Kennedy Creative

SpiceWorld Returns to Austin!

At Kennedy Creative, we get very excited when Autumn rolls around because we know it’s time for the annual Spiceworks World-wide User’s Conference. This is the third year Kennedy Creative teamed up with Spiceworks for the three day event.

The fun kicked off with a welcome reception at Speakeasy, complete with food, drinks entertainment and the baseball playoffs on the big screens. The next two days of meetings were held at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar, where sessions took place in all of the theaters in the bought-out venue. We converted the lobby of the Drafthouse into a sponsor showcase that housed A-list sponsors such as Dell, Microsoft, CDW, Buffalo and Firehost. To keep the guests fed and entertained, a large tent was set up in the parking lot where meal after amazing meal was served up by the Drafthouse team, including their to-die-for homemade chocolate cookies!

To top off the successful educational event, a large party was held at Austin’s favorite retro hangout, The Highball. A bowling tournament had guests taking home custom bowling balls and pins as prizes. Austin’s Live Band Karaoke kept the group singing and cheering each other on throughout the night, and a custom retro menu from the Highball chef included Kings Ranch Chicken and banana pudding for dessert.

Attendees from all over the world attended the activities and we are already looking forward to next year’s conference to be held at Austin’s AT&T Conference Center!

An Amazing Transformation!

Kennedy Creative recently had the opportunity to plan an educational event for a large US company. The event, a trade show and event designed to share industry information with company employees, is held every two years and this was the second time the Kennedy Creative team was contacted to produce the exciting occasion. The 2010 Carnival themed affair was held at the beautiful Convention Center in Corpus Christi Texas and provided education food and fun for more than 600 attendees.

Vintage red and white striped ticket booths served as registration desks with custom signage including a ship wheel welcome sign and entry arch reminiscent of the Santa Monica Pier. Guests gathered in fun seating areas on lounge furniture provided by Cort and lighting provided by Ilios added great pops of color around the room, helping to transform a traditional convention center exhibit hall into a venue that glowed with excitement. 117’ of boardwalk backdrop flanked one side of the room and a custom life-size carousel made entirely of balloons was the center of attention. Additional balloon columns, primary color linens and fun centerpieces consisting of everything from candy to ticket rolls and florals added to the festive décor. Platinum Music provided beach music to entertain the attendees as they visited all of the vendor booths.

No trade show has to be boring when you add a colorful theme and a team of creative designers to bring your ideas to life!

A Texas Casino Night to Remember!

Foregoing the typical red gingham, denim and burlap you might see at traditional cowboy or Texas themed events, Kennedy Creative created a stylish “Texas Casino” to celebrate the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) representative event at the beautiful Hyatt Lost Pines outdoor pavilion. Dining tables decked out in camel suede and a variety of exotic green succulents atop unique stands created a sophisticated Texas atmosphere. Rowdy games of Texas Hold Em and live armadillo races entertained the betting crowd, while professional line dancers had guests scootin’ around the dance floor to music from Austin’s favorite cowboy trio, KR Wood and the Camp Cookie Trio. The gorgeous scenery of the Texas hill country let everyone kick back and enjoy an exciting evening of friendly wagering and cowboy fun!

Our Favorite Sites to Spice Up Your Backyard BBQ

Summer is now in full swing, and to the team here at Kennedy Creative, that means BBQ and picnic season! Check out some of our favorite sites and items to make your backyard BBQ the talk of the neighborhood!

Tools for the Chef

• Williams-Sonoma : OK, this is an obvious one. But you just can’t go wrong with them! Make your mark with a monogrammed steak brand!

• Red Envelope: The chef manning the grill needs the use of both hands, so where does he put his beer? In his beer holster, of course! That way it never leaves his side!

Fun table settings

• Always Elegant: Features all kinds of great items to beautify your tables. We especially love their cloth placemats.

• Plum party: They have many adorable pieces for all your party needs, including these mini-Adirondack chairs that can hold tea lights and place cards!

Dishware to dish about

• Home Infatuation: They have all your outdoor living needs. We love these adorable melamine plates, resistant to chipping, cracking or breaking!

• Smarty Had a Party: Some of these pieces look so fancy you would never guess they were plastic or even disposable. We love this retro looking clear serving bowl.

Beautifully served beverages

• Velocity Art and Design: This modern home store carries so many great design pieces. Their functional serving pitchers are just as pleasing to look at as it is to drink the beverage inside.

• Front Gate: They have a broad selection of colorful yet plastic drink ware.  Unbreakable can still be stylish! Like this acrylic blue drinkware set!

Outdoor Décor

• Design Public: We love all that design public has to offer for entertaining. They carry many great outdoor accessories to spice up the atmosphere, like these gorgeous lanterns you can set out on tables or hang from the trees!

• Glassbaby: Everyone enjoys the ambiance that candlelight brings to the mood. With Glassbaby you can pick the perfect color candles to accent your backyard theme. Select from these special colors and they will donate part of the profits to cancer research.

A Gem of an Evening at Hyatt Lost Pines

Kennedy Creative was recently called in to plan a final send off dinner for a corporate group staying at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. The event was held in the Hyatt’s LBJ Pavilion, overlooking the serene Colorado River and surrounded by beautiful green foliage. Inspired by the relaxed Texas hill country environment and the lush accommodations of the Lost Pines resort, the chosen theme for the dinner was Denim and Diamonds.

Table settings included denim linens and silver square vases full of white flowers and spring greenery. Tallboys were wrapped in silver linens and tied with denim sashes and small diamonds were scattered about all the tables. The stage backdrop included three oversized neon diamonds hung on a white drape with custom neon signage.

Guests were greeted at the entry with a custom neon cowboy hat. To keep them entertained, two live longhorns were brought in for photo opportunities and a handsome cowboy trick roper also performed with his horse “Trouble”.

During dinner, guests enjoyed a performance by Paula Nelson, Willie Nelson’s daughter. Post dinner fun was a concert by local favorites Two Tons of Steel in the hotel’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater. It was a hugely successful event and a perfect end to a Texas visit.

LifeWorks 16th Annual Academy Awards Gala

After a crazy weekend, we can officially say the LifeWorks 16th Annual Academy Awards Gala was a huge success. LifeWorks, with its mission to transition youth and families from crisis to safety and success, has been such an inspiration to the Kennedy Creative team. Last year alone, the organization provided aid to over 10,000 children.  The Annual Gala is a major fundraiser for them and, Sunday, LifeWorks raised approximately $400,000 that goes directly to further assisting children and families in need.  Michael Hancock was honored at the Gala for being a driving force for the last three years. Michael has been instrumental in raising over 1 million toward Lifeworks fundraising effort.  In addition to recognition of Michaels efforts, the guests were inspired by Carmela Lucero, a speaker at the Gala.  Carmela was a child that was assisted by Lifeworks when she was homeless and had no one to turn to.  She has since become a successful student at St. Edwards, a proud mother of two children and an intern at Lifeworks assisting other youth in achieving their dreams.

Guests enjoyed a delicious sit down dinner as the Academy Awards show played on the large screens above the stage.  The  live auction, kicked off by Brett Barnes’ rendition of “Big Spender,” included one-of-a-kind experience auction items for guests to bid on which turned out to be a huge part of the  amazing success in raising money toward the Lifeworks goal.  Following dinner, guests were able to further explore the Behind-the-Scenes theme which included three interactive studios on the second floor of the venue, Austin Music Hall: Shakespeare in Love with a photo booth, Fantasia with a caricaturist, and Fame with a Guitar Hero stage. Ilios Lighting, a Kennedy Creative favorite, was one of the sponsors of the event by offering their amazing lighting services.  The lighting they provided completely transformed the room and made the decor pop. Other fabuolous companies who truly made the event sparkle include BBJ Linen, who provided the glamorous linens, and Delish, who provided the to-die-for cupcakes and desserts for the Gala.

We had a wonderful time working with this incredible organization, as well as the excellent vendors that sponsored and offered their services to this event.