Day 4 – April 2, 2011 – War Memorial
Did you know that the Grand Ole Opry once took residence in Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium before it set up shop in the Ryman Auditorium? This is just one of the many events War Memorial played host to. On Day 4 of our Nashville Fashion Week experience, War Memorial Auditorium was the perfect setting for the “X” shaped runway positioned in the center of the auditorium. Guests arrived to cocktails outside in the Plaza before making their way inside.
Day 5 – April 3, 2011 – Pinnacle
Our epic week with NFW came to an end back where it all began on the 21st Floor of the Pinnacle. NFW went out with a bang hosting a killer after party. Big Events and Visual Elements did not hold back on the decor to create the vibrant lounge that we infused with LEDs washing the entire space with blues, pinks, and purples.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our cell phone photo diary of our experience. We’re so excited to be a part of 2012′s Nashville Fashion Week. I can’t believe it’s just 1 month away. For more information on how you can experience this year’s NFW, check out their website at www.nashvillefashionweek.com or follow them on Facebook.
2011 has been the year that NEL took over the Nashville runway! Who knew that black t-shirts with a simple logo would make such a statement!?!? We started the year off with the Pink Bridal Show runway in January. By March we were initiated into the grand-daddy of all the fashion shows in Music City, Nashville Fashion Week. This was a 5 day citywide fashion event on March 29th through April 2nd sponsored by Lexus. Proceeds from the event went to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund .
Each night was showcased in different venue. The week was kicked off at the Pinnacle downtown, followed by to the historic Arcade, the Crystal Fountain Church, War Memorial, and wrapped up back at the Pinnacle. The next few post I hope to give you a glimpse into our amazing experience with everyone involved in this epic event.
Day 1- March 29th, 2011 – The Pinnacle
The skyline of Music City was changed for one night, as we added a blue stripe of color on the 22nd floor of the Pinnacle building.
The models walked an “L” shaped runway that went with the perimeter of the room, giving a perfect backdrop of the city lights below.
The Press were snapping photos as fast as their cameras would allow to capture every moment.
A view from the back row. Camera flashes, runway lights, killer tunes, and an electric blue vibe!
Day 2 , The Arcade…..
Instead of having sparklers pointed straight at you for your big exit, why not run through your very own Power T at the end of your big day.
The tradition of a head table dates back before my time. I don’t know the exact date but I know it was before 1984. Here are a couple of examples that you may still see around today.
It’s always exciting to say that you were a part of a high profile event. 2010 was no exception for NEL. Some of the celebrity events we had the pleasure of working on were: Carrie Underwood’s Play On After Party, Sarah Buxton’s Wedding (writer of Keith Urban’s “Stupid Boy” & “Put You in a Song”), Hank Williams Jr.’s launch party of Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whisky, Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton’s Engagement Party, Loretta Lynn’s 50th Anniversary Party, and Tennessee Titan’s Safety, Donnie Nickey’s, wedding at the Parthenon.
4. LED’s
In 2010, we aslo increased our inventory of LED’s. The addition of the Tri Tours really has opened a lot of doors for us. We now have the power to do multiple color changes with the ease of a dimmer board. Talk about a customized wedding, you can now have the room set at a light amber for the toast, deep amber for dinner, pale pink for the first dance, and hot pink for the duration of the evening. Its a little trick that you can use to set the tone for your guest. They’re also great for venues that have limited power. Here’s an example from our open house where we used them to light up the food table:
In the event industry, we like to refer to October as Rock-tober. October of 2010 was no exception for us. We consider this our busiest month for 2010. We had a total of 64 successful events. Yes, we all survived and had fun doing it!
2. We have a home!!!
In January 2010 Blake, Misty, and David moved out of the bonus room and storage sheds and into the warehouse on Armory Drive.
In May of 2010 we started the build out of our office.
In November we hosted our first ever Open House, which was a debut of our finished office space and warehouse.
With the start of the New Year of 2010, David Maddux made the transition from part time to full time focusing on office operations, sales, and design. In August, Abi Reid was hired full time as office operations, sales, and design. Last but not least, Clint Pilkinton, came on board in September as Head of Production. Where does Blake fit in this mix , as President and CEO, and Misty, CFO. We still have our amazing crew that many of you have seen out and about
