Commitment to Sustainability

When the building was renovated by the Leftbank Project in 2009 they made sure to take sustainability into consideration with each decision. The team preserved as much of the original building as possible, while still creating a functional and beautiful event space. The overall design and color palette was derived from materials already found within the building; a perfect mix of brick, steel, concrete, glass, and wood to transform a historic building into an urban, industrial event venue. 

During your tour, you will notice a lot of the original features and structures. Here are a few fun ones to keep an eye out for: 

• The Nest was once a combined office and apartment space when owned by entrepreneur Dean Child. Near the ceiling, you will see smoke marks on the brick from his wood-burning stove. (This use is why there are also stairs that lead to nowhere!)

• Running along the top of the Greatroom ceiling is a steel beam with a large hook at the end. This was used to move items of all sorts outside throughout much of the building’s history.

• In the Clubroom you will see a beautiful teal color in random-like patterns on the floor and walls. This is actually leftover paint from its use as a painting school! 

• Salvaged from the initial interior, Douglas fir wood can be found via floorboards, cabinets, trim, and stair treads.

Additions to the building include eco-harvested Southern Oregon trees used for Madrone flooring, non-toxic finishes for most surfaces, concrete counters crafted on-site by a local artisan, dimmable fluorescent lights, and upgraded bathroom features (high-efficiency toilets, automated lights and faucets, and jet towel dryers). 

For the 10 years the Leftbank Project ran the venue, they always took the environment and local sustainability into account. One of the ways they did this was by creating an exclusive list of caterers, each of whom was vetted to ensure that their business and sustainability practices aligned with the venues. As of January 2020, Elephants Delicatessen also has the honor of being the new parent company for Leftbank Annex in addition to being one of the exclusive caterers.

As a certified B Corporation, Elephants Delicatessen is committed to environmental stewardship through waste, resource, and emissions reductions, and helps alleviate food insecurity in the greater Portland area company-wide.

Here are a few fun facts about what we do as a B-Corp (and learn more here)!

• The B-Corp Impact Assessment asks questions about how day-to-day operations create a positive impact for workers, the community, and the environment. In 2019, Elephants’ score was 96 with the industry average being 55!

• Being family-owned and operated, our first commitment is to our employees, customers, and community. We partner with many organizations to donate food and support local non-profits by participating in fundraising efforts.

• At our facilities and onsite at events, we are sure to recycle, compost, and carefully sort all of our waste. This goes for food scraps, common recyclables (paper, glass, etc), and non-standard items needing special disposal (batteries, oil, bubble wrap, and more).

• As a woman-owned company, we are proud to say 57% of our senior managers and 50% of our executive team are also women! 30% of our executive team are people of color as well as 37% of our employees company-wide.

• By increasing renewable energy use, purchasing energy-efficient equipment, supporting the renewable wind power movement, and more we reduced/offset our carbon footprint by 25% in 2019!

Venue Tours – How to Prepare and What to Expect

Yay, you’ve decided to host an event! Now, you are probably wondering what steps to take first in your planning journey. The first thing to do is to decide on a time of year (or select 2-3 top dates) to host your party and determine what your estimated guest count is. These two details are important, as each vendor you connect with will ask these two questions. Next, you will want to decide where you want to host your event. Event venues come in many sizes, shapes, locations, and styles which can make choosing one kind of tricky! Before looking up venues in your area, consider the following:

• How far will be guests be willing to travel? If most of them will be traveling a long distance anyways, this may not necessarily matter. Though if the majority of guests are from one area, you may want to choose a venue in that area vs. one across the state.

• What theme or style do I want for my event? When most people think of themes, they think of “big” themes (masquerade, denim and diamonds, Wizard of Oz, etc). But that isn’t always the case — it can be as simple as knowing you want a blush and white color scheme with rustic decor, or a candlelit dinner where everyone wears a long dress or tux. The first may be more suitable for an outdoor venue or barn while the second may fit better in a ballroom or urban space.

• Do I want an indoor or outdoor venue? If you are hosting a winter event (this is why we recommend settling on a season/date prior to your venue search) than an outdoor venue in Oregon may not be the best choice. If your event is in August, you may want to consider an outdoor venue that has room for a tent if needed (For a “Plan B” rain-plan, or if you want to set one up for shade).

• Will I need a separate space for cocktail hour? Some venues have multiple event spaces that you can use for a variety of things, while others may need what is called a “room flip”. This is common for weddings — the guests move to a second room for cocktail hour while the ceremony area is transformed into the reception space. Some venues only have one space, in which case you may need to set-up half of the room for one purpose and the other half for another (or in the case of weddings, maybe have guests sit at their tables during the ceremony).

• What do I want to be included with the venue for my determined venue budget? Some venues are a completely blank canvas — you rent just space and bring in your own decor, tables, chairs, etc. In the case of many outdoor venues, you may also need to bring in a restroom trailer or mobile suite for getting ready in. Other venues are all-inclusive and offer everything in one package — tables, chairs, decor, catering, etc. Another thing to keep in mind here is the hours included in the rental — some venues are hourly, some have a venue rental period that doesn’t include set-up/tear down, and some require that set-up and teardown occur within your venue rental period.

Alright, now you have established what you are looking for in a venue and can begin your search! Since you have found yourself here on the Leftbank Annex website, I am assuming you are looking for an indoor venue in the Portland area with great lighting and lots of space. When you arrive for your tour we will start off by gathering a few basic details about your event; your guest count, event type, an idea of your timeline and flow, etc. From there, we will wander through both levels and give examples of how each space and area within it would work best for your party. We will also go over what’s included in the rental, in-house add-on options, parking availability, and our food/beverage guidelines.

While we are chatting, you are welcome to ask us any questions! Below are some questions that would be good to ask our venue team and others you are touring.

• Are there any decor restrictions? Some venues allow confetti and glitter, while others do not. Others are bound by fire marshal rules (such as ourselves) and require that candle flames be within a vessel of some sort. If you’re hosting a wedding, don’t forget to mention your grand exit plans! Some venues have restrictions against sparklers, faux flower petals, etc so it is good to ask ahead of time.

• Do have an exclusive or preferred vendor list? At Leftbank Annex, our catering list is exclusive (we have 9 top caterers on our list!) though you are welcome to bring in any other vendor of your choosing. Some venues have an all-inclusive package where you pay one price and it includes a venue picked photographer, cake, florist, etc. Other venues leave it completely up to you!

• How long is the venue rental for and what is the latest we can stay? If a venue notes that they have a 8-hour event or rental period, be sure to clarify exactly what that means. Some allow your event itself to be 8-hours but you have the whole day to set up. Others require that set-up, the event, and teardown all happen within that time period. They may have a “must be wrapped up by” time as well, so you will want to check on that.

• Will there be someone on site during my event? This is an important one, especially right now as OHA COVID-19 guidelines do require that a venue person be onsite during events. Outside of the pandemic, it is also important as some venues have a house manager/venue coordinator onsite while others have a full-on day of coordinator. Be sure to note exactly what duties this person will be in charge of during the event.

• What are your event insurance requirements? Many venues require that you purchase general liability event insurance, though their requirements may vary. Be sure to ask if there is a certain amount or items that should be listed.

• Bonus for Outdoor Venues - What rain-plan options are available? Since we do live in Oregon, rain is always a possibility. If your venue has a covered area available or a canopy on-site you will want to ask if the use of these are included or if it would be an additional cost. If your venue doesn’t have a covered option, you may want to consider reaching out to an event rental company to put a canopy on hold (many in our area have specific “Rain Plan” cancelation policies).

We hope that this post helped you prepare for your venue search and venue tour. If you would like to set-up a tour at Leftbank Annex, feel free to call or e-mail us anytime. We would love to meet you!