The reality is that you can expect Friday and Saturday nights to fill up first, often six months or further in advance. Many corporate events in Dallas are annual and look to repeat the event at more or less the same time each year. With annual events and holiday weekends occupying a substantial percentage of the available weekend dates, the remaining days are in high demand.

The larger the event, the more advisable it is to book far in advance. Conventions and large corporate events are difficult to arrange without having a firm date and a clear understanding of what’s possible at the host venue. It is not uncommon for a corporate event to book a full year or more in advance; especially if it is booked in conjunction with a convention. Renting equipment, hiring workers and planning décor, production and even the event schedule all revolve around the way the facility your event is hosted at is arranged, staffed and managed. It’s a very good idea to select the venue first and to make all your specific event plans after your date and your venue are booked.

Smaller, more personal events like weddings don’t have to be booked quite as far in advance. Weddings are usually booked one to two full seasons in advance, so book your wedding the Spring before the Fall of the wedding and so on. Other personal celebrations like weddings, bar mitzvahs for example or birthday celebrations should, ideally, be booked around the same amount of time. However, if your celebration doesn’t fall on a weekend date you may be able to delay booking longer.

The moral is, book your events far, far in advance if possible. Think a year out or more for corporate events, or at the very least 6 months ahead. You will need that much time to arrange the other event details like décor, menus, sponsors and who knows what else. For personal celebrations, the window can be three to six months; but plan further out if you need a weekend or holiday date.

What Is The Goal Of Your Event?

When planning an event it’s very easy to get distracted by the little details like making décor arrangements and selecting the right Dallas caterer, bar service, entertainment and everything else. Every event has some agenda, from the simplest things like celebrating a person on some occasion to complex business strategies like promoting a brand message.

Don’t lose sight of your goals while you find ways to entertain your guests and decorate your event space. Remember that behind all the moving parts and many costs of putting on a classy event, your goal still needs to be met. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more really is better. It’s up to you as the event planner to decide how to make the biggest impression at your event, without losing focus on what’s important.

What Venue Is The Best Fit For Your Event?

Every venue is different. Every event is different too. The venue you select for your event needs to be easily accessible from highways, have plenty of room inside for your guests, lots of staff to serve your guests and the ability to accommodate any special requirements for your event. Venue staff should be friendly, knowledgeable and eager to serve guests, presenting themselves equally well at high volume times as they do when there is nothing going on. Consider what your guests might plan to do before and after your event and find a Dallas venue in a location that adds to “the draw” of your event.

Have You Made An Event Plan?

Writing out exactly what you want to have happen at event is an excellent way to make sure it actually happens. Plan out every detail and allow for the unexpected to occur. Schedules never run exactly on time, so create opportunities to gain or lose time as you need it. Socializing can occupy as little or as much time during your event as you need, so turn on some music and let people drink and talk for a bit in every so often.

Making a budget is the first step in understanding what your money can do for you. With that in mind, writing out your entire plan makes it easy to go through your plan and identify costs for everything. Similarly, the process of writing it down will help you think through event clearly and identify any gaps or potential problems in advance. Once the plan is actually in the works, walk through the steps of your event physically several times to make sure everything can happen just the way you want. Each step from arriving at the venue, to valet parking, to entrance to entertainment and all the way till your guests have left should be checked and re-checked. Success in event planning comes from being over-prepared and well rehearsed.

What Is The Timeline Of The Event?

Every event happens on some sort of a schedule. Most of the time, events flow fairly predictably. Arrive at 8pm, drink till 9pm, entertainment till 10pm with a brand message 30 minutes from the end. …And so on. While it’s not a bad idea to start planning your event with that basic flow in mind, don’t be afraid to expand on the basic concept with your own special spin.

Remember that not everyone shows up on time, so allow at least an hour for guests to arrive and even up to the first third of the event’s total running time. Also, keep in mind that not everyone will stay for the entire event, so don’t bother trying to deliver your message after about two-thirds the way through the event.

Will Your Guests “Get The Message”?

Every event should build towards a big moment, culminating in a way that drives your message home with your audience. Play off emotion and get everyone excited and having the most fun in the moments just before you deliver your message. Then take full advantage of your big moment and do whatever you can to make a personal connection with your audience. Find a way to get your guests to identify with your message personally. If you represent a brand then find a way to humanize the brand by getting the key people in front of and interacting with the audience.

Can You Repeat Your Event In The Future?

Not every event is going to happen again, but if you plan on making events happen again ever in your life try to capture everything you do so you know how to go it again in the future. Keep good notes and look for opportunities to build long-term relationships with venues and other vendors.

Having a theme is a great way to tie everything together and to compartmentalize the event so that its easier to improve on in the future. Build on your successes and avoid repeating the mistakes that you’re guaranteed to make. No one is perfect…the first time.

Loading in for Partyfest 2012

Decorating the booth with merchandise and mouthwatering food photos!

Folks who’ve been to Gilley’s before may recognize the Gilley’s General Store which has housed t-shirts, koozies, cowboy hats and more branded Gilley’s items for several years now. Commandeered for Partyfest, the general store gave the booth an element of our traditional, rustic Gilley’s charm. The treats created by G Texas Catering and some excellent photos of our food, provided by local Dallas photographer Scott Hartzler, created a presentation sure to draw a hungry crowd of Partyfest attendees.

G Texas Catering Preparing Appetizers

The Dallas Market Hall is a spacious facility located off of 35 and Market Center in downtown Dallas and it has been the home of Partyfest for the last several years. We were fortunate enough to get unloaded and set up early and I had the opportunity to wander around and photograph the other notable booths at this year’s trade show. The showroom floor was filled with great brands, both newcomers and old hands at the event.

On Stage at Partyfest 2012

On Stage always goes for over-the-top production quality.

Our friends at Visit Dallas

The Granada Theater

Drapery & Lighting used to create a stunning presentation

You don't see this every day

One of the biggest displays at Partyfest

The Video Game Truck

When Partyfest opened to the public at 11am the friendly staff of Gilley’s Dallas event specialists, caterers and management were on-hand to greet visitors and answer questions. After a short time a line formed for the appetizers prepared by G Texas Catering, drawing more and more people to the booth to meet with us. We enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people with exciting events and to network with the many fantastic event planners, venue owners and vendors that attended Partyfest 2012.

G Texas Catering at Partyfest 2012

We brought extra…

A truly impressive display by G Texas Catering

Meat Balls – G Texas Catering Appetizers

Friendly Gilley's Dallas event specialists

The people who make it possible… the staff of Gilley's Dallas and G Texas Catering.

We brought in 2012 with a bang at Partyfest and we’re looking forward to a great year and an even better presentation at next year’s Partyfest trade show.

What is the purpose of your event?

Your invitation should clearly display the overall theme and purpose for your event. An invitation celebrating a company’s 50th year in business will likely be very different from a corporate sponsored concert or barbecue cookout. The theme and colorings of the event should match the invitation. Using graphics and easily recognizable patterns may help set a tone. If your attendees have to spend more then a minute looking on the invitation for vital information: time, date, purpose, you may want to consider a redesign.

If there is a special focus on a charity or new venture, placing valuable information about the specific reasonings for the event may entice people to feel a personal connection to the affair, making them more likely to attend.

Who will be attending?

If the event is largely targeted at employees, a more personable tone may be acceptable. However, if you are attempting to attract new clients or your event is simply serving as a promotional tool, your tone may need adjusting.

Is the event family friendly? Targeted towards children? Knowing your audience is one of the most important pieces of advice for marketing and appealing to your audience. If your design relies mostly on visuals, use commonly understood knowledge or cultural points of your audience to display your message in the most efficient manner.

Consider the venue space

Not only does your venue space set limits for the number of people who can attend, it may limit the type of attendees. Hosting an event in a bar or other age limited area is an important thing to note–especially if your theme seems ambiguous. Will you offer a valet service? Dallas can be especially limiting without a car, so you may need to note alternative parking options if there is not an adequate valet or nearby service. Luckily, there are many Dallas venues and convention centers with large parking lots.

Set a budget

With so many paper and ink options, designing your invitations may get really complicated. Having a set budget can help restrict certain options. If you are upfront and honest with your designer and printer about your budgetary constraints, they may be more willing to show you acceptable alternative options instead of completely inappropriate selections.

Hire a professional

Unless you are familiar with the proper numbers for image resolution for adequate printing quality and many other design tools, it may be more cost and time effective to hire a designer or event planner.  Invitations essentially represent your event in a confined, tangible space, so the presentation should match the importance of the event.

Consider integrating new media

While a paper invitation will always feel special and personalized, the convenience of a specialized web space advertising your event is still very important. Some businesses have started to choose entirely electronic invitations, creating websites or subdomains to advertise the event. Websites allow for more personal interaction and allow you to track data (visits, RSVPs) extremely easily. Certain events still traditionally require a paper invitation, to which you can always recreate an appropriately matching online webspace. Integrating social media, however, should be used only in certain situations. Inviting clients to a corporate dinner party via a Facebook event might not be the more appropriate avenue.

Mark Hanland, the regional Chevy chief marketing director expressed his goals for the event:

We hope to discover some terrific acoustic, ‘indie’ talent right under our noses. Great music doesn’t always have to be turned up to eleven. We’re looking for outstanding singer-songwriters who can make big musical moments happen on a simpler, smaller scale.

Despite being a corporate event, the enthusiasm of the performers and audience helped create a really fun, energetic evening. The Loft’s intimate atmosphere provided a perfect space to highlight the acoustic, subdued nature of the artists.

Aryn Michelle won the competition and was awarded a $100 gift certificate, a one-year subscription to an online gig-booking service, and a brand new acoustic-electric guitar from Taylor.

Check out this video from her performance at the contest:

Here is Aryn Michelle’s entry video:

A huge thanks to all the Twilight fans that came out and especially Kim Ritzenthaler for the amazing photographs.

So for those of you that typed in SouthSideMusicHall.com, TheLoftDallas.com or GilleysMusic.com, each of these previous sites now forwards to GilleysDallas.com.

Important spaces to mention on the new website:

Featured Shows

On the front page there is a bar with five upcoming shows worthy of extra mention.

Events Page

This page includes all of the events previously housed on GilleysMusic.com and more. Photo icons display information about the date, venue and genre of the event. Click through the title for more specific information about each listing. There is also an option to view events specific to each venue: The Jack Daniel’s Saloon, the South Side Music Hall, The Loft and The Palladium Ballroom.

Venue Pages

For those of you planning an event or simply curious about the variety of spaces housed within the Gilley’s Complex, the venue pages provide information about each specific room– The Palladium Ballroom, The South Side Music Hall, The Loft, The Jack Daniel’s Saloon, The Lonestar Room and The Brazos Room.

Services

In addition to providing a venue space, Gilley’s Dallas offers a wide variety of services including event planning, bar service, catering, equipment, audio/visual production and more. For more information on any of these services, visit the individual pages or contact us.

Store

Stay tuned for the Gilley’s Dallas online store, which will feature new merchandise focusing on the brand of Gilley’s Dallas and the venues housed within.

Blog

To stay updated on upcoming occurances, recaps of special events, special offers or general updates about Gilley’s Dallas, be sure to check back to our blog.

This year, Gilley’s invaded the MCL Grand Theater and set up a home away from home, Gilley’s Lewisville. The entrance featured a ranch style display–with saddles, hay, and the original mechanical bull from the infamous Urban Cowboy. Once inside, the decorative additions remained consisitent– Jack Daniel’s barrells, cow skinned patterns, leather chairs and more ranch style embellishments. The same decorative prowess we use at our home in Dallas was brought to transform the MCL Grand into a stylized, country music filled “mini-Gilleys”.

In addition to the decorative transformation inside Gilley’s Lewisville, the MCL Grand provided two stages for alternating country music acts including Gary Kyle, and many other talented musicians. As always, Gilley’s partnered with MCL Grand preferred vendor and Dallas caterer, G Texas Catering to provide a full bar service, barbeque and other Texas inspired refreshments.

If you missed it in 2011, make sure to mark your calendars for the 2012 affair on Sept. 28-29.

While the Gilley’s Complex can be transformed to fit a variety of events, it is most well known as a music hot spot, so understandably AT&T Samsung chose it as the space for the Dallas leg of the Summer Krush Concert tour. The tour kicked off on July 20 in Nashville with a free performance by country super star, Luke Bryan at the Grand Ole Opry Opera House. According to AT&T Samsung, the concert series is “an exclusive tour featuring nine well-known musical acts performing intimate one-night-only concerts, designed to provide attendees with a chance to hear some of their favorite bands and the opportunity to experience the Samsung Infuse(TM) 4G exclusively at AT&T. Portions of select performances will air exclusively on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

The night was full of energy, hits and enthused, devoted fans. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was even filming, and the special will appear on the show on August 17th. So if you missed the show, be sure to catch this special airing.

For photos of the entire evening, go here. It was obviously an exciting affair.

[EDIT:] The Jimmy Fallon video aired, and was amazing. Watch:

Texan Flair In South Side Music Hall

The Loft's Patio Bar