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!

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.

Love for Chobani!

When we first tasted a sample of Chobani Greek Yogurt at the Natural Products West Expo in Anaheim last year, we knew we had found a new office snack favorite.  It truly is a perk of our job here at Sweet Deal to be able to scope out and sample new and tasty products on the market!  After being given a whole taste tour of their line at the Expo West, Chobani was definitely the stand out in my mind, and to this day I still make a special trip to pick some up at Whole Foods.

If you haven’t eaten it before, Chobani is a scrumptious Greek-style yogurt in an array of flavors like Vanilla, Lemon, Blueberry, and my personal favorite Black Cherry.  Unlike some other Greek yogurts out there, Chobani is all natural with 0% fat (they do have a 2% fat line if you are wanting a little more Opa!).  It also doesn’t have the same overly tart, chalky taste that Greek yogurts sometimes have.  Chobani is creamy, rich with flavor, and quite a sweet (and healthy!) treat when mixed with granola or fruit.

When we met the Chobani reps at the Expo West, they filled us in on their exciting plans for their “Cho-Mobile Tour.”  The Cho-Mobile, a 26 ft. long blue bus, tours the nation and introduces the yogurt to thousands of people during festival season.  We knew we had to get on this bus and we knew Chobani would be the perfect addition to our new division of promotional event marketing for non-alcoholic beverages and natural food products.  So, we partnered with Chobani and provided promotional staff at the ground-level of the festivals.  From Portland to Seattle, Santa Monica to San Francisco, our Chobani spokes models handed out free samples at numerous healthy living festivals, marathons, and more.  The festivals were a success in rain or shine as no one could pass up a tasty treat like Chobani!

Now, Chobani is spreading the Cho-Love even further across the nation through their “Real Chobani Love Stories” marketing campaign.  Chobani fans are encouraged to write their real-life story of their love for Chobani and submit it to win a free case of product!  If you have your own love story to tell, head on over here to include yours!

Sweet Smoke Services

Sweet and smoky?  Why yes, the combination does happen and happens quite often here at Sweet Deal!   One of our favorite services to incorporate into an event is our cigar station.  As part of our Event Planning Division, we’ve set up cigar stations at all types of events: weddings, charity golf tournaments, casino events, and more.  At every event it has been at, our clients always report to us that the cigar rolling demonstration was the highlight of their event!

We’ve talked about our cigarette girls, complete with their vintage trays filled with retro candies or cupcakes.  But what we didn’t reveal was that our cigar rollers and cigar girls are just as popular at special events or promotional parties.  Guests at our events always enjoy the aroma of cigars and the high quality of the cigar roller’s education on a wide variety of types, sizes and shapes of smokeables.  We provide the cigars, the roller, a hostess and all the supplies needed for the cigar station to run smoothly and effectively. 

Last spring, we set up a special cigar rolling station at the wedding of Valerie and Scott Wheeler.  Our professional cigar roller provided multiple types of stogies and rolled them from scratch, all along sharing the finer points of the art of the cigar with wedding guests.  Krista Mason, the wedding’s photographer, wrote up a great summary of the event at her blog where she showcased her beautiful photos.  Scott, the happy groom, let us know that the cigar station exceeded his expectations: “Everything worked out wonderfully!  We were very happy with both Sweet Deal’s cigar hostess and roller.  All of our guests loved the uniqueness of the cigar bar.  I was even a little surprised how many people were trying cigars, some I think for the very first time.  We had an amazing night and we would like to thank you for providing the excellent services.”

Cigars aren’t only a perfect fit for private parties; they can be that extra something that takes your corporate or promotional event to the next level.  By customizing the labels of your hand rolled cigars with your company’s logo, your existing and future clients will walk away with a memory they won’t easily forget.  By creating an interactive experience for your guests with facts about cigars and your company, this is the perfect way to grab your guests’ attention and add in a lot more fun to the event! 

We don’t stop at just the cigar station either!  There are always fun ways to enhance the aura of the cigar roller with complementary services.  At golf tournaments, our cigar rollers and cigar hostesses have been highlighted by Scotch tastings on the green.  A casino event is brought even more to life with a traditional shoe shine and a cigar hostess who will cut and light smokes for the players.  The cigar station is a classy addition to your party, and we know it will become the main focus of your event for smokers and non-smokers alike!  Email us at info@sweetdealin.com if you’d like any more info on our Sweet Smoke Services!

Smiling Is Good for Business at Professional Conferences and Expos

In the exciting, rapidly evolving world of digital media, leading companies must be able to engage with other movers and shakers in the market. To be able to demonstrate the full meaning of the word ‘engage’, a spokesmodel trained to represent a cutting edge digital media company must be impressive and well informed. Sweetness goes a long way, but a nuanced understanding of our clients’ professional operations takes a networking opportunity even further–From strictly business to business and fun. Our intelligent spokesmodels strive to represent your business with exemplary professionalism and memorable charm.PaymentOne, a valued client that connects digital merchants and network operators by providing secure, easy third party billing, attended the Engage 2011 Conference and Expo at The Javits Convention Center in NYC. To take full advantage of a conference, executives usually attempt to be in many different places at once: business meetings, keynote addresses, other booths, etc. Our clients can feel confident that their booths are being gracefully represented as they make their appointments. The Engage 2011 Conference and Expo took place alongside the American International Toy Fair, allowing attendees from the digital concept and programming side to interact with the buyers and exhibitors. United under the same roof, the business opportunities were ripe. Our savvy spokesmodels know exactly how to capitalize on such opportunities. A natural communicator, she explains the basic concept of PaymentOne to an interested passerby, remaining conscious of the nametag around his neck and his interest in the company she represents on the tradeshow floor to ensure that she delivers information that is precise and relevant. A sweet model practices an effortless interpersonal zeal at all times, which is very important when making impressions on potential business partners. Even more important, however, is the preparation that she receives in order to effectively market her client. Commanding the booth by collecting and handing out business cards, fielding questions, making connections, and reporting to the client keep her on her toes. She’ll also help you set up your fussy banners and displays and come up with solutions for any problems that may arise. Our models are handy! If you are interested in hiring a capable spokesmodel with experience working professional conferences, expositions, and tradeshows, you may consult our model registry, or we’ll happily provide a model with the desired qualifications. Please contact info@sweetdealin.com.

Madness in March!

With the buzz from the Super Bowl dying down, sports fanatics are already looking for their next reason to party.  Good thing March Madness is right around the corner!!!  With Selection Sunday just 19 days away, there’s just enough time to plan the perfect party.  Throw your party on Selection Sunday to root for your favorite college or wait until April 3^rd to watch the final four showdown which will be held in Indianapolis this year. Who are you rooting for?

Here are some tips to make your party a Slam-Dunk:

Decorations: Orange and Black are good neutral colors for a basketball themed party, or be a supportive fan and go with your favorite teams colors!  We’re divided between many teams: ASU, San Diego State, USC. it’s a hard choice!!

Dress: Wear anything from a ref tee and whistle to a jersey from your favorite team.  Our staff has dressed as referees at past parties to keep the guests in line!

 Trivia: Tests your guests’ knowledge of NCAA with some basketball trivia. (Did you know UCLA has won the most championships with 11 victories?)

 Need some help finding trivia? This website has tons of quizzes and answers. http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/sports/ncaa_basketball/ncaa_march_madness.html

 Party Games:  Before the game starts, might as well put a little money down with a betting board to raise the party stakes!  If you have a basketball hoop, challenge your guests to a game outside in between quarters. Or if exercise isn’t your thing, play some basketball themed video games like EA’s NCAA March Madness to give your fingers a work out instead.

 Food: Finger Food! Try this recipe your guests can dunk into. Serve with pretzels.  We’re already getting hungry just looking at this!!

Beer Dip
Ingredients:

1 package Hidden Valley dip mix (original flavor)
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
6 oz. beer (of your choice)
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
pretzels

Just mix the ingredients and chill. 

http://www.celebrations.com/article/Throw-a-March-Madness-Mixer 

 Drinks: What’s a sports party without beer? But if you want to mix it up a little try this cocktail.

 3-Point Basket (Zombie)
1 shot dark rum (we recommend Skyy Spirits’ Flor De Cana Rum http://www.flordecana.com/)
1 shot white rum
1 shot gold/spiced rum
1/2 shot apricot brandy
1/2 shot lime juice
1/2 shot pineapple juice
A dash of sugar

http://www.evite.com/app/cms/ideas/march-madness

Sweet Additions:  Cocktail waitresses or bartenders dressed as referees, to make sure the party is kept in line!  How about a betting board where guests can pick a square and win some moolah!

A Home Run for Spring Training

If you love baseball as much as we do then you know what the months of February and March means: SPRING TRAINING!!!  Yes, we’ve all waited 6 long months for America’s game to return to our lives and the wait is finally over!!  Pitchers and catchers have already reported and soon position players will be on the field as well.  Get ready sports fans…Spring Training is in full swing and Sweet Deal has all the info you need to make this Spring Training a hit!! 

This entry will focus on the Cactus League Spring Training in Phoenix, AZ, but for those of you on the East Coast you can check out www.floridagrapefruitleague.com for more info!

 Games and Tickets

Games are being played from February 25-March 30th, 2011 and individual game tickets are already on sale!

Visit http://www.cactusleague.com/images/2011_schedule.pdf  for a full schedule of games and for information on purchasing tickets.

Nightlife/Restaurants

There are a ton of great restaurants and bars in the downtown Scottsdale and Phoenix areas.  Here are some of our favorites:

www.oreganos.com

www.donandcharlies.com

www.monkeypantsbar.com

www.oldtowntavernaz.com

 What to wear

Of course the best way to show your team spirit is by wearing your team’s colors and/or logo!  Why not head on over to shop.mlb.com and stock up on all your team gear so you are ready for baseball season in style!!

Watching the Game from Home

Can’t make it all the way to Phoenix this year?  Well there’s no reason you can’t enjoy some fun in the sun from the comfort of your own home!  Invite some friends over for a “Spring Training Stay-cation” and log on to mlb.com to watch your favorite team battle it out with your least favorite team!  And while you’re at it why not spice up your stay-cation with a baseball themed cocktail?!  (After all, what’s a getaway without a cold drink in your hand?)  This is one of our favorites!

Louisville Slugger ~ From www.Idrink.com 

Ingredients to use:	2.0 tsp  Blackberry Liqueur1.0 oz  Bourbon 2.0 tsp  Lemon juice 1.0 oz  DryVermouth
Directions:	Fill a shaker half full with ice cubes. Pour all ingredients into shaker and shake well. Strain drink into a Cocktail glass, garnish with a Lemon Peel Twist, and serve.

And of course you can always visit www.cactusleague.com for any and all other information you may need to make sure your Spring Training experience is a home run!!

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.

Biz Bash 2010 Style Awards

The Biz Bash 2010 LA Event Style Awards are coming up this spring! We were so proud to be a part of two of the winning 2009 categories. Our Sweet Deal casino dealers added some sweetness to the Red Carpet and entertained some celebrities for the casino at Ellen Degeneres’ 50^th Birthday Party, which won Best Corporate Event Concept and Best Entertainment Program/Concept.  Ellen’s party was hosted by Warner Brothers and celebrated not only her birthday but also her move from NBC to Warner Brothers. The theme was vintage carnival and included talent ranging from our very own beautiful casino dealers, a dance crew performing on the interactive dance floor, to Ryan Seacrest flying in on helicopter to host. With the 2010 Biz Bash submissions due April 9^th, we have to wonder who will top last years amazing events and take home this years awards.

Take a peek at our photos from Ellen’s 50th birthday bash here!