Classes are back in session, but it’s not just this semester’s coursework that’s on the schedule. September and October is also high event season for schools and colleges, from student and parent orientations to alumni class reunions.
In many ways, planning a back to school event is like planning any public function – sending and managing invitations, procuring food and refreshments, organizing a timeline. But certain logistics are unique to hosting an event in a school setting. Where a conference center or exhibit hall space usually has clear boundaries, a school campus tends to be spread out, creating potential confusion around where your guests are expected to go.
Perhaps more than any of the hundreds of events we do each year, back to school events can benefit from strategic use of live plants. Many students, teachers and parents are milling about, many of them unfamiliar with the school layout. Rented plants are a clever (and attractive) way to create intuitive traffic patterns – for a single event or for a series of concurrent events campus wide.
There are lots of ways you can use plants to effectively define a space or control the flow of traffic for a school event. Outside, you can use rows of potted plants to create a path leading up to an entrance. Inside, you can use plants to better mark a registration area, or even soften a space that’s too open – like a large gynmasium. Live plants can be used to create a “living wall” – making the overall feel of the room much more inviting. One of the best examples of this was for an event we did at the Fay School in Massachusetts. We used a combination of tall plants and flowering hibiscus to turn their gym into a lovely cocktail reception space. The room was truly transformed. In additional to the visual appeal of live plants, the set up improved the acoustics and added an element of feng shui – or harmony – to the surroundings.
Benefits of renting live plants for your event
For a back to school event or otherwise, one of the common misconceptions is that renting plants is expensive. In reality, live plants will one of your least expensive line items! So in addition to being your ace in the hole for improving traffic flow at an event, plants create warm, inviting spaces for a minimal investment.
Live plants:
- Will be one of the least costly items in your event budget
- Add energy and natural beauty to an event space
- Are a green alternative for event decor. At 800 Plant It, we give our plants time to rejuvenate and grow before their next rental, and when it’s time to buy new plants, we recycle the older ones by donating them to a good cause.
- Can be rented last minute! That’s one less thing to worry about when planning an event. 🙂
Here’s to making your back to school event a huge success. Don’t forget to relax and smile!
Planning a back to school event? Contact 800 Plant It: We’ll help you take it to the next level.