ideaLand

17/11/2023

It is always awesome to look at something from almost a year away and work steadily to make a memorable experience for a crowd AND raise big money for an important non-profit!

The Atlanta History Center is a beautiful canvas on which to paint an event befitting an icon, legend and activist like Jane Fonda and her exceptionally important non-profit, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP). Since 1995, Jane Fonda and GCAPP have been working tirelessly on behalf of Georgia’s future, our youth. In the last 28 years, largely due to their work, Georgia has moved the needle from #1 in teen pregnancy to #15. And, in the last decade, GCAPP has shifted their focus to include mental and physical health, child trafficking, bullying and LGBTQ+ issues. It has been my honor to support Jane and GCAPP’s annual fundraiser for 25 of the last 28 years.

It takes a team effort to pull it all off successfully, so I would like to first thank the ideaLand team, Misty Kelly, Dave Woelber, Tammy Self, Devin Ellery, Jacquelyn Johnson, Lorelei Marden, Halimah Glover and Sondra Landrum. They rocked it!

Felicia Newberry, Alan Kulbacki and the team at 4Wall Productions, Barbara Roos, Chris Macksey and Janet Dockery at Topher Mack Floral and Events, Kathy Evans and Atlanta Party Rentals, Dennis Dean and Adam Shoemaker at Dennis Dean Catering, 12 Oaks Valet, Major Goggins and his security team at Georgia Enforcement Agency and CTN Global Transportation are true event production partners, and I love working with them.

Sona Chambers at 4 A Great Cause is a “modern day Robin Hood” who strategically brings donors and important non-profits together to raise the funds. I hope I always get to help her make it rain!

The Waldorf-Astoria, Intercontinental and St. Regis were great hotel partners for our VIP guests.

Wanda Sykes and her team, the Indigo Girls and their team and Heather McMahan and her team were amazing to work with on behalf of GCAPP. Their energy and generosity are truly electric!

Susana Braner and Anna Lundstrom at the Atlanta History Center deserve a badge of courage for riding the GCAPP roller coaster with me.

Laine Olesen, Nathaly Espinoza, Bev Jones and Eleanor Drake at GCAPP worked their magic to manage all of the guests, donors, media and general melee that accompanies a high-profile event, and I really appreciate their dedication and sense of humor throughout the process.

Non-profit fundraisers are not easy. The budget is tight, and the stress is intense. In the end, with a lot of help from amazing professionals, it is soul-soothing to bring everyone together to make a difference in the lives of people who need our help.

Thank you to everyone who joined me in this Herculean effort.

(Also, I am immensely grateful to the humans and fur babies I live with who have to deal with my evil twin, Lou Anne, during event season. She ain’t “easy like a Sunday morning.” 😊)

17/10/2023

It is a heartfelt honor to do what I do for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. They rock!

24/08/2023

It started with this phone call from Steve Ginsburg at Halperns' Steak & Seafood. “Sue Anne, can we bring back the Halperns’ Culinary Showcase after the Pandemic hiatus and move it from the Georgia Aquarium to Mercedes Benz Stadium on the field.”

I didn’t hesitate. I already knew the team at the Stadium had a stellar reputation. It’s not easy to find quality venues with stellar teams for big live events in 2023. Quality is a rarity after the last three years.

So, over a year ago, I received that call and said, “Yes. We can.”

And, my very first thank you is to Halperns’ for letting me do what I do for them and giving me a really awesome venue in which to produce the 10th Anniversary of The Halperns’ 2023 Atlanta Culinary Showcase to bring together 100 of Halperns’ top “center of the plate” providers from around the world with Chefs and Restaurateurs from the Southeast.

And, I cannot say enough good things about Carolina, Tim, John and the entire team at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Their “Yes. We can!” attitude, despite our event being sandwiched between Beyonce and the Falcons, and despite the fact that they had never done an event like this, was truly refreshing. From the first walkthrough to the last item off the dock when the event concluded Tuesday night, the Mercedes Benz stadium team was exceptional and restored my faith in quality customer service again.

The ideaLand team was extraordinary as well! Dave Woelber, Misty Kelly, Tammy Self, Devin Ellery, Jacquelyn Johnson, Sherry Usher, Jamese Wyatt, Nicolia Gipp, Halimah Glover and Sondra Landrum were all critical parts of the preparation, setup and ex*****on of this massive event! This team made me proud! And, thanks to Urban Enterprises for always sending their top team to put the best smiling faces at our registration tables.

Renee Roebuck and EventWorks, providing all of the tables, linens and Exhibitor supplies, will always be my go to for these complicated events. They are a fantastic event partner!

Active Production, providing all of the massive pipe and drape needed for 100 booths, along with the complicated Demo Stage setup and production, did a great job as well.

Finally, a very special THANK YOU to Virginia Willis for an outstanding job as MC of the demo stage. Her presence and personality were perfect for this production!

It takes close to 200 people to put on a show of this magnitude, so I thank all of the staff and crew behind the scenes at Halperns’ and the vendors and venues who worked so hard to make the event wildly successful.

It is not easy to envision an event, map it all out, plan for each moment and create the pages that you want everyone to get onto. It is even harder after the last 3 years. I have been despondent about the level of quality in the event industry since 2020.

The Halperns’ 2023 Atlanta Culinary Showcase on Tuesday, August 22nd at Mercedes Benz Stadium definitely gave me a boost and renewed my hope and faith in the industry in which I have immersed myself for 35 years.

So, thanks to all the hard-working, quality-focused humans who made the event a success and raised my spirits to boot! I appreciate you all more than you know.

20/04/2023

ideaLand is proud to be celebrating our 25th Anniversary AND helping take care of the world's children!

24/03/2023

If you are thinking Food Trucks for your event, Paige Nathan and her sustainably minded Simply Food Trucks are the best!

When planning a corporate event or meeting, catering is often one of the biggest expenses. Traditional catering options can be costly and time-consuming, requiring a lot of coordination and preparation. That's where can be a game-changer for your company.

Simply Food Trucks can save your company time and money in several ways.

First and foremost, food trucks offer a cost-effective catering solution. Food trucks have lower overhead costs compared to traditional catering services, which means they can offer more competitive pricing for high-quality food.

Additionally, we take care of all the logistics for you. We will work with you to understand your needs and preferences, then recommend the best food trucks for your event. We handle all the details, including scheduling, setup, and cleanup, so you can focus on your event and not on the catering.

Food trucks also offer more flexibility and variety than traditional catering options. With food trucks, you can choose from a wide range of cuisines and styles, from tacos to BBQ to gourmet grilled cheese. This variety ensures that there is something for everyone and that your attendees will be satisfied.

So why settle for boring traditional catering options when you can book a food truck and give your event a special touch?

Send us a DM to get started planning.

Loaded burgers

15/03/2023

Thanks for sharing this widely! Let's get more planners planning green events!

Tips for Planning a Green Event. Today's Ecocentricity Guest Blog originally appeared on the Drawdown Georgia website on March 1, 2023. Sue Anne Morgan, an Atlanta-based event planner with ideaLand shares her secrets and the lessons she's learned while conducting sustainable events, including the Foundation's annual RayDay event. Read the blog here: https://www.raycandersonfoundation.org/articles/tips-for-planning-a-green-event?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_dm9bd360c1

01/03/2023

ideaLand is proud to collaborate with environmental steward, Ray C. Anderson Foundation, to help reduce waste in the event industry!

How can you make any event, large or small, more sustainable? Sue Morgan of ideaLand shares creative tips for producing a zero waste, low emissions event.

03/02/2023

I appreciate vendors/venues who emerged from the Pandemic with more generosity. I do not appreciate those who emerged with less.

18/10/2022

ideaLand was overjoyed to bring RayDay back!

10/10/2022

Happy to be setting up for RayDay at Serenbe again!

06/05/2022

10/09/2021

So proud to be producing this important Summit for Georgia!

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) is proud to present the Rural Georgia Justice and Poverty Summit, featuring keynote speaker Stacey Abrams. As part of GLSP’s 50th year anniversary celebration, GLSP leaders and community partners will raise awareness of civil legal issues and showcase emerging research and advocacy focused on the needs of Georgia rural communities and most vulnerable populations, while celebrating GLSP’s 50 years of accomplishments. 3.5 hours of general Georgia CLE is available.

To register for this event, visit GLSP's 50th anniversary page (https://www.glsp.org/50years/). Those who register before September 1st receive an early bird special price of $35.00!

15/05/2021

ideaLand was honored to be a part of the Giving Kitchen Production Team on these events!

26/04/2021

We were very impressed by the safety protocols in place at the Oscars last night!

31/03/2021

As you plan larger gatherings, look to ideaLand to help you do that safely during a Pandemic.

18/03/2021

Visit our YouTube channel to see examples of our virtual events.

This is the YouTube Channel for Sue Anne Morgan and her company, ideaLand. ideaLand is a trademarked name and an LLC in the State of Georgia. ideaLand.com ...

25/02/2021

ideaLand was proud to partner today with Dean Crownover and John Dillon on this information-packed Lunch and Learn for Non-Profits and their Virtual Fundraising Events. If you weren't able to join us, feel free to watch it via this link and share with whomever you think would benefit from the information. We love supporting great organizations who are doing great things in the world. Let us know how we can help!

Industry experts will answer your questions about Non-Profit Fundraisers in the virtual world. What works? What doesn't work? How do you plan a successful vi...

05/02/2021

Industry experts will answer your questions about Non-Profit Fundraisers in the virtual world. What works? What doesn't work? How do you plan a successful virtual fundraiser? Grab your lunch, and join Dean Crownover, Benefit Auctioneer and Fundraising Host, John Dillon, Virtual Technology Specialist, and Sue Anne Morgan, Non-Profit Event Producer, as we walk you through the opportunities and help you wrap your arms around virtual event fundraising! Also, everyone who registers and attends will be entered to win a 60-minute brainstorming session with your team and the virtual fundraising event experts! https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PItCdKiXSYOeRJGjKO7pJQ