More venues , more ideas , more stuff to do at birthdays!

Lots of exciting new places have opened in Hyderabad this past year and Creative events has done some innovative work in the last few months with story telling workshops in schools , puppet theatre , crafts corners in corporate campuses during conferences ,  theatre workshops for children , choreographed dance shows for kids and as always we have enjoyed throwing some of the most fun birthday parties for children in Hyderabad!

I have posted an updated events venues list here .

There are around 70 venues in the city , that have been listed here .The venues include :

Alankritha Resorts,YogiBear Putt and Children's Park,Sanjeevaiah Park,Jalavihar,NTR Garden's Party Area,Hyderabad Marriott,Hotel Green Park,Pingle Venkatramana Reddy Hall,Hotel Minerva Grand,Hotel Basera,Hotel Taj Tristar,Zoroastrian Garden,Bantia Gardens,Chowmoholla Palace,Durgam Cheruvu,Party Cruiser on TankBund,Novotel,ITC Grand Kakatiya Sheraton,Golkonda,Fortune Katriya,Taj Deccan,Taj Krishna,Taj Banjara ,Shilpakala Vedika,Haveli,Country Club,Dhola Ri Dhani,Tandoor,Pepper Pods ,Minerva Grand Banjara Hills ,Minerva Coffee Shop ,Leonia Resort,NKM Grand,Chillies,Aditya Park Inn,Taj Mahal Hotel,Hotel Silver Park,Hotel Nakshatra,Asrani International,Leo Continental,Tabla,Amogh Hampi,Sitara Residency,Moksh,The Grand Solitaire,Cedar,Pavillion,Kasani GR Hotel,Inner Circle,Walden Care,Indu Hospitality,One Continent Atria,Sankalpa Grand,Casa Luxurio,Taj Mahal Hotel, Narayanguda,Liberty Exclusive,AVM function hall,Padmashali Kalyana Mandapam,Anubhav Gardens,Goteti Kalyana vedika,Swagath ,Shilpi East court,Bagaaraa &Chathees,Boulder hills,Club Jayabheri,Jalpaan, Greens and One Place .

The new options for vegetarians are Greens and Jalpaan . Both are centrally located, with sufficient parking and the food has got excellent reviews . Liberty Exclusive and Basil also cater to the vegetarians in the Banjara Hills area.

Some of the new ideas we've been doing in parties for the last few months or so are -

1. Crafts Corner - With options like paint your ceramic mug , warli painting corner ,origami fun corner etc
2.Storytelling corner- For small impromptu stories to groups of children during the party time
3.Traditional games area - With games like Ashta Chemma, Aadu Puli Aattam and Surakartha - these games are good return gift options as well
4. Pottery corner- where children and adults can express their creativity by making diyas, pots etc at a potters wheel
5.Fortuneteller and Tarot sessions- to add a dose of mystic charm to parties .

Team Outings and Off site recreation sessions for corporates

Here are some ideas I've been working with in the last couple of months for my corporate clients .I take teams of maximum 50 people through one adventure / team building / recreational exercise to places in and around Hyderabad . Some of the activities we can carry out include :

1. Treks to places like Bhongir ,Durgam Cheruvu, Gunrock Hills ,Moula Ali Dargah,Keesaragutta Hills
2.Kayaking and trekking- Anantagiri Hills
3.Some off beat places like Paigah Tombs , Khoe Imam Zamin, Ammuguda , Holy Trinity Church , Alwal
4.Experiences like Treasure Hunt around Hyderabad , cook outs ,Traditional Nizami sit down dinner,heritage walks around the city

Mostly they are one day trips and the aim is to relax and have fun while discovering a new side of the city .
For those who want to hold their events and team sessions in any of the reputed hotels , function halls and resorts in the city , please see here for a list of updated event venues in the city , that covers a lot of new places including the newly opened Liberty Exclusive , in Banjara Hills.

Updated event venue list

The new venue at Taj Deccan is Synergy - a banquet hall that can easily accommodate 300 people.It is a great venue for conferences ,seminars and other corporate events.

The fine dining lounge that has opened near Arena , is Syn - has a very relaxed feel and ambience with specialty teppanyaki and sushi and the eponymous Jar O Sin . It is good for a party of 50 or so people either indoor or outdoor . See here for the updated list of venues.

Updated event venue list

A new venue that's come up in the past month is Casa Luxurio at Banjara Hills. They have a capacity for 450-500 people in their banquet hall.See the updated venue list here.As usual , the parameters include : Location, Capacity, facilities provided, pricing etc for some 50+ event venues in Hyderabad for holding parties, weddings , corporate events etc.

Some "surprise" ideas to celebrate a special occassion

Here are some " surprise " ideas to celebrate a special occassion - it could be a birthday , a valentines day, a wedding anniversary or a father/mother's day ...I have actually helped translate some of these ideas into reality for some people , a few of them are new ideas that could be done to show somebody special , how much they mean to you - even if you are not there with them in the same city/ country right now.In some cases , because of the fact that you spend all your time close to your loved one, you might not have the time to carry out your" surprise " without being found out! Either way, either a cousin / friend /"experiential gifting " service provider / event manager could help you plan and carry out a truly unique and memorable surprise .

The ideas are categorised by occassion and relationship:

For the "Love of your life!"

For Her :

1. Courtship:

a. A card a day with flowers / chocolates / trinkets - each day a special gift (from simple to truly breathtaking). You can personalise everything - right from the gift wrapper to the note with your handwriting. This can be for a week , 10 days or even a month..leading upto a special day - like the anniversary of the day you first met , the anniversary of your first date, or even your 10'th wedding anniversary , a valentines day

b. An eyeball grabbing surprise , like a giant balloon delivered to her house with flowers and chocolates and a special note from you.

c. Personalised ideas for setting up a date with your girlfriend/ fiancee / wife. Right from a special hand delivered invitation , to planning the setting , the flowers , a candlelight dinner / wine tasting session /a whole theatre hall just for you .A guitarist to serenade her , a carriage drive along a waterfront , a romantic boat ride, a chauffer driven limo are some other ideas that can make the occassion truly memorable.

d. A treasure hunt for her to find you / your surprise - all over the city / her neighbourhood /or even her house !

2. A Birthday:

1. Specially designed cake with flowers and a gift hand delivered with a hand writted note

2. Personalised gifting options like :

a.A personal pampering kit with her name printed on it , skin care products , perfume etc

b.A "makeover" experience with a good makeup artist , hair stylist and wardrobe consultant.

c.A rejuvenation package at a spa

3. Quirky or fun gifts that hold special meaning for both of you- like a calendar/photoframe etc with your memorabilia printed/ framed on it- like tickets to a play that you went to together , a trinket of hers that you have, a card that she gave you , a letter from her etc.

4. A scrapbook of your memories together - photos, memorabilia etc

3. Wedding Anniversary

a. A "surprise " party for your wife- invite everyone that she would want there to share her very special day and dazzle her with your thoughtfulness by planning every detail , like the flowers, to the cake , the gift , her outfit , the music , the entertainment.

b. A romantic getaway to a place that she'd always wanted to visit just for the two of you.

c.A "no cooking " day for her- be the chef or hire one , get help to clean up so that she does'nt have to lift a finger the whole day.

For Him:

1. A "surprise" dinner where you take him out to his favourite restaurant / cook for him

2. A personalised hamper with a few toys he'd love to own : could be a cell phone, a swiss army knife, a carpentry set for the enthusiast , "the" camera he's been eyeing for sometime

3. A day at a spa

4. A "surprise " party at a sports bar , where all his buddies are invited to catch the action on big screen TV , with the beer flowing freely to celebrate his birthday .

5.A dancing class membershiip for the two of you .

Some ideas for kids :

1. New Borns:

If your friends / children /siblings have just had babies , here's some ideas to make the occassion memorable for them:

a. Gift them a foot print or a hand print cast in metal and plated with gold/ silver

b. Personalised crib sets , sheets , cradle covers , cushions etc for the nursery

c. Infant gear also makes for good gifts- personalised strollers , baby cots , car seats , high chair , bath tub etc

d. A toy chest packed with toys for the special baby.

e. Homecooked meals for the family in the first couple of weeks would really be useful.

2. Bigger kids :

For a birthday :

a. A surprise birthday party never fails. Do ensure that the theme is something the child would like

b. A room makeover - theme based , or with just a few accents according to theme. Send a cake with balloons and chocolates and a certificate for a room makeover according to the theme of his/ her choice

c. A special outing to the zoo , a game zone , a picnic , a nature walk etc would also be memorable

d. Gift a few classes at a local hobby center for a hobby enthusiast

For parents :

For the people who made our childhood special and gave us the best of everything in this world , even small thoughtful gestures , hold a lot of meaning . Here are some ideas to make a special occassion or even any day memorable for them.

1. Fly them to wherever you are / or for a special trip to a place that they've wanted to visit , with the itenary planned out to suit their tastes and age .

2. A conference call with all your siblings , cousins , and everyone's kids to wish them on a special day!

3. CD's with compilations of their favourite music.

4. Tickets to concerts , plays that they would enjoy

5. A scrapbook with your memorabilia that they would cherish

6. A scrapbook with stuff from their grandkids - reflecting their interests , hobbies , with quirky photos and personal notes from them , their friends names ( that would be a big hit!) and photos etc

There are so many more ideas ..and so many more ways to make somebody special feel cherished and loved ..these are just a few ideas ---do write in with any new ideas and your comments. Mail me at creative.events.india@gmail.com .

Updated event venue list

Here's a list of venues in Hyderabad for birthday parties, weddings and other special occasions. I thought I would share this information, that I have compiled in the course of my work as an event manager in Hyderabad.The list in this spreadsheet is not exhaustive, but covers most of the popular and convenient venues. The newer venue options include One Continent Atria, Leonia Resorts and Whisper Valley Walden which are still not common and therefore have some amount of exclusivity. The hotels listed offer excellent service, good food and a nice ambience for most parties. The top choices in hotels are the Taj Group of hotels and The Grand Kakatiya. Among the middle range are Taj Deccan , Green Park ,Minerva Grand and One Continent Atria. All the places have parking facility available, although, for the parks, Tank Bund and Durgam Cheruvu only paid parking is available.

The Hyderabad party venue list includes:

• Alankritha Resorts
• YogiBear Putt and Children's Park
• Sanjeevaiah Park
• Jalavihar
• NTR Garden's Party Area
• Hyderabad Marriott
• Hotel Green Park
• Pingle Venkatramana Reddy Hall
• Hotel Minerva Grand
• Hotel Basera
• Hotel Taj Tristar
• Zoroastrian Garden
• Bantia Gardens
• Chowmoholla Palace
• Durgam Cheruvu
• Party Cruiser on TankBund
• Novotel
• ITC Grand Kakatiya Sheraton
• Golkonda
• Fortune Katriya
• Taj Deccan
• Taj Krishna
• Taj Banjara
• Shilpakala Vedika
• Haveli
• Country Club
• Dhola Ri Dhani
• Tandoor
• Pepper Pods
• Minerva Grand Banjara Hills
• Minerva Coffee Shop
• Leonia Resort
• NKM Grand
• Chillies
• Aditya Park Inn
• Taj Mahal Hotel
• Hotel Silver Park
• Hotel Nakshatra
• Asrani International
• Leo Continental
• Tabla
• Katriya De Royal
• Moksh
• The Grand Solitaire
• Cedar
• Pavillion
• Kasani GR Hotel
• Inner Circle
• Walden Care
• Indu Hospitality
• One Continent Atria
• Sankalpa Grand

I have tried to provide exhaustive information on factors like location, space available, capacities of the halls/lawns, facilities provided, food prices etc.

Ideas for goody bags

Depending on the budget and the level of customisation required there are plenty of options for what goes into a goody bag and how the bag itself looks. Here is a list of types of bags and their probable cost.But we can think out of the box and come up with some more innovative gift giving options :

.A set of Matrushka dolls filled with goodies.(Rs 400 upwards for a set)

2. A small bamboo baby crib filled with candies (for a baby shower or cradle ceremony)(Rs 150-200 per cradle)

3.Hand Made paper Pyramid Boxes filled with goodies( each box is around Rs 25 )

4. A small purse or a pouch filled with goodies( good for a bridal shower)

5.Papier Maiche bowls, jute pouches , leaf bowls (the humble dhonna!) filled with goodies (eco friendly )

6.Custommade wooden carts or boxes in colourful shapes and sizes to go with the party's theme. For e.g. Giraffe , Elephant or deer boxes for a jungle theme.

7. Hand Puppets (going with the theme) filled with goodies.

8.Chocolate Polypacks in decorative shapes like Heart shape, pyramid shape etc filled with goodies

9.Glass Bowl filled with candies and enclosed in gold net pouches look very classy

10. Wire net Baskets in various colours filled with goodies