A Theme in Action

In a town with over a hundred galas a year, themes are a great and easy way to set your event apart from the rest. They provide you with many ways to shape your event to fit the expectations of your audience, and also allow you to get creative with many of your event elements.

From decorations to beverages to even auction packages, all aspects of last Saturday's Gambol was tied together by a creative and engaging theme: Keep Portland Weird. The planning committee did a fantastic job of building a unique and fun evening to support Catlin Gabel's financial aid programs.

Here are some of the theme elements that made their event so great (and added to its quirky, Portland vibe):

• A Ninkasi beer tent and local wineries provided beverages throughout the evening. Guests also enjoyed VooDoo donuts for dessert.
  
  
• Guests could have their photo taken with various iconic Portland images in the background.
  
  
• Raffle tickets were actually fake birds that guests pinned to their lapel.
  
  
• The highest selling auction package was one that included a walk-on role on the next season of Portlandia.
  
  

By having the theme present in all facets of the event, Gambol guests had an experience like no other, and a really great time as well! Guests that enjoy your event are not only more likely to come back next year, but also to give you their support.

A theme can be as creative as you want it to be. When picking a theme for your event, however, be sure that it fits with the expectations of your audience. Keep Portland Weird was popular among Gambol guests because it was tailored specifically to that audience.

Themes are an easy way to take all of the different elements of your event and tie them together. They help make your evening fun, unique and engaging, and a well-executed theme can transform your good event into a great one.