Impress Your Guests with Rentals We Dream of Using

Jun 17

Last week we sat down with Creative Director Marianne Jackson to hear about her tried and true pieces she loves to rent for corporate events. If you missed that, catch up here!

This week we’re diving into Marianne’s list of “dream items;” a.k.a. the ones that she’s always looking for just the right opportunity to use because they’re just so special. There’s no shortage of eye candy here so sit back and enjoy!

Luxury Tents from Shelter Co.

Is there anything more chic and trendy than glamping? We’re smitten with these tents from Shelter Co, and have long dreamed of styling them in a large indoor space, complete with luxe floor pillows, leather accents, and a West coast forest vibe. We think one—or more—of these would be perfect at a tech event to anchor the bar, or even create a breakout room at a conference. We’ve been to several event industry events where this vendor was featured, and we love everything we’ve seen. We can’t wait for just the right event to land on our calendar so we can pull out all the creative stops with this look.

Bright Color from The Wild Ones

When you’re looking for color, we highly recommend checking out the offerings from our friends at The Wild Ones. This husband and wife team, with backgrounds in the event industry, saw the need for more colorful furnishings after outfitting their own wedding, and we couldn’t love their collection more. Their velvet settee and loungers have us dreaming of mid-century glamour in the modern age. We love a palette of neutrals, but sometimes only Crayola brights will do, and The Wild Ones certainly delivers.

Gem Table from Bright Rentals

Talk about glam! We’d love to see these gorgeous gem coffee tables from Bright Event Rentals at just the right event; perhaps something late night with low lighting to make it really pop. We can already see guests sipping champagne cocktails around this statement piece.

Gold Metal Chairs from Theoni

Chiavari chairs are nice, but why stick to the basics when you could have this high-impact golden chair? It’s only a few dollars more per piece and delivers so much more style and drama. We’d love to see this piece on a speaker stage, around a table, or to complement lounge seating. Need a more feminine look? It comes in rose gold too!

Theoni, started out focusing on gorgeous tabletop items including a stunning selection of votives. They now have a much more extensive collection including some of the best choices for dining chairs that you simply cannot find elsewhere.

Lounge & Space Divider from Taylor Creative

This Los Angeles- and New York-based rental company has items we haven’t seen anywhere else that deliver in both form and function. We’re dying to use this rose-colored velvet modular lounge at one of our events. We think it would be just right in a VIP cocktail area.

Taylor Creative also has a kraft paper wall that’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s modern and funky, but also serves a very helpful purpose of dividing a space, which we need to do often in cavernous venues. We used this wall at Sales Machine New York to divide the coffee break area from the session so speakers wouldn't be distracted seeing attendees get a drink or a snack. It's a more creative solution to the classic pipe-and-drape or screen dividers.

Sourcing Creatively

When we’re sourcing items, we always keep in mind that sourcing creativity is just as important. While we *could* simply choose everything from page 58 of a company’s lookbook, we prefer to mix and match, often from multiple rental houses. This lets us really get creative and find items that are hand-selected for a company’s needs and aesthetic. Any given event might include items from multiple rental houses, and we’re always curating our picks based on inventory, budget, and style needs.

To stay on top of trends, Marianne makes a point to know a company’s inventory as well as they do. She is always venturing out to showcases and industry events sponsored by these companies to see how they’re highlighting their items.

PRO TIP: Showcases typically happen in January, February, and July; during quiet seasons for these vendors. They’re a great opportunity to not only see the latest and greatest but to really get an idea of how the vendor envisions the items working together. Last year’s showcase at Found Rentals was a visual treasure trove of everything from vintage candlesticks to vintage wine vessels, providing even more inspiration for future events.

Are You Hosting an Event Soon?

Tell us all about it! Maybe your event is *the one* for one of these dream rentals! We’d love to hear all the juicy details about your event needs. Drop us a note and give us the scoop!

Maggie Kennedy

Maggie founded Kennedy Events in 2000 and has been Chief Everything Officer ever since! She’s a master at keeping clients and her team happy, plus brings the fun to every function. Her days are filled with things like logistics, sales, and, of course, putting her 20+ years of creative event strategy to work. She likes a life filled with adventure, and when that’s not happening in a ballroom, she’s found that on a 600+ mile bike ride to LA, on hikes in the Himalayas, and under the stars in an Indian desert. The world beckons, but nothing beats coming home to the Bay Area, and her two kids, fiance, and spunky cat.