions

Classic Cocktails are the Crowd Pleasers

Gone are the days of the Grape-Apple-Cherry-Flirtini-Martini-Whatevertini. The Classic Cocktails are back. You’ll see the bartender’s serving up more of the originals such as a good Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Moscow Mule – just to name a few.  These tried and true cocktails eliminate long lines at the bar – consisting of few ingredients.

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Bar Trends: Classic Cocktails are Back

Lauren’s Predictions

Don’t let the Sun Go Down on Me

Daytime Weddings are increasing in popularity now more than ever. Couples could be utilizing this option as a budget-saving tactic – or it could be that daytime wedding food and drinks are just more fun. There is so much more variety you can offer your guests in the cuisine department (breakfast, lunch, brunch, light appetizers or hor d’oeurves) as well as beverage services. Daytime Weddings give you the perfect opportunity to showcase that pinterest-inspired Champagne, Bloody Mary Bar, or creative “mocktail” station.

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Mocktails are a hit at Daytime Weddings

Chef and Zach’s Predictions

Eat Your Veggies

No one ever said Popeye was a genius, but he did have something behind that whole “spinach” concept. Our Chef and Sous Chef at Crushed Ice Catering predict that we’ll be cooking, and eating, a vast variety of vegetable focused dishes this year. Our Clients’ palates are more adventurous – and health conscience in 2016.

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Vegetables Rule in 2016

In just 12 short months, we’ll be able to reflect back on 2016 and all it had to offer. Here’s to hoping we are on-point with our predictions!

Cheers!

Erica

Cross Motors Holiday Party

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The Main Hall was decked with Christmas garland, lights and festive holiday up lighting for the Cross Motors Holiday Party.

Their evening kicked off with cocktails in the Main Hall with passed appetizers including: House-Cured Bacon Wrapped Peppadew Peppers with Capriole Farms Goat Cheese,  Sugarcane Chicken with Green Curry, Caramelized Pineapple & Coconut and Fried Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Balls.

Crushed Ice Catering hosted a wonderful spread of stations and bars for dinner that also included a brittle and bark bar for dessert with Chocolate Bark, White Chocolate and Peppermint Bark, Old Fashioned Brittle with Almonds.

All of the Christmas decor and tall spiral vase centerpieces were provided by our in-house caterer Crushed Ice Catering. Their addition of the LED colored up lighting package added a pop of Christmas colors to the event space. Our new fire pit rentals provided a nice warm area for guests to mingle outside on the East Terrace.

Their Louisville vendors included:

Showtime Photo Booth

DJ- James Hummel

 

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3 Holiday Planning Tips

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By: Natalie Dedas, Sales & Events Coordinator

Between the entertainment, decorations, menu and guest list, every planner needs a few tips on hosting the perfect holiday gathering without stressing over the details.  Many corporate planners tend to leave holiday planning until the last minute, because their schedules tend to get busy at this time of year. It’s easy for the holiday party to get put on the back burner, with these simple steps your holiday planning can be a lot easier:

  1. Great Service is Key- This is an employee appreciation event. Even if you have the smallest of budgets, do not cut back on this aspect of your event. If you need to lower costs look elsewhere such as decor expenditures. People always remember poor service when they receive it. The holiday party is an important event, it shows your employees how much they mean to your company. If there’s one thing you should never sacrifice it’s your event labor. Your team has worked hard for you this year and it’s time to repay that service.
  2. Food Styles with a Twist- It’s always fun to think outside of the box. If your company has hosted its holiday party at the same place, at the same time, with the same buffet for many years, it may be time to switch things up a bit! You can always get creative with food. Instead of a traditional buffet, try stations and bars to offer your guests variety. Offering multiple stations around the room allows your employees to mix and mingle around the event space. You can even host a family style dinner. This type of dinner setting encourages interaction between your employees, while offering a more family style setting rather than the typical corporate feeling.
  3. Get Creative with Entertainment- You do not need a headlining rock band to set you over budget on the entertainment expenditures. Local musicians, college orchestras and bands offer discounted rates. You can even hire within the office for entertainment services. If you really want to put on a show, a karaoke machine rental will definitely liven up the party.

Instead of stressing over details, now you can relax and enjoy a cocktail at the party you helped bring to life.

Cheers!

3 Reasons You Should Start Holiday Planning Now

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Holiday Planning

By: Natalie Dedas, Sales & Events Coordinator

There are 80 days to be even more exact,  6,847,112 seconds from the moment I wrote this sentence in this blog post. Not that I’m counting. If that’s not motivation to start your holiday party planning, I don’t know what is!

With the holiday season right around the corner, it is the ideal time to begin your holiday party planning.

  1. Availability Let’s face it. A lot of people, especially in the corporate biz, have stressed over last minute holiday party planning. Either their preferred venue is booked up, their preferred date is long gone, the caterer is booked solid, the list goes on… It’s always a good idea to begin planning early to capture the ideal date for everyone’s schedules in the office. The longer you wait, the slimmer your window will be. Not to mention it’s NCAA Basketball season, and if you live in Louisville, that’s a big deal. Save yourself the agony, and get a head’s start! Everyone in the office will thank you for it later.
  2. Entertainment This is your holiday party! You’re in charge of making sure this gathering is top-notch. It is the one party of the year where everyone in the office can let loose, enjoy themselves and start an impromptu karaoke party. Entertainment is important and it is definitely the one department you do not want to put on the back burner. Whether it’s a band or DJ, these vendors book up fast for this time of year and you don’t want to be responsible for a poor musical act because you waited to start planning. Vendors such as valet parking and photo booths- popular services to have at Christmas parties, also have peak seasons in booking during this time of year.
  3. Because Christmas is Everything. Need we say more? It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

The Ice House, in conjunction with Crushed Ice Catering, has come up with the perfect all inclusive Holiday Celebration Package. The best part? The venue fee is included! This package is priced per person, it couldn’t make budgeting any easier! We are offering this great deal in the months of November, December and January available Monday through Thursday.  If the weekdays do not work for your group, we have specialty pricing on our weekends that are still available.

The Ice House event coordinating staff is here to make your holiday planning simple and easy. From decor, to floor plans and even renting audio visual equipment, let us make your holiday celebration the best it can be!

Cheers!

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Blue & Company: Rooftop Event

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Blue & Company kicked off Thunder in style with a Rooftop Event perfect for viewing the airshow and fireworks. This all-day event was held in the Main Hall Package which includes the Main Hall, Mezzanine balcony and East Terrace and the gorgeous Rooftop Garden.

Crushed Ice Events provided a crowd pleasing picnic style buffet, which included hamburgers with all of the toppings, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and pasta salad. A buffet was set-up inside the Main Hall and outside on the Rooftop Garden. With a crowd of 350 guests, seating was available inside for guests to get out of the heat and enjoy a bite to eat! Crushed Ice Events also provided a bar on the Rooftop Garden as well as the East Terrace. The outside bars are the most popular place to be on a gorgeous Spring day!

Guest lined up their folding chairs theater style facing the Ohio River to enjoy the airshow. This provided an ideal view of the planes as they circled downtown Louisville and the parachutes as they landed on the nearby Great Lawn. For the fireworks- guests lined up on the side of our sizable Rooftop Garden to view the show.

Our Rooftop Garden can accommodate up to 350-400 guests standing room including a buffet and bar option. Our Rooftop also has full A/V capabilities as well as a stage area for an entertainment.

 

 

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ACLU Corporate Event

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The ACLU corporate event was hosted int he Main Hall, utilizing all of our event space. After cocktails, their guests headed up to the Mezzanine balcony to enjoyed a delicious seated dinner. Our Mezzanine is the ideal location for an intimate dinner with close business colleagues.

Our wonderful Crushed Ice Events chefs prepared an amazing seated dinner for 80 people. Our capacity for a full seated dinner in our Mezzanine space is 80 guests.

Many enjoyed the guest’s favorite parmesan crusted chicken with baby roots vegetables and parmesan grits. While many of our vegetarians enjoyed the southwestern quinoa stuffed bell pepper. Our chefs at Crushed Ice Events always prepare vegetarian dishes for a seated dinner option. We always like to know ahead of time, what are the allergy restrictions and dinner preferences of your guests, however if we are told during the dinner we need another vegetarian option we are always prepared!

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