Profiles of Canadian Success: Designing Trendz

Designing Trendz by DMS Video Productions Toronto 

Designing Trendz Inc. is a full service event design and décor company with a talented creative team dedicated to orchestrating every aspect of an event, professionally and with flair.  Based in Toronto, the company has been producing stellar award winning events since its inception in 2001. Today Designing Trendz continues to take pride in dedicating themselves to the needs of their discerning loyal clients and ensuring that each client’s needs are carried beyond décor to include all aspects of an occasion to produce the most stunning events imaginable.

Lead by Creative Director Craig Gruzd, Designing Trendz is comprised of a full service staff: Event Managers, In-House Floral Designers, Decorators, Prop Designers, Drivers and General Studio Employees, housed in a 10,000 square foot: office, showroom, floral studio and warehouse.

Discovering his artistic and creative talents at a young age Craig Gruzd dreamt of an outlet for his passions. Determined to discover a way to use those talents Craig moved from South Africa to Toronto to realize his dreams. Craig came to Canada with a background in catering and quickly gained employment within the special events industry. During that time Craig noticed that a void existed between aspects of the industry, specifically a void between the décor and other elements used to create an event. Recognizing this as an opportunity Craig founded a modest event design company to bridge the gap. Previously decor elements such as centerpieces, linens, lighting and even event entertainment lacked cohesiveness, Designing Trendz Inc. was born.

Craig founded the company on the basic principal of total event design and changed the face of the industry. Since founding the company, Designing Trendz has become one of the largest event design and décor firms in the country. With Craig at the helm as Creative Director, Designing Trendz has created numerous unforgettable events taking inspiration from colour, texture, design, art and architecture.

Craig and his expert team of designers and managers now travel the world in search of the latest ideas and trends constantly raising the bar for event design and décor. Known for setting new standards, Craig is in high demand as one of the most sought after speakers at industry events.

In his busy schedule Craig is committed to giving back to the community. He is active in developing the next generation of event professionals by working with students at colleges, assisting them in realizing their dreams.

This is a profile of a Canadian Event Success Story, just one of the new and creative ways CEP Magazine showcases amazing, talented event professionals in Canada.  CEP Magazine: a Canadian company, dedicated to Canadian business.

Add Mist..ery to Event Cocktails

A Great Idea

Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card Holder

A breathtaking topiary – always the stunning showpiece of an exquisitely arranged garden – is the inspiration for this dramatic design. The Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card Holder will bring the same engaging charm to your wedding reception tables. Nobly rising from a well-crafted, dark-wood planter is the finely manicured, round, rich green foliage – an artisan's hallmark. Every topiary can hold a cherished photo of the happy couple or a place card. The topiaries, which come in sets of four, measure 4" h x 2" w.

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Winnipeg Serves Up Highstyle 2010

On April 21, 2010 over 30 Local Winnipeg Wedding and Event Industry Leaders partnered for the 2nd Annual Highstyle photo shoot event at The Historic Fort Garry Hotel, Spa & Conference Centre.

Throughout the day eight models and over 50 participants from the most innovative and inspiring event suppliers, representing the "best of the best" from across Manitoba created unique and breathtaking table designs, sets and fashion spreads revolving around five unique and decadent event themes. The themes included: Urban Glam, Vintage Charm, Royal Affair, Garden Romance and Indian Summer.  

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Everybody Wants an Idea Hunter For Their Events

Design Alert: Pantone Names Color of the Year 2010

Design ALERT. The hottest color of the year is out.  

Pantone is pleased to announce PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the Color of the Year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

In many cultures, Turquoise is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that to many people, Turquoise represents an escape, taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting – even if it is only a fantasy.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

MVKA Creates Olympic Lounge in Miele Showroom Gallery

MVKA Productions partners with Pacific Newspaper Group to produce premium Hospitality Suite “Publish Lounge at the Miele Showroom Gallery” for the Olympic Games

The Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers are hosting an exclusive hospitality suite, “Publish Lounge at the Miele Showroom Gallery”. This by invitation only hospitality  suite offered private guests a comfortable lounge setting to watch live 2010 Winter Games broadcasts, enjoy fresh local cuisine, sample B.C. beer and wine, check out some of the best local DJs, network and share the Games experience. Vancouver based event design & production company, MVKA Productions  has collaborated with Pacific Newspaper Group to transform the Miele Showroom Gallery into a spectacular hospitality venue. Cool sleek lounge settings, special lighting effects, multiple screens for viewing live event broadcasts, free wireless internet and daily complimentary newspapers will ensure a memorable experience.

“Olympic Games hospitality suites are an integral part of the Games offering clients, partners, athletes and their families a private setting away from the crowds to enjoy the Games experience”, says Martin van Keken, CEO of MVKA Productions.

“Publish Lounge at the Miele Gallery is The Vancouver Sun and The Province newspaper’s opportunity to host our clients during this historical event,” says Jamie Pitblado, Vice President, Promotions & Community Investment, Pacific Newspaper Group. “The world is watching Vancouver and we have one shot at getting this right. We knew that MVKA Productions could help us deliver the best experience for our clients.”

Nightly performances by local DJ Leanne and her team of DJs incorporating live performances by local musicians are entertaining guests throughout the 17 days of the Games. The Glowbal Catering Group is offering daily exquisite culinary creations made with the finest local ingredients, hosting a delicious selection of Italian, West Coast, East Coast, Asian fusion and scrumptious desserts. Utilizing the Miele showroom’s permanent stylish vignette kitchens, the culinary affair is an interactive, live kitchen party experience.

Its a Bird, Its a Plane, its…. Flying Brands?

Picture the Calgary skyline filled with Nike swooshes. Or the golden arches of McDonald's gently drifting over Vancouver.  Well a unique company has come up with a way to fill the sky with foamy clouds shaped like corporate logos – Flogos, as he they refer to them. Former magician Francisco Guerra developed a machine that produces tiny bubbles filled with air and a little helium, forms the foam into shapes and pumps them into the sky. The Walt Disney Co. is using one to send out foamies shaped like Mickey Mouse heads into the air at Walt Disney World, Mr. Guerra said.

"It's a shock factor when you look up and there's a logo over your head," said Mr. Guerra, whose company, Snowmasters, also makes machines that churn out fake snow and foam.

HOW IT WORKS – A boxlike contraption produces a specially formulated white foam and forces it upward through a stencil. Once the foam is several inches thick, a metal cutter slices it and a faux cloud floats away.

THE NUMBERS -A single Flogo can travel as far as 30 miles and as high as 20,000 feet, says Francisco Guerra (below), and the machine can produce one every 15 seconds. The maximum width is 4 feet.

THE IMPACT -The foam is environmentally safe because it's mostly water, air and a soapy agent that creates bubbles, Mr. Guerra says. Flogos pop just like bubbles and disappear when they hit a tree or building, sometimes leaving a powdery residue that blows away.Experts weigh in

Note Kathleen Bergen, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman, said Flogos would probably fall under rules pertaining to balloon launches. She said a local FAA office would need to be contacted before a Flogos launch so that pilots could be notified about it.

Matt Leible of Generation Outdoor, a New York agency specializing in outdoor advertising, said the Flogos machine's $3,500-per-day fee is a bargain compared to skywriting ($4,500 per day) or an airplane towing a banner ($5,000 per day).

Need Snow Inside in June?

Planners in need of snow inside in June have lots of options but what about the chill that goes with that white fluffy stuff? introducing Snowmasters new CO2 Jets. The cool part of this product is that it not only snows on your event wherever and whenever you want, but it also chills yourr event down to a  nippy 30 degrees in 6 seconds. Cryo Jets instantly creates special effects plumes of icy mist going up 30 feet high. These small effective machines can be hung from truss or mounted on just about anything. You can create mist, fog and snow and when you release the control the fog is gone in seconds. No need to worry about alarms because it leaves no trace in the air.   Those worried about chemicals need not be concerned. Carbon Dioxide, CO2, is a tasteless, colorless, odorless, nonflammable, liquefied gas. Carbon dioxide is an integral part of the basic life cycle in nature. It is exhaled by humans and animals, then used by plants to help them grow. Plants, in turn, release oxygen, which people depend on for survival. The nozzle sprays the liquid up into the air causing the surrounding humidity to condense into fog.
 

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