When event professionals throw a party, expect nothing less than pure enchantment. When it’s collaborative without a hierarchy, inclusive of an open ended theme of that is to rally together, to elevate each other, to use your voice for awesome… you’re going to get a values aligned good time. Seattle Event Pros show up with and for each other – and it’s GOLD.
On December 3, 2025, we hosted the fourth edition of Event Fresh — and it was everything. Held at the new event venue in SODO, Ederer Hall, this year’s showcase brought together a carefully curated collective of local diverse event industry vendors, small business owners, and community members for an evening rooted in connection, creativity, and intention. We hosted our peers, our partners, our clients – it was a really solid party + mixer where a vibe of mutualism + care was one of the not-so-super-secret ingredients.
This year’s gathering was co-curated by DIWAS Photography, alongside Jake Taylor of Functions + Gatherings and Alex Martin of Synchronicity Events. Together, we asked, again: what does it look like when the events industry shows up fully — for each other, for the community, and for the future we want to build?
This is what it can look like. Even more importantly what it can feel like: collective joy rooted in community- shared labor, shared resources, shared networks.
Intention First. Always.
At its core, Event Fresh has always been about more than a party – its a way to engage with folks we would like to amplify, be in partnership and grow with. We center women, BIPOC, immigrant and LGBTQ+-owned businesses, alongside allied equity and justice-minded event industry business collaborators who consistently demonstrate their commitment to modeling the world we want to live in. We invite emerging talent into the room alongside steadfast long-standing event industry professionals. We include our partners, our clients, our networks to experience what a collective team can offer. Event Fresh showcase is a living, breathing argument that you can build something excellent and equitable where inclusion is the foundation vs. a footnote.
When the world feels heavy, being intentional about who and how we gather matters. Getting to know more folks within the event industry by activating a fun event as a strategy for shared marketing and increased business exposure by meeting new non-profits, corporate leaders, event industry professionals while also experiencing joy, humanity + mutualism in the process is the whole point.
The Evening Unfolded
Kendra Lidell was at the door to welcome every single guest with warmth and a smile — setting the tone from the very first moment you arrived. Inside, Functions + Gatherings created an immersive tablescape showcasing their signature offbeat sparkle and moody glam aesthetic (using our stellar vendors!)— proof that your next party or wedding can be entirely its own world. The incredible Pedersen’s Rentals outfitted the room with gorgeous, party-ready linens and furniture that made Ederer Hall feel like it was built for exactly this night. Dress Up Box brought their signature portrait studio experience, with meticulous draped pleats that would make my Nepali uncles who taught me how to pleat my sari proud. It was simple, creative, fun, and absolutely memorable.
From the very start, Tyler, of Reckless Abandon Tarot,offered readings of truth, reflection with a smidge of mystery while connecting guests. Tyler has a magical way of providing affirmation, insight and validation for whatever cards you may be holding… encouraging a new perspective to move forward into the unknown. Mary Anne with Party Hat ran a live, immersive screen printing station where guests walked away with bright, festive tote bags — a skill made to look effortless and was a great way for guests to transport their swag in a cute + sustainable way. Curly Flowers Designs created wearable dried floral designs — delicate, unique, and deeply personal. They also contributed to an epic installation hung from the Ederer Crane which served as a backdrop for the stage where folks danced, highlights shared, and door prizes received.
The food? A full-on love language. Creamy Cone Ice Cream dared to serve dessert first — and no one complained. Delicious samples set the tone for the evening’s abundant spirit. That Brown Girl Cooks, DayoSense Catering, and Madres Kitchen served up scrumptious handheld bites that gave guests exactly the fuel they needed to keep mingling, dancing, and connecting. It’s been a minute but my mouth still waters thinking about the flavors that were shared.
Emberi Collective showcased their graphic design and branding expertise — a reminder that a strong visual identity is one of the most powerful tools in any event professional’s kit. Rosyln + team were experts on helping us with a color palette and pulling together a design with strong keywords / emotions that were shared by Jake, Alex + myself. Bravo! Jen of Green Fern Studio added a bit of personalized fun to the equation with a customized finishing touch of custom-engraved wine bottle stoppers that guests took home as keepsakes. Such a cool, giftable, personal or branded take-home for your next event. Universe Imagery took us on a journey through their video content storytelling providing us with B-rolls for social and an event recap video to boot. Nikki is an enthusiastic dream to be working with. And we, DIWAS Photography showed up in his usual way, engaging with folks quietly and unobtrusively to capture their joy, share their wares, and document the energy in the room.
Lighting sets the mood, sound brings the room to life, and some of our showcase partners were also creative performers – dynamic, thematic and magical. Crimson Haze lit the room beautifully and captivated guests with an incredible portfolio of event lighting possibilities. Warm, welcoming, magical… this team knows how to shine the lights on folks that might even be uncomfortable with a spotlight. Emcee Aliesha Pulliam, (never shy in the spotlight), held the whole evening together with beautiful energy, heart, humor, and effortless grace facilitating transitions, introducing our entertainment, and leading us from one moment to the next. Elite Collective provided audio supports for this event, ensuring voices carried and beats weren’t muddled. DJ HerShe stole our hearts with her impeccable mixing that kept the energy alive with smooth grooves all night long.
The performance lineup with unforgettably fun acts to inspire, empower and get your head bopping if not your toes tapping. Splinter Dance kicked us off with some Dolly Pardon – providing moves, thematics and all the thought pieces about women in the workforce – they way they incorporate creative justice into movement as entertainment is next level awesome. Then Magical Melody showing up with her roller skating back-up roller-dancers were VIBES. She showed up in her signature pretty-in-pink roller skating and shared Sailor Moon inspired vocal performance that genuinely ignited the crowd and made folks want to dust off their quad skates. Closing the night Rhythm of the People showcased their deep house moves with twists and turns that left everyone speechless. The way these folks incorporate dance with community, justice and promote inclusivity and accessibility is admirable. YES to all of this and more.
Gratitude, Always.
This was our fourth year. And while curating and producing Event Fresh in the last month of the year is, let’s be real, a wild push– what we get back is immeasurable. We feel so proud to be a part of it, and feel the call to continue it because this showcase is restorative, connective, collaborative. Being a conduit and a curator of this movement feels joyful when many aspects of the world feel bleak.
We are deeply grateful to every vendor, partner, and guest who brought their energy, their talent, and their hearts to December 3rd. You made it what it was. As we keep trucking our way into and through 2026, we carry this with us: the only way forward is together. Together, we rally. By actively engaging with our collective events industry and community, we create the future we envision. A future where we share the abundance, we make the introductions, we say the names of small businesses that haven’t yet been invited to the table, we commit to doing this in a way that is ethos and values aligned, while providing support to our peers and excellence to our client bases.
Event Fresh is an open invitation- to connect, gather, learn and grow side by side. We’re committed to creating business + community networks that allow for more folks to show up and share their skills, talents and sustain themselves in a way that is generative. A stronger, more intentional future for Seattle’s events community, rooted in excellence, collaboration, mutualism and genuine human connection.
We can’t wait to do it again. See you next year.
All photos by DIWAS Photography
Event Fresh 2025 — December 3, 2025 | Ederer Hall, SODO, Seattle
