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A lot goes into throwing a killer party. From finding impressive decorations to choosing the right kind of entertainment, there are a lot of moving parts, which is a big reason some people prefer to level-up with a party planner. If you’ve got the means, you can lock in a planner who can throw an elaborate bash and book A-level talent, like Edward Perotti. He is one of the biggest names in event designing – he’s even thrown parties with Nick Jonas and Ariana Grande. He’s managed more than 2,000 events around the world, totaling over $150 million and taking over historic landmarks like the Louvre and the Great Wall of China.
In October 2017, Perotti threw a Halloween bash for the ages. The event, which celebrated 8,000 hard-working employees of a high-profile tech company in Silicon Valley, was highlighted by a performance from Jonas in a venue that looked "like Candy Land." Jonas performed on a stage with "massive structures that look like gummy bears." Perotti says the event was spectacular, but rehearsals didn’t exactly go according to plan. Ever the pro, Jonas just rolled with it. "Sound-checks [weren’t] going right and [Jonas] is more ‘Man, don’t worry about it,’" Perotti explains to Elite Daily. "He and his entire team weren’t [high-maintenance], I could easily go sit down and grab a beer with them and not feel remotely uncomfortable."
His experience with Grande was a little bit different. He found the singer to be much more reserved when he worked with her in October 2016. Perotti’s collaboration with the "God Is A Woman" singer was last-minute. She was also booked to perform for a private Halloween party he was throwing in Silicon Valley with about 9,000 attendees, making for a super hectic day.
"She was really cocooned … I thought that was a little odd, just based off of the environment [and] the people around her," he says of Grande. "So it was really difficult to just even get feedback or just even be able to get time with her."
Regardless, Perotti found himself transfixed by her powerhouse vocals when she performed later that evening. Perotti specifically notes he was caught off guard by the contrast in Grande’s speaking voice. "Honestly, though, the biggest surprise was her almost, and I don’t want to say introvertedness, but it was the soft-spokenness. But she was just such a sweet girl and she still seems to be."
Even though it sounds like Jonas and Grande were easy to deal with, Perotti says he’s dealt with his fair share of divas and divos. Without naming names, he’s had clients request everything from blacking-out the inside of historic landmarks (that’s when you paint the walls and windows black) to preparing bowls of multi-colored M&M’s, but specifically without the blue ones. "I had to have a team member spend about six hours going through bags of M&M’s," Perotti laughs.
But obstacles aren’t new to Perotti. He entered into event planning after a catering director approached him about a managerial position despite his lack of experience and knowledge in the field. "My first response was ‘What do I know of food?’" says Perotti before sharing that the director picked up on his creative eye and knack for handling people. While Perotti wasn’t a fan of working in the hotel catering sphere (thanks to demanding wedding parties), he liked the idea of taking someone’s message and conveying it to an audience. "I decided to make it a career choice. I just fell in love with it." he explains.
"With every event … there’s not a whole lot of similarities in anything. They’re all unique … [and] should be reflective of what the message is, or the culture, or the person in the environment, and the food," he adds. "They all play a part of it. So, each one of those pieces creates its own unique challenge."
In spite of all the obstacles, Perotti says he’s living his best life and wouldn’t change it.
"There’s not a morning that I wake up that I don’t think, ‘OK, it’s going to be a crazy budget,’ or ‘I’m gonna have to deal with this person, ugh.’" he says. "But you’re happy about it. You’re excited about it. That, to me, is the biggest thing, just being able to say, you know, ‘Come what may, it doesn’t matter. I am excited every day for what’s in front of me.’"
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