Lois Mailou Jones was an African-American woman artist, designer and educator whose artwork and designs often featured bright colors and bold patterns. The colors provide perfect inspiration for lively Fall events.

I'm super thrilled to share my newest adventure! Earlier this month, I joined the Menu Maker Team as creative director and new owner. With a passion for creating delicious food and exceptional events, we collaborate with clients to produce memorable event experiences including corporate meetings, cocktail receptions, launch parties, weddings, social celebrations, and fundraising galas. 

The last thing you might want to think about are the sneaky things that can sabotage your event, however, it’s good to give it some thought early in the planning process to avoid potentially show-stopping issues down the line. While there are many things that can thwart even the most perfectly planned events, these are some not-so-obvious ones to be aware of. 
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Unclear goals 
When tasked with planning an event, the first question, before venue, content, guest list, is “What do we want to accomplish with this event?” Without asking this question, it is possible that different stakeholders can have different priorities and you’ll have people in the same boat rowing in different directions. Particularly when you know your stakeholders want to discuss event ROI, you need to have clear goals at the beginning. Because event ROI can be difficult to measure, having clear goals for the event can help you better answer post-event ROI questions. 

​Just Because is always a fun reason to get together with friends, but sometimes it’s also nice to have a theme. A party theme can help guide the look and feel of your event, as well as inspire your color scheme, food, beverage, entertainment and favors. Here are 30+ themes that are perfect for summer entertaining:

​Thoughtful and eloquent, Vincent van Gogh created approximately 900 paintings during a 10 year period. His use of rich and vibrant colors provide inspiration for bright color palettes that work well for almost any event.

​Still Life - Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, 1889