AFR Tour Stops In Dallas!

After leaving Miami, our networking tour headed to the Lone Star state for a quick stop in the “Big D” - Dallas that is! We rolled up to 129 Leslie and began our load-in. The venue, conveniently located just west of downtown in the Design District, is a unique space dedicated to celebration. It is a big blank canvas that with some creative design and inspiration transformed into the perfect setting for our Networker.

Guests arrived at 6:00PM for a VIP reception, which allowed for an exclusive peek at our new 2014 collections wrapped in bows. We love the new lipstick red Chandler Collection, the new sumptuous brown leather Parma Collection and the stylish design of our new royal blue Regale Collection! Take a peek!

Throughout the venue we showcased many of our collections and new arrivals in various vignettes staged throughout the space.  These included our Essentials Banquette and Turning Bed, the Crystal Collection, LED Bars with custom graphic inserts, and our cool Jumangi chairs and ottomans. We also mixed and matched different collections using our Marcus bar stools, Zinc Club tables, Lighted Cylinders and Cubes, Sophistication, our colorful Regency Cubes, Whisper Benches, and last but not least, the sassy new Zanzibar and Rose Tables. The overall event design really demonstrated how furnishings could be used in many different ways to creatively design many unique settings.

To have some social media fun, we created an Instagram Scavenger Hunt where guests were given a card with nine close up shots (clues) of furnishings and they had to identify the piece, take a picture of it and upload it to Instagram. Every hour, on the hour, we randomly selected a winner from the photos that were uploaded. At the end of the evening, a grand prize was awarded to the guest who completed all nine challenges.

Another distinctive interactive activity that captured everyone’s attention was an artist’s canvas that was set up for guests to draw on, sign their name, or draw a star or symbol on. The last forty minutes of the event, artist Abel Garcia, took over the canvas and by combining all the different writings and art of the guests, created a cohesive piece of artwork. The one-of-a-kind piece was given to the winner of the Instagram contest, Mike Arreaga from Shag Carpet. It was really inspiring and guests loved watching the piece come to life.

The main event space was all white and so we chose to stick with the theme creating a very modern feel and save the color pop for the Design Challenge vignettes to make them stand out. Our three designers were Bows and Arrows who used our Vermont table with Elio chairs and suspended florals to create their vignette, Jackson Durham who created a setting using the Extravaganza Line, Umber Back Bar, our Memphis Pub Table with Regal Bar Stools, and Civic cocktail and end tables, and lastly, Wilkinson Rhodes who created a Periodic Table and Science inspired vignette using our Hayden Table, Tangerine and Imperial Lines and Shanti Back Bars.

The guests voted for their favorite Designer and we are happy to congratulate Wilkinson Rhodes on their win! We loved the creativity coupled with your innovative use of our furnishings!

The evening was filled with great networking, inspired designs and interactive fun. Tray passed deliciousness from top caterers and beverage sponsors provided a delectable menu, signature cocktails and beverages. Floral was distinctive and featured a crystal-encrusted stiletto, hanging floral and many artistic arrangements throughout the space. Lighting painted the walls, accented architectural lines and provided a great ambience Take a look at some of the highlights from the evening…

Linda Sergeant from Fauxcades, won the drawing for The Special Event Conference package provided by our National Sponsor Partner, The Special Event. Congratulations Linda! We look forward to seeing you in Nashville in January!

We are immensely grateful for our Dallas sponsors. If you are looking for great suppliers in the Dallas area, these are the people you will want to call:

eTouches, The Special Event, Republic National Distributing, Abel Garcia,Wendy Krispin Catering, Cassandra Fine Catering, Idea Fountain, SMU Catering, Jackson Durham, Wilkinson Rhodes, Bows & Arrows, Simply Mox, Rfox Design, Beyond Films, Beyond Lighting, Catch the Moment, The Mamones, Red Strategies, 129 Leslie, The Event Nerd and SpeedPro Imaging.  They all rocked and we are so appreciative of all their hard work!

With Dallas finished, it was off to Orlando. Drop back in soon for more exciting news and information about our networker there!

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