Decorative Events and Exhibitions (DE&E) recently unveiled their new styling collections for Spring and Summer 2013/2014, through a series of five intimate events held within their warehouses and showroom in Alexandria, Sydney.
Following on from the successful Showroom Event Series from 2012, DE&E decided to take the event series to the next level by involving two of Sydney’s finest caterers, ARIA Catering and Hive Catering and the award winning audio-visual company AV1. The evening was a spectacular display of ‘Innovation’ and an inspiring demonstration of collaboration between creative suppliers.
Themed ‘Innovation’, the event series began within the new custom warehouse, situated across the road from their existing showroom. The new facility houses their, workshop, spray booth, the state of the art print shop and their talented team of carpenters, builders, prop makers and sign writers. AV1 was instrumental in transforming the space and both Aria Catering and Hive Catering designed the food and beverage in the theme of ‘custom workshop’.
Guests were then ushered across the road into the showroom for dinner and were treated to a first look at DE&E’s new styling collections. The DE&E team has added six new styling trends to their already extensive range of collections;Gatsby Glamour, Neon Pastel Smash, Emerald India,Bohemian Gypset, Kaleidoscope Christmas and Havana Nights.
The Havana Nights pop up bar was revealed after the dessert and absolutely surprised and delighted the guests as they took the exotic journey into the underground club. This was the ideal final destination and proved to be a very popular after party space.
For the three events hosted by ARIA catering, staff dressed in workshop overalls with grease faces and ‘Dark and Stormy’ cocktails were made fresh from the custom work shop bar hidden in one of the packing shelves. ARIA Catering styled the bar with an oversized tool box filled with pieces of the past; vintage playboy magazines, paint tins, old tools and a copy of The Mirror strategically opened onto Page 3. ARIA Catering’s food installation took charcuterie to another level whilst canapés served on work shop inspired platters fed guests before being ushered across the road and into the dinner venue.
The innovation continued as ARIA Catering catered to the individually styled dining pods with a custom designed menu for each table drawing inspiration from DE&E’s styling. The Stedman’s floor crew completed the look with styled outfits and offered a host style service. With innovation overload going on in the kitchen, Simon Sandalland his brigade made catering magic and showcased the business’s ability to adapt to any event style through food.
The Aria menu was expertly styled to match the themes delivering the following: Neon Pastel Smash – chicken with zucchini, saffron onions and pine nuts; Kaleidoscope Christmas – glazed ham, brussel sprouts, herb potatoes & heirloom carrots; Emerald India – An Indian feast for the table to share, with butter chicken and traditional accompaniments; and Gatsby Glamour –beef wellington under silver cloches, silver service vegetables and gravy poured at the table.
Each table was presented its own style Bombe Alaska which was served at each pod by the host; an amazing finish.
As Dinner ended, the party didn’t stop, not far from the dinner table were the sounds of an after party… Havana heaven.
Guests piled into a Cuban inspired nightclub where old style waiters with bow ties served Mojito’s made fresh with basil seeds and a lipstick mark of lime dust. Jamon and cheesetoasties roamed the room, followed by chocolate cigars. ARIA Catering’s innovation and ability to custom cater made a successful dinner series.
For the two events hosted by Hive Catering, the ‘Innovation’ theme revealed a different perspective on what can be delivered in event catering. Staff from Clifford Wallace Agency kept guests well fed as the roving entréesexplored the fun and playful nature of food, with an interactive Kingfish sashimi station; Tequila shot cherry tomatoes; caramelised apple with pork crackling sherbet; and quirky take on salt and vinegar chips that had to be tasted to be believed.
At the table, the menu highlighted Hive Catering’s philosophy of promoting seasonal and sustainable produce.Sourdough from Grain Organic was accompanied by hand-churned marjoram butter from the Hive kitchen. A quintessential winter dish of roasted crisp skin Thirlmere chicken was served with brussel sprout salad, parsnip puree and cavolo nero sourced from local growers, such asMoonacre Farm in the Southern Highlands. The wine flowed, along with the laughter, and guests enjoyed the attentive service of the Clifford Wallace Agency staff.
A striking ‘origami’ dessert completed the menu – an edgy interpretation of Banoffie Pie. Hive Catering tested and developed methods of drying and folding produce to create a truly dramatic dessert.
Leading production supplier, AV1, was pleased to partnerwith some of Sydney’s most creative suppliers and provided an extensive range of creative and innovative technologies for this event. The real wow factor was right upon entry the guests experiencing a revolutionary walk-through projection screen. Known as a FogScreen, this technology provides a thin curtain of dry fog that essentially creates a translucent screen. Best yet – it’s dry to touch, so no one gets wet. Projected upon with logos, content and colour, theFogScreen created a mesmerising entrance that set the scenefor a fantastic evening ahead.
AV1 projected the suppliers’ logos and coloured lightingonto the buildings creating a talking point on arrival and we all knew from the beginning that this was going to be an amazing event. The team and AV1 kept the Havana Bar rocking until late, where guests enjoyed the cocktails, singing and dancing until the wee-hours of the morning.
To view the new collections and the event photos, visit the DE&E website.
