The Knot Market Mixer

I’m always excited to go to mixer events, especially when everyone in our office goes. This past Tuesday March 11, 2014 we were lucky enough to go to the Knot Market Mixer at the Hilton Orlando on Destination Parkway. As soon as we walked through the doors of the Hilton they had staff passing out hors d’oeuvres. What was unique about these hors d’oeuvres was the tray they were being served on. The tray was a picture frame of The Knot magazine. It was something I’ve never seen before! One of the items on the trays that also caught my eye was a Popsicle mimosa.

Our team had to grab one and take a quick photo. After seeing this drink I was very excited to see what the theme was. We all signed in and made our way outside to the event space. The first steps outside were breath taking. I’ve never been to the Hilton before so I didn’t know what their space looked like. There was so much décor surrounding a custom wrap dance floor that said The Knot.

I started to explore and the first thing I walked up to was a snowflake ice bar. Doug, the bartender, informed me that located around the space were four different bars; each bar had a different specialty drink. I then figured out that the whole theme of the Knot Mixer was seasons! I passed up on the winter drink because I wanted to save the Mexican Hot Cocoa for dessert.

Our team started to venture to a big white tent. As we walked towards the tent we walked by gorgeous furniture by AFR that I couldn’t help take a picture of. The tent was magnificent with all the chandeliers hanging down. I felt like I was in a classy spring garden. Although we were in the spring part of the venue we were very close to the fall section where there were making Jalapeno Martinis with Honey Whip. Being daring, Danielle, Megan and I tried the martini. It was way too spicy for all of us, so instead of drinking it we just took an artsy photo to remember we were willing to try the unique drink.

After we explored we started to run into some familiar faces such as Our DJ Rocks, SNAP photography, Cut the Cake, Big City Catering, Puff n Stuff Catering, AFR Furniture Rental, Victoria Angela Photography, Sensational Ceremonies, Orlando Museum of Art, Imprint Cinema, and A Magic Moment Photography. It was nice to catch up with these vendors outside an event. We also met some new faces such as BBJ  Linen, Photo Mingle, and the Leonard Brothers Band. 

While mingling with all the vendors the models in wedding dresses came out to the dance floor for some photos. The whole night I was waiting for someone to go dance and I thought they were going to start the party. Sadly they didn’t, soon after though, Kristina from Big City Catering made her way onto the dance floor. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity so I joined her on the dance floor. The Leonard Brothers started to play some classic songs like “Shout” and soon enough our whole team from OSC was dancing! Not many other people joined us to dance, but our team had a fun time being silly together on the dance floor.

At the end of the night, the lights dimmed and in the far corner a firework sign went off displaying The Knot logo. Soon after The Knot sign went off there were fireworks roaring in the sky. I joked about how romantic it was but it actually was a great way to end the night alongside our OSC team.  I very much enjoyed The Knot Market Mixer. It was something I’ve never seen before, I saw familiar faces along with new ones, and most importantly had fun with my OSC family. I can’t wait for the next The Knot Market Mixer!

Peace, love, and dinos,
Kayla
Event Coordinator

Orlando Business Journal Article

The Orlando Science Center was featured on Orlando Business Journal’s front cover in their most recent print edition! Our Director of Meetings and Events, Helen, was interviewed about our space and the different events that we host here at the Orlando Science Center.

Here is a snippet of the article online as well as a photo of our Dino Digs in the slide show. In order to read the full article you must be a subscriber to the Orlando Business Journal. The link is http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/print-edition/2014/02/21/check-out-some-of-orlandos-unique.html

Helen was asked a few questions about our facility and they are included here below!

What are some of the most memorable themes, meetings or conventions that have been held at this venue?

Several years ago, we were chosen to be the venue for the annual Orlando Business Journal Business Growth Expo. Hosting this event was a wonderful experience and helped expose Orlando Science Center to a unique audience. OBJ brought in local businesses to showcase their products throughout all of our exhibit halls and classrooms. At the end of the tradeshow, guests enjoyed a celebration in DinoDigs paired with excellent food and beverages from a local caterer. The event took place on a Wednesday while we were closed to the general public and it had a great turn out.

Our Crosby Observatory is home to Florida’s largest refractor telescope and also serves as a great VIP reception space to reward guests for being “out of this world.” Located in the dome, on the top level of Orlando Science Center, guests can enjoy dazzling views of downtown and the night sky coupled with an intimate dinner. As an added treat, we’ve had clients purchase stars through our adopt-a-star program to recognize their attendees. Each star that’s purchased comes with a personalized certificate, viewing gadgets and a story behind each star.

Are there any new technologies that you use today, that were not available when the science center first opened? Be as specific as possible.

Throughout the past few years, social media has played a major role in marketing our events. Being a nonprofit, we have a limited marketing budget, but through sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr we are able to share our event spaces via photos of past events and reviews from loyal clients. These social platforms are widely used, available, user-friendly and really helps to market our spaces.

The style of our events range from casual to black tie, so why not dress our dinosaurs to code? One of our recent celebrations wanted one of our featured dinosaurs dressed to the nines and provided us with a pink and green polka-dotted, dino-sized bow-tie to be placed around the neck of a T-rex.

 

How does the science center manage to remain so successful as a meeting/convention venue?

In addition to having wonderful, conveniently located event space, Orlando Science Center has a team of dedicated and passionate event professionals. We treat each event as if it is the only one on our calendar, guaranteeing an outstanding experience from the initial site visit through the final event evaluation. We repeatedly hear from our clients that it is the meetings and events team that truly made their event that much better.

Being a new intern, I was surprised to see the different types of events that the Science Center hosts. The staff goes above and beyond to accommodate all types of events and they assist in adding a special twist. The Orlando Science Center is a unique and sophisticated event venue located in the heart of Orlando. The staff here goes above and beyond to ensure that every guest is satisfied, whether the guest is hosting an event or just visiting for the day. The Science Center is full of life and beauty and is perfect for anyone looking to have an event that dazzles.

Stay tuned,
Stephanie
Event Assistant