Local Vendor Spotlight: Aunt B's Cakes & Desserts

So, we have a confession...

we love cake. Not just any cake, however. We love a gorgeously decorated cake that tastes as phenomenal as it looks. We are also lucky enough to have a vendor in Traverse City who is able to fulfill all of our (and our client's) cake dreams. Ever. Single. Time.

We would like to dedicate this blog post to a woman who is always fabulous, always professional, and always able to provide mouth-watering desserts: Ann Barraclough, owner of Aunt B's Cakes & Desserts. We asked Ann a couple of questions and also asked her to provide some examples of her absolute favorite cakes. Enjoy!

1. How long have you been in business? 

I have had my commercial kitchen since 2006, but have been making cakes and desserts for as long as I can remember. I have always loved to be in the kitchen creating baked goods as well yummy dinners.

A Cheetah-licious Purse Cake. Purrrr-fect!

2. What is your favorite flavor of wedding cake?

I love all cakes, but I would have to say that if I were going to pick a favorite it would be almond white with fresh berries and vanilla bean buttercream. (editor's note: uhhhh....yum. I had to stop typing for a quick minute so I could focus on making my mouth stop watering in the office)

Every Cake is Unique!

3. What makes Aunt B's Cakes unique?

Aunt B's is unique in the fact that I try to make each special occasion cake personalized and sculpting is one of my favorite things to do. As for wedding cakes, I like to meet with the couple and figure out what there inspiration points are for their wedding and try to make a cake that they and their guests will remember for the beauty as well as taste.

Elegant and Fun.

4. Your favorite cakes you ever created?

As far as some of my favorite creations, I think I have done some truly gorgeous wedding cakes with the help of the bride and groom in creating a great design. For birthday cakes I think some of my favorites would be the frog prince, yellow submarine and Captain Morgan girl.

The Frog Prince!

5. What made you start a Cake company in Traverse City?

I love working with clients here in the Traverse City area. We have so many local weddings as well as destination weddings. I also really enjoy getting to know locals here in the TC area.

The cake "leaves" us breathless...get it?

6. So...do you make your own Birthday cakes?

Our family chooses to have pies for our birthday's. We are fortunate enough to be able to eat cake almost everyday.

It's a girl...and an adorable cake!

Ladies in the Business

As ladies in the hospitality business, we know that as hard as we work, sometimes we need to sit back and have a night of networking and relaxing with women who can relate.

So, we created a group called "Ladies in the Business" and we are very glad that we did. We've had successful turn outs at past Happy Hour events and we want to use this blog post to give you a bit of information about the first Ladies in the Business Happy Hour of 2013!

Happy Hour will be taking place from 5-8pm (or whenever you want to go home, really...we plan on arriving a bit early to sample the wine. What are friends for, right?) on Wednesday, April 10th at Left Foot Charley Winery located in The Village at the Grand Traverse Commons. Come join us for an amazing night of delicious food, fabulous wine, and of course a fantastic night of socialization!

As with any good event the more the merrier! Feel free to bring along your lady-friends in the Hospitality industry.

Check out our Facebook invitation for more information, but we hope to see you all there and are looking forward to another great Ladies in the Business Happy Hour!

Meet our New Events Coordinator, Rachel!

We are very glad to introduce Rachel, our new Events Coordinator. Rachel will be working with us until August, so hopefully you get the chance to get to know her! We already love her and she's only been here since the beginning of the year.

Take it away, Rachel!

1. Give us a little background information! Where are you currently enrolled? What is your major? Any other details?

            I am originally from Midland, MI and graduated from Midland High School in 2006. I spent the first two years after high school enrolled in community college with plans to transfer to a university to major in Athletic Training. After taking all my medical prerequisites and transferring into Central Michigan University's Athletic Training program I discovered that the medical field was definitely not for me. My roommates at the time were majoring in Recreation and couldn't stop talking about how much they loved all their classes and what they were learning. After taking a few classes in recreation I feel in love with the field, particularly the event planning side of  recreation. This fall I finished my course work for my Bachelors of Applied Arts with a major in Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services with a concentration in Commercial Recreation (which for any who don't know is any form of recreation that is for profit) and Facility Management. I minored in Event Management and Hospitality. This 30 week internship is the last step I need to complete before graduating in August 2013.

2. How did you find Events North and what captured your attention and made you apply?

            My boyfriend is from Northern Michigan and loves the Traverse City area. We had been living together for almost a year and he was looking at jobs in this area. I decided to do some research on event companies that I could possibly fulfill my internship at in Traverse City. I came across Events North on their website. Looking through all the event planning services that they provided that ranged from weddings, corporate events, fundraising, and non-profit really caught my attention. I haven't narrowed down what area of event planning, if any, I would prefer to work in as of now and felt that working with a company that had experience working in all areas would be a great experience. The testimonials from clients and all the achievements Allison and Events North have achieved helped solidify my opinion that I could learn so much from working with this company. I had no idea if Events North even accepted interns until I emailed Allison about any type of learning experience that they offered to students. After interviewing with Allison and Meaghan I was even more excited about the possibility of working for Events North.

3. What are you most excited about?

            I am most excited about all the great opportunities I will have to work on events and take what I have learned through my college course and apply it to the real world. I am also excited for all the amazing people I will be networking with. One of my professors always said "It's not what you know but who you know". After the first week I have already met so many amazing people who love their jobs and are fantastic at them. I can't wait to see what I can learn from them and apply it to my work in the future.

4. How was your first week?

            My first week has flown by. I can't believe that it is already Friday. I was a little worried starting this week on how I would adjust to working a nine to five job (even though there will be nights and weekend events and meetings that I will have to attend) as I have spent the last six years working at restaurants and late night shifts. But surprisingly I haven't had a problem adjusting. I think it has something to do with how much I actually enjoy coming into work. Every day is different and very hands-on, which for me as a hands-on learner is fantastic. Being included in meetings and having my own projects to work on has really helped me to feel a part of the company. I am looking forward to what the next twenty nine weeks will bring.

5. What are your favorite hobbies? 

            I love to read! Everything from Harry Potter to Chelsea Handler to Fifty Shades of Grey. I bought a Kindle Fire last year and it has made my love of reading so much easier. I also love to spend time outdoors. I recently starting snowboarding and love spending the day out on the slope even though I am still learning and fall very often. Now that I am living in Northern Michigan I am hoping my snowboarding skills will improve. Once the weather starts to warm up I plan to spend a lot of my time disc golfing, which is another skill that I hope will improve because as of now I really am not that good  but it is a great way to get outside. Like most women I love to lay on the beach sipping a cold drink and soaking up the sun.

6. Favorite movie? Color? Food?

            My favorite color is blue and in all shades especially the bright ones. I love Italian food. Making some sort of pasta is always my go-to meal. Favorite movie is a little more difficult to narrow down. I would have to say my top movies are Moulin Rouge, Dirty Dancing, Grown Ups,  and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

7. Tell us a random fact about yourself!

            I am the oldest out of six children. There Lisa (22), Evan (18), Kathryn (10), Marissa (7), and Emily (3). So I am used to having lots of people around and more often than not a little bit of chaos. It took me a while to adjust to living on my own, it was very empty and quite at first.

           

Events North New Office!

A new year is a great time to bring about new things, people, and places...which is why we are very excited to give you a virtual tour of our brand new Events North Head Quarters!

While we loved our office space right above U & I Lounge, we needed to expand and find somewhere that was slightly roomier. That's why when we found this fantastic office space in the Chase bank building (right next door to our friends at The National Cherry Festival), we could not pass it up. We're making big moves over here and we are very happy to share them with you!

So, without further ado, I present to you some photos of the Events North office space.

We have a conference room! 

Meaghan no longer has to be suffocated by boxes during event weeks! We now have an entire workspace -- so much more room to store our materials and create decor for our clients.

Allison has her own office space -- including a huge bulletin board to help keep us up to date on current Traverse City happenings. 

Meaghan and Rachel's workspace. This is what you will see if you step into our main room. We will be introducing Rachel to everyone next week.

Most importantly... our gum ball machine full of Skittles. You're welcome.

Make sure to stop by to our new office and say hello -- we love guests! Also, be on the lookout for next week's blog post when we interview our new Events Coordinator, Rachel.

Tis the Season: Top Winter Treats for Your Event

Let's just take a second to be honest here.

While the Holidays are first and foremost about family and tradition and being thankful for all that you have, no Holiday soiree is complete without some adorably-tasty Holiday treats.

While some families or events have their traditional meals/treats/etc.etc. that they make every single year, others are on the hunt for new, fun, and delicious ideas. Well, do not fret. We have you covered.

We took it upon ourselves to scour the Internet for the most precious and delectable Holiday treats we could find. We tried to limit the treasures we located to things that looked like they were actually make-able and not something that you would have to custom order from your local bakery. It was a tough and tedious job to find all of these goodies, but someone had to sacrifice...and we were that someone.


1. Strawberry Santas (recipe)

Photo: Coupon Cousins.

2.  Reindeer Noses

Photo: Pinterest Most Wanted

3. Snowman Cookies (recipe)

Photo: My Pretty Purse

4. Strawberry Tree (recipe)

Photo: Taste

One last note: this will be our last blog post of 2012. We look forward to continuing the blog with Event tips, our personal event recaps, local vendors, randomisity, and introducing a fabulous new intern in 2013. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful holiday season!

Questions to Ask Before Signing a Venue Contract

We love managing the venue rentals for our clients -- We also realize how important it is to thoroughly check off some important questions when looking to book a venue for your wedding or event. As the rental managers, we are asked a lot of questions, so we would like to provide you with a list of what we consider to be some of the most important questions to ask before booking your venue.

1. What do I have to work with decor-wise?
Take note of what is already hanging on the walls, what the carpets look like, wall color, etc. Observe your surroundings as you do your venue walk-through. Ask the venue rental manager what can be removed Vs. what has to stay. Make sure that your wedding colors won't contrast with anything that cannot be removed!

2. What is near-by my venue?
This can either work in your favor or against you. Make sure to check out community calendars before booking your event so you can be sure that there will not be anything that conflicts with parking or that there will not be disruptive noise. Also, check to see where the nearest hotel is in proximity to your venue. If your wedding or event is at a fantastic venue, but the nearest hotel is 45 minutes away, you may want to reconsider.

3. What is included in the rental fee? Tables and chairs? Linens?
Make sure you know exactly what you're getting for the fee you're paying. Some venues may include tables and chairs, while others tack on extra rental costs for them. Likewise with linens- if your venue does not offer linens with the rental fee, make sure you know the exact type and how many you'll need so that you can order them yourself.

4. Does my venue come with a coordinator?
Some venues provide a day-of event coordinator for you. Others do not. Make sure you check to see if your venue provides this added bonus...and also see exactly what duties the day-of coordinator takes care of while on site!

5. What hours do I have access to the venue?
Some venues may not allow you to start setting up until a few hours before your event...and also require you to tear down in the few hours after your event. Making sure to find out when you are able to get into your venue as well as when your event needs to end/you need to clean up is a key factor in securing the right venue!

6. Does your venue allow you to bring your own food and beverages or do you have to work with what is available on-site?
Some venues require you to use their own caterer and bar service, which can add up in the long run. Before you book your venue, ask what their policy is on food and alcohol. Some venues let you work with the caterer of your choice/ bring in your own alcohol.

7. Having your event during "off-season" or on a week night?
Ask the Venue Rental manager if there is a reduced rate if you are holding your event in the off season or on a week night. Most venues will want to book as many events as possible, so their rates may be flexible in times when they are not as busy.

8. Check the reviews.
Do your homework and check outside sites for venue reviews. Venues are likely to only post their most stunning reviews on their personal website, so make sure to check outside sources for reviews so you can be sure to get the full scoop.


There are plenty of other questions that you can ask your potential venue, but these will definitely help you to get a great start. Happy venue-hunting!

Just When You Thought You Knew All About Facebook

If you're like me, you've attended countless Social Media presentations that teach you the ins and outs of Facebook and utilizing it to promote your company and event.

While I'm sure at this point you could probably give a "Facebook-How-To" presentation in your sleep, we recently stumbled upon a few articles that provide some interesting insight into when you should be utilizing Facebook to do said promotions and so-called "Facebook Blasts."

Just when you thought you knew everything there is to know...here are a few tips we wanted to "share" that you may "like" (Facebook jokes...they never get old).

1. In general, Wednesday is the worst day to post: interactions on Wednesdays are 7.4% lower than average.

2. Off-hours are the best time to post. Posts between 8pm and 7am received a 14% higher interaction than those published between 8am and 7pm.

3. Less is more when it comes to posts. Posting one to two times a day instead of going with the overkill route of five to...fifteen shows a 19% higher interaction rate.

4. A self-imposed 80 character wall for Facebook posts receives a 23% higher interaction than longer posts (but 75% of posts are beyond that limit currently!)

5. Use recognizable URLs (IE www.shopping.com/Raincoats instead of www.shopping.com/723582345/html/rain.coats.8213.post=213549fYl...we have no idea what that link means either. Nor do I think it actually leads you anywhere, so don't waste your time attempting to click it.)

6. Have your fans caption a picture or to "fill in the blank" -- both of those give you 4x more interaction.

7. You can schedule your posts! To schedule a post, switch to your page's admin view and look for a clock under the status window. Click that clock, and add the year, month, date and time you want your post to publish. Once you do this, a window will pop up to confirm that you have scheduled the post. Who knew!?

8. Highlight important posts -- highlighting fan posts is a great way to show that you care about your client's and site visitor's opinions. You can do this by clicking the "X" on the right corner of a post and selecting "highlighted on page."

9. Keep track of your "likes" so that you can return the favor. By making sure to "like" another company's page when they "like" yours, you show that you appreciate their acknowledgement of your Facebook page.


Sources:
Ragin
Mashable

We hope that these tips and tricks are helpful and that you haven't already heard them multiple times. I found them interesting and fresh, so I hope you do as well! Good luck Facebooking!