COSI's Imagination Celebration 2010
"Travel the Globe - One Spectacular Night at COSI"
Saturday March 14th, 2010

It was a sold out night on March 13th, 2010 at COSI, Columbus, Ohio. Those lucky enough to get a ticket in advance were treated with a trip around the globe.

Produced by Gary Bias, owner of EventCo, by far one of the absolutely best event producers available in America, "Travel the Globe" allowed party goers to do just that without leaving Columbus, Ohio. From Polynesia, to Africa, to East Asia and Latin America it was an evening full of fanfare, exotic animals, dancers, incredible food and drinks, live and silent auction items and much, much more. From the moment part goers arrived to the close of the evening, everyone felt they had left the country on a trip of a lifetime.

I really got a kick out of entering the event. Everyone had to go through a faux security check point, complete with a uniformed officer, hand held metal detector and walk through detector. I stood there for quite a few moments watching as those entering the facilities held their arms up to be scanned. They didn't realize it was all part of the "imagination celebration" until suddenly it dawned on them. It was so funny to see the reactions. Some didn't realize it at all which made me laugh even more! It was great opening to a great event.

The next thing everyone saw was the bright COSI sun surrounded by drinks of the same color and greeting them to enjoy themselves. The perfect sunrise on a perfect event. After registering their arrival, attendees were free to travel the world.

True to any trip around the world, delicious food was everywhere. It did not disappoint. Polynesian food, African foods, Latin American food and East Asian food delighted the taste buds of everyone. Each food station celebrated a theme. My favorite was East Asia as four individuals stood ever so quietly in costume without hardly a move. It was quite intriguing. Just across from the quietness of East Asia was the Polynesian food station which celebrated with music and the sway of the Polynesian girls who made you feel you were on an island enjoying a much needed vacation!

The night seemed to fly by so quickly, when all of the sudden the loud drumming sounds of the dragon parade caught everyones attention. It was powerful and breathtaking and had everyone in awe. The parade led everyone to the stage area where the official hellos, thank yous and live auction took place. Electricity filled the air and the applause was loud for this wonderful event. The live auction and fund-a-need was absolutely high energy and bidding was way more than spirited. Everyone got into it! Johnny DiLoretto of Fox 28's Good Day Columbus and Q of Chief Rocka were the perfect compliment with me for this portion of the event. Together, the three of us, along with a very supportive crowd raised a ton of money in the live auction and set a record for COSI's fund-a-need program. It just doesn't get any better than that!

The night continued until 11:00pm when I think the only disappointment occurred - the evening came to a close. I truely believe everyone would have stayed until dawn. It was just that awesome.

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