Have you ever planned an event and were on the fence about having kids attend? Today’s Planner Secrets tip might change your mind.
We recently had the pleasure of planning and coordinating a General Pinning ceremony. For those unfamiliar (as we were in the beginning), a Pinning ceremony is an incredible honor for the recipient, as less than 1% of all Army officers achieve this rank.
The ceremony includes a guided program where the recipient takes an oath to the United States and the branch he serves and is presented with numerous one-of-a-kind offerings from the Army and his family.
It’s a beautiful, heartwarming ceremony that we were thrilled to witness and participate in.
Naturally, with such an important milestone, the guest of honor wanted many families, friends, and business colleagues in attendance. Many of whom have small children that would be present also.
To avoid distractions during the ceremony, we created a kids-only zone where kids could .. well, just be kids!
We were fortunate that the chosen venue (The Tampa Club) was brilliantly laid out to allow this. The ceremony took place in the main ballroom, and an extra room down the hall was turned into a dedicated space for the kids.
This allowed the children to be as loud as possible while the ceremony remained quiet. Parents who wanted their kids to attend the ceremony or eat dinner with them were more than welcome. Or, if the parents wanted to witness the event without distractions, they had an alternative option.
We staffed the room with two Local Revival employees and two volunteers (neighbors of the client) to keep the children entertained and engaged. For safety reasons, no one was allowed to exit the room without an adult (either for bathroom breaks or to visit their parents).
With a room full of activities, many kids had no desire to leave!
We rented a projector and screen from the venue, where we played movies like Sing 2. The client brought a mini air hockey game, and there were legos, coloring books, puzzles, and other games to keep them occupied.
Dinner was also served in the room, where they had their choice of chicken nuggets or buttered pasta, along with fresh fruit and broccoli.
After the pinning ceremony and dinner were complete, the children had the option to rejoin the party with their parents. Guided by music spun by DJ Tally, they sang, danced, and participated in the always popular conga line.
The event was a fantastic success where parents could fully be present and enjoy this extraordinary achievement, along with their families. Check out this video we took the night of the event:
If you have an event where you’re on the fence about guests bringing children, check with your venue to see if there’s an option to set up something similar. If you need any help putting together ideas or assistance with creating your own kid-friendly zone for your next party, please give us a call! We’re happy to help!
If you create a kids-zone for your next party, please post and tag us on Facebook, or Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Or, if you would like someone to do all the heavy lifting for you, we’re happy to help with that too.
We hope all of your parties are happy and fun for all involved!
Your savvy “biz” friend,
Summer
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