With over 40 years of combined food and beverage knowledge from sales, operations and marketing experience and success managing and planning leading Tampa functions and beyond, let Core manage your next event!
Core Concepts is Tampa Bay’s premier social, corporate, and non-profit event planning and catering company.
YOUR CORE
Core Concepts is Tampa Bay’s premier social, corporate, and non-profit event planning company.
The capabilities and resources of our professional event planners are endless. Our team is made up of an eclectic mix of backgrounds, including experience in hospitality, special event planning, wedding planning, fundraising, catering, floral design, and marketing/advertising. Our dynamic team has over 50 years of combined experience. We are Core!
OUR TEAM
Testimonials
What they said
We’re humbled to be working with such a great variety of clients that range from early stage startups to Fortune 500 companies. Scroll through to see what they’re saying!
Wow is pretty much what I can say about Core Concepts! Just amazing and probably the nicest people you will ever work with. Extremely flexible and adaptable to change. We have used Core Concepts now for several years and of our events and each time they deliver above and beyond. They customize the way we want and work with whatever budgets we have for each event.
Jim M.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Director of Events & Entertainment
Laurie, Andy and I are so happy that you could be a part of our special day. Thank you to you and your team for making our wedding a dream come true! We are so appreciative of everything. I hope we can plan another event soon with Core Concepts.
Our Love,
Andy & Laurel
Bride and Groom
Core Concepts are a fantastic team. They are always on time, professional and extremely friendly! They helped me plan a birthday party for the child of one of our top executives and they did such a great job that all of the moms at the party asked me where I got my decor! The little boy was turning 6 and was very big into “Star Wars Angry Birds,” so without question, they created custom centerpieces to go along with that theme. They also created adorable gift bag tags that had each child’s name on it that attended the party. Overall, I love working with Core Concepts and look forward to working with them on future events!
Jenna G.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Tampa Bay Sports Commission
Core Concepts is by far one of the best event planning companies in Tampa. I’ve used them for several of my events and have always been very satisfied. They deliver on time, the quality of their products is great, and the service you receive is great. They respond to emails in a timely manner, adjust to whatever situation may arise, and are professional. I would recommend them for any type of event.
Sarah S.
Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park
CORE CONCEPTS took my vision and expectations for this event and surpassed them by leaps and bounds! My centerpieces turned out better than I could have imagined and they made the whole event easy for me and my team. Every detail from chair covers to individually folding and wrapping napkins to look like bowties was perfect! I am very impressed with how attentive they are and we have never been happier with an event! Our guests are still raving about how beautiful the room was, and I know that because of the help we had from CORE CONCEPTS that we have set the bar high for upcoming years!
I have already booked them to organize the rentals and decor for our next Make-A-Wish event and see this relationship lasting a long time, The CORE team is an absolute pleasure to work with!
Meg H.
Make-A-Wish Central Event & Development Manager
They did everything and did a great job! My husband had his office Christmas party for about 40 people at our house. All I had to do was provide a clean space. They set up cocktail tables, provided tablecloths and centerpieces and all the serve-ware needed. They provided a chef who makes excellent food as we ate it so it was constantly hot. The bartenders served all the drinks for our guests so I could enjoy the party. They even cleaned up at the end, at one point even asking for my mop so they could mop the floors. I didn’t have to lift a finger and got so many compliments on hosting a great party!
Borda C.
Client
Few times in my life have I ever found myself completely speechless. My wedding on 3/22 was one of these times. There is no other way to describe our wedding than completely and utterly flawless and breathtaking. There wasn’t a single thing I would change and it turned out even more impeccable than we could have ever imagined. I feel so blessed to have had Core do this for us that saying thank you will never be enough. They truly are amazing at what they do and we are forever grateful for them making our wedding nothing less than a perfect fairytale.
Lindsay L.
Bride
Core is the absolute best catering and party planning company in Tampa Bay. In addition to wonderful services they provide, the people are top notch! Core Concepts Tampa did it again! Kids for Life, a local nonprofit, hosted their annual No Password No Party, Prohibition Party last weekend and Core did an absolutely fabulous job in helping us put on a great event! From the food prepared by their Chefs, servers and bartenders, and decorations, we couldn’t have asked for a more reliable and fabulous company to help us out! Thank you so very much! We appreciate all that you have done for us!
Cheryl A.
Kid’s for Life
Debbie has proven over time that she is a true professional in the Food service industry. I would recommend Core Concepts Tampa to any of my best clients. I got the pleasure of eating her creations at the last Buccaneer Former Player event that I was able to attend. It was superb!!!
Mitch Palmer
Former NFL Player | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1998-99 LB/LS
I work as a photographer and have photographed events for Core. Both ladies are a dream to work with and have an amazing eye for beauty. They are extremely professional, responsive, patient, and do an outstanding job!! I highly recommend Core Concepts for all your party planning/events needs.
Cassondra D.
Photographer
Another successful fundraising event completed with Core Concepts help! The food and decor was fantastic and we received great feedback all night. Core really helped us out with last minute details so that we could focus on fundraising. Can’t wait to work with them again.
Nikki A.
Dale Mabry Elementary
No words can describe what a stress-free, beautiful evening we had for our outdoor wedding dinner reception. The menu was amazing! Lighting, flowers, staff! We can’t imagine a more magical, perfect evening! Thank you to the whole staff!
Janet H.
Bride
The Sustany Foundation worked with Core Events to plan our 5th and 6th Annual Sustainable Buzz events at the Straz. The event doubled in attendees and increased in vendor participation over the past two years. This has become a very successful fundraiser and opportunity to increase awareness about sustainability for Sustany. Core Concepts provides excellent planning, logistics, promotion, and day-of coordination.
Jenna C.
Sustany Foundation
Phenomenal staff/service! Highly recommended for any personal or corporate function.
Tom D.
Client
Recently had a fundraiser and working with Core Concepts was a learning experience, informative and seamless! She put us all at ease and we were able to enjoy the event! Their selection and presentation of food for guests was spectacular and the decor Set the tone … very classy!
Linda W.
Client
I am the Special Events Coordinator for the Children’s Cancer Center and I have to say it was a joy working with Core! They blew me and everyone else out of the water with how beautifully they decorated the grand ballroom of the Marriott Waterside Hotel. They perfectly captured and executed the theme of our fundraiser and increased the overall night by setting an ambiance that our guests loved! They work tirelessly on each project to ensure their clients are comfortable and satisfied with the decor of their event and honestly they made my job so much easier!
Brittany R.
Children's Cancer Center
Working with Core was an absolute pleasure! They listened to all of our committee’s ideas and thoughts and made it a reality. We are so grateful for the amount of detail and attention they gave our event. Everything was amazing from the food to decorations, it was like you stepped directly into the 1920’s! Core Concepts and their team was fabulous and we highly recommend them!
Samantha M.
A Kid’s Place
Our outdoor rustic, bohemian wedding was just perfect! From the first time I met Core and their staff, they were enthusiastic about my “out of the box” wedding and full of great ideas. Having Core Concepts take care of the details and day of coordination allowed me to enjoy every moment of our ceremony and reception. The menu was Moroccan/Mediterranean inspired and was delicious. Even our foodie friends and family couldn’t believe how good the food was. The entire staff were unflappable and accommodating to me and my guests. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Lynn G.
Bride
I am BLESSED to have had the opportunity to work with Core. They were able to take an idea for our wedding reception and turn it into an absolute dream come true. From start to finish, Debbie was organized and extremely competent. She paid attention to details that we never would have thought of and took artistic license on many items. The decor was unique, fun and tasteful. We received numerous compliments on the event and specifically our “Coordinator.” Core Concepts saved us more money than they cost us for the entire event – from the invitations to the flowers to the catering – we were happy to have one person handling everything. Each of the vendors that she recommended to us was a top-notch professional. Debbie receives our highest recommendation and we will certainly use her for future events.
Jacqueline S.
Bride
New Life Village is a local not for profit organization that is building a community for families who adopt children out of foster care. All of our funds come from donations. We were permitted the once in a lifetime opportunity to host an event at the Lamb Manor Estate, a historic mansion on the Manatee River that has been completely restored. No other organization has had this offer, and the estate was for sale. This gave us only a month and a half to organize an event. We are limited to one employee and decided we would interview event planners. As members of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce we turned to them for a recommendation. The chamber recommended Core Concepts. Core Concepts met with Julie Farber, our Board Chair and I enthusiastically embraced the challenge, knowing that our organization had few resources to help with the planning of the event. Core Concepts took care of every aspect of the event: food, décor, furnishings, invitations, advertising, social media, set-up, break down, etc. The final result was an indoor/outdoor afternoon event in which everyone had a great time. The day was flawless. We received compliments from all the guests, our board of directors and the proprietors of the property. The event was a great boost for New Life Village. We are committed to using Core Concepts for our future events and offer the highest recommendation to anyone who is looking for a most professional, prepared and cooperative event planner. Respectfully,
Paul H.
Director | New Life Village
Core Concepts is AMAZING!!! First off, they have the most wonderful, amazing, out of the box ideas, things I would have never thought of. Secondly, their catering is to die for, the food and drink are fantastic! Every detail of the meal and the event are planned down to the very last second of perfection. The staff at Core Concepts, I just can’t say enough about them..they are amazing, they are always there when you need them. They make you feel as if you are part of a family. I will only use Core Concepts for any of my event collaborations, you should too, you will not be disappointed.
Kimmie W.
Elevated Events
Core Concepts is the best! I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked several events with them, and they never disappoint. First of all, their work is amazing. They always come up with something beautiful and unique, which as a photographer I always love. On the catering side, the food is fantastic! Second, their attention to detail is second to none. The things that most people overlook aren’t overlooked by Core Concepts. That means that you can guarantee the event will run smoothly. Finally, they all are such great people. They are so friendly and accommodating that they truly make you feel like family. I highly recommend Core Concepts for any and all of your event planning needs. You definitely won’t be disappointed.
Davis L.
Client
The entire crew at Core Concepts not only made our event come to life, but they did it without me losing a single minute of sleep. Let me put this in context – I was 10 weeks pregnant with my third child when my husband was graduating from USF. We wanted to have a graduation party, naturally, but with my exhaustion from pregnancy and from chasing my two other toddlers, I couldn’t even put a full sentence together – let alone plan a party for 80 people. Core Concepts came in and saved the day. They came to my house, talked me through everything, and we made a plan. They’d check in to make sure everything they were visualizing was okay. Then the day of the party, the crew came in and set-up, stayed throughout the event to make sure everything was handled perfectly (which it was, of course), then cleaned up. It was every pregnant woman’s dream! All of our guests were raving about the delicious food, the attentive service, and the thoughtful details. I couldn’t take credit for anything, so I sent everyone home with business cards. I will definitely use them again for our next event! I couldn’t have been happier with the way everything turned out!
Lindsey J.
Client
Core has provided food and decor for both personal and corporate events for me for the past several years. And why do I keep coming back? They are simply the best! The Core team is creative, easy to work with, reliable, affordable and their service/product is top notch.
Moon M.
Client
As a coordinator this team was a pleasure to work with, they did a great job getting the food out in a not so good scenario, the staff was very helpful and always smiling -the food was delicious!
Carmen V.
Client
I am BLESSED to have had the opportunity to work with Debbie and Laurie. Core was able to take an idea for our wedding reception and turn it into an absolute dream come true. From start to finish, Debbie was organized and extremely competent. She paid attention to details that we never would have thought of and took artistic license on many items. The decor was unique, fun and tasteful. We received numerous compliments on the event and specifically our “Coordinator.” Core Concepts saved us more money than they cost us for the entire event – from the invitations to the flowers to the catering – we were happy to have one person handling everything. Each of the vendors that she recommended to us was a top notch professional. Debbie receives our highest recommendation and we will certainly use her for future events