EXPERT ADVICE
Best practices, tips and unique ideas for the BEST. PARTY. EVER.
The 5 Things You Should Ask Any Vendor or Venue
We believe keeping these five things in mind during the search process, will prioritize your needs, your budget, your child’s interests, and the vision you have for their mitzvah, and make finding the perfect fit easier than before!
When contacted by future mitzvah families, we do our best to make the process easy and make sure to personalize the event to fit their needs and their child’s interests! Below are a few of the things that we are always happy to go over when chatting with our families, and five of the most important topics we believe you should go over when talking to any vendor or venue!
Photo Credit: Photography by Jen Davis
1. Value
As we’ve suggested in the past, we believe it is important to create a budget that you can stick to. To make that easier, it is best to allot a certain amount to each aspect of the planning process and your event needs. While we do suggest creating a strict budget, we realize that’s easier said than done. Sometimes it helps to be flexible especially when you consider the value of what you are getting. When choosing a venue or vendor, you may find options that fit within your set budget but they don’t offer exactly what you’re looking for or match the quality you envisioned. It’s important to look at a variety of venues and vendors to see what they offer and which will give you the best value for what you pay and what you need.
Photo Credit: Peter Fotolux
2. Availability
Nothing is worse than finding the perfect venue and then realizing they’re all booked up! If you know your preferred date, make sure to ask about that before getting into too many details. Most likely if venues or vendors are not available on that date, they will have other options available for you, and at that point, it’s up to you if you’re able to be flexible and switch that date around! Make sure to keep in mind when your family would be available, if you had any trips planned or previous plans made, or if there is anything that would conflict with the other options available.
3. Flexibility
Speaking of flexibility, typically venues and vendors offer multiple packages to accommodate a wide range of needs and preferences. See what packages they offer based on your budget, needs, and your child’s preferences. If they don’t already offer packages that fit this, see if they are able to be flexible to help create the perfect party for you!
Photo Credit: Peter Fotolux
4. Reviews
With company reviews being so easy to find nowadays, there should be no reason you don’t look at them before booking with someone! Whether it’s on Facebook, Google, or their direct website, being able to get a good understanding of how their customers felt before, during, and after working with them, should be easy and so important before saying yes to using them for your son or daughter’s mitzvah! Looking at reviews can put your mind at ease if you had any doubts before or can save you from an unpleasant experience if you notice previous customers have had many in the past.
Photo Credit: Omar Gonzalez Photography
5. Previous Work
Similar to finding reviews, a vendor’s previous work is typically very easy to find and is a great way to see what they’ve done in the past and if it fits the vision you have for your event! Most companies know the importance of this and will showcase their work on their website or social media pages. When looking, be sure to take your time and look through more than just a few examples, as that may not showcase all that they can do! Although these vendors may be able to be flexible and offer you more than what they show, looking at their social media beforehand is a great way to get a general idea of what they’ve done and what they are used to doing. If you cannot find any previous work, make sure to ask them when having your initial meeting and before signing with them.
We believe keeping these five things in mind during the search process, will prioritize your needs, your child’s interests, and the vision you have for their mitzvah, and make finding the perfect fit easier than before!
Mitzvah Games (That Are Actually Fun!) - Cocktail Hour
We believe that cocktail hour is a great opportunity for our team to not only get to know our guests but to also allow them to get to know each other through games. Here are a few of our favorite cocktail games, that we think do this best!
At a bar/bat mitzvah, the party may seem like the best part of the night. And don’t get us wrong, as a mitzvah entertainment company, we love the dancing, dinner, and party games, but cocktail hour is where family and friends come together, get to know each other, and that's truly where the fun begins.
Photo Credit: Jen Davis Photography
Not everyone at a bar/bat mitzvah may know each other and that’s okay! That is what we’re there for! We believe that cocktail hour is a great opportunity for our team to not only get to know our guests but to also allow them to get to know each other through games. Below are a few of our favorite cocktail games, that we think do this best!
1. Poster Drop
You may be able to guess what you have to do in this game, just from the name itself! In poster drop, a member of our team holds a rolled-up poster in both hands and as they drop it, the kids try to catch the poster before it touches the ground. It may sound easy but it’s harder than it looks and is a great way to get the kids laughing, active, and ready for what’s in store for the rest of the night! This is a favorite of ours to start the night with, because it allows our team to go from group to group, engaging with our guests one at a time, getting to know each of them a bit better.
Photo Credit: Jen Davis Photography
2. Human Knot
Once a popular Tik Tok, this game involves teamwork, communication, and is guaranteed to create laughter and a few silly moments along the way. The rules are simple, a rope is tied and interlocked to you and your partner’s hands, untangle yourselves without removing your hands from the rope. We believe this game is best when played with someone that the kids may not know so that they can bond through working together and carry that with them through the rest of the night!
3. Levitation
This one may sound a little silly, but trust us, it’s one of our favorites for that reason! Everyone playing sits in a chair, turns to their side, and leans back onto the person next to them. As they are doing this, our team goes around and starts removing chairs until there are none left and the kids are all “levitating”. It’s a fun one to play but it may be even more fun to watch, as eventually one of the kids falls after their chair is removed, creating a domino effect that has everyone falling over and begging to try again!
4. Trivia
This interactive trivia game is a great way to get everyone involved and let the kids use their phones one last time before the party starts, getting it out of their system! With so many kids, trivia is still easy to manage through Kahoot, a site that allows us to ask questions about the guest of honor, have all the kids answer at once, and display the correct answer on the big screen for everyone to see. Trivia is a fun way to find out “who knows the guest of honor best”, allowing the kids to compete and get back to the focus of the night - the guest of honor!
Photo Credit: John Carlos Borja Productions
At Xtreme Event Group, we believe having a fun and engaging cocktail hour where everyone can get involved is so important if you want to start the night off right! And as we’ve shown here, a great way to do that is through playing bar/bat mitzvah games.
If you’d like to learn more about the games, bar mitzvah activities, and other entertainment that we can offer at your child’s event, schedule a call with one of our experts today!
Mitzvah Games (That Are Actually Fun!)
As a bat/bar mitzvah entertainment company that loves engaging with our guests through games, here are some of our favorites to play during the party!
A good mitzvah entertainment company should be able to take your vision and bring it to life, as well as, understand the interests, hobbies, and passions of the guest of honor. And with saying that, we realize not every guest of honor may want to dance the night away at their mitzvah. So as an alternative, a great way to drive engagement between kids and adults would be incorporating games into your event, that can still be fun, high-energy, interactive, and cohesive for all of your guests. As a bat/bar mitzvah entertainment company that loves engaging with our guests through games, here are some of our favorites to play during the party!
Photo Credit: Captured Event
1. Coke and Pepsi
This game may be simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun! In fact, it is still the most popular mitzvah game there is! The guests playing will be split into two different sides, “coke” and “pepsi”. When your side is called, you run as fast as you can to your partner on the other side. The last person to their partner is out! We try to incorporate the guest of honor’s passions, interests, hobbies, and chosen bar/bat mitzvah themes into the game as well, to make it more meaningful and personal to your child’s mitzvah.
Photo Credit: Photography by Jen Davis
2. Twenty One
A relay race with a twist! The object of the game is to stack cups with your team until they form a pyramid of 21 total cups. The first team to do that wins! While that may sound easy, it’s probably not as easy as you think! Each person can only stack one cup at a time and as they run to their teammate, the cups have a tendency to fall over, leaving your team to now fix the cups one at a time. While we typically start Twenty One with just the kids, we like to have the adults play against the winning team. This is a great way to get the adults involved, and it’s always entertaining to see how competitive they get during the game!
3. Scavenger Hunt
This game is set up similarly to musical chairs, and who doesn’t love musical chairs?? The main difference being, rather than circling around the chairs and finding one once the music stops, you must find an item called out and run back to find a chair before they are all taken! The quicker you find the item, the quicker you get to a chair, the better chance you have of staying in the game! With Scavenger Hunt, we make sure to involve both the kids and adults in unique ways so that everyone gets a chance to play.
Lucky for you, these are all games that we offer, as well as many others! When thinking about games for your child’s event, the best mitzvah company or bar/bat mitzvah DJ will typically have this covered! But it doesn’t hurt to know what to expect at a bar mitzvah party and to look over these bat mitzvah games and activities with your child to see which they would prefer! While we did name our top three party games, we know each child is different and we make sure to pick what games we feel will best suit them and the rest of the party guests to create the BEST. PARTY. EVER. Be sure to check out our blog next week, where we list our favorite mitzvah games during cocktail hour!
If you’re looking to plan your child’s bar or bat mitzvah, Xtreme Event Group will take care of all your event entertainment needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our mitzvah planning experts today.
The 5 Biggest Regrets From Mitzvah Families After Their Event
A tool we think you need to make sure that you are nothing other than happy once your son or daughter’s mitzvah is over.
After years of looking forward to it and after months and months of planning it, the day has come and gone and how do you feel? Probably a little tired from dancing, a little relieved that there is no more planning, a little sad that it’s over, but hopefully satisfied with how everything turned out. We hope after all of the time and effort you’ve put in, your child’s mitzvah is as special as you as always hoped it would be. However, we know that not everything always goes as planned and there may be some things you wish you had known earlier to prepare for or things you could have done to prevent those last-minute surprises. So with that, we want to give you 5 of the biggest regrets mitzvah parents feel that they’ve made when planning their event - a tool we think you need to make sure that you are nothing other than happy once your son or daughter’s mitzvah is over.
Photo Credit: Joy Yadid Photography
1. Not Hiring Help
Although there are 4 other things on this list, hiring help may be one of the most important. If you’ve ever planned an event, which we’re sure you have, you know how overwhelming it can sometimes be. While you may feel inclined to do all the work yourself knowing how special this day should be, relying on people who plan mitzvahs for a living, will help you truly make it as special as it can be, with less stress to you and with probably more resources than you could have provided. Hiring help will take more off your plate, knowing the day is in expert hands, and truly allow you to enjoy it when it comes!
2. Not Sticking To A Budget
Creating a budget and sticking to one are two different things. While the first is good, the second is even better. The trick is to create a detailed bar/bat mitzvah budget early so that you know how much to put aside for each aspect of planning and if something were to come up later on in the process, you know where you can take from if need be. This works best when you coincide your budget with a projected timeline. And although it is good to stick by your budget, it is also good to know what items you can and can’t be flexible with when it comes to how much to spend or whether or not it’s worth it when receiving an estimate.
Photo Credit: Peter Fotolux
3. Involving Your Child Too Late In The Process
When planning a bar/bat mitzvah there is a lot to keep in mind and sometimes it can distract from what the event is all about - your child. At the end of the day, a mitzvah is held to celebrate your son or daughter. This means it is important to ask them what their expectations are for the day and what things they would really like to be included. It is important to note that this should be done early so that you can account for their preferences when creating a timeline and setting a budget, as well as involve them with any part of the planning process that you feel necessary. Be sure to still stick to your budget and if that means not involving everything they’ve requested, ask them for their favorites so that you know what to exclude if needed.
Photo Credit: Captured Event
4. Not Telling Your Vendor & Planner What’s Most Important To You Early In The Process
When hiring bar mitzvah vendors or bat mitzvah planners, it is important that through the hiring process you feel that they are a good fit and that they understand your vision for the event. Because of this, make sure that you feel comfortable with who you hire and that in your first meeting or in the ones soon to come, you tell them the things that are crucial in what should be involved. This way they know exactly what to include to make the day what you hope it will be!
5. Not Enjoying The Moment
Other than hiring help, enjoying the moment is by far the best advice we can give! After all of the work you’ve put into planning, you deserve to enjoy the day you helped put together! But even more importantly, this day is about your child, your family, and what it means to your community. It is a special day for all and you should let the planner part of you step aside, and enjoy the moments you’re creating!
Although mitzvah parents have made these mistakes in the past, we hope with these tips, you won’t have to! While there are many aspects to planning a mitzvah, these are some of the biggest and some of the best to get you started! Good luck and let us know if you need any help creating the best bar/bat mitzvah along the way!
Photo Credit: Ira Casel Photography
If you’re looking to plan your child’s bar or bat mitzvah, Xtreme Event Group will take care of all your event entertainment needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our mitzvah planning experts today.
The Importance of An Event Entertainment Team
Learn about the importance of having an event entertainment team for your mitzvah, directly from our team!
Planning a mitzvah can truly take a village. As we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, there a lot of things to consider - from something as small as your logo to larger aspects like picking a venue. What you and your guests will truly remember about your event, though, is how it all came together and made you feel.
Here at Xtreme Event Group, we’ve built a team of dedicated and talented entertainment professionals, all of whom know how to do their part to bring you a remarkable experience. When you think of event entertainment, you likely think about a DJ - and while DJs are certainly important to the event experience, there are several other roles that make our team what it is. At any given event, an entertainment team could be comprised of:
Emcees
DJs
Motivators
Technicians
Photo Credits: Memory Creations Photography
Rather than tell you what each person does, we want you to hear directly from our some of our Xtreme team members about how each person brings their A-game to contribute to the BEST. PARTY. EVER.
Adam, Emcee:
“As the MC we set the tone for our events by having great energy and personality. We lead the way to everyone having an awesome time celebrating together.”
Lauren, Motivator:
“Helping to create the best party ever really starts with the team I’m working with. We are so lucky here at Xtreme Event Group; truly everyone I get to work with is an amazing energy to be around. As a Party Motivator, my job is to make sure everyone in the room is involved and having a great time, and I think part of the reason we are able to do that so successfully is because we are actually having fun! Through the years I have made some amazing friendships and I think the clients can feel the loving and open energy we have with each other - and that helps them let their hair down and party with us.”
Alyssa spoke of the importance of connecting with the guests of honor.
Alyssa, Motivator:
“My role as a Party Motivator creates the best party ever by leaving a lasting impression on the kids and personally making sure every single child has a good time. I love connecting with the kids and making amazing memories that will stick with them forever!”
There are also aspects of event preparation that begin way before the event. For instance, Gregory stressed that to perform his best for clients, he makes sure to take care of himself.
Gregory, DJ:
“My role in creating the best party ever includes a few steps - the right communication with the team, being prepared with the duties that suit my role, eating properly/getting the right sleep days before the event and lastly understanding why I took the role will determine the ‘best party ever!’”
Zach talked further about how the role of a DJ can impact a mitzvah.
Zach, DJ:
“Being able to balance song selection for many age demographics is important if every guest is going to walk out of the party impressed. To quote Celeda and Danny Tenaglia, ‘Music is the answer/ To your problems/ Keep on moving/ Then you can solve them.’ So without music, there isn’t a best party ever!”
From behind the scenes, Maggie shared how crucial her role is regarding team communication and executing a client’s vision.
Maggie, Client Care Manager:
“Although I am not at the events, I’m behind the scenes working closely with our clients to determine everything they want to do for their big day and painting the picture to meet their expectations. I’d say my role helps to create the best party ever because I work closely with each client to understand their expectations and gather all needed items to execute them perfectly. The information I gather is passed to the entire team so they have a clear picture of what has to happen.”
Finally, Nicole summed up the purpose of an event team, short and sweet:
Nicole, Motivator:
“We have unity in diversity. We are all different, but we come together for the same goal - make it the best party ever!”
You might not remember what, exactly, was said throughout the night, but you will remember the exhilaration of dancing to your favorite song with the people you’re most fond of by your side. After all, that’s what makes the BEST. PARTY. EVER.
If you’re looking to plan your child’s bar or bat mitzvah, Xtreme Event Group will take care of all your event entertainment needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our mitzvah planning experts today.
Your Perfect Bar Mitzvah Playlist: Ultimate Throwback songs
A curated list of perfect throwback songs that guests of all ages at your mitzvah will enjoy!
Since bar and bat mitzvahs typically hosts guests of all ages, a good DJ knows how to cater to their audience, whether guests are comprised of thirteen-year-olds, seventy-year-olds, or anyone in between.
While the guest of honor will likely have a large say in what music is played, we also want to make sure everyone from the youngest to the oldest has something that caters to them.
Photo credits: Bart Gorin Photography
That being said, here is our list of the BEST throwback music for your event - music that will make guests of all ages get out of their seats and sing out loud. Ironically, many of these hits have become popular again on TikTok.
1. Don't Stop Believin’ - Journey (1981)
2. Anything by ABBA, especially Dancing Queen (1976) and Mamma Mia (1975)
3. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen (1975)
4. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond (1969)
5. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC (1980)
6. I Want You Back - The Jackson 5 (1969)
7. Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)
And we couldn’t forget classic songs by our favorite New Jersey natives:
8. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston (1987)
9. Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi (1986)
10. Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen (1975)
These songs are guaranteed to please everyone at your mitzvah, no matter how old!
Photo Credit: Captured Event
Our experts at Xtreme Event Group can discuss your ideas and provide suggestions while going through your event details, making sure that each aspect of your event - including your playlist - is a perfect fit for you and your child.
If you’re looking to plan your child’s bar or bat mitzvah, Xtreme Event Group will take care of all your event entertainment needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our mitzvah planning experts today.
Your Perfect Bar Mitzvah Playlist: Songs for Your Honor Dance
A curated list of perfect songs for your bar or bat mitzvah’s honor dance.
A mitzvah celebration is full of ceremonies and traditions. These traditions can include a candle lighting ceremony, hora, and even an honor dance.
The honor dance - also commonly referred to as a parent-child dance - is a special moment that demonstrates the connection and bond between the guest of honor and their parent.
Much like at a wedding, the bar mitzvah child will traditionally dance with his mother while the bat mitzvah child will traditionally dance with her father. If a parent isn’t present, the guest of honor might choose to dance with a sibling, grandparent, step-parent, aunt, uncle, or any other family member that is important to them.
Photo credits: Peter Fotolux
For those families that choose to partake in this custom, it’s important to find a song that the guest of honor and their family member can comfortably dance to and signifies their relationship.
Honor dance songs are typically clean, happy songs that describe familial or parental love. While these types of songs seem difficult to find, we’ve compiled a list of popular songs that could be fitting for your and your child’s dance, including old favorites and new hits:
1. Photograph - Ed Sheeran
“You won’t ever be alone, wait for me to come home.”
2. What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
“I hear babies cry, I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more, than I’ll ever know.”
3. Never Grow Up - Taylor Swift
”I won’t let nobody hurt you, won’t let no one break your heart.”
4. Daughters - John Mayer
“Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do.”
5. Isn’t She Lovely - Stevie Wonder
”Isn’t she lovely, isn’t she wonderful?”
6. My Girl - The Temptations
“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day with my girl.”
7. God Only Knows - John Legend
“God only knows what I’d be without you.”
8. My Wish - Rascal Flatts
“My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to.”
9. Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynrd
“Mama told me when I was young, come sit beside me my only son.”
10. Father and Daughter - Paul Simon
“I’m gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow.”
Photo Credit: Photography by Jen Davis
When choosing a song, it’s most important to pick something that you and your child enjoy, even if it might not be seen as “traditional” or “typical.” If your event’s theme, for example, is Broadway, then you could tailor your song even more and choose a song from a musical, like “No Matter What” from the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast.
While many song choices, such as the ones listed above, are sentimental, you can choose any song that has meaning to you. If the guest of honor is a dancer, you could even consider choreographing a dance routine to perform for your guests.
Our experts at Xtreme Event Group can discuss your ideas and provide suggestions while going through your event details, making sure that each aspect of your event - including your honor dance - is a perfect fit for you and your child.
Choreographing your own moves can make for a fun and unique twist on an honor dance.
If you’re looking to plan your child’s bar or bat mitzvah, Xtreme Event Group will take care of all your event entertainment needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our mitzvah planning experts today.
The Importance of Your Mitzvah’s Logo
Who knew something so small could mean so much?
What’s the first thing that you think of when you hear “Target”? I’d bet a red and white bullseye popped into your mind. What about “McDonalds”? I’m sure you pictured those famous golden arches.
These are examples of logos so well-known that they don’t even need the company’s name featured within the design. Logos can be a symbol of longevity and professionalism for a company. But did you know they can play an important part in your child’s mitzvah as well?
Photo credits: Photography by Jen Davis
The creation of a logo is one of the more creative and less business-oriented aspects of planning a mitzvah. It’s a chance for artistic expression, but it’s also significant for cohesion and theming. Here are three reasons why you should consider creating a logo for your mitzvah:
1. It unifies each aspect of your event.
While your logo doesn’t have to relate to your theme, a logo is a great way to display your theme even further and reinforce it. Those little images signify that each thing at your mitzvah is yours and yours alone. Like a company, once you have a logo, it becomes your brand. It can be incorporated on invitations, decor, and even within the lighting.
In this example, Logan’s logo was based on his love of baseball and the Yankees. His logo translated well on to our screens and his giveaways, such as the theme-appropriate baseball cap. Photo credits: Omar Gonzalez.
2. It sets you apart.
Chances are, you and your child are attending a bunch of mitzvahs right now. Guests will walk home with party favors, but in a blur of events, will they really remember which party each of the favors are from? Incorporating your logo with your favors, or anything else that you might give away to guests, prevents this from happening. Each time they see your logo, they’ll remember your amazing party!
3. It represents you.
Like theme of the mitzvah, your child’s logo can represent their interests, your hobbies, or passions…it really represents whatever makes you YOU. It can be as simple or as complex as you like, and inspiration can include sports teams, movies, or musicians. Your logo should be one-of-a-kind - because you are too.
Now, how to make your logo? It comes down to only a few options here: you can tap into your creative side and do it yourself - maybe your child will want to design their own logo! - or you can enlist a designer to work with you to create one. If you have the skills and a vision that you know you can bring to life, then go for it!
If you have any doubts or find that you have enough on your plate with party-planning, then it might be worth the time, money, and effort to work with a designer. Here at Xtreme Event Group, we also offer in-house professional logo design.
While a logo likely won’t make or break your event, it will add something a little extra professional and a little extra special to your child’s big day.
Photo credit: Fotolux NJ
If you’re looking to plan your child’s bar or bat mitzvah, Xtreme Event Group will take care of all your event entertainment needs. Schedule a consultation with one of our mitzvah planning experts today.
5 Tips for Plan a Flawless Virtual Mitzvah Celebration
Thinking of hosting a virtual bar or bat mitzvah? Here are some tips to plan the perfect celebration your child deserves.
Planning any type of celebration today is difficult, especially in colder areas where an outdoor gathering isn’t ideal. As the pandemic continues, many people are opting for virtual rather than in-person events to safely accommodate all their loved ones, no matter where they’re located.
If you’re looking to host a virtual bar or bat mitzvah for your child, here are five tips for hosting an engaging celebration.
Image credit: Mitch Messinger
1. Host it on Zoom.
Zoom is a great video conferencing platform that can host hundreds of guests and allow for fun, interactive chats and other features. At Xtreme Event Group, we’ve pivoted to offering Zoom mitzvahs to meet our existing clients’ needs and open our business to new clients, both nationally and internationally. We love Zoom because it allows everyone involved in the event to visually see everyone as well as their emotions and expressions. It’s also easy to use and allows you to record everything, which makes an incredible keepsake memory of your child’s special day.
Once you set the date and time, we’ll help you create a private Zoom link for the event and send it as an invite to your guests. This makes it easy for everyone to log onto your child’s virtual mitzvah celebration when the big day comes.
2. Create engagement with live entertainment.
Live entertainment is a must-have for mitzvahs, so integrating that into your virtual celebration is important. Be strategic and intentional with your choice of activities to drive engagement from guests. You want to make it different than the standard boring “Zoom meeting” you do for work and school every day by creating create a sense of community and love that radiates off the screen.
There are many ways you can do this, including having a professional entertainer as your event host, creating collaborative song playlists in real-time, and inviting performers to join the Zoom conference. For example, we recently hosted a virtual mitzvah for a client on Zoom where a mentalist was able to demonstrate his mind-reading skills. Despite the distance between all the guests, the entire party was wowed by this live performance.
Image credit: Lisa Klein
3. Include your favorite mitzvah traditions.
Setting an agenda, just as you would with an in-person mitzvah, will ensure a smooth and seamless event. There’s no need to cut out traditional mitzvah rituals, either: you can still incorporate a hora, a candle-lighting ceremony, and even a dance with Dad. If you or your child wanted to do it for a live event, it can be done over Zoom.
4. Consider everything that might go wrong.
Hosting virtual events comes with all kinds of technical and security risks. Aside from poor cameras and lighting or a bad WiFi connection, you may also run into a Zoom bomber if you don’t have a password-protected meeting link. When we host a Zoom mitzvah, we help our clients with best practices to eliminate any hurdles or obstacles from occurring.
5. Work with a mitzvah expert.
Working with a mitzvah-planning agency allows you the freedom to focus on the exciting parts of your celebration while knowing the rest of the planning and dirty work is being taken care of for you.
At Xtreme Event Group, we do it all. We are your personal event planner, IT coordinator, technical support team, professional event host, game master, virtual photographer, virtual videographer, and production expert. We also offer features like a virtual photo booth and curated music playlists for a personalized experience.
Check out The Virtual Simcha by Xtreme Event Group to better understand how we can help you celebrate your day, or schedule a consultation call with our mitzvah-planning experts!
How to Host the Perfect Hybrid Mitzvah This Spring
Looking to host a mitzvah with both in-person and online festivities? Here’s how you can host the perfect hybrid mitzvah this spring.
As the pandemic continues to change the event-planning industry, many parents planning bar and bat mitzvahs are deciding on hybrid celebrations to accommodate all their guests. This typically involves a smaller in-person event (often held outside, weather permitting) that is live-streamed for other guests to attend virtually.
As a premier mitzvah entertainment company, we’ve worked with clients all over the country (and the world) to plan virtual and hybrid celebrations for this important family milestone, even during COVID-19. If you’re considering a hybrid mitzvah celebration for your child this spring, here’s what you need to know about planning and executing the best party ever — no matter where your guests are located!
Image credit: Lisa Klein
What is a hybrid mitzvah?
A hybrid mitzvah combines an in-person celebration with an online gathering, accommodating both on-site and remote attendees. In addition to all the elements of a traditional mitzvah event, a hybrid event can also offer interactive virtual activities like real-time curated music playlists, photo booths, and video messages.
Since the start of the pandemic, Xtreme Event Group has been offering virtual mitzvahs that are fully online, allowing families and friends all over the world to safely celebrate their loved one. As smaller in-person social gatherings become safer, unique hybrid mitzvah experiences have been a go-to for families that want to engage both live and virtual guests simultaneously.
To achieve this, we work with a wide network of national A/V vendors that can facilitate an on-site technical experience while we operate the fun, interactive online elements. With this format, we are able to seamlessly integrate in-person entertainment with virtual fun for all your mitzvah guests.
Tips for hosting a virtual mitzvah
If you’ve decided to host a mitzvah with both on-site and virtual components, here are some tips to ensure the day goes smoothly and all your guests have a great time.
1. Test equipment/video before the event.
Taking the time to test any computers, audio/video components, or livestreaming equipment can help you work out any bugs before the big day. Xtreme and our A/V partners provide our clients with a dedicated day-of tech support team and recommendations, as well as a thorough rehearsal prior to the event to make sure everything is working properly.
2. Incorporate traditional mitzvah events.
Mitzvah traditions, such as speeches and the candle-lighting ceremony, can easily be translated into a hybrid model. With livestreaming and Zoom capabilities (plus a bit of rehearsal and planning beforehand), your guests can participate in the traditional mitzvah events regardless of their physical location.
Image credit: Jen Davis Photography
3. Include interactive entertainment.
Incorporating interactive entertainment ensures that both your in-person and virtual guests can enjoy the festivities equally. Curated music playlists sent to your guests, virtual photo booths and video messages, and interactive games and performances can be integrated for an unforgettable experience.
4. Work with experienced mitzvah vendors.
From contacting vendors, to setting up the tech, to ensuring guests are engaged regardless of location, planning a hybrid mitzvah can feel overwhelming. A team of trusted mitzvah vendors can help with planning, coordinating, and executing your vision for the day.
When you work with Xtreme Event Group, we’ll facilitate every step of the process, allowing you and your family to enjoy an amazing mitzvah without the stress of planning. We provide all the tools you need for a highly-engaging virtual celebration that can be held anywhere, as well as recommend local companies to help with the in-person celebration.
Choosing the right team for your mitzvah celebration will ensure a seamless and unforgettable experience for your child and their guests. For more information about our hybrid and virtual mitzvah services, contact us to schedule your consultation call today.