I can’t believe we’re halfway into 2013 already.  I am so looking forward to our June meeting, not only do we have two fabulous members speaking, we’ll be recognizing our award winning neighborhoods from UNCORKED!   And very exciting… we hope you’ll be there to be part of the Baltimore NACE Welcome to Baltimore short Video shoot for Experience 2014!  The Baltimore Chapter will have a brief spot during the closing session at Experience! in Chicago as a teaser about Baltimore enticing everyone to visit us in 2014!  

Drum role ….hot off the presses the Experience! 2014 Logo!

So we are ready to get rolling on planning for next year when we return from conference.  SAVE THE DATE!  Thursday, August 8, 2013, 4:00pm – 5:30pm being hosted by the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, our host property for 2014.  I hope you will join us to find out how you can get involved with Experience! 2014. Watch for more to come on this.  This is a separate meeting from our regular meeting that will be held on August 19^th.

Cheers,
Vickie Preston

June Means Picnic Time! It's coming up soon... Plan to come out and be part of the fun!

Every year Baltimore NACE members, non-members as well as their friends/family help to provide an afternoon of smiles, fun, food, music, games and great memories for the children who live at the St. Vincent's Center in Timonium.

St. Vincent's is a residential, therapeutic group facility, serving children ages 3 to 13 having serious behavioral, psychiatric and or emotional problems.  The NACE Picnic is an event the kids really look forward to with great enthusiasm each summer. We deliver the goods and they pay us back with their big smiles! 

This year's picnic, in its 14th year, will be held Tuesday, June 25th 2013 at the St. Vincent's Center from 5-7 PM.  We have begun the planning and hope that you will be part of the fun.

Take Action: Please email carl@classicdjs.com if you are interested in donating food or entertainment item for the picnic.  

If you are not able to donate an item, please consider a small amount of your time as we also need volunteers.  Sign up to help set up (starting at 3 PM), cook or serve food, help with the entertainment for the event and help break down and clean up (starting at 7PM)!

About St. Vincent's Villa: http://www.catholiccharities-md.org/st-vincents-villa/

Welcome New Members!
The following members joined us recently:

Tom Gavin – Tom Gavin’s DJ Delights
Kimberly Lyons – Sheraton Baltimore North
Dave McIntosh – Dave McIntosh Photographics
Paul Kountz – The Pantry Fine Catering

Please introduce yourselves to these new members at our next monthly meeting

Also welcome to the NACE family: Mary Ellen Wyrick, at the NACE National office

June Membership Promotion: Join now and save $100!

Anyone who joins as a new member during the month of June will receive a $100 discount on their first year of dues – join for just $295!!!  You are eligible if you have never been a member or if your membership has lapsed for at least a year.  Download special renewal form at www.nace.net or email

the Director of Membership, Rachel Hoffberger Shaw, at rshaw@planitperfectevents.com for more information.  If you’ve been putting off joining, NOW is the time!

Paul Kountz, The Pantry Fine Cuisine Catering

25 dedicated years in the catering industry has led me to inherit the reputation as one of the “Best Catering Managers in Baltimore.”  I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and immediately found a passion for the hospitality management industry.

I began my career managing The Brass Elephant Restaurant and building its catering division.  I quickly found that I enjoyed and excelled at managing this part of the restaurant and wanted to focus on my newfound specialty.  The next step in my career included an opportunity to become the Director for Catering at Wickey’s Caterers.  

My attention to detail and excellence at event planning and execution then caught the eye of Chef’s Expressions President, Jerry Edwards.  I must have impressed him enough that he offered me the position as Vice President in 2002.  I believe that I played a pivotal role in Chef’s Expressions success and helped to bring various awards to the company, such as Wedding Wire’s Caterer of the Year 2010 and 2011.

After 10 amazing years with Chef’s Expressions, I decided to venture out and find something that I could call my own.  During my search, I was introduced to Daniel Horwitz, Chef / Owner of The Pantry Fine Cuisine Catering.  Daniel and I decided that partnering up would be a great opportunity for the both of us.  With Daniel’s amazing cuisine and my front of the house experience, we together have created an amazing catering company because “Everyone Deserves Great Food”.

I look forward to meeting you all at the next meeting, as we will be the feautred caterer!

Baltimore NACE Meeting Recap: May 2013

Martin’s Caterers has been a juggernaut in the wedding and event industry for nearly fifty years.  They produce thousands of catered events each year, making them one of Maryland’s most popular series of event venues.  With seven locations across the state, just about anyone in the area has access to a Martin’s.  Their tried and true system of producing an event makes Martin’s a well-oiled machine that can turn out a flawless wedding.  Many clients come to them for the packages that make the planning process simple and easy.  But on the evening of the May 2013 NACE meeting, Martin’s Caterers proved to our chapter that they can go far beyond the package and create a fully customized event to please the palate and the eye.  Their newest location, Valley Mansion, was the setting for the May meeting.

The educational topic of the May meeting was “Mixing & Matching,” an evening of networking within the NACE chapter.  Martin’s Valley Mansion boasts three large ballrooms that can be combined into one to accommodate groups of up to 1300 people.  Our meeting of less than 100 guests was beautifully accommodated by two of the ballrooms.  Their innovative sky walls that lift up into the ceiling, rather than fold into a pocket in the wall, made the changing of rooms smooth and seamless.

The first part of the meeting, a Global Flavors cocktail reception, had a wide variety of food stations from all over the world, providing a “mix & matched” menu.   The stations included sushi, duck sliders, artisan cheeses, and much more.  On the way through meeting registration, each attendee was given a sticker with the name of an item that would commonly be incorporated into a particular meal or food style.  This brain teaser encouraged networking right out of the gate, as people caught on to the trend.  Everyone noticed that the candies went together, as did the barbeque items, and the Passover Seder items, as well as the thanksgiving meal, and so on.

With our bellies full from cocktail hour, as though we had already enjoyed a complete dinner, we were invited to walk the red carpet into a separate ballroom for the networking session.  Round tables were set for 8, with linens from Table Toppers and props from Innovative Party Planners that indicated the theme that corresponded with the stickers each guest donned.  Before the networking continued, Larry Cake and his team at Martin’s Valley Mansion addressed the group with a brief history of Martin’s, and the special features of the Valley Mansion location.  After that, the networking continued.  The groups were given 15 minutes at the table for each participant to announce who they are, where they work, and a little bit about what makes their business unique.  After the first round, a second round of mixing occurred, and then a third.  We all had to find new tables full of people we didn’t know, and repeat the process of introducing ourselves within a 90-second allotment.  The “mixer” format of the program is one that most chapter members prefer over the lecture-style programs.  The networking opportunities are frequently requested, and the chapter was pleased to oblige.

After the networking program, everyone was invited into the first ballroom, which had been set up with extravagant food stations including Sweet & Sour Black Striped Sea Bass, Orange Glazed Chili Chicken, Cannelloni Pasta, and other delectable entrees.  The décor for the dinner was another approach to mixing and matching.  A consistent color palate in a variety of shades, sheens and textures, covered the tables.  Table Toppers provided the linens and Radebaugh’s Florist provided all the floral décor.

The highlight of the dinner was the dessert presentation.  While the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” built up the suspense, the sky wall slowly raised to reveal an intricate dessert buffet adorned with liquid nitrogen that clouded the room with an ominous fog.  The music, the lighting, and the special effects made for a dramatic end to the evening.

The special moments throughout the evening were captured by JThomas Photography, and the mood was set by the DJ stylings of Washington Talent.  And to get us all there, an invitation from Write Style Invites set the tone for the event.

See you all June 17th where we will be at the Baltimore Museum of Industry!

And here is something very Pinterest-ing ...

As a new member benefit, Baltimore NACE is now following our member organizations on Pinterest!

If you have a Pinterest page for your business, and your page is not currently being followed by Baltimore NACE, please notify Rachel Hoffberger-Shaw at rshaw@planitperfectevents.com.

The chapter’s Pinterest page is still in the process of being built up, but the sooner you let us know we can follow you, the sooner we can begin repining your images so they will be seen by everyone who will follow the chapter’s page.  There will be a board on our page for each category of vendors, and we will share select images from your boards.  More re-pins means more focus on you, the NACE member!

Happy Pinning!

Moveable Feast ... Our 2013 Fundraising Partner

Most of us were first introduced to Moveable Feast when they partnered with us for this years fundraiser “Uncorked 2013.” In an effort to strengthen that partnership, all Baltimore NACE members have the opportunity to volunteer their time.  Moveable Feast has volunteer opportunities every day of every week. Volunteers can help prepare and pack meals for Moveable Feast clients, or work in the community garden to help harvest the food used for the meals served.

Moveable Feast is just coming off one of their largest fundraisers – “Ride for the Feast.”  Ride for the Feast (RFTF) is a two-day, 140-mile charity bike ride. Day 1 is a 100-mile ride from Ocean City, MD to Wye Mills, MD.  In its 11th year, Ride for the Feast took place on the weekend of May 11th-12th, 2013, and raised over $550,000.  Registration for Ride 2014 goes live on December 1st, 2013 at www.RidefortheFeast.org.

SAVE THE DATE:
September 19, 2013 … “Dining Out for Life”
Participating restaurants will donate 20-50% of all proceeds to Moveable Feast.

To learn more about Movable Feast and to volunteer, please contact Ted Blankenship, Director of Development (410) 327-3420 tblankenship@mfeast.org.

Select Event Group is accepting applications for an exciting and rewarding career in party rental sales and account management.  This position entails both prospecting for, and providing customer service to existing and new sales relationships.  We seek an individual with a successful track record in relationship-based sales; preferably within the event industry. Responsibilities will include identifying and marketing to prospective clientele, including professionals in catering, hotels, venues, food services, universities, event planning and many other industries.  Ongoing customer service as an Account Executive will be a crucial component of this position.  Strong relationship skills, a passion for providing exceptional service, and a desire to be a meaningful member of a successful team is required. Salary based on experience, commission based on sales. Please email resume including salary requirements to personnel@weparty.com.