Key Features for a Successful Fundraising Event

What it takes to throw a Gala, Auction, Fundraiser, or Alumni Event:

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Over the past 20 years, we have developed relationships with many schools and non-profit organizations across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. We understand how important the yearly fundraising gala is.

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Here’s what you’ll need:


LIGHTING

Lighting can be the simplest, most effective way to create an immersive environment for guests. There are infinite ways to transform a space with light. These are some of your options:

Uplighting

Uplights are powerful lights, with a huge range of color. They are traditionally placed around the perimeter of a room, creating a glowing effect of the entire space. Color choices for these lights can vary from one to many. They are also used to illuminate standing structures, props, entryways, and many other features and focal points in a room.

Auction Lighting

Lighting for auction items is key for a successful evening. You’ve worked hard all year to source these items, and with so much riding on those bids, you cannot let them go unnoticed. Clean, subtle, and effective options like overhead wash lights and pinspots highlight the allure of every prize and prize table. It helps make sure guests find exactly what they’re looking for.

Custom & Specialty Lighting

Creative lighting is a huge wow factor. GOBO projections use a customizable template, shining light through to project images anywhere in the room. These can be thrown on to walls, dance floors, ceilings and more. Choose from stock patterns and effects or design your own. Lighting effects like this, as well as colorful patterns or laser light displays can be continually layered to add more and more drama. Other options range from simple colored washlights to illuminate the band or dancefloor to high end LED light displays. Find what fits your budget. 


DECOR

A unique evening is a memorable evening. Make sure this year stands out from the rest. Choose a cohesive theme and decide where your budget is best spent. Where would you like guests to keep their focus? This may depend on the function of the evening. If this is a sit down sort of symposium, or if there will be presentations, perhaps spend more on centerpieces - a great reason for guest to want to stay seated and still engaged, as well as inspired. If the evening has more of a cocktail/grazing vibe, try sourcing larger decor items, or dividing the space into the direction you’d like guests to take. Decide what your goals are for the evening, and come up with a floor plan that can accomplish this. Maybe the flow of the tables, bars, stage, etc. all lead right back to the auction items. Find your focus and the guests will too.

Centerpieces & Table Top Decor

From elegant and simple to intricate layering, centerpieces keep the theme in mind all throughout the night. They are points of discussion that immerse guests into the evening and always entertaining. Don’t forget accent items for your bars, food stations, and auction tables. These can be informative or decorative, large or small.


Large Props & Installations

Depending on the event space, you may decide to utilize larger decor or props to build your environment. This can be very effective. Things like ceiling treatments and installations are impressive, one-of-a-kind and site specific. Sculptural elements are also great focal points and keep the theme. Will there be a stage set up at the event? How can you draw more attention to it? Even if you do not have a physical stage in the space, you can create the illusion by flanking the area both left and right with something eye catching. Bar rentals are smart, sophisticated and can be custom features at your event as well.

Drape & Dividing a Large Space

Take a good look at your event space. How can it improve? Where will the focus be for the evening? Smart options like temporary drape walls and other structures can reinvent a room, hide unsightly features, and section off areas or create new ones. This is a great idea for behind a stage or podium. Backdrops do this as well and there are many options for drape in all colors, sizes, textures, and heights that can reinforce your theme easily. If you want guests to really hang out, look into renting some simple furniture and coffee tables, positioned correctly, it’s an instant lounge area. 


Don’t forget its called FUNdraising for a reason. The event is not just about supporting your cause, it’s about celebrating you and your team, and those that continue to support the efforts of your organization. Make sure your event is one guests will return to every year, eager for more. With good intentions come great things. Don’t forget that non-profits are about helping others, and ask for help when you need it.

Feel free to reach out about your event to:

info@eggsoticevents.com or call at us (908)735-9870 for more information.

We provide all of the services listed above and are happy to offer donation based discounts to non-profit-organizations

FAQ on Gobos

What is a gobo?

Our prospective clients ask us this question often, so we'd like to explain the meaning and applications here. 

A gobo is a steel or glass stencil-like sheet that is used in light projection fixtures. Gobos project patterns, textures, colors, and graphics on to floors, ceilings and walls.

The name gobo comes from "go between" or "goes between optics". The gobo is inserted into a sleeve in between the light fixture's light source (bulb) and its lens. The lens allows the installer to focus and size the projected image based on the desired look.

There are two primary types of gobos: standard stock gobos and custom gobos. 

There are also two types of gobo materials: steel and glass.

Standard Gobos

Standard gobos, or stock gobos, are gobos that are pre-manufactured in thousands of different patterns, images, and objects. Many common items, such as landmarks, hearts, stars, sports imagery, and abstract patterns are available as standard gobos. When you select a standard gobo projection fixture rental, we include your choice of standard/stock gobos at no additional charge.

Custom Gobos

Custom gobos are manufactured specifically for your event. They can include your logo, company name, couples' names, initials, event date, graphic of choice, and so on. They are manufactured by taking your image (a high resolution JPEG, PNG, or PDF) and manipulating it based on the type of gobo.

Steel Gobos

Steel gobos are the most frequently used kind of gobo. They are laser-cut from a thin sheet of steel. This means that the image being produced has "bridging", which refers to very thin lines to hold the gobo pattern together. For example, this image shows the difference between the original graphic and the gobo pattern:

(Image via Apollo)

(Image via Apollo)

Steel gobos are the most cost-effective choice of custom gobo. However, there are some limitations to the complexity of the image, and some graphics are more heavily impacted by bridging than others.

Glass Gobos

Glass gobos are custom manufactured, and can include a 1-color or full color image of your logo, monogram, or other graphic. Glass gobos can be more complex and also more easily legible than steel gobos. If you are hosting an annual event, glass gobos are an excellent choice because the projection quality is high and they are reusable year after year.

How many gobos do I need?

To determine the quantity and type of gobos you need for your event, please contact us. We'll review the layout of the space, the objectives of the projections, and we'll develop a layout that creates the impact you're envisioning. Our phone number is 908-735-9870 and our email address is egg@eggsoticevents.com. Please also visit our website at www.eggsoticevents.com.

Announcing our Newest Lighting System: LED 3D Light Display with Pixel Map Programming

Our newest event lighting innovation is one that has until now only been found in high end night clubs around the world, and even then, only as a permanent installation. 

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We have taken this amazing technology and adapted it to event installations. In one day, we can bring the system in, run it for the night, and take it away without leaving a trace. 

 

Picture this: Guests enter at the beginning of the night and see 80 light tubes suspended over the dance floor, glowing in your event decor color. They ooh and ahh and go to their seats. Within minutes, the tubes start slowly, subtly color-changing through the entire color spectrum . Vibrant reds, cool modern blues, warm ambers, bright purple. Guests take notice and start keeping an eye on this focal point. 

Fast forward to the start of the dancing. The light tubes take off, projecting dazzling, colorful effects over the dance floor. Explosions of color, patterned movement that is synced flawlessly to the song that's playing, and wild dynamic shapes and visuals fly through every pixel of every tube. Your guests have never seen anything quite like this, and it adds an electric energy to the entire room. This normal event space has transformed into an ultra-modern night club and the dance floor stays packed all night.

Does this sound like what you're looking for at your next event? Call us ASAP. Event dates are booking fast and we can't wait to make this system the most popular new lighting display for 2013 and beyond. 

After months of system design and planning, we are ready to bring this system anywhere.  Our 3D LED Light Display with Pixel Map Programming is available for nightclubs, weddings, birthday parties, sweet sixteens, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, fundraisers, art exhibits, tented events, or any party looking for an amazing light show.

We can also combine this system with our other lighting options, including:

• Color-changing room perimeter uplighting

• Laser star pattern effect lights in several colors

• Elegant pinspotting to illuminate centerpieces and other tabletop focal points

• Gobo projections of textures, patterns and color

• Custom monogram gobos displaying the honoree's name or couple's names, logo, event date, or graphic of your choice

Please contact us by phone or email to discuss this system further and find out about pricing, availability, and how we can take your event decor and lighting to a never-before-seen level.

Our office phone number is (908) 735-9870 and our email is egg@eggsoticevents.com.