Interview for Stop to Shop Magazine
Nowadays ballrooms appear very often on the market. They all have the same design and the expression “all-inclusive offer” is everywhere. At Avenue 48, we are not guided by such … marketing tricks.
Instead, we have created a totally different concept of what you can currently find on the events market and we have succeeded in providing a premium location with unique design, in order to offer to our customers benefits that they will not find elsewhere .
In addition, we always managed to be one step ahead of the trends and maybe this is the key to our success. We always dare to come up with something new. If today Chiavari chairs are very fashionable, our team has already been using them for a long time. If the trend of the moment is the greenery theme, we already used this theme a couple of years ago.
2. When was created the concept of Avenue 48 and why?
In over 15 years of experience, we have understood the needs of our customers, and Avenue 48 is aligned with all their preferences in terms of style, services, design and budget! Everything you wished for is here!
The concept of Avenue 48, one of the largest event venues in Bucharest, was born in June 2018, from a keen desire to create a space where we wanted to bring the idea of “premium private events” to another level! We are ready to stage grandiose events, either they are private or corporate. We host shows and concerts with live music, conferences, galas, stand-up comedy shows, car launches or any other type of event!
3. Tell us more about the organization of premium private events.
We always strive to become our best version, we try to reinvent, not to follow the patterns, and treat every client or event with the same seriousness. Either we organize an anniversary or a private party for a famous label that imposes some rigors, the way we organize ourselves and our involvement are the same!
For every event organized at Avenue 48 we have the same goal, the same mission: to make it successful! In order to achieve our goal, we need good planning, a clear setting of objectives, perfect distribution of resources and impeccable communication with our client. For us, nothing is more satisfying than the positive feedback received from our customers and we don’t settle for the less.
4. What makes Avenue48 different from the competition? Why would customers choose you?
Avenue 48 is absolutely gorgeous! Not only for the architecture, that breaks the canons of traditional art, but also for the unique interior design. The venue was projected by renowned architects, and the most talented designers have set their stamp on the whole space! Avenue 48 has been decorated according to the most actual trend of the moment- Concrete Interior Design. A vintage style, combined with modern elements, completed by the brilliance of the impressive lamps and the cold feeling of the concrete.
Once you enter, you will realize that what you found so far in any other locations cannot be compared to what you find at Avenue 48!
We provide everything you need for your event: a very large space, secured parking, in-house kitchen, two bars, terrace, lounge area, wardrobe, mobile stage, architectural and dynamic lights, ultra-high performance audio and video systems and so much more.
5. What kind of services do you offer?
We like to think that we are more than just an event hall, precisely because we Avenue 48 was conceived as a complex of services. We wanted to create a chameleonic location that fits any kind of event and we hope we have succeed in doing it.
The surface area is over 1600mp, meaning we can host events with 2000 people standing, 800 people at dinner events and 250 people seated! In addition, the terrace is spectacular! We have created a space of more than 700 square meters, which can be divided so that you get a more intimate and discreet place. Everything depends on what the customer wants. Hence the “chameleonic” character mentioned above.
The experience and the large number of events organized helped us over time to understand the needs and the solutions we can offer to our clients, so we created a lot of facilities that makes us unique and place us on a preferential place on the market.
6. Describe an event that, in your vision, came out perfectly.
From the series of events worth mentioning, I will give you the example of a spectacular wedding, as we like to call it. Every guest was welcomed with a spectacular light show, which brought out the epoch cars located just in front of the location. The large surface allowed us to expose them perfectly and to fit the decor, but also to stand out by creating a very interesting contrast between the old style of the cars and the futuristic style of the location.
The real challenge came on the technical side, so we appealed to the help of a “light designer”, who used different colors depending on the type of each car and positioned them in such way to create a sense the strong idea of dynamism. It was a a very complex project, and also a lot of teamwork, because we had to appeal to various collaborators, newer or older. We collaborated with a professional company, which provided us all the audio-video equipment, for a smooth running of the event. The equipment used was of the latest generation, the stage was mobile, all the cables were mounted on the floor just to keep the guests away from getting tangled, and every technical detail was supervised by a specialist.
In addition, on the culinary side, our Chef has shown his craftsmanship creating plates worthy of a Michelin star restaurant.
Each event is a challenge for us and we are happy to satisfy all of our guests, because this is our greatest satisfaction.
7. What are the most important tips you can offer to those who decide to organize an event?
The first is that they need to know exactly what they want, and to discuss this openly with us. If a customer knows what he wants, no matter how out-of-common the requirements are, the job is half done. We, as organizers, if we understand what we have to do, we will surely find the necessary ways to get everything done.
Then, it’s very important the confidence and the receptivity of the client when it comes to solutions or new ideas coming from us. Often, although they come to us with an idea already formed, following the discussion with us, they come to the conclusion that it is better to adjust some things, relying on our experience.
Last but not the last one, I will place the patience given by the client to our team, because the whole process of organizing an event can be different sometimes. There are some things that are going faster, others that last longer, but for sure we always respect the deadlines and we know how to calculate our timing so that we fit perfectly into the chart.
8. I know that although your location is a luxury one, you have created extremely affordable packages.
First of all, we are people and we are mostly impressed by the reactions of other people.
We are extremely happy when someone visits our venue and they are visibly amazed by what they see, excited and grateful at the same time. So, without excluding the business factor, we wanted to have as many of these reactions as possible and that’s why we created customized packages and offers for different types of budgets, that would please both clients and us. We do not apply standard or basic packages, instead we try to adapt to the needs of those who choose us.
Isabela Baxan – General manager Avenue48 & Ballroom By Bamboo
