5 of our favourite event design companies
Lots of people ask us how they can make use of their creative gene while still being able to organise till their heart’s delight. And while creativity is at the heart of many event management roles, the most obvious ‘creative’ role is that of the event designer. So what exactly does an event designer do?
We asked Jada Bennett Cross, former CoEM lecturer and former head designer with the wonderful Decorative Events for her particular definition. “The role of an event designer is to take the event from its very first initial brief and create a design concept that truly gives the event itself an identity. I often call this giving the event an ‘emotion’. It’s all about creating a look and feel that suits the event, its hosts, and ultimately, the guests. It’s about grabbing their attention from the get-go and sparking an emotion through inspiration, colour and the use of the basic elements and principles of design. It’s about creating a concept with an experiential approach – to evoke all the five senses and create a feast of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. These are the events that are remembered more than any other.”
It’s about creating a concept with an experiential approach – to evoke all the five senses and create a feast of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. These are the events that are remembered more than any other
“The concept phase is certainly the most creative part and the part where you get to be inspired, play around with the look and create a visual representation of the end result to convey your design – usually done through the use of mood boards, 3D renders and mock-ups. The production of the concept is then the ‘nuts and bolts’, a collaboration between you, the designer and your production team. The styling of the event is the final phase of the process and it is simply amazing to watch your visions come together – when all the hard work has paid off and the event design is brought to life!”
Now that we have a good idea of what’s involved in event design, it’s timely to identify some of the big and small companies who are out there doing it best. Here’s a short list of the people who are setting trends and raising bars (sometimes literally) in the event design biz….
Design by The Style Co
The Style Co
Working on everything from weddings to corporate events, parties and brand activations the Melbourne based team at The Style Co are at the forefront of the event styling game. Perfectly combining sophisticated style with bespoke rustic touches, and a whole lot of florals.
CoEM students working on Style Co event
Design by Decorative Events
Decorative Events
Decorative Events is an award winning multi-faceted business providing innovative styling and decor for functions, weddings, exhibition stands and more in Sydney Australia. For a more in depth ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at their events, they have a fantastic Vimeo channel with some great time-lapse footage of event design pre-production, bump-in and showtime. A great resource for any event stylist wannabe!
George and Smee
Meet George & Smee – A collective of the best stylists that Sydney has to offer. They design bespoke events and weddings that are both unique and unforgettable. The team can manage furniture hire, floral design and lighting installations while curating stunning styling pieces to and transform any space. “We are a bunch of passionate creative souls who live & breathe event styling.” – George and Smee
Design by Trumpet Events
Trumpet Events
Trumpet Events are a special events company, focusing on charity and fundraising events, PR and product launches, corporate events, award shows, stage and screen premiers, fashion shows, weddings and other celebrations. CoEM graduate Colleen Seidel interned with the company for three months as an Events Assistant. She gave some fantastic feedback on her time working closely with Trumpet’s Managing Director Xen and described her experience of a typical day working on Fashion Aid, “A typical work day involved liaising with hair and makeup artists, designers and the modelling company as well as event administration including designer briefing documents, model look sheets and volunteer spreadsheets.”
Many CoEM students have experienced event styling like no other whilst volunteering at Trumpet’s signature soirees, including the glamorous Red Ball and the amazing Fashion+Aid.
Design and production by Put Your Heart Into It
Put Your Heart into It
Put Your Heart into It is a collective of stylists and teachers working together to produce workshops and other events such as weddings and brand activations with a focus on sustainability. CoEM graduate Jasmine Broomfield interned with the PYHII hosting workshops, managing weddings and learning from the masters of styling and sustainability.
For more info on internships check out our blog posts. Jasmine has since landed her dream job as event manager at Vinnie’s in WA.
Design by Georgeous Occasions
Georgeous Occasions
Georgeous has been setting a standard for creativity in design across Melbourne, with activations, installations and styling for major events such as the Melbourne Cup Carnival. They have provided a wealth of opportunity for CoEM students to learn what goes on behind the scenes at the World’s Longest Lunch and other stunning events across the calendar.
Graduates from College of Event Management are job-ready! If you’re wanting to find out more about a career in event management there’s plenty of information on our website about our specialised event courses. Any of our course advisors will be more than happy to chat to you on 02 9280 4912 or you can request a call back HERE
