Sara Thomas named Sales Manager at SOHO Event Rentals

Fairhope, Ala. -- SOHO Event Rentals recently promoted Sara Thomas to Sales Manager.

Photo Credit: Wave Photo by Aislinn Kate

Sara joined the team at SOHO in February 2020 as Rental Coordinator. Her hard work and dedication to her clients allowed Sara to quickly elevate in her position. During a crazy year for the event industry, she found a way to block out the noise, hustle, and continue to focus on growing in her career. In her role, she works with clients and partners to coordinate rentals for numerous types of events: weddings, social events, corporate events, and more. Previously, Sara worked in outside sales for a Fortune 500 company. “Sara is an integral part of our sales team. She does a wonderful job with our clients and through her work, you can see her passion for the event industry,” says Director of Sales, Annsley Machen.

When asked how she knew she wanted to work in the event industry, Sara says, “I have always loved planning events and the balance of the creative yet strategy of it, as a type-A person it allowed me to satisfy my need to have a plan while also being able to work closely with the team and clients to create beautiful events.” 

A few of Sara’s favorite things: 
Drink at dinner: Champagne 
Place to vacation: Anywhere with a beach
Rental item: Sailcloth Tent. She loves the beautiful material, high peaks, flags, and wood poles. 
Part of her job: The team, clients, and getting to be creative.

Sara loves to spend time with her friends and family. She also loves to travel, Alabama football, and shopping! Sara received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2018 from the University of South Alabama. She was born and raised in Fairhope, Ala. where she still lives with her two westies, Lucy and Leo.

Set the Table

Hey y’all and welcome back to the blog! This week we are going to kick off our series on china, glassware, and silverware by first discussing the different types of place settings. With the holidays right around the corner, use our images and keys as a reference when setting your holiday table. There are three different styles of place settings we work with most at SOHO: basic, informal, formal. Let's get started.

There are a few rules you should know before setting your place settings. First, is that utensils are set in the order they are used from the outside in. Second, is knives are always placed on the right side of your plate with the blade facing the plate. The exception to this is the butter knife which is placed on the butter plate. Spoons are typically placed on the right side of the plate, with the exception of the dessert spoon which is placed above your plate. Be sure to only set the utensils you will use. If you will not have a soup course there is no need to set a soup spoon. As a rule of thumb, your plates and silverware should be set about an inch from the edge of the table. You can use the tip of your thumb to measure the distance

Basic is the most simple place setting and potentially the one you use without realizing it. It is great for casual meals, such as brunches, casual dinner parties, or family gatherings. This place setting does not include dessert utensils and typically has fewer glasses involved. The center of this place setting will feature: your charger, your service plate, and a napkin. Take it up a knotch by adding menu card. The left side of this place setting will have your salad fork and dinner fork. The right side of the place setting will have your soup spoon and dinner knife. Reference the below picture if you ever have questions!

Pictured above: Silver Beaded Charger, White Round Dinner Plate, Nest Salad Plate, and Sentry Flatware Collection.

Second is the informal place setting. This is generally the most widely used for a variety of events. This type of place setting brings a sense of style without being overly formal. The center of this place setting will feature your service plate, napkin, and menu card. The left side of the place setting will have your salad fork and dinner fork. The right side of the place setting will have the soup spoon, salad knife, and dinner knife. The top of the place setting will have a dessert spoon. Again, save this picture as a guide to how to set up an informal place setting. 

Pictured above: Cotillion Collection China and Sentry Flatware Collection.

The final type of place setting is the formal place setting. As you could guess, this setting is the most formal option and is used for weddings, fine dining, or any event in which more than three courses will be served. In this style of place setting, a service plate will come with each individual course, so it will not be included in the setting. The center will have your charger plate, napkin, and menu card. The services plates will be placed on the charger at each service. The left side will have your salad fork, fish fork, and dinner fork. The right side of the place setting will have soup spoon, salad knife, and dinner knife. The top of the place setting will house your bread and butter plate, butter knife, dessert teaspoon, and dessert fork. The below image is a great reference for setting up a formal place setting. 

Pictured above: Hammered Ice Gold Band Charger, Gold Rim White China, and Arezzo Flatware.

Place settings are a fun way to combine functionality with style. Follow the few rules we mentioned earlier and have fun with it! As always, if you're having any event and are in need of any rentals, reach out to SOHO. We would love to work with you!

Till next time, cheers!

Mary Beth Massey named Director of Marketing at SOHO Event Rentals

Fairhope, Ala. - SOHO Event Rentals hired Mary Beth Massey on October 26, 2020, as the new Director of Marketing.

Photo Credit: Wave Photo by Aislinn Kate

Mary Beth joins the team at SOHO after spending the last seven years at the University of South Alabama in the Athletics Department. Her journey in athletics began when she interned with Athletics Marketing and Promotions in her final semester of undergrad in 2013. She began her master’s degree in 2014 while working as a Graduate Assistant for the department. Upon completion of her master’s degree, she accepted a full-time position as Athletics Development Specialist overseeing hospitality and restricted giving. In the summer of 2018, Mary Beth returned to marketing as the Marketing Coordinator for the department where she was responsible for social media, special events and the marketing contact for volleyball, softball, women’s basketball, track and cross country. 

In 2020 SOHO decided to add the Director of Marketing position to help position the company for future growth and expansion. According to Josh Kohn, COO of SOHO, “As SOHO continues to grow and mature, we realized we needed a creative, driven individual to help lead us to the next chapter. We have worked with Mary Beth on a freelance basis in the past with graphic design, so we are very excited to see what she can create managing all of our marketing efforts.” In addition to her marketing role at SOHO, Mary Beth is our graphic designer at our print company, Decal Doodle. 

“I am so excited to join the team at SOHO! I have been following this company since they helped with my wedding in 2016. Their passion for southern hospitality is unmatched and I cannot wait to be part of their journey,” said Mary Beth.

As a double alumna of the University of South Alabama and Mobile native, Mary Beth is a huge Jags fan. On the weekends in the fall, you can usually catch her sporting her jersey. When she’s not watching the Jags, she enjoys going for bike rides through downtown Mobile, getting margaritas with friends and visiting with her family. As an active member of Alpha Omicron Pi while at South she developed a passion to serve others. She spends her free time volunteering as an advisor and serving as the Alum Chapter President for the Mobile Alumnae Chapter. In addition, Mary Beth serves on the American Cancer Society’s Vintage Affair Committee as the Marketing/PR Chair.

Mary Beth received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2013 and a Masters of Education in Educational Leadership in 2015 from the University of South Alabama. She and her husband Michael, along with their dog Gumbo, reside in Mobile, Ala. 

Custom Dance Floor Wraps

Hi Y’all and welcome back! Today we are going to talk about dance floor wraps. Dance floor wraps are a fun way to bring an element of personalization or branding to your event. It just takes a beautiful dance floor up a notch. If you are interested in wrapping your dance floor, we recommend starting off with a blank slate and build from there. After you have selected the type and size of dancefloor we can begin discussing your customization options.

While we often see monograms, duograms and logos on dance floor wraps, don't be afraid to get creative. We can design additional details to the wrap, including; borders, florals, patterns, and more!

When wrapping your dance floor you can select to wrap a portion or the whole dance floor. If you select to wrap a portion, we will wrap a few sections in the center of the dance floor. If you opt to wrap the entire dance floor you have more room to get creative. Now that you know the amount of wrapping you want, let's discuss the design process. If you are wanting to use an existing logo or duogram you will need to provide the design. May also need the color selection for the wrap. We often refer to the pantone color chart to match colors for existing images. If you are designing your dance floor wrap from scratch we will work with you to develop a mockup of your image and assist you with color selection from the endless color options. Once we have developed a mockup you will get the chance to review it and make adjustments. When the final design is confirmed, you get to relax while we do the “heavy lifting”. All you have to do is look forward to your dance floor.

One thing to consider when thinking about your dance floor wrap design is how to keep it consistent. Whether you're having a wedding or a large scale corporate event, your dance floor wrap should feel authentic to your overall aesthetic or brand. Be sure to coordinate with any existing color schemes or branding.

Adding a custom dance floor wrap is a great way to elevate and brand your event. It adds a fun wow factor and can help pull the overall design for your event together. We want to know, what would you do for your dance floor wrap?