Cece & Melinda with Raymi Productions

I attended the Taste of Gold Coast last nite. What a disaster. Don’t know where to start. Totally classless. Informed to wear cocktail attire really to a gym? Waiting to get checked in standing in the jogging lanes watching people work out. Terrible wine only decent food Lou Malinati and Connies pizza. Dj bad. No parking.I will never attend an event put together by these two women and encourage anyone I know not to also. just terrible.

Very dissappointed with Cece and Melind with Raymi Productions event hosted at FFC yesterday evening. 6^th Annual Taste of Gold Coast. The event was suppose to run from 6pm to 8pm at the FFC gym on Clark Street. We arrived via car around 6:30 and pulled into the suggested self park lot which was already full only to then pull up to the valet where we were again informed that the valet was full. How do you host an event without proper planning for parking, especially in the Gold Coast.
We proceeded to the 6^th Floor where we had to stroll through a fully working gym in our COCKTAIL ATTIRE while others were working out. The line was out of control and full of chaos. The coat check was a mess. The main event was hosted on a basketball court directly behind the treadmills, bikes, etc.
The food the vendors served was awful in my opinion, the presentation was very cheap looking and most of the food was less than a bitefull. The lines were out of control and very slow so you could not even get around to each vendor in the time frame alloted. Servers were less than friendly as well. Not very impressive if you want me to try your restaurant in the future. The wine selection actually was terrible and the glasses they served were about two sips. All in all no worth the money at all especially for a Gold Coast event.
The thing that most upset our group was the fact that all over the website and invitation it specifically stated COCKTAIL ATTIRE REQUIRED which frankly for the venue was not necessary and there were MANY people not dressed properly and some actually were allowed in wearing jeans.
Won’t waste the money again…

So i have mixed feelings about Cece and Melind with Raymi Productions. Just went to the Taste of Gold Coast and first of all it was extremely weird that it was at the gym. while we were waiting to get into the event. (basketball court) it was extremely awkward dressed up while people were running on the treadmill. We ended up able to try all the food but the line to get in and coat check was out of control… Also, the 3 drink tickets we got were basically for 1 glass of wine since the cups were so small and they barely filled it up at all. I always want to try everything once so im happy that I got to go but for the price of the tickets and experience I would never go to an event like this again. Sorry. not sorry!

These girls rock! Any event they organize is always fun and very different from previous one. Mascaraed Ball is my absolute favorite, I also like Drake Shopping Event, Taste of Gold Cost and Mac&Cheese fest. Highly recommended. Check them out, you will not be disappointed.

I’ve been to a few small events by these ladies. I still don’t know which is Cece and which is Melinda because they don’t introduce themselves and aren’t very welcoming. Each of the event’s I’ve been to, at least one of them sits at the bar the whole time with her back facing the crowd. Not very sociable for an events company.

we attended the Mystic Blue Masquerade Extravaganza.
What a disaster the event was — it was supposed to be from 8 — 10 PM, we had to stand in line for 30 minutes to get on the boat, now the party is from 8:30 — 10.
The coat check was a major bottle neck, it appeared to be an after thought, someone with a post-​it note pad writing numbers on them and sticking it to your coat.
The event was way over booked — very long lines at the bars, when we got up to the bartender, we were informed that the free drink tickets with receive when bought the tickets were only good for some fruit juice drink with cheap rum. We tried the drink and promptly threw it away. We decided to pay for drinks we would like to drink — they were served in small plastic solo cups — 2 drinks costed $ 23.00. A total bait and switch and then they raped you on drinks.

This is for my review of the Taste of Streeterville. I do agree with the comments that the ballroom was overbooked, I thought the restaurants and food were great. I stayed for about an hour and had no problem getting samples from the restaurants. I’ve been to other events where the event promises appetizers and gift bags but they don’t deliver and I don’t feel like this was the case at all. What was advertised was delivered.
One recommendation to the owners would be to raise the price a little and cap it. I would have been willing to pay more for the event and have less people attend. Thanks for a nice introduction to restaurants in this hood.

I think that the idea of Taste of Streeterville was wonderful and the
restaurants that were represented there were great. I purchased three
tickets for myself, a friend and a client. I also had many friends that due
to me forwarding on the information, purchased tickets also.
Unfortunately after about a half hour we all hooked up and went else where and
we are still emailing each other and complaining on what a huge disappointment it was and a very expensive unfulfilling evening. (in more ways then one)
As I said the idea, fabulous but, the organization of it got an F. It was
not done professionally from start to well… I would almost say finish if
we had stayed. Frankly, I would not use this event planner ! Actually I wrote to the Streeterville Chamber of Commerce and they said it actually was not their event! The women who did the planning own the name, so it was very misleading.
It was suppose to be from 6 – 8. We came earlier to turn in our vouchers and
get our tickets. We were told that they were not going to do that until 6.
We walked out for a bit and then came back at about 5:50. They had huge
lines and then announced that they were going to start checking people in
but not let anyone in yet. Had they checked people in as they came in earlier it would not have been so ridiculously chaotic. I asked where the coat check
was and was told that there was not one. One of my friends asked again as she could not believe it. She was told that they had no idea and then called over the same woman that told me no. We had a good laugh as when we were leaving we saw that a coat rack had been brought in. What kind of planning is that?
There was a grave lack of tables for anyone to gather around and the space
was barely enough for the vendors let alone all of the attendees. We stayed
at the outside tables and tried to get in for some samples in shifts. After
a half hour the party that I was with gave up even trying to go into the
room to sample any food as it was so crowded that they could not move
around. We couldn’t barely get a glass of wine as each time that we thought
we’d be able to snag one… we realized that the table was empty. Obviously
there were not enough staff at the bar area to handle the crowd.
I can tell you that not only my friends but many people that we overheard will not even think about going to this event should it be held again.

Taste of Streeterville was a DISASTER! After we waited patiently in line to get in, we were shocked to see many hundreds of people in a very small ballroom. My wife wanted a glass of wine so we waited in a line for a while only to find out that it was a beer line. Off to another line… beer. Ok, lets get some food. The fight to get near the food was unreal. I read on the website that there was a silent auction but after fighting to walk around, never found it. Now, how bad is that! The heat was overwhelming and we just couldn’t take it any more. After only15 minutes we left, and fought our way through the crowd to get out. There was (not exaggerating) almost 300 people still trying to get in!!! Nothing to show for it but the horrible memory!
Had a wonderful dinner at the Purple Pig and saw many folks from the event (wrist bands!) come over and eat there too.
We won’t make the mistake of attending an event by Cece & Melinda again!

The Taste of Streeterville was a disaster. If you are going to sell tickets for an event equal to the cost of a nice dinner somewhere and ask people to wear cocktail attire you should provide them with something!
I feel terribly for all the restaurants at the event as well as the hotel employees simply trying to keep up. This event was beyond OVERSOLD, the capacity in the tiny ballroom was most certainly a fire hazard, it was insanely hot, and IMPOSSIBLE to get a drink. The lines for anything were obscenely long, there was never any ice water anywhere, and it was IMPOSSIBLE to move anywhere… if I could stress this more I would.
I will never attend a Raymi or CeceandMelinda event ever again. How could they oversell a venue to this extent not thinking of the space and not tell the restaurants how many people to expect.
Abysmal.

The ‘Taste of Streeterville’ was a nightmare. The event was horribly oversold.
Took over 20 minutes of waiting in line to get a half glass of wine and even the few scraps of food we managed to wrestle for ran out by 7:30 (The event was supposed to be 6−8pm). What a waste of money. I could have spent this on a nice dinner somewhere.
Never Again!

Hi,
I would like to complain with the highest degree of dissatisfaction about the Taste of Streeterville event. Following were points that made this event the worst experience ever, and in my mind I would never buy a ticket for such an event organized by Raymi .
1. The event «required» Professional Business Attire– number of attendees was much greater than the capacity of the venue (at Intercontinental Hotel in the River North area of Chicago). People were sweating profusely.
2. The event ran out of drinks at 7.30pm (when the event was supposed to be from 6pm-​8pm).
3. The event ran out of food at around 7.30pm as well (were restaurants not informed about the number of attendees?)
4. When you pay for a food festival such as this, you do expect to atleast get a few small samples of food. As it turns out this was impossible thanks to the number of people. In fact I could have spent the same $$ and got a really nice dinner and drink anywhere else.

Just got home from the «Taste of Streeterville» which should be renamed «Nightmare of Streeterville». I am writing this review at 7:30 (the event was 6 – 8) but my husband and I had to get out of there since they WAYYYY OVERSOLD the event. I’m sure they probably ran out of food by now anyways since the restaurants providing the samples seemed flustered and were giving out tiny portions to try to conserve food (it was clear they didn’t know how many people were going to be attending). There was a 20 minute line just to get into the event only to be followed by more lines — It was most certainly a fire hazard in the room at the Intercontinental. impossible to get a drink and everyone was shoulder to shoulder bumping into each other the entire night and they had the nerve to have cheesy balloons everywhere taking up space that they didn’t have. I am pretty disgusted by the entire event especially since the «ticket price» for the event was $ 125 per person… of course they jacked the price to make you feel like you were getting a deal on lower price tickets with pre-​sale and groupon tickets at $ 50 a pop. What a disaster!

I have been working for Cece & Melinda with Raymi Productions for the past 4yrs as a DJ and attend their spectacular events when my services are not required. They are extremely professional and friendly and host to a youthful & mature upscale clientelle. They have an event «The Taste of the Gold Coast» that is a must attend every year and are throwing the hottest singles party in Chicago on Valentine’s Day 2013 at Flirty Girl Fitness that I will be sure to go! Great girls & amazing parties…5 stars.

I have had the pleasure of knowing and collaborating with Cece & Melinda for several years and I am always impressed with their outstanding level of hard work, dedication, integrity, professionalism. They are always ahead of the game with creative and innovative ideas and they put on some of the most fabulous events in the city.
I have worked with them on various marketing, branding, and social media efforts and they set the bar in each of these areas. They are quick to develop and execute strategic and effective marketing plans that truly get results. They understand how to authentically engage their audience through all channels of social media, inspiring meaningful conversation, connection, and brand loyalty.
These girls get it – they understand who and what makes a dynamic event and they go above and beyond to make it happen. I cannot recommend them enough.

I have had great success networking and mingling at any event or soirée that these ladies have thrown and would recommend their services to anyone who asks. They are top notch and present class and sophistication from the moment you walk in the door at the event.

Cece & Melinda’s events provide quality and an opportunity to mingle with different Chicagoans from various social and business backgrounds. Their events are very well organized and take place at some of the best /​upscale venues in Chicago. Attendance to one of their events is always a top choice.

I just attended Cece and Melinda’s Champagne Chic at Sofitel Chicago and it was an INCREDIBLE time. These ladies definitely know how to throw a fun, upbeat, networking event. The champagne was AMAZING, and I was able to be so many interesting women to network with. Cece and Melinda’s events are always so much fun and they do a great job at creating a professional, yet, social/​fun atmosphere! Definitely attending the next event and bringing all my girlfriends!

Cece & Melinda are two of the most generous, organized, energetic and helpful women I’ve met. Their recent Shop In Chicago event at the Drake Hotel was a great success, and hosted a number of fabulous Chicago designers & retailers. Cece and Melinda really took the time to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. I can’t wait to see what their Taste of the Gold Coast event is like, as I’ve heard it’s just as impressive.

My mom and I went to the shopping event at the Metropolitan Club, and it was so much fun! Amazing vendors, great views and a bar! I bought a really cute shirt and a purse handmade in Honduras out of recycled potato chip bags. And the event is free! You’ll def find me at more of their events.