Whenever we’re feeling the pinch of the sagging economy and the cutbacks associated with them – just take a look at what some larger corporations and industry groups are doing.  Northwestern Mutual Financial Network/Oregon & SW Washington is holding an event at the end of the month (their annual banquet) at The Nines Hotel… the Entrepreneurial Organization’s website has events planned almost every month through 2010 with a regional event tonight in Seattle for 300+ featuring the Beatniks … and I recently read about a huge event in Canada with a “Bond 007″ theme complete with live models painted in gold and an auction that raised several millions of dollars.  It’s good to see corporate event planning “alive & well” in the Pacific Northwest.

Not everyone may have the ability to afford such lavish events – so be creative with your event planning funds… cut back on the number of people, have a buffet instead of passed hors d’oeurves, host beer or wine only instead of a full bar and limit drink tickets to just a couple per person.  Check with the facility or a decor company, such as Royce’s Prop Shop, Barclay Events, West Coast Event Productions or Hollywood Lighting to see if they’ve used a theme recently that you can “piggy-back” on.  This will save the costs of creating items from scratch, plus it’s good for the environment too when you recycle items.