Wear Blue Run to Remember Gala at the Union League Club in Chicago

Blue Gala Fundraiser

The Wear Blue: Run to Remember Organization held their Annual Gala on July 19 at Chicago’s Legendary Union League Club in Downtown Chicago. We here at Paul Michaels Events had the honor of providing Dj and entertainment services for the evening. This organization takes on the incredibly challenging, but incredibly wonderful tasks of providing support to families who have lost their loved ones serving in the military.

They do this by hosting multiple running events throughout the country. Families are invited to train and participate in these events with other families who have gone through similar experiences. Their process helps people realize that they have the strength to ability to do anything they set their mind to; helping them complete physical feats they would have never thought possible. Most importantly these families do it all in remembrance of their fallen loved ones.

The night was definitely one to remember. It began with the national anthem played by a trumpeter and members of the US Marine Corps presenting the flag. Dinner service included presentations by a few members of the organization. They shared stories and memories about their journey with Wear Blue. It was an emotional, heartfelt event all around, but the stories these members shared really tugged at your heart and made everyone proud to be apart of the event. 

Many showed their generous side by donating directly to the organization, and others helped by bidding in a charity auction that offered everything from sports packages to vacation getaways. 

Once one of the spokeswomen gave us the cue, it was finally our time to shine and open the dance floor. DJ Brian and DJ Paul Michaels hit the crowd hard with all of the best dance hits to lift their spirits sky-high. They turned the final hour in Power hour and didn’t let one foot leave the dance floor. This organization is all about support and uplifting people who have experienced some bad things in life, and we couldn’t have been happier to have been able to play a part. 

See you next year at the Gala!

 

Check out some of our pictures from the event below!

Chicago Pride Parade with KPMG

Happy Pride, KPMG!

Paul Michaels Events recently was asked to provide full sound reinforcement for KPMG on top of their double-decker bus for Chicago’s 50th annual Pride Parade. If you’re not familiar…which we don’t know why you wouldn’t be, the parade takes place through the Boystown neighborhood in the City.  It is definitely not a small ordeal as this parade usually brings out over 1 million people in the Chicago area!

KPMG had an incredibly well-branded bus that their employees were proud to walk next to while sporting KPMG balloons and giveaways!

DJ Trois and DJ Paul Michaels provided four speakers and a full DJ system, all run off a mobile generator to keep us running independently from the bus. As we’ve mentioned in past posts, we make sure to take care of all the minute details when we’re asked to perform at any event. For this event, we did a ‘site walk’ to check out the double-decker bus at Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co to determine exactly what we’d needed in order to make sure we were doing possible to ensure that this event was the PERFECT event for KPMG. 

As with any outdoor event, the weather is always a concern, and although we did everything we could within our scope of control to make this a perfect event, mother nature had a different plan. Just as our bus was about to start moving to show out in the parade, the sky opened up and an unbelievable storm rolled in. Unfortunately,  that forced the parade to be canceled.

The day wasn’t a total loss, however, because the party began way before the parade was set to begin. Our friends from KPMG were able to hang out and party for pride in the bus staging area before the storm joined us!

Check out some of our pictures from the parade below!

Devil’s Ball at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago

Our night providing entertainment services for the Devil’s Ball at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University

We recently rocked out at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago for their annual “Devil’s Ball”. We were so happy to be providing the DJ services for this party. Plus, we brought the photobooth and provided those services as well.

Paul Michaels Events had one of our best veteran DJs, DJ Terry, play the tunes and entertain the crowd. It was a great event, and it seemed like all had a great time while supporting the restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre.

The ball provided an impressive silent auction spread, wine auction, gave theater tours, and of course food, drinking, and dancing.  The photobooth services were a big hit as well. It was a family friendly event, so the guest’s ages were all over the spectrum. This made for a very interesting night of music, charity, and fun. 

When the dance floor opened, everyone was treated to an interesting variety of music. From disco to modern pop, everyone was there to party. Everything was going great, and then…

…Bam. Surprise belly dancers! These flexible ladies shook things up with some impressive moves and had guests in awe. When their set concluded. we kept the party hopping. The dance floor stayed packed the remainder of the evening. Many didn’t want the party to end, as guests were singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody as they left the theater. It was truly a night to remember. 

Check out the pictures below for a quick recap of the awesome event!

Services Provided by Paul Michaels Events:  Chicago DJ Services, Chicago Photobooth Services

Check out some of our candid pictures below! These pictures below were taken by us, and not by the event photographer. 

G2 Crowd’s 2018 Holiday Party at the Fairmont Chicago

G2 Crowd is becoming quite the name around Paul Michaels Events. We recently provided DJ Services for the a party at their offices, and now DJ Ian and DJ Brian recently rocked with the employees at G2 Crowd for their 2018 Holiday Party at the Fairmont Hotel in Lakeshore East, downtown Chicago.

For this awesome holiday party we provided a full audio system for the large room (dual subwoofers), as well as full room uplighting, in addition to audio coverage for their cocktail hour in the hallway before the employees and guests entered the ballroom.

Thanks for having us and trusting us with your holiday party G2 Crowd!

Check out a few of the pictures from the event below. 

How to Plan An Epic Company Picnic in Chicago

With its beaches, parks and festivals, Chicago is one of the country’s greatest cities for enjoying the summer. When the weather is warm, the Windy City also offers plenty of opportunity for your company picnic. These three tips will help you plan an epic company picnic in Chicago.

1. Keep an Eye on the Weather

Given the unique weather conditions in the Windy City, it’s difficult to plan too far ahead for your company picnic. Even in the middle of the summer, the city is known for its unexpectedly windy, cold and rainy days. In fact, weather reporters around Chicago are notorious for how often they’re wrong. As Avis Car Rental points out, Lake Michigan delivers both cold winters and refreshing summers to the Chicago area.

Your best course of action is picking a day no more than three weeks ahead that is forecasted for sunshine. On the day of the picnic, keep a close eye on the 24-hour radar. If there’s even a slight chance of rain, remind your coworkers to come prepared with umbrellas, jackets and other rain gear.

Alternatively, you could play it safe with an indoor company picnic. This option will sap much of your event’s summer charm, but it will keep everyone warm and dry in the case of inclement weather. Still, an outdoor picnic is usually possible in the middle of the summer.

2. Provide Great Entertainment

The best company picnics are ones that everyone has fun at, so providing quality entertainment is a must. If you are inviting employees to bring their families then provide a party game like archery tag or a bouncy house that the kids will enjoy. Hop N Party suggests to bring a generator if the picnic is at a park, especially if you want a bouncy house present since parks don’t generally have electricity. This is a good idea as other forms of planned entertainment may need electricity to work. Ultimately, what you decide to do will depend on whether it is a picnic that your employees can invite their families to or not, but there are a few things that are standard no matter what.

Everyone loves music, so you should make sure you have a great soundtrack for the event. If your company is large enough, consider hiring a DJ to handle all your music needs. Your DJ can customize the music to fit the crowd and the current activity. You won’t have to worry about someone hijacking the playlist or censoring anything, since the DJ will take care of that for you.

3. Eat the Best Chicago Food

The most important part of any picnic is the food, and Chicago’s unique cuisine includes many great options for outdoor events. Though many of your coworkers may bring hors-d’oeuvres or desserts, it’s always best to supply their main course.

Your best options include Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. The city is known for many other foods, but these are the most picnic-friendly options. Of course, if you’re serving hot dogs in Chicago, don’t let anyone use ketchup.

With a bit of planning, your Chicago company picnic can be a smash hit. So long as the weather holds and the kids are entertained, this will be a great opportunity to enjoy the summer with your coworkers.