At the height of the real estate boom, the parties that developers threw to herald a new condo complex underwent a boom of their own. Particularly in south Florida, even the tamest opening of a condo sales office required high-end food, neon-colored cocktails, loud music, wild decorations and barely dressed models dancing into the wee hours.
 A model flaunts Remy Martin’s new cognac bottle designed by David LaChappelle at a party hosted by Remy Martin and put on by Zhantra Entertainment in Miami. [Photo: Zhantra Entertainment] |
In 2005, it wasn’t uncommon for a condo party to cost between $200,000 and $300,000. “The developers were spending huge dollars,” says Elaine Meier, owner of a south Florida marketing and public relations firm. “Each opening had to be bigger and better than the one before.”
Eventually, however, attendees came to care more about the parties than the condos. “Toward the end, there wasn’t much buying. It was, ‘Where’s the party?’ ” says Yaffa Mizrachi, a principal with Langston Mizrachi & Co., a Plantation public relations firm.
Post-boom, with the broader economy cooling along with the real estate sector, Florida’s multimillion-dollar event business has had to adapt. Heather Wilson, an event manager for ME Productions in Orlando, says there are still plenty of corporate events statewide, including awards dinners, seminars, sales meetings and gatherings of professional associations. Hoopla is still a staple at many events, but targeted-marketing events with a sharply defined focus — and budgets — have replaced the extravaganzas.
“There’s less spending on fluff and more on meaning,” Wilson says. “Corporations, they really want to make sure that you’re just not enjoying an event but that you’re also understanding the meaning behind it and getting a message. There’s more branding.”
 ConceptBAIT designed a tropical Florida theme when the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau threw a party last year to celebrate the unveiling of its new name, Tampa Bay & Company. [Photo: Chanele Hernandez] |
 A living table display by Event Show Productions.. [Photo: Brion Price] |
Florida’s economy hasn’t slowed down fund-raising events and, in fact, many non-profits have to put more emphasis on fund-raisers. The Pier Aquarium in St. Petersburg, for example, lost $90,000 in outside funding this year, says Executive Director Howard Rutherford. The aquarium is counting on its annual Fish Head Ball to raise $35,000 this year to help fund educational programs and summer camps. This year’s version, with an “underwater ruins” motif, attracted 400 people.
 Chameleon Designs created a water wall above a koi pond that displays one of the sponsors of the Headdress Ball in Orlando last month. [Photo: Event Show Productions] |
Florida remains a major party state, behind only New York and California in the number of major events, says Channing Muller, editor of BizBash Florida, a magazine that covers the state’s event industry. She expects this year’s party season, which starts about now and runs through April, will be a little slower than last year — but still plenty active.
“People always have a reason to meet, good times or bad,” Wilson says. “If it’s a good time, you need to celebrate your success. If it’s a bad time, you need to regroup and think about where you’re going to go in the future.”
Corporate ‘Razzmatazz’
 Dorene Collier (center), owner of Event Show Productions in Tampa, specializes in corporate events. [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
 Human bodies were the canvas for the artwork exhibited at an International Sales Group Marketing Reception in Miami. Andrea Sherman Events in Miami was the event planner. [Photo: Andrea Sherman] |
Fog machine: $100 to $150
Bartender: $85 to $150
Costumed (or painted) actor to greet and mingle: $250 to $400
Hors d’oeuvres for 100 guests: $2,000 to $2,500
A Gimmick for Every Occasion
After 25 years as an event planner in south Florida, Andrea Sherman has seen just about everything. Airbrush-painted naked women? She’s seen hundreds. Human centerpieces? Old hat. Live animals? No big deal — usually. “We did a party in South Beach, and we had flamingos and then we had fireworks — and that’s when we learned that flamingos don’t like fireworks,” she says. The weirdest act she has seen recently was a woman dressed up like a fountain. “She’s literally a working water fountain,” Sherman says.
 Orlando-based 2nd Nature Productions puts on Living Garden performances with human water fountains. [Photo: 2nd Nature Productions] |
Super Opportunity
The state’s event planners are jockeying for a big payday Feb. 1, when Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium hosts Super Bowl XLIII. The last Super Bowl in the state — Super Bowl XLI in Miami — saw big parties that included 2,000 people in Miami’s American Airlines Arena for a Playboy magazine-hosted gathering. The NFL, which sponsors many of the events, “likes to partner with local businesses,” says Heather Wilson, an Orlando-based event planner.