Alumni Events at HELEN MILLS

Alumni events are wonderful occasions where former classmates get together to relive the glory of college, network, and form new relationships.

Whether you are looking to plan a formal presentation, or throw a casual mixer, The HELEN MILLS Event Space and Theater is a versatile, all-inclusive, and convenient location for your next alumni get together.

Our 4,000 sq. ft. event space offers state-of-the-art sound and digital-video projection systems, as well as high-speed, wireless Internet.

Our street-level entrance offers fun and unexpected branding options, so your guests immediately feel school spirit before ever entering the event!

Connected to the Event Space is our intimate 140-seat Theater, including a large stage and green room. The theater is equipped with surround sound, HD projection, theatrical lighting, and more to create the perfect space for your next presentation, panel, and more.

At HELEN MILLS, we can take care of your catering, beverage, furniture, audio visual needs, and more!

Contact Us to learn more about hosting your alumni events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

Mitzvah Series #1: Basic Mitzvah Terminology

Are you an event planner diving into the world of Mitzvahs?  Will you be attending the Mitzvah of a friend or family member, and are curious about what to expect?  The HELEN MILLS team has hosted many Mitzvahs in the past, and we'd like to compile some helpful information for planning your next Mitzvah.  In the first of our Mitzvah Series, we'll explore some of the basic terminology associated with Mitzvahs to help you better familiarize yourself with this memorable celebration.

• Bar Mitzvah: Male celebration, from the Hebrew word "bar" meaning "son", and "mitzvah" meaning "celebration"
• Bat Mitzvah: Female celebration, from the Hebrew word "bat" meaning "daughter", and "mitzvah" meaning "celebration"
• Tallit: Fringed garment made of wool or linen, typically worn over outer clothes during prayer
• Tefillin: Black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah
• Motzi: Traditional prayer/blessing
• Hora: Circle dance in which the celebrator is raised in the air on a chair and guests dance around them
• Cubbies: Small cubes typically brought in by the entertainment company. Cubbies are convenient for the kids to put their belongings or for the client to put favors in the cubbies for each specific child.
• Mazel Tov!: Phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event
• Motivators: Dancers brought in by entertainment company to get the children to dance and have fun
• Montage video: Short video with music played on a screen of photos from birth until present of the celebrator

In our Mitzvah Series #2, we'll detail the basic run of show for mitzvahs.  Stay tuned!

4 Creative Ideas for Your Company Summer Party

As the weather warms up, it's time to begin planning your company Summer parties. There are certain elements we all expect at these events; namely good food, good drinks, and a great venue. When it comes to surprising your coworkers, however, it's easy to feel stumped.

Knowing how much pressure there is to stand out from other events, the HELEN MILLS team collected some fun ideas to help you as your plan not only your Summer parties, but any throughout the year.

Let's get started!

Company Movie Night

Does your team sometimes get burnt out on high-energy, loud parties? Why not switch things up and book a private movie screening for your crew? With 140 seats, the HELEN MILLS Theater offers an intimate, comfortable, and alternative way to spend your company outing.

With HD projection and 5.1 Cinema Surround Sound, you can offer your team a night at the movies without the exorbitant ticket prices, teens on their cellphones, and chatterbox neighbors commenting on every scene.

Set up snacks and drinks for guests to enjoy during the movie. Photo from this post.

Gif and Video Booths

Who hasn't attended a party with a photo booth? Whether it be a wedding, Mitzvah, or holiday party, we all have our signature "four poses" down to a science. Yes, photo strips are cute and retro, but in the age of ever evolving technology it's important to take advantage of all the latest and greatest gadgets.

Companies like OM now offer several different types of photo and video booths, offering guests a creative outlet to show off your killer party.

OM's orbit360

Edible Floral Arrangements

There's no denying that flowers are a beautiful way to instantly liven up the look of your event, but at the end of the evening you experience a crisis over what to do with your left-over arrangements. It isn't always reasonable to have your guests take the centerpieces home with them, and letting hundreds of dollars of flowers get thrown away can feel like a knife to the heart. If this sounds at all familiar, you should check out companies like Baked Bouquet, a "Bakery Florist" that offers sweet treats in the form of floral arrangements. 

Baked Bouquet creates stunning creations that will have you guests asking, "These are cupcakes?!" 

LED Furniture

You've spent time and effort on creating the perfect setup for your party, so why let your tables fade into the background? Our friends at Cerf carry a large selection of LED tables and more to help you create a vibrant affair. 

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

It's All About Amelia!

On Saturday, March 25, friends and family traveled from all over to celebrate an extremely talented and lovely young woman, Amelia, here at the HELEN MILLS Event Space and Theater.

After saying their hellos and grabbing some delicious appetizers, guests moved to the theater where Amelia and her friends treated them to a number of gymnastics and dance performances.

Amelia, a decorated gymnast, wows the crowd with her beautiful routine.

Guests spent the rest of the evening eating, drink, dancing, and most importantly, celebrating Amelia!

Beautiful chandeliers hang over each table. Adults enjoyed a family-style dinner, while the younger guests grazed at the ample buffet.

After eating and dancing their feet off, the younger guests headed back down to the theater to enjoy a movie on the big screen! They all changed into PJs, grabbed some popcorn, and got cozy. What a fun and unique way to end a party!

Mozel tov, Amelia!

Planning an Event? Contact Us to learn more about events at HELEN MILLS, or check out more recent events here.

Catering by Orange Grill Catering
Decor and Planning by Nikoletta Events
DJ, Emcee, and Entertainment by
Photography by Inessa Sperkach
Videography by Lucent Vision Studio

Siggi's Yogurt in the House!

Our most recent delivery of Siggi's products. We can't decide if there is a best flavor.

We are BEYOND excited to announce that we are now offering siggi's Yogurt! The team has been fans (and neighbors!) of this wonderful Icelandic style skyr yogurt company for a few years now and are ecstatic to be one of their customers as well. Below are a few FAQs to get you acquainted :).

What is skyr yogurt? Skyr is a dairy product with the consistency of greek yogurt but with a much milder flavor. It's been a part of the Icelandic diet for over a thousand years. It is high in protein and low in fat, making it an especially satisfying and nutritious yogurt.

What flavors are available? All of siggi's yogurts contain natural ingredients to lend flavor and complexity to their product. Flavors inlcude everything from plain to pomegranate & passion fruit to one of our seasonal favorites, strawberry & basil. Check out the full list here.

Where is siggi's produced? Yates County, New York and Richland County, Wisconsin.

Who / what is Siggi? Siggi Hilmarsson moved from Iceland to New York City in 2002 and began making skyr in his home. The operation soon expanded and the rest is history.

To learn more about siggi's, check out their website here. For wonderful ideas of what to eat with your siggi's, check out their gorgeous Facebook page.

Planning from afar? Virtual Tours of HELEN MILLS Are Here!

Our clients come from across the world to host events at HELEN MILLS, traveling from places as far as England, Bulgaria, and Los Angeles, to places so close that we can (literally) wave to them.  This means for some that they can't easily stop in to see the space, envision how their guests will spend their day, or plan for decor and signage to make their event that much more special. 

To help make the planning process seamless for our current and future clients alike, we've just released our very first Google Inside Street View Virtual Tour!

The virtual tour features:

• A close-up view of each part of the venue

• A selection from of our in-house furniture inventory

• One of three curtains we provide that add intimacy to the space (hung at the entry table)

• Sample floral arrangements designed by the very talented Merriel Weston

• A peek into the theater greenroom and backstage area

You'll see the tours both below and here, here, here as well as when you search for us on Google...of course, the invitation always stands for in-person tours! Please contact us to get in touch :).

BizBash's Live Gathering Tools Hosts Global Demo Week at The HELEN MILLS Theater

Bizbash CEO and Founder, David Adler (l), and Jeff Banish hosted all three days of the livestreamed first Global Demo Week.

For three days this week, Live Gathering Tools, Bizbash's new website, hosted their first-ever Global Demo Week at the HELEN MILLS Theater. The event was livestreamed through the Live Gathering Tools platform, a virtual trade show environment complete with a lounge, demo halls, theater with live and on-demand presentations, and more (check it out here). Bizbash CEO and Founder, David Adler, and Jeff Banish hosted with contagious, joyful enthusiasm for events and event tech. 

Topics ranged from Event Management, Event Buzzwords, Budgeting, and Mobile Engagement. Each topic was accompanied by expert presentations (available through the Live Gathering Tools platform) led by industry leaders, including: AllSeated, #TWUBS, Bonfyre, Intros, and more.

Photos from the event below! For more information on the event and to see the presentations, sign up for the Live Gathering Tools platform or simply watch the video here.

A screenshot of Live Gathering Tools' on-demand content with video, presentations, and comments from attendees.

Planning an event of your own? Contact us to learn more or check-out our theater and event space pages for more information.

Tip Tuesday: Branding

Tip: Customize your next event by having the venue’s Wi-Fi network name and password changed to match your brand/theme.

For more ideas on how to brand your next event, check out our PAST EVENT posts.