FROM THE EDITOR

Nature’s Gifts

Here in Minnesota, we only have a few months to enjoy being outside without layers of clothing and insulated boots. That’s why we take full advantage of the warm weather when we can. Beginning in May (well, June some years) my family gathers on our back deck for almost every meal. It’s our outdoor living and dining room, and although we have to fight off mosquitoes, raindrops and the occasional neighbor, we stubbornly insist that it would be a shame to waste the evening sitting inside staring at the TV.

Event professionals know how to take advantage of nature’s gifts as well, from wedding planners who find the perfect rose garden for their couple, to the rental company that specializes in setting up tents on difficult sites, to festival organizers who manage thousands of revelers spread over acres.

That’s not to say that outdoor events don’t have their challenges. Weather, of course, is always a wild card (even in California, where it “never rains”). Power requirements can be difficult at some sites, above ground and underground obstacles can make a load-in and set-up seemingly impossible, and parking and transportation can be a serious issue if you’re using a nontraditional venue.

But planners and suppliers alike know that there are always ways to work through the challenges, with a healthy dose of expertise, creativity and teamwork.

In this issue, we introduce you to some of these professionals and take you to a mountaintop on Maui, an airport tarmac in California and a picture-perfect beach in The Hamptons. We also bring you a case study in how a creative planning team switched to Plan B when rain threatened their massive outdoor event.

And there’s more. Check out our tips and tricks for outdoor events and take a look at some stunning tents. We’ve even called on Preston Bailey to tell us about one of his all-time favorite outdoor projects, which graces our cover this issue.

There’s no denying the allure of the great outdoors, so embrace nature’s gifts, mosquitoes and all.
(But don’t forget the bug spray.)

Warm regards,

ANN TURNER
Editor

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Event Solutions magazine
June/July 2012