September 17, 2004/Tishri 2 5765, Vol. 57, No. 3
Party time
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
|
Renee Bohall, left and Stephanie Derendal of Showstoppers Interactive Entertainment greet guests at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center's Party and Bridal Expo Sept. 12.
Photo by Jennifer Goldberg |
About 90 vendors participated, representing a wide range of event-related goods and services, including catering, music, venues, flowers, photography, video services, entertainment and more.
Renee Bohall of Showstoppers Interactive Entertainment says that Showstoppers can provide costumed performers for a variety of events with many different themes, including calypso, disco and '60s. Bohall wore a table costume with an elaborate "centerpiece" headpiece and stood at the entrance of the JCC handing out the expo's directory of exhibitors.
Amy Petrovsky, president of Sensational Events, which coordinated the event, estimates that about 2,000 people attended the expo, including many non-Jews.
Sharona Silverman, director of the Shalom Center at Temple Chai in Phoenix, says, "I attended because I came to work out at the JCC, and I'm always interested to see what's available in the community.
"As director of the Shalom Center, I'm often working with people who are going through life transitions, and I especially enjoy when they're going through positive transitions like a wedding or a birth or a bat mitzvah, so it's always good for me to have this information."
This year was the first year a specific wedding component was included in the expo, an addition Petrovsky calls "exciting." Wedding vendors included Twirl, a new bridesmaid and special event boutique, and Phoenix Bride & Groom magazine.
Although the number of vendors remained generally the same due to space limitations, Silverman says, "It certainly seems broader, like there are areas included that I haven't seen in the past that kind of expand the idea of what a celebration is, which I think is great, which is interesting.
"People are thinking much more out of the box than ever before. It's always fun to see people's creativity at its best."