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Meet My Mentor in Floral Design Flower PPoowweerr
When I first got Jonathan’s name, I had high hopes for a future partnership. “I know you do amazing event design, and I do production and lighting,” I told him. “I’d love to get to know you and learn more about your work.”
Years ago for an event, I hired a team of artists to craft massive, 5-foot-wide flowers from fabric and paper. They created peonies, roses, and tulips that were almost as expressive as living plants. Walking through them felt like becoming Alice and stepping into Wonderland. But as magical as those art pieces were, they didn’t hold a candle to the real thing. Like lighting and music, florals can make or break the mood of an event. Flowers can be simply decorations, but they can also be a standalone method of expression. A good floral arrangement should tell a story all by itself.
Then things took a turn for the worse.
“Are you Jewish?” he asked.
“Yes,” I told him, confused.
“Do you observe the Sabbath?”
I didn’t figure this out on my own. I learned everything I know about flowers from one man: Jonathan, the mastermind behind Jonathan Couture. Our friendship had a rocky start. It was 2008, and I was just dipping my toes into the corporate events world. One of the first large events I worked on was an awards show-themed dinner for a pharmaceutical company. I had a vision for the space: Classic Hollywood
“I do.”
He said, “Well then, we can’t do business together” — and hung up! I couldn’t believe it. I stood there for a minute holding the dead line in my hand. Eventually, I shook my head, put my phone back in my pocket, and went on with my day. But Jonathan’s credentials stuck in my mind.
decor with a black, white, and red color scheme, white feathers and yards of elegant drapery and linens. It was a solid foundation, but I was missing a crucial piece of the design puzzle: the florals. To bring my theme to life, I had to tie it into every part of the event experience. I needed floral art that dripped with old Hollywood charm and went beyond a simple centerpiece. Luckily, one of my catering clients knew the perfect man for the job — Jonathan. There was only one problem. I’d already called him, and it was a catastrophe.
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A Quick Word From Our Clients
A week later, the awards show-themed dinner landed in my lap and I needed a floral designer with Jonathan’s artistic vision. So, I used the job as an opportunity to give him another call. I didn’t mention our last conversation, and incredibly, he agreed to visit the event venue with me — a museum in New Jersey that we’d transformed into an awards hall. At first Jonathan was still skeptical about working with me, but when he heard I planned to stay at a hotel a mile from the venue all weekend just so I could be within walking distance to be on site for the one night event, his eyes lit up. “You’re going to stay away from your family all weekend, even on the Sabbath, just to ensure everything goes as planned?” he asked. When I nodded, his face split in a grin. “Okay, now we can do business together.”
“Liron is one of the most expert event professionals that I have ever come across. His company Eventique is an exceptional shop of creative genius, surpassing most common ideas about what event logistics and attention to detail truly represent. Always on budget and constantly bringing the ‘wow’ factor to our projects, Liron has become a steady partner, friend, and someone who I truly rely on to help exceed expectations of even the most demanding clientele. An asset to the industry, Liron is truly an event professional you want working on your side... bar none.” — Alexei A. “In the events industry where producers hire subcontractors, Liron and his team at Eventique is “an Experienced Event Professional’s Favorite Experienced Events Professional” — that is, a Producer’s Producer. They completely understand the quality of our niche entertainment, maximizes their creative capabilities, and supports their production needs wholly and thoroughly. Essentially, they are the client everyone at the office loves working with and make the 200 percent effort for. — Tina B.
As soon as Jonathan realized I was as dedicated to my work as he was, and wouldn’t leave anything to chance, a switch flipped. He became an invaluable friend and mentor. Almost 15 years later, he’s still one of the most incredibly talented designers I’ve ever met. The art he creates gave me a deep respect for the effect flowers can have on bringing an event theme to life. Whether he was crafting displays for the Saudi royal family, signatories, or celebrities, his florals always told a story and expressed his personality and that of the hosts.
I spent hours in Jonathan’s studio learning about the narratives he could build with petals and stems. His art consistently blew my mind. In particular, I’ll never forget the centerpieces he made for Saudi Petroleum’s holiday party. The florals burst from the ground and twisted up through the tables like bloom-covered trees. They were cut flowers, but they looked so alive! I couldn’t stop staring. Jonathan set the bar for all of the floral designers Eventique works with. Today, we’ll only partner with people with his passion and skill, like Birch Event Design and B Floral. Together, we’ve filled fashion show runways and bathtubs with flowers (see Pg. 3 for more on that), hung bouquets from ceilings, and covered entryways in blooms. Pairing custom linens and florals is like a woman matching her bag and shoes. The elements are gorgeous separately, but together, they become a fashion statement. Every floral arrangement is an art form. If your event planner looks at flowers and claims they’re just filling space, I don’t know what to tell you. Actually, I do: It’s time to get a better one!
- Liron David Founder and Executive Producer
Case Study Our Floral Philosophy Flowers Fuel an Unforgettable Brand Experience
But the creativity didn’t stop there. “The house had a bathtub in it, and we wanted to make sure people didn’t actually get inside of the bathtub, so we decided to fill it with florals,” Kelly remembers. “They kind of cascaded down the wall, filled up the tub, and spilled over the edges, giving you this feeling of the immersiveness of the scent. We were inspired by how water fills a tub, and we just replaced the water with the florals.” To complete the immersive experience, Eventique scented the air with jasmine, rose, and orange blossom, and hired a harp player to pluck notes between two potted bergamot trees. The scents and trees brought the key ingredient of Philosophy’s “Amazing Grace Bergamot” eau de toilette to life. “We wanted the space to feel warm and ethereal. The goal was to create a dream floral environment that matched the scent of the Philosophy perfume,” Kelly says, later adding, “This fragrance was very tied in with the harp player because she gave the room a more regal, aspirational feel.” Visitors never would have guessed that Kelly mixed silk flowers in with the real petals — a designer’s trick that keeps artistic arrangements looking fresh through multiday events. Capturing ‘Nature in a Jar’
When the skin care brand Philosophy approached Eventique for help with a brand re-activation event, their new line’s feminine, floral packaging immediately caught the team’s eye. “The one thing that stuck out to us about [Philosophy] was their color palette. They use two different shades of pink; there’s a light green, a light yellow. So, we really told the story through very prominent, serene uses of their color palette,” Eventique VP of Creative and Strategy’s Eric Wielander told BizBash. Creative Director Kelly Bryden broadcast that color palette through four floors of the historic Sousa House at 80 Washington Street in New York City. Each floor of the townhome became a unique experience for the media representatives and influencers who flocked there on Jan. 23, 2020, to discover and test Philosophy’s new products. To really drive the brand’s message home, Kelly leaned heavily on a crucial tool in every event designer’s toolbox: florals. ‘Amazing Grace’ in Bloom Flower power was on full display in the “Amazing Grace” room. It starred Philosophy’s new line of perfumes, shampoos, bath and shower gels, and firming body emulsions. Kelly and her team supersized the line’s delicate floral packaging and turned it into wall vinyls to create a wallpaper effect. Then, they brought those 2D florals to life with a flower wall covered in white, blush pink, and soft yellow blooms.
In contrast to the lush “Amazing Grace” space, stepping into the “Nature in a Jar” room felt like stumbling upon a desert oasis. It was filled with cactuses of all shapes and sizes. Kelly crafted it to showcase Philosophy’s Nature in a Jar line of recovery moisturizers, skin reset serums, rehab balms, and more. “We used blow-up photos of ingredients pictured throughout, mounted and as wall vinyls, to give the customer a look at the organic, clean beauty aspect of the line,” Kelly said. “Having the photos of the ingredients large, front and center, reminded the influencers that the products they were using were actually made from plants.”
the flowers and greenery softened the Sousa House’s brick and dark wood facades. “I think florals bring a sense of grounded reality to a lot of these events that are set up indoors in white box spaces meant to be reused for event after event,” Kelly says. “Florals and greenery really create an escape. They transport the attendees into the experience that we’re giving to them. For House of Philosophy, the florals and plants really finished off the whole package.”
Eventique leverages the “grounded” and “reality-bringing” power of florals in its virtual events, too. For Sephora’s SEPHORiA: Virtual House of Beauty event, for example, Eventique crafted a digital room filled with natural light, wildflowers, and ferns that brought a breezy, ethereal element to the space. In a virtual environment commissioned for Apple TV+, designers created a 3D render of entangled trees and softly lit hedges. They lent the virtual space a warm, inviting feel that could only be achieved with natural elements. It doesn’t matter if your event is in a New York City townhome, a restaurant, a ballroom, or the digital plane: Florals can add that touch of beauty and gravitas you need. As Eventique Founder and Executive Producer Liron David puts it, “Whether you’re considering using flowers for your corporate, nonprofit, or social event, they have to be always thought of as an art form. They’re not just filling space.”
To make sure no one missed the message, Kelly and her team did something unforgettable and a little bit crazy: They asked a sculptor to freeze full-sized cannabis sativa, cactus fruit, agave, jojoba, centella asiatica plants in blocks of ice. “We created these large ice blocks of the key ingredients to show off the cryo components of Philosophy’s latest product line. To make the ice sculptures pop, we illuminated the sculptures from the bottom to make them the highlight of the room,” Kelly says. The products themselves were raised on daisies and positioned on clear stands side-by-side with cactuses in bright white, geometric pots. The room also featured art pieces and interactive elements, like a massive makeup palette that took up an entire table and a white-cushioned porch swing that was the perfect setup for selfies. “We were constantly thinking about, ‘This activation, this graphic, this message, this tagline’ — does it feel relevant and right to what we want to say about the brand?” Eric told BizBash. “And for the design and fabrication: ‘Is it going to be not only something that articulates that message, but also is it going to create this moment with people that makes them want to voluntarily take a picture, share it, or write about it?’” Mother Earth goes virtual. Only two of the four House of Philosophy floors leaned on florals, but they were a key component of communicating the brand’s aesthetic and appeal. Combined with large foam core stickers — which gave the illusion of different paint colors — “We were inspired by how water fills a tub, and we just replaced the water with the florals.”
Celebrating 15 Years MEET CH VP of Operations
startup to a corporate events powerhouse. Liron was also there for what Chris calls “the biggest highlight of his career” — meeting Stevie Wonder at a 50th birthday party Eventique threw for the former CEO of Motown Records. “Liron needed help with something and didn’t tell me what. We were in our tuxedos, the whole nine yards just managing this birthday party,” Chis remembers. He followed Liron outside, and “a black truck rolls up out in front of the venue. The door opens, and out steps Stevie Wonder!” Chris and Liron escorted the legend inside arm-in-arm. That alone was a life-changing experience for Chris, but as Liron mentioned in a previous article, the night’s surprises didn’t stop there. “Later on, there were about 30–40 guests left, and they brought a cake out for the CEO of Motown. He handed Stevie Wonder the mic and he started giving a little speech, talking about the CEO. Then after a few minutes he said, ‘You guys don’t want to hear me talk,’ and he started singing his famous ‘Happy Birthday’ song to the
W hen Eventique Founder Liron David discovered Chris Mattina, he was DJing private events on Long Island and already had years of experience behind the table. In fact, Chris started jockeying when he was just 14 years old . The pair connected in 2007. That year, Chris got the itch to grow his weekend job into a bigger business. “I emailed different event planners just to introduce myself, and Liron was one. He had me come in for an interview. I met with him, and he put me on his cousin’s wedding to DJ for the first time [with Eventique],” Chris recalls. “After that, he said he’d never hire another DJ again!” That gig was the start of a strong partnership that has lasted more than a decade. Liron and Chris bonded over their shared background in DJing and passion for great music. “I love music — I’m absolutely obsessed with music of all types, any genre. I played more eclectic stuff at events and had a broad range of very good songs,” Chris said, explaining his long-term career as a DJ. “Not to mention being the center of attention and commanding a crowd felt good. It was nice to have that sort of control.” Chris was Eventique’s go-to DJ and on-site event manager for years, and he stuck with Liron as he grew the company from a social events Chris at a Glance Last Concert Seen: Hall & Oates at Jones Beach Last Song Listened To: “Help Me Lose My Mind” by Disclosure Favorite Way to Relax: Restoring classic tractors Favorite Takeout: Chinese from Chef Wang in New Hyde Park Favorite Vacation Spot: Riviera Maya, Mexico
With Eventique
HRIS
JUST WRAPPED 2 EventsWe’ve Checked OffOur To-Do List Welcome to “Just Wrapped,” a monthly summary of what our team has been up to. Every year, we plan events like corporate parties, virtual experiences, concerts, and charity galas. This list is just a small peek behind the curtain. ‘DMZ’ World Premiere at SXSW — On March 13, Eventique orchestrated the world premiere of the new HBO Max miniseries “DMZ” at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas! The event included a live screening of the show, which stars Rosario Dawson, Venus Ariel, Benjamin Bratt, and Hoon Lee, among others. The premiere was Eventique’s first SXSW event, and we’re looking forward to many more. Coalition Corporate Event — In March, Eventique planned and executed an elegant corporate event for the cyber insurance company Coalition. It took place at The Edison Ballroom in the center of Times Square, a 1930s-era ballroom that became a fantastic event canvas. Want your upcoming event to be next on our list? Request a proposal from our all-star team at Eventique.com.
CEO. I was standing like 10 feet away, and it was probably the biggest highlight of my career!” Over the last 15 years, Chris has grown up right alongside Eventique. He settled down, got married, and he and his wife have an 8-year-old son. “We call him ‘the boss’ because he is in charge of everything. He’s the unofficial president of his class and school. Everywhere he goes, everyone knows who he is. … He’s a very, very confident, charismatic kid,” Chris says. Chris’ role at Eventique has evolved over the years, too. As the Vice President of Operations, Chris oversees every event the company puts on. He meets with leads, assigns teams to new clients, and creates budgets and estimates. Plus, he puts his bachelor’s degree in fine art and his graphic design skills to work. “I come up with concepts, ideas, and designs for stage sets and things along that line. A lot of the creative and concept work I do here rolls over from my background with graphic design and artwork,” he says. At heart, Chris is still an artist, just like he was in the DJ booth. The difference is that today, every event Eventique puts on is part of his canvas.
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4 2 Inside
The Mentorship That Almost Wasn’t
Selling Skincare With Flower Power
6 7
Meet Chris: DJ Turned VP
Our Monthly Event Rundown
BOOST YOUR MOOD WITH THIS EVENT HACK At Home or in the Office
Floral 101 “If you’re trying to bring up your spirits or make yourself feel just a little bit more alive, try putting a simple floral arrangement in your home office, your bedroom, or your bathroom,” Liron says. “People don’t realize it, but flowers are not just decor. They’re alive and they bring life to a space.” When you host a party, leverage the power of flowers with an eye-catching centerpiece on the dining or buffet table. This could be traditional (like a bouquet) or more modern (think flowers and petals floating in tall glass vases filled with water). You can also use multiple centerpieces of varying heights, sizes, and color palettes to add interest. To really charm your guests, consider positioning a single flower on each menu or in a small bud vase by their water glass. Bonus Tip: The Best Bouquet Ever To keep your flowers fresh longer and the water in your vases clear, add 1/4 teaspoon of bleach for every quart of water (yes, really). This trick works every time, and we’ve even seen flower buds open faster because of it.
Whether you’re stressed about work or want to breathe life into a potentially dull dinner party, the solution is the same: flowers! As Eventique founder Liron David explains on Pg. 2, floral arrangements are a key part of an event’s atmosphere. They’re works of art that catch the eye, spark conversation, and just make us feel good. You can harness that power at home to boost your mood and uplift your guests. Your Brain on Flowers Psychologists have found the sight of flowers releases three “happy chemicals” in the brain: dopamine, oxytocin,
and serotonin. The dopamine hit comes because flowers remind us of spring — a time when food is plentiful and living is easy. Oxytocin and serotonin are triggered by feelings of bonding and pride related to someone giving you flowers or the effort you put into finding them. These reactions are instinctive and powerful!
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