Like most professional event organizers, Star Events has the connections and experience to help…read morestruggling volunteer-based organizations put on major events; they understand the industry and give the sense that, despite the chaos that ensues with any event behind the scenes, they have you covered. Unfortunately, Star Events has too many internal issues to list here; mainly, business "leaders" John and Michelle have a tendency to hire a mouthpiece (typically named Jessie) to serve as their "everything is fine" smokescreen while they figure out ways to tighten their grip on community events. This "Jessie" role turns over frequently, sometimes resorting to another, without this namesake, who is equally ineffective. The harsh truth is that events are unruly, and no matter the money you've paid an organizer, they never really have control. So, the management process becomes one of seeking power and glory; enter John and Michelle (this is when they normally get involved in the process) because their personal self-interest is Star Events priority. If you are a community-based organization seeking to improve your relationship with your community through your event, do not hire Star Events; your proceeds are going to interests outside your community with no vision from these "leaders" on how to make it a community-sustained event that grows engagement and philanthropy. If you are seeking relief from the stress of event planning, do not hire Star Events; your worries compound when they cut off contact because of internal turnover or make false promises based on "20,000 years of combined experience." Lastly, if you are seeking a good strategic partner, do not hire Star Events; they only want to use your event to take ownership of it and all the events in your community so the proceeds can all go to--you guessed it--John and Michelle. If you DO hire Star Events even after this warning, I wish you luck because you are in for the ride of your event-planning life!

Love the street festivals in the summer. My favorite are…read moreMidsommer fest and Retro on Rosco.

I attended a conference at this location. Parking is located in back of building. On day of the…read moreconference, they had a large crane taking up a significant amount of spots. The facility has a decent amount of restrooms, but some of the stalls had broken doors making guests uncomfortable. The temperature of the rooms was very uncomfortable for an all day training event. The rooms were stuffy. Main ballroom does not have windows and poor lighting.

I been here two times for myself to do a group with a company named ACN my son signed me up to do a…read morelife transforformation. Today will be my third time and today is my graduation of this life transformation. I came here last year for my sons transformation graduation and it was awesome. The place has a living nursing home and since I used the elevator enteance from the nursing home I was able to greet some of the residents and they told me they like living here. I asked them how much they pay to live here and they told me they all have different prices depending how big there rooms are. The building can use some renovations. The parking place need a full make over. I know I would not have a wedding here that is for sure. I like something modern or classy not 60 looking

We had our wedding here and it was just stunning. Deborah and her team were amazing to work with…read more Helped us anytime we needed it while planning a wedding from out of state. Gorgeous day as well - everything turned out beautiful. And they recommended the best vendors.

We hosted a wedding reception at the Grove this month. A beautiful outdoor venue for a party--we…read morehad about 75 guests seated at tables in the pavilion, and made good use of the green space. Children had fun running amok in the field rather than having to sit in a banquet room. Guests who were sensitive to noise from the DJ music were able to sit on benches outside the pavilion and enjoy the event. A couple relatives hadn't attended any wedding receptions in 20 years, but were able to come to this outdoor one. Also a great option for immunocompromised folks who can't safely go to indoor receptions. The coordination with the caterer, etc., was great, and everything ran smoothly. The parking was conveniently located, yet out of sight from the pavilion. Highly recommended!

We just finished our second week with ChildEats and we are SO impressed with the food, the timely…read moredeliveries, and personal touch from everyone involved! There is a great variety of food and produce and everything has been fresh and tasty! SO happy I found this company and highly recommend it for any child care centers in the area!

They just moved their business 2 blocks down the street on North Avenue to 2605 West North Avenue…read more They moved from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor (street level) into a larger space that they now rent out for events. The new location can accommodate up to 80 people and they can furnish anything and everything from chairs and tables to flower walls and decorations. Food, desserts, beverages and music. They did a wedding with a couple of fabulous chinese dragons. Their main business so far has been weddings, but they are ready to dive into the event business also. The event space had an Italian village theme with delicious italian food, limoncello, italian ice, cofee and an awesome sweets table along with a photobooth with one of their beautiful flower walls. If you are planning a wedding or event, give them a call and see what they can do for you.

Before starting I would like to make it clear that in no way am I trying to bash Lil Epic Design…read moreStudio team. Instead, I hope for this to come out as constructive criticism. I would give four stars to the studio. The value of this is like no other, especially with the amenities that are included, like the flower wall, greenery/hedge wall, string lights dangling beautifully from the ceiling, couches, and Apple TV to name a few. My guests (and myself!) thoroughly enjoyed the flower wall as photobooth backdrop. Our photographer was amazed at the lighting in the studio. The greenery/hedge wall was perfect for my son's sweets table backdrop. I had used the Apple TV to stream a slideshow of my son on loop. The kitchen island is perfect for a buffet style hospitality. Although, our guest attendance was lower than expected, the studio can easily fit about 80 guests. Lil Epic Design Studio is gorgeous, welcoming, and clean. Like I said, we had used their planning and styling services. This I would give a 2-2.5 stars. Prior to meeting with them, I had a theme picked out, and other little details I wanted to incorporate. I had it all drawn and listed out in a notebook. The first meeting I had with the team, I explained to them exactly what I wanted, and hear out what they think. We agreed that everything we discussed were possibly. The team assured me that everything was doable and by the time we get to the studio on the day of the party, everything would be ready. The next few meetings, I felt like I had to remind them what exactly we discussed previously. It was almost as if we were meeting for the first time over and over again. Then the week of the party, we were able to drop off plates, cups, drinks, and other items which was really convenient. The day of the party, we got to the studio about an hour before the party starts. When arriving to the studio, there were key details that were missing. We agreed to customize the flower wall with a few blue flowers, but that was not done. It was kept white. Our centerpieces were supposed to be mason jars and handmade tissue paper carnations, but instead, the centerpieces were red roses in a flimsy painted container. I had brought in a children's book at our second to the last meeting that was meant to be the guest book in which our guests were to write little notes throughout it, but the book was nowhere to be found. I let the in-studio assistant know, so maybe she could find it before guests could arrive, but she couldn't find it. This was the one thing I was most upset about. I wanted my son to have this book full of messages from his guests to look back on, but because it was misplaced, he was not able to have this memorabilia. I also have yet to get the book back. Along with the guestbook, I had recommended a sign made so guests knew what and where to write in the book. This was not made. As I said earlier, they assured me that everything would be ready and that all I had to do was place the food that I brought in in the warmer. This was nowhere near the case, especially when it came to the cake/sweets table. My family and I had to arrange all the food, and arrange the plasticware. I had my photographer get there 30 minutes before the party, so we could take pictures before the guests arrived, but we were not able to do that because I was still setting everything up. By the time of the party and when guests started to arrive, I was just getting finished setting up. Lastly, the back where the bathroom is located was not cleaned. There were boxes stacked on the bench and on the floor. After all this, I do have a few suggestions. When having a new client, schedule all the meetings needed, so it's already planned out. I had to reach out to them to schedule a meeting. At times, I was stressing out because I wanted to schedule a meeting, but wouldn't receive a reply for days. Also, I wanted to meet, so we could be on the same page and start spreading out my expenses instead of buying everything all in one week. Another suggestion is to have a worksheet of things you should discuss each meeting, so each meeting is productive and organized. Like I said earlier, I felt like each meeting we had was like the first meeting all over again because we were having to discuss things that were finalized meetings ago. I understand that they're a growing team, but seems that time management is a weakness. Emails would go unresponded for days. I've had to double, triple, almost quadruple email them to get their attention. Each time there would be a different excuse given. Lastly, I felt like my event was not prioritized compared to others. I follow them on Instagram, and Facebook, and I have seen them take quality time on other projects, especially when it involved well known brands like LinkedIn and SocialWorks, or high end weddings. All in all, I would use their space again for any occasion, but using their planning and styling services, I don't want empty promises.

We enjoyed using Loyola conference services. Janie KIlgore and all staff were very helpful to our…read moregroup. The golf cart rides were very much appreciated. All staff were very responsive to our requests. Some challenges to be dealt with. Airport travel needs to be easier and cheaper. Go Shuttle not available w/o reservation. Tell folks staying in Regis they need hangers and small lights for reading in the rooms..

Outstanding pretty much sums it up. Between my 3 children and love of parties I've planned dozens…read moreof kid friendly parties. You would think a nerf gun party with nearly 30 children would be a disaster, but think this may be the easiest and well organized party I've had. And it's all because of DJ... When my now 7 year old requested a nerf gun party there were plenty of companies to choose from, but I ultimately went with OPS based on stellar feedback from others and DJ's responsiveness. He got back to every email I sent within hours and always with so much detail. I also liked DJ's high energy over the phone and that they allowed you to pick specific themes for your nerf gun party. We chose the galactic party, which had both nerf guns and lightsabers. We even got to choose the actual games as outlined on their website, but I told DJ to bring the most popular ones for 6 and 7 year olds. The kids LOVED all the games, although the bday boy did say he wished the lightsabers made an appearance a bit more. It is not easy getting a rowdy and large crew of mostly 6 and 7 year old in line, but you can tell DJ and his 2 helpers have lots of experience doing just that. He had all of them listening perfectly, participating and just having fun! My husband was a little worried about the safety of a nerf gun party, but all kids were required to wear goggles and you can tell based on all the instructions that they take safety very seriously. The entire hour we had one kid fall down while running (he was fine within minutes) and my nephew ran into our photographers camera, but can't blame OPS for that one. ;) I asked DJ to limit the games to an hour, which I followed up with 30 min of food. However, I think the kids could have easily gone longer since they were super engaged. They ended the nerf gun games with a target pinata that I provided. And the most chaotic part of all the party was when the kids went for the candy falling out of the pinata, but again...my fault (not OPS). My newly 4 year old had as much fun as his big brother so I"m sure he'll want the same party in years to come and DJ will be my first call. They were so amazing with the kids that I wish they'd expand to other times of themes/parties, but for now highly recommend for any nerf party needs!

DJ and team were great! We hired them for 9 year old birthday party and they did a "Greek Heroes"…read morestyle nerf battle. We'd planned to have it outside but last minute rain changed everything around. They were super flexible, we did a basement set-up and it worked so well. The boys all loved it. DJ had a great way with them, earning their respect and attention quickly, making it fun for the birthday boy and all the kids involved. So pleased with how it turned out! My son already said he wants to do the same thing next year, which is high praise from him.

A classic old tavern feel w tavern pizza and a large banquet hall providing awesome live music n…read moreprivate parties. I've been to hundreds of shows at Post 42 and the new sound system is great while the staff is accommodating. Prices are cheap too, and you can become a non military member as a Booster for even cheaper drinks!l