05/ 30/ 2007
by Sandy Siegel
Neal Harris and Scott Roeb would be the first to admit their business smells. But then, that's the whole idea behind Scentevents, a Los Angeles-based company launched in 2003 to develop customized aromas for special events, product promotions and private parties.
"This was an idea that came to me when I saw some technology and got involved with the scent players," says Harris, a fragrance-industry veteran. He took his idea to Roeb, a longtime caterer and party planner, thinking "this would be an interesting concept for the special-events industry."
That concept--adding atmosphere-enhancing aromas to events through strategically placed diffusers--has been grabbing the attention of event planners looking for something extra to wow clients and their guests. "The fact that they can bring in that olfactory sense is something that party planners like," Roeb says.
Just ask the people behind the "brown carpet" Hollywood premiere of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Scentevents' sweet smell of milk chocolate made invitees believe the party's "chocolate river" was the real thing. The musty, dank odor of a haunted house at a Halloween party and the inviting scents of a forest and s'mores at a sleepaway camp-themed bat mitzvah had guests happily following their noses. Then there are the real stinkers some imaginative customers have requested, like the smell of burning rubber, cheddar cheese and the New York City sewer system.
Clients can choose from hundreds of existing aromas or have them custom-made. Scent cartridges (lasting 100 to 200 hours) and players (which dispense scents throughout an area of up to 4,000 square feet) can either be rented or bought and shipped worldwide--depending on the fragrance and event layout. For more controlled scenting, there's Scentematography, which adds aromas on cue to movies, theatrical productions, lectures and presentations.
"Event-scenting is new and fresh," Roeb says, "but I also think it's something that's going to transcend time because it's not a fad."
For Harris and Roeb, it's proving to be the sweet smell of success.
