With all the places to go in New York City choosing the right venue for your event can be stressful. Penta Events wants to make you life a little easier with a new weekly blog: Venue Spotlight!

This week the spotlight is on Spirit Cruises located at Pier 62 at Chelsea Piers.

Spirit Cruise can give a unique experience for any wedding, business event, party, or night on the town. The vessel itself offers a view of the city like no other, with an all glass design; the stunning view of the New York Skyline can be enjoyed from indoors and outdoors. The dinning room offers an intimate romantic feel for a couple or can be a relaxing fun evening for a larger party. With place settings fit for a king and queen and plush seating feature throughout the ship, everyone can enjoy the lavish dinner. The dinner itself will satisfy any taste palate and don’t be afraid to enjoy a few glasses with their impressive wine selection For entertainment live jazz band will get your guests moving and provide them with a enjoyable experience. Overall the evening will be a great success for any event. Penta Events will be an enjoying evening this Tuesday, keep a look out for photos this week!

To book an event with Spirit Cruises please contact:
Isaac Pacheco Tour and Travel Account Manager
Phone: 212.727.7735
Fax: 212.727.7738
Email: ipacheco@entertainmentcruises.com
Website: www.EntertainmentCruises.com

Halloween has long been a favorite holiday of a few of our team members here at Penta.

It’s a welcomed excuse to dress up, experience a guilt free sugar high, and of course throw a fantastic party.  Since many others have the same idea, I thought I’d share a few quick ideas to take your party up a notch.  Let’s face it, candy corn and a keg in the corner only cut it in college.

Creating the atmosphere is so easy this time of year.  There’s no need to go as far as turning your apartment into a certified haunted house.  Please start by ditching the plastic images of witches and ghosts.  Cut the lights and put candles on every available space.  Nothing says scary as well as shadows flickering across the walls.

Gradually adjust the music to change the momentum of the party.  As your guests enter pipe spooky noises throughout the house and then move onto theme songs reminiscent of our favorite villains.  Reserve the Thiller soundtrack until you want to get people moving.  When you’re ready for things to die down (excuse the bad pun), return to the spooky noises.

I’ve often seen that a great party is gauged by the caliber and presentation of the food and snacks.  This holiday is a great opportunity to take a more literal spin on finger foods.  For a bloody accent drizzled across plates mix simple syrup with red and blue food coloring. Serving any red colored shots?  How convenient that shooters look so much like test tubes.  Before you hit the kitchen or start mixing drinks please do me one favor… be aware if any of your guests have a weak stomach.  Gory images combined with too much liquor can serve to ruin even the best party.

If you have any specific questions for your upcoming Halloween party, shoot me an email at bkramer@pentaevents.com.

At Penta, we agree that an inexpensive and fun event is always a few creative ideas away. We have compiled several ways to plan a great event for friends and family that won’t break the bank.

1. Potluck and BYOB: Have your guests bring a food item or beverage (alcoholic or not) large enough to share with others. Set up a buffet and allow everyone to get a taste of everything.  Your guests will also get a chance to show off their cooking skills.

2.  Theme Parties: A theme can be displayed in the selection of décor, food, drink and music.  Some theme ideas:

• Around the World Party: Guests choose a country and bring items based on that specific culture. Once set up, label each with the country and name of the dish or specialty drink. You can serve a hearty Hungarian Goulash Soup beside an all American Apple Pie.
• Dessert Decorating Party: Decorating cookies is not just for children.  Cookies are easy to make in any shape or size.  Each guest can then decorate the dessert to match their personality.
• Wine and Cheese Party: Guests bring a bottle of their favorite wine and accompanying cheese.  It’s a perfect way to indulge in a taste test.
• Dress Up: Plan an event where guests have to dress up.  For example, host a Mad Men themed party where guests dress in a 1960s look.
• Color Theme: Host a party based on a color.  You can purchase    inexpensive colored light bulbs to replace throughout your home and use food coloring to color your snacks and drinks.

3.  Soup Night: Perfect for the cold season. Almost everyone likes soup and everyone has their favorite. Think beyond cream of tomato and chicken noodle and get creative.  Make a large pot of soup to enjoy by a fire or with a great movie with guests.

4.  Use A Public Location: NYC has many beautiful parks – Central Park, Bryant Park and the often forgotten Prospect Park (designed by the creator of Central Park). Each has unique features, from “Great Lawns” to BBQ grills, and the best part is that they are free. Choose a meeting point that is easily accessible, and close to the restrooms. In certain areas, picnic benches and tables are available and sometimes you can even find a roof to provide shelter from bad weather.

5.  Use A Donated Location: Many office buildings have conference rooms with great views.  Ask around your group of family and friends to see if they have an available workspace that can host a classy event.

Events do not have to be expensive to be memorable.  Combine great friends, good food and a little creativity and you will have a successful and unforgettable event!

Everyone loves a Broadway show every once in a while, maybe more often if the tickets weren’t so pricey. There are many ways to obtain tickets for select shows at a discounted price.

1.  If you have a valid student ID, you are all set. Student Rush Tickets are available for many shows. They are sold either as soon as the box office is opened, or 1 hour to curtain.  Some are available on a first come first serve basis and others use a lottery system. All of these options require a student ID and usually have a limit of 2 tickets per ID; also, most only accept cash. See classics like Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys for under $30. A complete list of participating shows and information on how to obtain these tickets can be found at:
http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428-Broadway_Rush_and_Standing_Room_Only_Policies

2.  Try your luck as a volunteer usher. Select theaters use volunteer ushers and in return, for an hour or two of your time, you get to see the show for free. Check out details at: http://nymag.com/guides/cheap/ushering/

3.  Sign up for free with “Student No Rush” tickets at Ticket Central. Weekly updates will be emailed to you. Shows are usually less than $30. This is a great resource if you are seeking Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway tickets.

4.  Check out HipTix at: http://www.hiptix.com/. HipTix offers a limited number of tickets to select shows for $20. Sign up for free and receive email updates.

5.  Many Universities and Colleges stage their own productions. Many are open to the public and are generally inexpensive. Check their websites for more information.

Together with a few friends, I have seen one of the last performances of “Spring Awakening”. We went to the Box office in the morning and bought 5 Student Rush tickets at $22.50 each. Regular price tickets were long sold out or costs as much as $100. We had scattered seats on the balcony, far away from the stage, but yet the view was still amazing. The experience was just amazing. I have actually seen “Rent” and “Billy Elliot” using Student Rush tickets too. It is definitely worth the wait in line. Broadway shows are an unforgettable experience.

In August of 2010, Penta executed a corporate summer picnic and family fun day for a financial firm in Manhattan (client confidential).  The event was held at Randall’s Island where guests enjoyed a myriad of activities including miniature golf, batting cages, dodge ball, tug of war competitions, water balloon toss, softball, bouncy castle, rock wall and much more.  The event took on a circus/carnival theme where the VIP tent was transformed into the circus’ main attraction, the Big Top, with draped red fabric throughout.  With the theme in mind, Penta brought in a fantastic group of themed performers from Smash Entertainment that included a tarot card reader, face painter and two classic clowns who performed juggling tricks, hula hooping skills, accordion tunes, plate spinning, stilt walking and balloon animal making.    Ome Caterers delighted the guests with specialty drinks, an outstanding array of food, and fresh cooked items right off the grill.  Brian Stephen Photography was there to capture all the guests’ smiles while taking part in each activity, tasting the delicious food and dancing to music provided by NYU Entertainment.  After months of planning, days of setting up, and hours of on site management on the day of the event, the corporate picnic and family fun day was a huge success.