Italian Home for Children Virtual Gala 2020

The Italian Home for Children started 100 years ago during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Now, they’ve become a vital piece to the survival of the greater Boston community during a similar time of crisis. Saphier Events assisted filming on-site for their virtual program, managing and acquiring super-silent auction items, and event production on event day. The proceeds they raised during their annual Gala will go directly towards their therapeutic, educational, and residency programs that aid the families and youth in the community. 

If you’re interested in learning more about about the event, you can visit the event website here.

To view their full program, follow the links to YouTube below: 

• Pre-show

• Virtual Program

Science Club for Girls Virtual Catalyst Awards

Our second virtual event of the season honored outstanding leadership of individuals and institutions advancing diverse girls and women to succeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The goal of this event was to showcase the impact of their programs on the community. Saphier Events provided tips for all individuals pre-recording their part of the program, consulted on sponsorship opportunities, assisted in creating the event website and, for the first time ever, produced the event on event day. Science Club for Girls’ Virtual Catalyst Awards was able to raise over $150,000 for their free, hands-on educational and mentorship programs that are paving the way for a more diverse, inclusive world of STEM.

To learn more about Science Club for Girls and the Catalyst Awards recipients, visit their event website here.

Samaritans Virtual 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention

Every year, Samaritans, Inc. hosts a 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention at Artesani Park in Boston, MA. Due to COVID-19, they had to take their event virtual and, like many other non-profits, didn’t know where to start. We helped them pivot an incredibly communal event online for the first time ever. Saphier Events coordinated everything from event t-shirts and fundraising swag incentive drop-shipping to filming various parts of the open program to managing the super-silent virtual auction. If that wasn’t enough, Saphier Events was also able to move two key pieces of their event virtual: the Memorial Scrapbook and Ribbon Wall.

Even though this event went virtual, Samaritans, Inc. was able to raise over $550,000 USD for suicide prevention. All proceeds go towards their life saving services, including their 24/7 helpline, suicide prevention workshops, and grief support services available to the community free of charge.

To learn more about Samaritans, Inc., the virtual 5K and/or donate, visit their event website here. 

What we're up to: Virtual Events

Saphier Events has been working with our clients since late February to completely overhaul events and present them virtually, in some cases, to an even wider audience than originally planned. In fact, we produced one of the very first webinars in early March for the Boston event industry on the expected impact of COVID-19 on upcoming events. We provided information on existing and emerging virtual platforms, tips and best practices for producing virtual events, and the importance of staying engaged with your audience. Since then, we have continued to demo dozens of new virtual products and stay in touch with vendors, venues, non-profits, and other planners throughout the industry to be sure we can offer the best recommendations for our clients.

COVID-19: How to Prepare for Upcoming Events

As we all know, the COVID-19 situation is still evolving hourly. The full effects on the event planning industry as a whole still remain uncertain. Many of us have events coming up in the next days, weeks and months and the impact is still to be determined. As planners, it is our job to have back up scenarios prepared and to keep our clients, attendees, sponsors and other stakeholders informed and calm. 

Topics discussed: 

• How to prepare all stakeholders for an event cancellation

• What to do if you have an event planned for next week, next month, or in the fall, how do you deal with each of them in this climate

• Contracts and Insurance, currently and moving forward

• How are local vendors handling the situation

• What are the major differences when preparing for, and considering to cancel, a local event vs a national or international event

• How do I take my event virtual? 

To view the recording of this webinar, follow this link. 

If you’re looking for a second opinion regarding your current event, we would be happy to assist. Please email your question and/or concern to us at info@saphierevents.com.

Event Planning: From Start to Finish

Jennifer Saphier Whitman leads aspiring event planners through an all-day workshop: Event Planning: From Start to Finish. Hosted at Salem State University, planners learned how to expertly craft any event from start to finish and wow their attendees, colleagues, and boss. Topics included how to create a timeline and budget, work with various vendors and navigate,  negotiate contracts will be thoroughly discussed, and more! Everyone left the class feeling confident that they had the right tools in their toolbox to reach their target audience, engage them, and be profitable.

If you’re interested in signing up for this class, keep an eye out for Summer 2020 opportunities!

The 10th Annual National Mentoring Summit

The Saphier Events team recently wrapped up the 10th Annual National Mentoring Summit at the Renaissance DC Downtown, our 8th Summit! Over 1,300 attendees were able to enjoy over 100 presentations, three main stage plenaries, a VIP dinner at the Library of Congress and an advocacy day to promote MENTOR and the mentoring field on Capitol Hill. To celebrate 10 years of MENTOR’s impact across the country, we were thrilled to host Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad as a keynote speaker at the summit. As an Olympian, she spoke about her story as a role model, combatting stereotypes, and embodying authenticity. Saphier Events also arranged for a staff retreat, created and managed the registration site in CVENT, and handled all of the logistics for the many fabulous pop up meetings that happened along with the Summit. Planning is already underway for the 11th annual National Summit next year in January 2021! 

Click here to view Ibtihaj’s plenary session. 

To view all other plenary sessions at the 10th Annual National Mentoring Summit, visit MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership’s Youtube Channel.

Holiday Dog Photos with Santa

Circle Furniture Boston wanted to do something special to celebrate the holidays. They wanted to give back to a local shelter and animal hospital and chose MSPCA Boston’s Spike’s Fund. Each day animals who need medical treatment come to the MSPCA Boston. Unfortunately, their resources are limited when it comes to caring for expensive and time consuming medical cases, like emergency leg amputations, hip surgery, open heart surgery. That is why the development of Spike’s Fund became necessary to help those animals most in need of care and support. The special fund is supported through the donations who help them care for the sick and injured animals who cannot care for themselves. So, the Circle Furniture Boston team personally invited Santa to sit and take pictures with customers and their furry companions. There was a raffle to help fundraise. Some of the prizes included a gift card from Bacco’s, a gift basket from PolkaDog Barkery, a gift basket from Loyal Companion, a two-night stay with breakfast at the Park Plaza, and more! We were able to raise over $500 for the MSPCA’s Spikes Fund.

Saphier Events helped come up with the day’s creative concepts, managed registration for our owners and furry friends, brought in a catered spread, found great local businesses to partner with onsite and worked with a local vendor to produce custom logoed giveaways for all.

Impact Awards Breakfast

Photo Credit: Chris Dilts

The Impact Awards Breakfast is one of MENTOR Illinois’ annual events for leaders and innovators in Chicago philanthropy and the mentoring field which honors community organizations, businesses, and key individuals who are making a difference through mentoring. We heard inspiring stories from the award winners, met the leaders and innovators in the field, like Valerie Jarret, the Senior Advisor of the Obama Foundation and New York Times bestselling author, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward; Michael Strautmanis, the CEO of the Obama Foundation; and David Shapiro, the CEO of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership; and cheered on the champions who are advancing youth outcomes through mentoring. 

Saphier Events worked closely with MENTOR Illinois’ and the Obama Foundation on all of the advance prep and logistics for the event. We also managed all of the details in advance and onsite with the Urban League Club of Chicago, a historic downtown venue.

Go Big. Go Bold with Color

INTERIORS magazine Editor-in-Chief Erika Heet welcomed a panel of influencers in a lively, informative exploration of how seasonal colors are determined, the intersection of color in product and interior design, and navigating color trends in design. The panel featured Spencer Bass, the Creative Director of American Leather; Eric Haydel, Designer and former ASID New England President; and Elyse Parkhurst, Principal and Co-founder of Norfolk Design. Topics of discussion included how designers choose and name their colors, the psychology behind color choice, how neutrals are used for the foundation of design and more! 

Saphier Events worked with all of the panelists in advance of the event to insure a cohesive presentation and also directed all of the logistics including registration, menu, setup and colorful favors.

This Old House Season Finale Premiere

For the third event in our Circle Furniture event series, we premiered the season Finale of This Old House at their Cambridge, MA location. A long time client of Circle Furniture, and host of This Old House, Kevin O’Connor, offered them an opportunity they couldn’t refuse: to stage furniture in the project house and to be featured on the season finale. With over 200 registrations, this quickly became our most popular event to date. Kevin came to talk about the project and gave our attendees a behind the scenes look before viewing the finale together. 

To learn more about Kevin O’Connor and This Old House, visit his website.

2019 Investors vs. Entrepreneurs Golf Tournament

GreenLight Fund hosts the Investors vs. Entrepreneurs Golf Tournament annually. This tournament allows GreenLight Fund to celebrate the newest addition to their portfolio organizations. This year, however, was a little different GreenLight Fund celebrated a huge milestone in their mission by reaching 100,000 children, youth, and families annually. Not only is the tournament used as a fundraising tool for GreenLight Fund and their current and future portfolio organizations, it is used as a networking tool for their investors and entrepreneurs to get to know each other and network on the links. Saphier Events sponsored a hole, coordinated venue communication, in-kind donation outreach for the raffle, provided on-site support and managed the tournament foursomes. Planning has already begun for 2020!

Geared Up for Kids

Saphier Events has had the pleasure of working with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation every year for the last 10 years to plan their Geared Up for Kids event. This event is a bike ride and 5K walk run to help fundraise for children’s brain tumor research. After the race, attendees and their families can enjoy a festival filled with music, food, and activities. Saphier Events took care of everything from the permit approvals and route planning, to the full breakfast and lunch donations, and the on-site set up, vendor management and producing the event signage.

BCA Ball at Boston Center for the Arts

Last Month, Saphier Events had the pleasure of assisting the Boston Center For The Arts in hosting their annual Ball at the Cyclorama. The team worked with the BCA’s exclusive caterers, PBD Events and High Output to create a sensual experience throughout the night. There was also a live performance from the Connections Dance Theatre group who performed an excerpt from the Conference of the Birds. During the evening, 350 guests had the opportunity to play the Mystery Box game and purchase art from current resident artists. All proceeds from the event directly funded the BCA’s innovative artist residency programs in visual and public art, music, dance and theatre. 

For more information about this year’s BCA Ball, follow the link below: 

http://www.bcaonline.org/bcaball/about-the-bca-ball.html

Circle Up: Women's Networking Night

This was the second event in a series of six that Saphier Events had the pleasure of planning. Hosted at Circle Furniture’s Middleton store, local businesses and women across the North Shore were invited to participate in a night of networking. Saphier Events wanted to take this networking event to the next level: guests were encouraged to participate in conversation circles that were facilitated by women in business. Some of the topics included: How do I find and keep my customers?, The Secrets to Running a Growing Business, Thriving Your Encore Years - Rewriting Retirement, The Power of Networking, and more! 

In addition to strengthening the North Shore community, Circle Furniture wanted to give back to it. We invited the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, an organization that helps women that have been impacted by domestic violence, to join us and provide information about the Crisis Center. We hosted an onsite raffle and raised over $500 for the programs and services the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center provides. 

100th Anniversary Gala for The Italian Home for Children

Hosted at the Larz Anderson Car Museum, The Italian Home for Children celebrated 100 years of service on their great lawn. The Saphier Events team assisted with everything from logistical planning and and a spectacular decor scheme, to in-kind donation outreach and support to the committee. This event featured stories from Italian Home’s past, present and future.. With the collective efforts of 280 guests, The Italian Home for Children raised $425,000 to continue their charitable work to support youth in need. Planning has already begun for their 2020 Gala!

National Mentoring Summit

The Saphier Events team recently wrapped up the 9th annual National Mentoring Summit at the Renaissance DC Downtown, our 7th Summit! Over 1,300 attendees were able to enjoy over 100 presentations, three main stage plenaries, a VIP dinner at the Library of Congress and an advocacy day to promote MENTOR and the mentoring field on Capitol Hill. We also arranged for a staff retreat with a nighttime trolley tour of the monuments, created and managed the registration site in CVENT and handled all of the logistics for the many fabulous pop up meetings that happened along with the Summit. Planning is already underway for the 10th annual National Summit next year on January 29-31, 2020!

“Saphier Events has been an integral partner for the National Mentoring Summit for years, taking our annual event to new heights through a strategic, thoughtful, and personalized approach... [Saphier Events has] broken attendance records year over year and... [have become an] authentic extension of our organization and the people we serve.”

PRISM at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA)

Hosted at the Cyclorama on Tremont St. in Boston, the BCA orchestrated a fundraiser event to support their artists in residence. PRISM was an immersive experience that featured a captivating light show, live painting, live fashion photography, an art installation, and dancing. Saphier Events jumped in to offer support in the month leading up to the event. We worked with their in kind sponsors: Lolita's, Elephant Walk, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, Bombay Sapphire, Lord Hobo and Polar Seltzer, finalized details with vendors, secured donations for the PRISM Pick and lead the event onsite. The successful event exceeded their fundraising goal and was attended by over 400 guests. See more at theprismparty.com.

“The revenue generated from Cyclorama events is integral in supporting the BCA’s programmatic vision, and with Jennifer’s guidance and expertise, BCA has exceeded sales goals year after year.” —Kristi Keefe, Chief Operating Officer, Boston Center for the Arts

An Evening of Hope & Possibility

This event is May Institute’s biggest fundraising effort of the year that is a true celebration of generosity. The impact of this event affects every program in their organization. May Institute has an incredibly diverse history of providing services to individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, brain injury and neurological disorders, and other special needs. They represent not only hope and possibility, but a lifetime of firsts for the children and adults in our care, their families, employees, Board members--those who make up the fabric of the May Institute community.  

Saphier Events led the charge on event and venue logistics, worked intimately with the event committee and co-chairs, and was responsible for acquiring and assembling prizes for the live auction and over 150 mystery boxes. We also came out in full force onsite from setup to teardown and provided stage management, decor planning and setup and backend support.

Click here to see more photos from the night’s event.

Full Circle: The Future of Boston Design

With the help of the Saphier Events team, Circle Furniture hosted a brunch-time panel, at their downtown Boston location, to learn about the future design of Boston and its impact on your next move during Boston Design Week. This event featured three experts: Pauline Donnelly, the Principal/Broker at Donnelly + Co.; Joe Selvaggi, a Financial Planner and Investment Advisor at Baystate Financial; and Philip Hu, an Urban Planner at the Boston Planning and Development Agency. The panel was moderated by Circle Furniture’s very own Communications Director, Erica Tubman. With over 100 registrations, attendees were able to express their concerns and ask questions about various resources to stay updated on projects happening around our city. 

This was Saphier Events first event with Circle Furniture and many more are planned. Our niche is events for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. We love helping to showcase a small businesses’ brand and all of their unique attributes. To stay up to date on events happening near you at Circle Furniture, sign up for their newsletter on the Circle Furniture Website. 

To learn more about the panelists, visit the event link below: 

https://futureofbostondw.eventbrite.com