Crazy for Party Carts!

Carson Palmer Open ~ Snow cone cart

We’re crazy for carts here at Sweet Deal! Yep, you read that correctly: we love CARTS!  Ice cream carts, taco carts, candy carts, snowball carts, popsicle carts…you name it, we love it!  Adding a cart to your special event or private party is a perfect way to create a memorable experience for your guests.  As part of our Event Planning Division, we’ve used many carts to add some fun to our events.  Check out the list of what you can do at your next party!

Ice Cream carts ~  The mother of all carts is the scrumptious sweetness of everyone’s favorite: ice cream!!  We can do ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, or packaged ice cream truck goodies from our chidhood.

Snowcone carts ~ This is a great thing to have near the beach or pool party.  Cool off with some shaved ice, and even have our beautiful staff create custom flavors for you.  Mango-Kiwi, anyone?!  We’ve pulled this cart to many golf tournaments, where it is a major hit.  In the photo here, you can see our Sweet Snow Bunnies serving up some delicious flavors on a warm Southern California day!

Popsicle carts ~  One of the newest types of carts around are popsicle carts! You can’t go wrong with the local and handmade pop-treats of I Love Viva Pops, based in San Diego.  With flavors like Earl Grey with Lemon and Chocolate Banana, this one will surely be a winner!

Popcorn carts ~ Screening a movie or putting on a Hollywood-style soiree?  A popcorn machine will be a great addition to your event and will fit the theme perfectly.  Add in movie style treats like Milk Duds and Licorice, and you have your own movie premiere in the making!

Other ~ There are so many options for carts based upon your event’s theme.  We can even get creative and make a custom cart specially for you!  A cupcake cart, retro candy cart, taco and margarita cart…the list can go on an on.  Plus, we can take the work off your shoulders by providing one of our Sweet Deal to staff to man the cart.  They can even dress the part too!  They will serve your guests and make sure everyone has a fun and delicious time!

Rollerskating Promotional Spokes Models!

In the promo world, we have to always be on the search for innovative new ways to get a brand’s message to consumers. One of our favorite new ideas is putting our seasoned spokes models on roller skates!! Our skating spokes models head out to the beaches and urban areas to pass out flyers and drum up interest for a wide range of companies. They serve as ‘rolling advertisements,’ spreading a company’s brand message to areas not normally reached by traditional marketing.

We recently did a promotion with AEG’s Latin Department, which is a huge entertainment company that own the likes of the Staples Center and more. They approached us with the hopes of spreading the news about the CD release of a popular Spanish rock band called Manà (see more about the band here: http://www.mana.com.mx/). Our models strapped into their roller skates and headed out to the Venice Beach boardwalk and Hollywood to visit record stores that advertised the album in addition to a CD signing party. They talked to music lovers about the CD release and passed out flyers with the goal in mind to get those waiting in line, as well as the passersby pumped up and excited about the band’s album signing and upcoming concert. They were truly attention grabbers with their rolling transportation and wings on their back that matched the CD’s cover artwork!

We love to think out of the box for our street team promotions, and excited to now have our roller skating brand ambassadors working for numerous of our other clients!

Beach Bashes and Promotions

Summer is on its way and we are gearing up to celebrate it in sunny style!  The Sweet Deal HQ is based in Redondo Beach, California, merely a mile from the beautiful Pacific Ocean.  All of us here at the office are die-hard beach fanatics and you may even see us sunning on a beer patio near the Strand after a long week’s work!  Our clients also love to take advantage of the crowds of happy sun-tanners near the beach so we find ourselves mixing fun with work often during the summer months, be it at a special event, street team or beach party.

One of our most memorable summer events took place near Venice Beach when our beautiful bunnies sprawled out across the beach cities to spread the Coors Light love!  The promotion was part of the Cold Front Glacier party marketing campaign, where a giant iceberg was floated in all the way from Long Beach to Santa Monica.  Along with the iceberg came the first cases of Coors Light Cold Activated Can, which lets drinkers know when their brewski has reached the ultimate refreshing cooling temperature. Our beach bunnies dressed up in their Coors Light snow suits and walked throughout the city passing out flyers and getting people to join the party happening on the pier.  With free Coors, live music and clear ocean views, it was a rockin’ day to remember for the thousands of Coors fans showing up to celebrate in summer style. 

We’ve also been a part of some great private beach parties as part of our Event Planning division!  Last summer we produced a surprise birthday bash for a very special lady on Santa Monica beach.  It was a day full of drinks, games, volleyball, good friends and a whole lot of fun.  We pulled together multiple aspects of the event from start to finish: tent rental, snacks, drinks, and music.  And of course, a beach party can’t be complete without the ultimate summer drink: SANGRIA!  Our event hostesses cut up fresh fruit and mixed it into the sangria with a touch of peach brandy.  No wonder this party went past its original ending time; we were all having too much fun in the sun!

Try making your own peach sangria for your upcoming beach bash. We recommend this recipe to really get the party started!

COCKTAIL RECIPE from www.liquor.com

Sparkling Açaí Sangria

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 12.5 oz (half a bottle) VeeV Açaí S­­pirit
• 4 oz Elderflower liqueur
• 4 oz Orange juice
• Sparkling wine

Garnish: Blueberries, sliced strawberries and orange wedges

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Fill a pitcher three-quarters of the way with ice. Add all the ingredients except the sparkling wine and stir well. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with blueberries, sliced strawberries and orange wedges.

And the Winner Is…

That’s right folks, it’s awards season in Hollywood!  The Academy Awards are one of Hollywood’s biggest events and this year is no exception!  With 10 Best Picture nominees leading the way in grandeur, the 2011 Acadamy Awards promise to be the biggest and best Oscars to date…it’s an event you definitely don’t want to miss, so invite over your entourage on Sunday February 27, 2011 and throw the 2^nd biggest bash in Hollywood.  Here are some tips to make it a star-studded event!

Cocktails: Of course, no party is complete without a themed cocktail!  This recipe for the Red Carpet cocktail is absolutely perfect for any and all Oscar parties.  It is even good enough to serve AT the actual event!  That’s right, this specialty drink was created for the Academy Awards by Patron and was served to the stars at the Pre-show reception and the Governor’s Ball following the ceremony.  If it’s good enough for the stars it’s good enough for you!

 Ingredients:

• 11/2 oz Patrón Silver Tequila
• 1/2 ounce Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur
• fresh raspberry juice
• dash organic cranberry juice
• fresh lime juice
• gold sugar rim
• orange wedge dipped in gold sugar for garnish

Preparation:

1. Wet the rim of a cocktail glass using an orange or lime wedge.
2. Rim the wet with gold sugar, shake off excess sugar and set aside
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
4. Shake well.
5. Strain into the prepared cocktail glass.
6. Garnish with an orange wedge dipped in gold sugar.

To learn more about this cocktail you can visit this website!: http://cocktails.about.com/od/tequilarecipes/r/red_carpet.htm

 Guess the Winners!: Who doesn’t love to make a little wager here and there?  You can print out your very own ballot with each category and nominee just by clicking on this link! Each guest gets their own ballot and picks their winners before the ceremony starts.  Then everyone keeps track of the winners as you are watching the show.  At the end of the night, total up how many categories each person guessed correctly.  The person with the most correct categories wins!

 Costume contest: Just because you can’t actually attend the Academy awards doesn’t mean you can’t dress like you’re attending!  Dig out your old prom dress or hit up a local thrift store to find a formal dress or tux and dress like your favorite celeb!  Or, have your friends come dressed as a character from one of this years nominated movies!  If your character or celebrity wins you can always hit the mute button and give an acceptance speech of your own.

Here are some of last year’s best dressed Oscar attendees if you need a little inspiration!

 Decorations: Do you live at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood?  You don’t?  Well neither do we but that doesn’t mean you can’t deck out your pad to be just as glitzy and glamorous as Tinseltown itself!  Check out the following link for a ton of decorating ideas and special red carpet decorations!   

Happy Red Carpeting!!!

Cigarette Girls

A Cigarette Girl: a glamorous, leggy being who happily holds a tray containing your favorite Monte Carlo. She leans over, snips off the end and lights.  It’s dark and the band is full of loud trumpets that make you bold, “want to meet after the show?” the smile never leaves her face as she nods.

This is the beginning of not only a great night, but a lifestyle that has evolved since its inception, starting in the speakeasies and supper-clubs of the ’20s and ’30s.  Club-owners, or at least the smart-ones, would hire beautiful young women to walk around their establishments with a tray of cigars and cigarettes hung around their neck.  Men would gladly shell out their money to enjoy a light and chat with the woman holding the tray.

 As time past, this practice moved across the country, from New York to LA, although there is some talk that this was originally a French idea because hot ladies, clubs and cigars are definitely their thing.  On the West Coast, it was all about Hollywood where everybody was (and is) waiting for their big break, making for an abundance of talented people with lots of time but no money.  However, those who had ‘made it’ did like to party, and in the ’40s and ’50s there were plenty of nightclubs who needed Cigarette Girl services. Women were thrilled to work at establishments that catered to movie stars, hoping to make a valuable connection.

However, the ’90s roared in, and it brought back Cigars and Cigarettes because a classic is always sexy.  This was a new era of Cigarette girls and it was all out in the open; the party had left the closet.  In sweltering South Beach, girls stood on the streets, in front of nightclubs, holding trays cigars.  Next came the swanky lounges, and cigar bars, where Ella Fitzgerald still crooned out the speakers, and up and coming models, offering up Romeo and Juliet, Gran Habano and Rigoletto.  However, smokes weren’t the only thing they were holding.  In the ’90s rules were broken.  Trays began to include chocolate, candy and even condoms!

Today, the night-club owners have been replaced with specialized marketing and promotional staffing companies who hire the models to hold the trays, making sure these gorgeous ladies bring their best and receive fair payment.  Cigar girls can now be candy girls, carrying around retro candy, offering up sweets that grandma snacked on, or even high-end chocolate flavored liquor – perfect for an upscale, corporate event.

It’s 2011 and there are no rules.  Cigarette girls have moved-on from the Supper Club (though some remain) and now can come to your fundraiser, golf-outing, corporate event or wedding.  These ladies bring class, sweets and a modern take on a sexy classic that has proven its worth over time.  We at Sweet Deal love when we get requests for cigarette girls, as it is one of our favorite and most creative services! We have customized trays to fit the theme of the event in addition to custom costumes—from Arabian Nights to the Old West!  We love the historic ties our candy girls have with eras now past.

Check out our gallery of our Sweet Deal cigarette girls here.

A Chic St. Patty’s

Are you looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day minus the green beer and crowded pubs this year?  Follow the steps of the modern Irish and break away from the traditional holiday by planning your own stylish and golden St. Patty’s Day party.   Here are some ideas to create some chic festivities—Irish style!

For starters, pay tribute to the brew masters of Ireland by serving Black Velvet cocktails composed of creamy Guinness beer and golden champagne.   Preparing corned beef and cabbage? …not this year!!  Ditch the pub grub and opt for something a little more creative.  How about serving Kerrygold’s Dubliner Fig & Walnut Focaccia which pairs perfectly with the Black Velvet cocktail.  

To add a little Irish charm to the evening, entertain your guests with some of Sweet Deal’s lovely Irish barmaids.  Since St. Patrick’s Day is all about the pot of gold, surprise your guests with the chance to win gold coins.  Plan to set up a mini casino or take advantage of your big, flat screen featuring a soccer or rugby game.  The winning participant of the soccer/rugby pool gets to walk home with the pot of gold!  Most importantly, remember to honor popular Irish music by programming your playlist with artists such as U2, Van Morrison, The Pogues, and Thin Lizzy.   

 St. Patty’s Day Golden Party Requirements

Cocktail Ideas:  Black Velvet Cocktail, Midori Melon Bomb, Baileys & Cream, Green Beer!

Menu:  Delightful hor d’oeuvres with and Irish flair…try corn beef brucschetta, salmon & cream cheese puffs, etc!!

Games:  Casino, Soccer/Rugby Pool

Décor:  White with gold accents and just a touch of green.   Keep your leprechaun hats for the parade.

Music Selection – U2, Van Morrison, The Pogues, and Thin Lizzy, Live Bag Pipers

Dress:  Feeling the need to wear green?  Try accessorizing with your gems such as emeralds and jade or show off your gold bling.