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ROCKstar of the Month of April: Clay Sullivan

April 25, 2017/in All Posts /by mhadder4561

As we slowly ramp up into our busy summer season, we find it only fitting that RTH Technician Clay Sullivan is awarded our April ROCKstar of the Month award! Clay is currently a student at Kent State University and has been a part of the Rock The House family for about a year now. While ROCKstar of the Month is usually reserved for more of our veteran ROCKstars, Clay’s knowledge, skill, and diligence make him more than worthy of this title.

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“Clay has an incredibly strong work ethic and is always a team player. If you have something that needs to get done, Clay is definitely the guy.” – Ben Allison, Director of Human Development

Clay is an audio pro and does many different tasks, including assisting with working sound for Rock The House Live!’s band practices and live shows. Holding near and dear to our world-class customer service standards, Clay is known for doing whatever it takes to make our clients’ events a success each and every week!

A Few Fun Facts About Clay Sullivan:

Favorite Group or Artist? The Foo Fighters
Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite Snack? Salted Almonds
Most Relatable TV Character? Ben Wyatt from “Parks & Recreation”
Favorite Thing About Being on the RTH Team? “Getting to do different things every day!”

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“I really enjoy working with such a diverse group of people, and learning skills that will help me with my college major: Digital Media Production.” – Clay Sullivan

We thank Clay for all the hard work he puts in at every time he’s with our team, and congratulate him again on his ROCKstar of the Month award! From miscellaneous shop tasks to live event production, Clay is always eager and ready to help out any way he can!

Interested in working with Clay for your next event? Contact our team of event professionals to get started today! Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive.

ROCKstar of the Month of March: Alascia Jones

March 21, 2017/in All Posts /by mhadder4561

This month’s ROCKstar of the Month is Alascia Jones, all-around ROCKstar at Rock The House! In recent years, Alascia has helped keep the office running smoothly by handling a lot of RTH’s daily tasks, working with our clients to ensure that everything is perfect for their events, and even helping the rest of our team prepare for their shows each and every weekend.keep

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Alascia joined the Rock The House family in August of 2014, and has since proved to be an invaluable asset to our team. Serving as the Director of Special Projects of the International Live Events Association’s local Cleveland Chapter Board, it was clear to tell that Alascia was an excelling event professional from the start. Always ambitious and ready for the next challenge, Alascia has become an expert at any role she’s performed throughout the company.

A Few Fun Facts About Alascia Jones:

Favorite Group or Artist? Beyoncé
Favorite Guilty Pleasure Song? Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch – “Good Vibrations”
Favorite Snack? A “Guyzone” from Guy’s Pizza
Most Relatable Cartoon Character? Pepper Ann…. “I can relate to her on many different levels!”
Favorite Thing About Being on the RTH Team? The close-knit ties and relationships that make up the Rock the House team. Even after I move on from working in the office, I will always be a part of the RTH family!

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“Alascia is such a ROCKstar! With her ability to ‘multi-switch’ and her ‘ready to learn’ mentality, she has not only become an expert in all the areas in which she was hired, but she continues to pick up additional projects and tasks to assist our team in moving forward! We’re so happy that she is spreading her wings, but we will miss certainly miss her in the process!” – Amy Van Duyne, CSEP & Executive Assistant to the CEO

As of late, Alascia has accepted a new position in the event industry to further grow herself and her career. However, she is more than deserving of our distinction of our ROCKstar of the Month award, and we wish her nothing but the best in all of her future endeavors.

Interested in joining the Rock The House family? Visit RTHCareers.com to learn more about our various positions and how you can work directly in the event industry. Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive.

RTH Signature Event: State Industrial Products Bi-Annual Sales Conference

February 20, 2017/in All Posts, Corporate Production /by mhadder4561

Last month, RTHAV partnered with State Industrial Products for their most recent sales conference. While their headquarters are based out of Cleveland, State Industrial’s products are utilized all over North America, and their sales departments stretch to the far ends of the United States. With such a diverse sales team coming together in one place, and over 100 years worth of business in the books, our team knew they certainly had their work cut out for them with this event.

Taking place every two years, this 3-day conference consisted of many different seminars and activities for State Industrial employees. The first two days were all business, as guests attended various sales meetings and breakout sessions to continue building up their skillset and sales repertoire. While this may sound like any old company retreat so far, attendees were in awe of the spectacle that awaited them inside the Grand Ballroom of the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel. RTHAV’s skilled lighting designers used several-colored washes to add character to the massive space, which were programmed to move on various cues between presentations and during the awards banquet that took place on the second night of the conference. RTHAV also overtook the stage, equipping it with a gigantic 18′ x 32′ AV Stumpfl projection screen to display various media such as PowerPoint presentations, videos, and more from a Christie Boxer 4K30 projector. A lectern was also centered on the stage for keynote speakers, whose message bellowed through the speaker stacks that hung above and made it nearly impossible for guests to ignore.

After the closing remarks and final breakout sessions on the 3rd day, it became clear that there was only one thing left to do… Have a good time! As guests filed back into the main room, they were greeted with a wide assortment of giant, classic games like Connect Four, Light Brite, and even a 13′ Foosball Table that allowed for over a dozen players at once! RTHAV also supplied a coinless-claw machine filled with party favors, our signature 4-player Rock Shots Basketball, our virtual SportsZone gaming system and a photo booth with a customized props. The final celebration was capped off with music by our own DJ, Mattitude, mixing live for a vibrant dance floor on our all new Touch Screen DJ System.

Focused around the theme “Inspire”, it was clear that the message of the conference resonated with State Industrial employees as they headed home that Sunday evening. After a long weekend filled with excitement, fun, and necessary business, the entire State Industrial management team was relieved to know that this imperative conference was truly a great success. That wondrous feeling is surely one of the many reasons that the company chose to work with RTHAV once again after years of continued service. A direct result of our team’s attention to detail, dedication to their work, and their ability to not only get a job done… But get it done well!

Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive. Interested in working with RTHAV for your next event? Contact our team of event professionals today to get started!

Today’s Bride 2017 Wedding Show Recap – I-X Center

February 1, 2017/in Corporate Production, Weddings /by mhadder4561

Every January, Today’s Bride gathers up some of the biggest vendors in Northeast Ohio for their annual I-X Center and John S. Knight Center wedding shows! Being one of the largest in the state, this show is known to attract thousands of engaged couples, so our team took our booth to the imagination’s limit, showcasing exactly what RTH Weddings can make possible for their special day!

As you can see from the picture above, our 2017 bridal show booth was bigger and better than any booth we’ve ever done at any previous show! Recreating the double-decker design we executed last year, our team spruced up our setup by doubling the number of display monitors, adding fog to accent some fun lighting elements, and literally topping it all off with our own DJ Mattitude that mixed live for couples from the top of the booth! The award-winning booth also featured a massive banner that displayed the signature RTH logo, as well as some of our favorite wedding photos, which was all suspended from the ceiling of the facility for all of the show’s guests to see! While all this was taking place high in the air, another team of wedding professionals could be found below helping couples and answering any questions they may have had about their upcoming nuptials.

Rock The House (RTHAV) is also proud to partner with Today’s Bride from a production standpoint, providing audio, lighting, and even staging for their fashion shows! With a total of six different shows happening in only two short days, our team worked diligently to ensure that everything was handled for each show throughout the weekend. Rock The House MC Nick Duve hosted all of the fashions shows, welcoming guests with opening remarks and announcing the various models’ outfit styles and show sponsors (American Commodore Tuxedo and Miller’s Party Rental), while DJ Flightz kept the high energy music pumping through the speakers the entire time. Guests were awed by a stunning light display, which proved to be an exceptional accent to the luxurious dresses and tuxedos the models ROCKED as they headed down the runway.

Our team also spent some time with Kenny Crumpton and FOX 8 News talking about some of the cool new products we had for couples at the show! The first item was also featured on top of the RTH Weddings show booth; The new Touch Screen DJ System, which allows couples to actually SEE their DJ mix live before their eyes, and even encourages them to get into the mix and play a few of their own songs! The second spotlight item this year was our Mirror Photo Booth, which is an interactive, state-of-the-art photo station that captures guests’ memories as they stand in the reflection of a full-size mirror! This novelty also prompts users to doodle and sign their masterpiece once it’s taken, and allows the photos to be printed live on-site, sent digitally via SMS or email, or directly posted to a social media account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other popular platforms.

Check out a full recap of the Today’s Bride I-X and John S. Knight Center shows from last month above, and see exactly what the RTH team is capable of accomplishing. From weddings to fashion shows, and every event in between, Rock The House can do it all! To learn more about how you can work with our team of event professionals, visit our contact page by clicking here!

ROCKstar of the Month of January: Cory Shy

January 25, 2017/in All Posts /by mhadder4561

With so many large events happening for us in January, it only makes sense that our first ROCKstar of the Month for 2017 is one of our top project managers, Cory Shy! Cory has been an RTH team member for 6 years now, originally starting as a part-time technician and continuing to work his way up to more leadership roles through our production sector, RTHAV.

A renaissance man of the production world, Cory is well-versed in many different fields ranging from video, to lighting, to audio. Most recently, Cory has taken full control of the Today’s Bride Wedding/Fashion Shows. With Rock The House (RTHAV) acting as the official production partner for these shows, there are a lot of moving parts involved in making an event of this magnitude come alive. However, having proven his responsibility and leadership skills time and time again, Mr. Shy handles projects like this without a hitch by expertly directing fellow team members to ensure everything runs at company standards.

A Few Fun Facts About Cory Shy:

Favorite Cartoon Character? Rocko from “Rocko’s Modern Life”
Favorite Movie? The original “Jurassic Park” (After seeing the film with his brother in theaters when he was about 6, it lead him to read the original Jurassic Park novel, as well as other works by author Michael Crichton.)
Favorite Artist(s)? Flaming Lips
Pre-Event Snack? Ohio City Subs’s “C-Town Slugger” … By far the best gas station sandwich around.
Guilty Pleasure Song? Katy Perry – California Gurls
Favorite RTH Event? About two summers ago, both Conny sisters got married and we collaborated on two massive tent weddings at Conny Farms with our sister company Selective Sound Entertainment. The setups took a whole week (each), and featured thousands of feet in string lighting and over two dozen different chandeliers.
Favorite Thing About Being on the RTH Team? The ability to have different work stations at various job sites makes it something fresh and new every day. Some things remain constant, but the people and clients always change, and it allows you to work outside your comfort zone. Plus there’s a great team behind us that enables us to always have what we need and work at such great venues.

“Cory’s a terrific team member to have and a great part of our roster. He continues to increase his responsibilities so that as we grow, we grow together.” – Ben Allison, Production Manager

Regardless of all his accomplishments during his time at Rock The House, Cory continues to credit our team for contributing to his success.

“I’d be nothing without the people that guide me… The people who have taught me, work alongside me, and have helped me achieve the level of production our shows have, and require. I wouldn’t be where I am without them… It’s a big group effort. – Cory Shy

Congratulations to Cory again on being awarded the ROCKstar of the Month, and we thank him again for all his hard work, dedication, and service! Interested in working with Cory Shy for your next event? Contact our team of event professionals today to get started! Photos courtesy of the RTH Photo Archive.

RTH Signature Event: The Duve Wedding

December 29, 2016/in All Posts, Disc Jockeys, DJ Akron, DJ Cleveland, DJ Columbus, DJ Pittsburgh, DJ Toledo, DJ Youngstown, Gay Weddings, Industry Professionals, Weddings /by mhadder4561

Rock The House makes dream weddings a reality for hundreds of couples each year. However, it’s not every day that one of those couples is a member of our team! A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of helping our own Marketing Manager, Nick Duvé and his husband, Stephen Duvé, celebrate one the best nights of their lives in one of the greatest weddings productions we’ve ever put on.

As a former DJ and Host at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and a connoisseur of ‘Fairytale Weddings’, as well as his time spent with us at Rock The House, Nick has seen just about any wedding possibility you could think of. That all being said, Nick had gathered plenty of ideas for his own wedding throughout his years in the industry… and he had all the resources to make them happen. With the help of Meredith Masaveg of Rain Wedding Planning, Nick and Steve began planning their big day.

“This wedding was much more then just about Steve and I. It was about celebrating all of the friends and family who have helped us along our journey. We wanted to give them an experienced they will never forget and with the help of some very talented vendors, and I think we accomplished that”. – Nick Duve

The Duvés decided that the Akron Art Museum was the perfect location for both their wedding ceremony and reception to take place. An already stunning venue, Rock The House provided full production and lighting work throughout the museum, while our sister company Selective Sound Entertainment provided ceremony services, with Vice President “Jay R.” Rich as the officiant and first DJ. Chairs the wedding and reception were provided by Be Seated. After the ceremony guests were invited onto an outdoor dancefloor for cocktail hour, before stepping inside the newly-transformed art museum for the dinner reception.

A beautiful ceremony is only complimented by an unbelievable reception, and that became no clearer to guests than when they first stepped inside the building. After a 5-star dinner provided by Driftwood Catering and frosty desserts brought by Mason’s Creamery, guests were personally invited once again onto the outdoor dancefloor by Nick and Steve for their first dance and formalities. However after a short time of dancing, guests were stopped by RTH MC Sparky B. and invited back inside the building for a very special surprise from Nick and Steve. The Duvé’s weren’t done quite yet.

When guests arrived back inside, they were in awe to see a Vegas-inspired dance club, which had been in plain view the whole time, but simply hidden behind a wall of drapery! The perfect light show was coordinated by an RTH lighting designer as Sparky B. continued to hype up the crowd! Lights were only the beginning, as the Duvés surprised their friends and family with music by celebrity DJ Brian Dawe of VH1 & MTV! The night to remember was all captured on film by Matt Reisinger of Elite Entertainment, and still-frame images were shot by Marc Anthony & Tony Ryan Photography. Special thanks also go out to L’Nique Linen Rental, Nikki’s Perfect Petal Designs, Paul Mitchell the School: Cleveland, and Justin Campbell from the Akron Art Museum, who all did their part to make the day a success for the Duve’s! You can find more pictures, and videos from the Duvé Wedding by following the hashtag #HereComeTheDuves.

Want Rock The House to make your dream wedding a reality? Contact our team of event professionals today to see what we can do for you! Photos courtesy of Marc Anthony & Tony Ryan Photography and The Rock The House Photo Archive. Videos courtesy of Rock The House and Matt Reisinger of Elite Entertainment.

ROCKstar of the Month of November: Travis Rose

November 15, 2016/in All Posts /by mhadder4561

As 2016 slowly begins to wind down, our ROCKstar of the Month for November is none other than our Talent Director, Travis Rose! Also acting as one of our finest Lead Entertainers, Travis has been a part of the Rock The House team for almost 5 years.

Photo courtesy of Making The Moment Photography

Born to perform, Travis has been rocking stages since he was only 3 years old! This trend only continued over time, as Travis began DJing during his college years at Bowling Green State University. After completing his undergrad at BGSU, Rose continued to pursue his academic studies at Lake Erie College, where he would go on to earn his Masters Degree in Business. Aside from entertaining and supervising our entertainers, Travis has done nearly every job in the company at some point or another.

A Few Fun Facts About Travis Rose:

Guilty Pleasure Song? Anything Stevie Wonder (BUT ‘Sir Duke’ really gets him going!)
Favorite Artist(s)? Kanye West, but believes Michael Jackson is the most influential musician in history.
Pre/Post Event Snack? Sugar-free Red Bull is always a go-to before a show, but afterward you can catch him heading to Taco Bell for Fourth Meal.
Favorite Thing About Being on the RTH Team? “You get to be such an important part of some of the biggest days in peoples’ lives, and getting paid to make people happy is a pretty cool job.”

While we are very happy to declare Travis as our Rockstar of the Month for November, it is bittersweet as he steps down from his role as Talent Director and continues to advance his career away from Rock The House. As a valued member of the RTH family, Travis had the following to say about his time as Talent Director:

“One of the most rewarding things about this role at RTH is developing up and coming entertainers, and sharing my insight that I’ve learned throughout my career to watch them develop into ROCKstars themselves. I feel honored to be the Rockstar of the Month, as I know I work amongst a team of VERY talented individuals.” – Travis Rose

Travis has been a great employee throughout his time at Rock The House, and it is clear that his influence on our company has been a positive one.

“There’s some employees that respect a position, while others respect the person in it… I think its very rare that we find someone who deserves so much respect, but never has an issue getting it from our employees. As a human resources manager he was fair, but always placed the best interest of our employees as a high priority to help them grow, and to make the best working environment possible for them.” – Ryan Konikoff, Chief Operating Officer

We wish Travis Rose the best on his future ventures, but are happy to say that he will still be working as one of our finest entertainers! That means no worries if you’re interested in working with Travis for your next event.. Just contact our team of event professionals today to get started! Photos courtesy of Making The Moment Photography and the Rock The House Photo Archive.

ROCKstar of The Month of October: Kevin New

October 19, 2016/in All Posts /by mhadder4561

October is one of our busiest months of the year, so it’s only fitting that this month’s ROCKstar is one of our hardest working MCs, Kevin New. Finishing up his 14th season working with us, Kevin has been performing as an MC since he was 18 years old.

Although Kevin has been performing for RTH for 13 years, his experience performing stretches back to his youth. Starting his entertainment career at 7 years old, Kevin worked at Six Flags Amusement Park as a boy, and even spent some time touring Italy for vocal performance! In addition to these experiences, Kevin would later take his talents to Kent State University, pursuing Vocal Performance in the form of a college degree.

A Few Fun Facts About Kevin New:

Theme Song? “Piano Man” by Billy Joel (But his favorite song would be “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon)
If You Could Be A Superhero, Who Would It Be? Superman, because of his ability to fly!
Post Event Snack? I always stop at the Circle K near the RTH office for an energy drink and some Cool Ranch Doritos.
Who Do You Look Up To As An RTH MC? Is There Any Advice You Have For Future Entertainers? I try to take away nuggets of wisdom from each of our entertainers. Each MC is unique and seasoned, and I enjoy learning from each of them! That’s something I always tell our new entertainers; Don’t be afraid to learn by trying something new.

Kevin was born in El Paso, Texas, as the 10th and final child of his family. With the age difference between him and his siblings spanning up to 25 years, time only continues to make the New family grow. As of now, Kevin has 34 nephews (not counting 12 great niece and nephews), and three children of his own with his wife of 6 years, Kellie.

“Kevin New is the consummate professional. Any client who is fortunate to have Kevin as their MC is in for a wonderful night. Kevin not only is a talented entertainer but he embraces concierge level customer service. Rock The House has been fortunate to have such a loyal and talented entertainer on the entertainment team for the last 13 years. Kevin has performed on over 400 events, and we look forward to watching that number grow as time goes on.” -Travis Rose, Talent Director

You can find Kevin any given weekday working his full-time job as Branch Manager for Dollar Bank in North Olmsted. A very hardworking individual, we appreciate all the work that Kevin does for our company and our customers! Interested in working with Kevin for your next event? Contact our team of event professionals today to get started!

Your Guide To A Hauntingly Good Halloween Party

October 4, 2016/in All Posts, Disc Jockeys, DJ Akron, DJ Cleveland, DJ Columbus, DJ Pittsburgh, DJ Toledo, DJ Youngstown, Industry Professionals, Lighting & Drapery, Photo Booth Rental /by mhadder4561

With the leaves falling from the trees and the summer heat drifting away, it can only mean one thing; Fall is finally here! With Fall comes pumpkins, football games, flannels, and of course, Halloween. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, Halloween is the perfect time to throw some of the craziest parties of the year. As your friends and neighbors prepare by decorating their houses and making fun costumes, here is your guide to throwing a spectacularly spooky soiree they won’t soon forget! Putting on a Halloween celebration may seem like a monumental task, but really it can be broken down into three main facets: Lighting, Special Enhancements, and Entertainment. Luckily, Rock The House is not only able to provide you with all of these things, but we’ll even walk you through each step of the planning process! Here are a few of our ideas, if you dare to dream big!

Lighting:

Lighting is a very powerful tool for any event you may be throwing because it allows you to not only transform the look of any space, but also the mood that is set by that space. Orange uplighting on a bare wall is a great way to give your guests a mysterious feeling as they arrive, or use it on some white drapery to make your own wall! Black lights are also known to set an eerie tone, and can be a great addition to any room’s design. While these lights are used to set the room’s general atmosphere, there are also advanced lighting options that will help bring your party to life after it kicks off! Strobe lights, hazers, and blinders are all great ways to turn your average room into a full-fledged Halloween production. Freedom sticks and gobos are some other good additions that can really bring a space together nicely.

Special Enhancements:

Once you’ve got the lighting in place, it’s time to polish off your production with some extra flare. Fog machines are a great accent to our advanced lighting choices, or you can add some chandeliers to give the room a touch of aged elegance! Also don’t forget about any of our fantastic extra entertainment options, such as Rockshots, LED Ping Pong, Giant Foosball, and more! Our selection of games and extra activities are a great way to ensure that guests will stay entertained both on, and off the dancefloor!

Photo Opportunity:

Another special enhancement that is a must-have for any Halloween party is one of our many different photo opportunities! Photos booth options have become a new staple piece for guest interaction, and can be very appealing to those who may be a bit too shy to put their dancing shoes on. Not to mention that if you’re throwing a costume party, your guests will be itching to get a picture of themselves in their new attire! Add social media sharing, and guests can easily share their photos directly to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even have their pictures sent to them instantly through e-mail or text message.

Entertainment:

When all the lighting and production work is done, you’ll still need to entertain your guests! Whether you prefer live entertainment or a good old-fashioned DJ, Rock The House is always ready to make your party ROCK! Our masterful DJ/MC pairs are trained to play for any kind of crowd, and our in-house, award-winning party band Rock The House LIVE is able to play a wide variety of genres from funk, to rock, to today’s biggest hits. No matter which option you prefer, you can be sure that all your guests will be out of their seats, enjoying themselves the entire night! As you can surely see by now, trick-or-treating isn’t the only fun thing you can do in October. Now’s your chance to throw a party so good, even ghosts from last Halloween will want to attend! Contact our team of event professionals today to get started, and mention this article and receive 5% off your Halloween event. Images courtesy of Google Images and the Rock The House Photo Archive.

Rock The House 2016 Company Party Recap

September 16, 2016/in All Posts, Corporate Production, Industry Professionals, RTH Gives Back / Charity Work /by mhadder4561

Every week of the year, members of our talented team of entertainers exceed expectations to make events the very best experience they can be for our clients and their guests. For this reason, we have the Rock The House Family of Companies Party; a night full of awards, music, dancing, and soon-to-be great memories! As our way of showing gratitude for all the hard work our employees do every week, we present our 2016 Rock The House Company Party Recap!

The grand celebration took place on August 16th at Camp George Forbes in Beachwood, with dinner being served by Driftwood Catering. Over 110 RTH team members attended the party, which featured a variety of activities including a photo booth, an ice cream cart, and even a bonfire. While we appreciate every employee that comes to our annual company party, there are a few entertainers that deserve special recognition this year. A few of them include Faucet Award winner Nick Lockhart, Renaissance Man Award winner Travis Rose, and the newly-named Rock The House Employee of The Year, Nick Duve.

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Also, we would like to extend a special congratulation to one of our lead entertainers Shawn Smutak (Left), who was commemorated for his completion of 1,000 events! A similar award was presented to Selective Sound’s “Jay R.” Rich (Right), following his completion of over 1,500 events throughout his career. The night was closed out with our company-wide DJ Battle, where Matt “Mattitude” Novick was crowned as the winner.

Rock The House is a very unique company filled with many unique individuals, and we wouldn’t trade any of them for anything. Events like our annual company party help our staff grow closer together as a whole, and is the reason our company’s culture is unmatched by any of our competitors. Plain and simply, it is because our entertainers love what they do. Thank you to all our DJs, dancers, MCs, technicians, and executive staff members for all that you’ve done this past year! Great job team!

Interested in working with our staff to make your next event ROCK? Contact our team of event professionals to get started! Photos courtesy of the Rock The House Photo Archive.