Décor is much more than tablecloths and place settings. It's about creating a sensory experience — sight, sound, scent — when attendees enter a room.

To start, never let attendees walk into a “dead” room — decorate with sound as the first layer in a multisensory ambience. Select music and/or sound effects appropriate to your group and theme. I recall everyone dancing into a Mardi Gras theme dinner because it seemed impossible not to move to New Orleans jazz.

Bring on the Light

Lights are magic. From tiny twinkling lights in ficus trees to gobo templates casting images on a wall, lighting is one of the best ways to spark up a room on a limited budget. In Seattle, I attended a banquet where pine trees were silhouetted on the wall; I still recall an event in Hawaii where palm trees were similarly outlined.

Remember that guests tend to eat and drink more in brightly lighted, colorful surroundings. Brilliant red, hot pink, and bright yellow stimulate the appetite, while dark tones — dark green, navy blue, gray, and black — have the opposite effect.

Décor on the Move

Pay attention to where you place props: Don't just stick them in a corner. Highlight them with lighting, such as a gobo, so that they will be visible in detail. For real drama, people in costumes — staff, attendees, or actors — add dimension to a themed event.

Set the Table

For dinner buffets, decorate and embellish the tables and their surroundings so that guests can enjoy the décor as they move through the room.

Add decorative pieces with height that can be seen from across the room. Create visual interest on buffet tables by having food and décor items at different heights and angles. Blank areas should be filled in with crunched napkins, ferns and fronds, piled fruit, etc. Tie displays into the theme of the event.

Buffets should be creatively shaped. Use serpentine or round tables to curve the line. Try lighting buffet tables from beneath. When using light-colored table skirting, either linen or polyester, place two 60-watt bulbs or two 4-foot fluorescent lights under each table. Avoid dark skirting, as the bulbs show through like lighted tennis balls instead of being diffused.

Minimize the Negative

Tray jacks can be an eyesore. Drape them with tablecloths, and have servers cover dirty dishes with a napkin.

Columns are usually a negative in a function room. A few are acceptable, but too many will detract from the catered event unless tables or buffet tables can be arranged between some decorated columns that may enhance the room's appearance. Buffets can also be wrapped around columns using hollowed-out circular tables. Consider sight lines when setting up a room with columns.

Patti J. Shock, CPCE, is a professor and chairwoman of the Tourism and Convention Administration Department, Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. To learn more about her, visit tca.unlv.edu/shock.html or send an e-mail to patti.shock@unlv.edu.

Dye Your Labrador?

Chocolate brown is on its way out as a hot color choice. Today's fashion-forward shades are steel grey, eggplant, cherry and lime, and pale green and gold. That's the word according to an e-newsletter from Destination Planning Corp., a Jacksonville, Fla., event planning company.