SLATE HOLIDAY PARTY 2023

We’ve been blessed with planning Slate Asset Management’s holiday party annually since 2017, and always look forward to closing out the year with a festive do for our trusted longtime clients. Slate typically likes to incorporate a theme into their holiday party, but this year we all decided to simplify and focus on planning a super chic and contemporary cocktail party. Slate was interested in the elegant St. Regis Astor Ballroom, so we booked it for them on their behalf, and began planning an elevated cocktail party that focused on quality food and drink, creating an inviting environment that fostered conversation and connection, and booking some entertainment for merrymaking so guests could let loose and dance the night away with colleagues.

Part way through the year, however, Slate started feeling like their holiday party just wouldn’t be the same without a theme, so they made the executive decision that 2023 would be the year of Fire and Ice! We loved it - the theme fit beautifully into our design proposal - we had been working with a bold yet sophisticated colour palette that already included holiday red (fire), and ocean and teal (ice), and also included muted apricot and black. So we pivoted slightly and added some thematic entertainment and stationery elements, emphasized the red/blue dynamic, and voilà! we had ourselves a high-end Fire and Ice holiday party!

Stationery played a big role in this event. Usually the unsung hero, our graphic designer Kendall created some incredible signage, using dye cut flame and icicle shapes. We created two variations of each signage type - a fire and an ice version - so our menus, bar signs, and food station signs had a ton of fun variety. Plus we added cheeky slogans to get people in the mood and have a good time!

Our stage design was another fun moment. The Slate group love to dance, so booking a live band was a must for them. We set them up with six-piece band Bubblegum Bikini for a modern spin on some fun R&B and funk dance classics. This involved ordering a stage, and you know us - Mad Bash would never be content with just erecting some risers, slapping up a PA system, and calling it a day - no, our stage needed some bling. We bought fake LED flames and lined the stage with large red and blue floral arrangements. We also covered the dance floor with a vinyl mural of red flames mingling with teal icicles, and it looked savage. In order to make sure the design worked with the venue’s rather boldly patterned black and white carpet, we drew the dance floor’s flames and icicles on a larger scale so that they felt more like solid colours and didn’t compete with the carpet.

We also had some fun with our DJ booth. It was front and centre on the dance floor and wrapped with teal icicles and the slogan “I got 99 problems but a PARTY ain’t one.” Bold florals framed the DJ booth and ensured that entertainment was a WOW factor. We worked with the A/V team to ensure that lighting was on point and would dim as the evening went on. We installed ambient, warm, red and blue uplighting throughout the room to ensure the colour scheme was atmospheric. Fire and ice lighting? Check.

As for furnishings, to inspire comfort, we chose quality textures like leather and velvet. All decor was relatively solid in pattern in order to incorporate the venue’s highly patterned carpet. Two beautiful borne lounges were centred in the lounge and topped with bold contemporary florals. Black chateau chairs and small cruiser tables surrounded each borne to create a bistro dining and conversation area. Sleek black velvet sofas paired with console tables created more seating, and black cruiser tables were placed around the room for lots of conversation corners and places for guests to perch their drinks. Bold and modern red and blue floral arrangements in teal tiered vases, thematic menus, and smoked glass candle holders were placed on the tables for pops of colour and ambience.

Entertainment played a big role in this event engaging the Slate guests and creating a fun environment. We booked a fire dancer whose spectacular LED-powered fire and ice costumes were on point. A caricature artist sketched portraits for the guests and printed them on Slate-branded glossy paper. And for those who wanted something a little more realistic, our favourite photobooth MirMir was in attendance. And of course a sophisticated Canadian cocktail party would not be complete without a hockey net with targets and foam pucks! It was a Fire and Ice party after all!

Do you love this event as much as we do? Reach out, we’d love to hear from you! We work with all kinds of companies to give their internal events some extra pizzaz, and find imaginative ways to celebrate their workplace culture. Our event management service is one of our most popular, and highly customizable depending on your particular needs. With a team of highly organized, creative, and connected event professionals, we can bring any event to life no matter the scale!

VENDORS

COSSETTE SUMMER PARTY

LANCÔME TEINT IDOLE ULTRA WEAR