Annsley Machen named Director of Sales at SOHO Event Rentals

Fairhope, Ala. -- SOHO Event Rentals promoted Annsley Machen to Director of Sales.

Photo Credit: Wave Photo by Aislinn Kate

Annsley joined the team at SOHO in 2016 as an intern with the sales team. She has spent the last four years growing from intern to Rental Coordinator to Sales Manager and now Director of Sales. In her recent role as Sales Manager, Annsley was instrumental in helping SOHO grow and position as the premier event rental company in the area. Her knowledge of the market, dedication to her clients and mindset to always go the extra mile led to her climb to Director of Sales. “Having Annsley on our team is a blessing to me and the entire SOHO family. She is dedicated, hard-working, and so deserving of this new role. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this company with her leading the sales team.” says Amy Kohn, co-owner of SOHO.

During a challenging year for the event industry, Annsley helped launch a new company with our team, Decal Doodle, The Print Company. Her experience in sales and willingness to learn new things have been key in growing this new company.

When asked how she knew she wanted to work in the event industry, Annsley says, “When I began learning about the event/hospitality industry, I researched different career paths. Event rentals were something I wasn't as familiar with. I met the SOHO team while interning with The Pillars of Mobile and quickly found my passion for the event rental side of the industry. You can say the rest is history, ha! I have gained so much knowledge being on the rental side of things.... from logistics to event design and all the details in between... I love being a part of an event from beginning to end and seeing our client's dream become reality.”

A few of Annsley’s favorite things…
Drink at dinner: A glass of red wine
Place to vacation: Napa Valley, Calif.
Rental item: She has two: clear top Losberger tent and Sailcloth tent
Part of her job: “We have the BEST clients and have the opportunity to work in different cities/states in the southeast and along the gulf coast. I am so thankful to work with, learn from and create memorable events with some of the best event professionals in the industry.”

In her free time, she loves to unplug and spend time with friends and family. Annsley received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Business from the University of South Alabama (“Go Jags!”) in 2016. She and her husband Clay, along with their spunky Goldendoodle Samson, reside in Daphne, Ala.

White Round & White Square China

Hey y’all and welcome back to the blog! This week we are starting our china series with two of our most versatile collections, white round plates and white square plates. These collections are the most versatile options in our china and can be used in a multitude of facets. 

Let's start with our white round plates. This collection is our most standard china collection and one of our most used. It comes in a 10.5” dinner plate, 8” salad plate and bowl. This collection is very versatile and can be mixed with other china collections, such as our nest, gold rim, or heirloom collections. These plates can also be easily dressed up on down based on your selections of linen, silverware and glassware. You can also dress this collection up with a beautiful charger selection.

Pictured above: White Round China, Capri Brushed Copper Flatware, and Smoke Beaded Glass.

Next is our white square plates. This collection is another great versatile option for many events. It is a slightly more modern style of china than our standard collection. This collection comes in a 10” dinner plate, 8.5” salad plate, 7” dessert plate and 6” bread & butter plate. It also can be mixed and matched with other collections to create a unique look. Similar to the white round plates, you can dress this china collection up or down with your glassware, silverware and linen selections. As usual, the menu will affect the items in the collection you need.

Now that you know a little bit more about our white round plates and our white square plate china collections, which do you prefer? And what meal would you serve on these plates?

Till next time, cheers!

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!