Behind the design: A Royal Dinner at Ibah

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We were honored to helm the design and production of a private dinner for 50 people at the Ibah property hosted by the Kerthyasa family. The dinner was created for guests to meet members of Ubud’s royal family and to learn about Ubud’s history and heritage, while experiencing it surrounded by the stunning architecture and landscape of the property.

Facing the threat of rain in a very unusual August climate, we pivoted in the last 48 hours to redesign the event spaces and rethink the whole evening, a massive undertaking for the team and Ibah. We moved the dinner into the lobby area, kept the cocktail area in the main restaurant, and created a stage and seating for audience in the garden.

The guests entered through a traditional Balinese stone gate decorated with handwoven gold accent pieces, after being greeted by a friendly barong troupe. They then passed by the animals of Bali, wayang leather shadow puppet figures emerging from the garden beds as they walked towards a sole dancer positioned at the end of the walkway.

Some of the Kerthyasa family members gave a brief talk after cocktails were served under open skies to help guests gain a deeper understanding of Ubud. They presented against a beautiful hand-woven leaf backdrop featuring traditional Balinese floral motifs.

The tablescape featured local flowers like marigolds, hydrangeas, and strelitzia, interspersed with handwoven traditional Balinese offering components. Place names were held by intricately pieced together offering components representing the head of a dancer.

Lighting came from human-sized standing lotus lamps and hanging lotus blooms, all made from natural leaf materials, and candles wrapped in banana skin lining the footpaths.

Ibah is located on the historical grounds of the Campuhan Valley by the Wos River in Ubud, built on ancestral lands that were gifted as a wedding present to the founding family.

The property serves as both a sanctuary for travelers seeking a ‘old Bali’ experience and a vibrant tribute to preserving classic Balinese culture. Tjokorda Raka Kerthyasa holds the position of Bendesa Adat of Ubud (Head of Customary Village Organization) since 2009 and is one of Bali's respected authorities on culture and local traditions.

The Ibah property represents a beautiful blend of royal heritage, cultural preservation, and hospitality, maintaining its ancestral significance while serving as a luxury accommodation for visitors to Ubud.

Five of the best attendee gifts we ever put together for Bali events

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Attendee gifts, event merch, swag – whatever you call it, it's controversial.

We've had many hours of conversation with clients who swear they don't want to give attendees anything, that it will be a waste, and then as the event creeps closer, panic and have to choose from the same old selections. Sound familiar?

Look, we get it. You've seen the conference tote bags left behind, the branded pens that end up in hotel room trash cans, and the USB drives gathering dust in desk drawers. But here's the thing – when done right, attendee gifts become conversation starters, Instagram moments, and genuine reminders of an incredible experience. And in a place like Bali, we are spoiled for choice. We can have the most incredible custom pieces created that are amazing brand ambassadors long after the event is over.

After 15+ years of producing events in Bali, we've learned that the best attendee gifts aren't about your logo (shocking, we know). They're about creating a connection between your guests and the place they're visiting, giving them something with actual utility, or sparking joy in unexpected ways.

P.S. water bottles? You’d be surprised how well received they are in this climate and when you can’t drink the tap water!

Before we dive into five attendee gifts that had people genuinely excited to take them home and why they worked so well, let us plant some ideas in your head.

Working with Local Artisans: What Event Planners Need to Know

One thing we've learned: working with local artists and craftspeople requires a different approach than ordering from corporate suppliers. Here's what to expect:

  • Timeline: Add 4 weeks to what you think you need

  • Communication: Be prepared for different business practices and response times

  • Samples: Always order samples early – handmade means variations

  • Minimums: Many artisans have higher minimums than expected

  • Payment: Many require significant deposits upfront

But the results are worth it. The authenticity and uniqueness you get from working with local creators can't be replicated by mass-produced alternatives.

The Sustainability Factor

More and more corporate groups are asking about the environmental impact of their events, including gifts. Here's how to make attendee gifts part of your sustainability story rather than a guilt factor:

  • Choose items with longevity: Things people will use for years, not months

  • Support local economies: Keep money in the destination community

  • Avoid single-use items: Even if they're branded beautifully

  • Consider experiences over objects: Sometimes the gift is the experience itself

  • Tell the impact story: Let attendees know how their gift made a difference


    The Future of Attendee Gifts

Based on what we're seeing with corporate groups, here's where attendee gifts are heading:

  • More experiential: Classes, workshops, and activities rather than objects

  • Hyper-personalized: Mass customization technology making individual touches affordable

  • Impact-driven: Gifts that create positive change in the destination

With that, these are the 5 gifts that made us most proud to be a part of curating and producing.

1/ A branded edition of our Snakes and Ladders game

This was a special gift for attendees of an asset managment group. How fitting is the message of Snakes and Ladders for that crowd? A special reminder of their time in Bali and something they could share with their family once they got home.

2/ Custom banded notebooks for guests to invite them to journal, sketch, dream.

Basically slow down and be present in Bali. Featuring artwork by a Balinese artist Maya Kerthyasa of the gorgeous Balinese landscape. A budget-friendly gift with a big impact and strong ties to the island. The notebooks are also hand-bound and made of recycled paper by a group of women right here in Bali.

3/ A hand loomed scarf with a live weaving demonstration

We organized custom white scarves (for an all white party) from Bali’s oldest handloom fabric studio. Instead of just giving them to attendees, we set up a full loom with a live demonstration of the weaving process during the sunset cocktail hour. And if they got chilly after a long night of dancing? Perfect for the ride home.

4/ A Balinese Tridatu blessing bracelet with sterling silver charm

This is such a simple but powerful gift to give people arriving in Bali. We pair this with a simple ceremony led by a priest to welcome attendees and ask for blessings for the event. The bracelet has a simple silver charm with an event symbol on it and a extender to cover all wrist sizes.

5/ Cookbook signed with personal message from author

This was an amazing room drop. a cookbook featuring recipes from two of Bali’s most respected writers and chefs. Even more incredible as the guests ate the food from the cookbook two times during their event during meals cooked by the authors!

Making It Happen

The best attendee gifts don't happen by accident. They require early planning, cultural understanding, and connections with local creative communities – exactly the kind of relationships that large DMCs struggle to maintain but boutique planners like us specialize in.

If you're planning a corporate event in Bali and want attendee gifts that people actually keep, start the conversation early. The most meaningful gifts can't be rushed, but they're worth the extra planning time.

Your attendees will thank you. Your client will love the positive feedback. And six months later, when someone wears their batik shirt to a dinner party or cooks a recipe from a cookbook for friends, they'll remember exactly how your event made them feel.

Behind the design: Ubud Open Studios Attendee Experience

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Every year we try our very best to improve attendee experience for Ubud Open Studios. How can attendees best plan their perfect route? How can they learn about what studio has to offer? How can they pick 7 studios from a list of 70?

We know the huge range of studio types, focus and locations can be overwhelming, so we try our very best to offer different ‘doors’ for attendees to step through to access the information they need. We have our Google Map, our social media itineraries and studio profiles, our online art style quiz, our printed maps, our ticket hub printed and display information, our digital catalog, our Studio Showcase, our hub staff ready to answer questions, our Whatsapp hotline, AND our Studio Stewards. Whew! Getting information should never be hard at Ubud Open Studios. Now what you do with that info on the other hand…

1/ This year we re-created/adapted our online art quiz to take a up a whole wall at the ticket hub. An opportunity to get to know yourself better and then pick studios that match your art style. This was a raging success and we had to keep refilling the art-ineraries that people could take with them when they left the hub.

2/ As always, we had our Studio Showcase, which functions as a ‘walk-through catalog’. Attendees can visit the Showcase and see a piece from each participating studio, perhaps discovering a style, artist or craft that they didn’t even know they wanted to see. Then they just had to consult their map to find the location and add to the route!

3/ Of course, sometimes the best way is the hybrid way. The online and printed maps, the catalog, and our very helpful ticket hub team helped hundreds of people during the event. Sometimes all you need is to talk to a human!

Scroll through more of the images from our ticket hub and Studio Showcase.

Introducing Bali Macet: Playing Cards illustrated by Dodit Artawan

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We’re passionate about co-creating with local artists for our store Toko Elami. We’re very proud to introduce Bali Macet playing cards, featuring original artwork by Dodit Artawan. This exclusive collaboration will launch in early 2025. Bali Macet is our 5th (!!) art game and second deck of playing cards, a sister to the Gumi Bali playing cards illustrated by Rumantra.

About Bali Macet Playing Cards

Trapped in traffic? Deal yourself into the dazzling world of Bali's most iconic roadside scenes. Each card in this deck celebrates the controlled chaos of the island's legendary traffic jams (macet), transformed into explosive pop art through meticulous pointillism and eye-popping color. Get very familiar with the back end of Bali’s vehicles, from the rear-view of the motorbike egg seller to the ever-present cement mixer, to the pick-up piled high with gas tanks. Every vehicle is rendered in hundreds of tiny dots that pulse with electric blues, hot pinks, and sunset oranges. The artist's keen eye captures those perfect moments of gridlock glory: a truck bursting with kitchen utensils, the mobile warung eatery, or a bus filled with tourists on a mission. More than just a deck of cards, it's a handful of Bali's vibrant vehicle culture, where even being stuck in traffic is a work of art.

The artist has hand drawn all the suit symbols and the attention to detail on each vehicle is amazing. Definitely a feast of color in the hidden gems of Bali’s roadside sights.

About the artist

Dodit Artawan, a Bali-born artist, challenges traditional expectations of Balinese art with his unique and vibrant creations. Using paint markers, he transforms common sights from Bali's streets and everyday domestic objects into colorful, intricate works of art. Artawan's pieces are characterized by meticulous lines and dots, with each object featuring detailed etchings. Rather than catering to the picture-perfect tourist images often associated with Bali, he draws inspiration from the realities of daily life, using domesticity to explore and communicate social issues in his neighborhood. Artawan's approach is summed up in his statement, "Just because I am from Bali, it doesn't mean that I have to paint like those pictures on postcards for tourists".

Artawan studied fine art at the Indonesian Art Institute Denpasar Bali and started his art career in 2011. Dodit is an artist whose focus is on the breakaway from the dominance of traditional Balinese art on the art scene in order to seek new expressions for contemporary art in Bali. Dodit Artawan has been widely exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Italy and the USA. Dodit won the prestigious Bronze Award at the IWS Malaysia 1st International Watercolour Biennale (KL) in 2018.


Introducing Everyday Bali: A Sticker Collection illustrated by Michellaneous

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We are so proud to have team member Michellina Suminto step into the spotlight with her beautiful illustrations transformed into stickers for Toko Elami! "Everyday Bali" emerged from the keen observational eye and artistic spirit of illustrator Michellaneous (her nom-de-plume), who has totally captured the vibrant essence of Balinese street life.

This sticker collection celebrates the often-overlooked details (IYKYK) that make Bali so charming – the humble warung signs, the colorful kites dancing against blue skies, and the graceful penjors that line the streets during festivals. Each of the 78 stickers was hand-drawn, transforming funny moments and common sights from Ubud's bustling streets. The collection, presented across 13 sheets of laminated matte paper, serves as a portable gallery of Bali's daily life, allowing Bali fans to carry and share pieces of the island's character wherever they go. Stick on souvenirs if we may say! Ready for your computer, phone, helmet, or wherever your heart (and eye) desires.

And of course we will have merch! Keep an eye out to see if your favorite stciker makes in on a t-shirt or bag.

A guide to Ubud: our favorite art & design stores in the neighborhood

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Ubud has some INCREDIBLE stores, boutiques and shops that are beautifully curated with an eye for design and artisan crafts. Below is our list of our current favorite stores and shops of Ubud, Bali.

P.S. We also have a little store of our own called Toko Elami on Jl Kajeng.

Aaaannddd if you like our suggestions you can buy our Design Guide to Ubud (which is a regularly updated Google Map with our notes about each of our choices of places to stay, shop and eat)

On with the list of great places to spend at!

1/ Shop Mina: the tiniest gem of a shop in the most walkable neighborhood in Ubud, Nyuh Kuning! Has amazing selection of Bali’s best small brands and products.

2/ Seniman Shop: over the road from the best coffee shop in Ubud in Taman is their little gallery and merch shop. Grab coffee in all forms (beans, capsules, green) or cool t-shirts, upcycled drinking glasses, and even their famous rocking chair.

Toko Elami

3/ Threads of Life: an Ubud institution. A social enterprise gallery and shop offering heritage quality ikat and batik textiles, handwoven and naturally dyed by women across Indonesia.

4/ Kado: the retail outlet of the wonderful Saraswati Papers. Handmade and recycled papers in the most luxurious notebooks, greeting cards and photo albums.

Threads of Life Gallery

5/ Miraku: a gorgeous wood-clad shop with Balinese jewelry and natural indigo-dyed clothing. Elegance beyond.

6/ Curative: a store filled to the brim with local brands and designers, from pins to shirts, to jewelry and stickers and more.

Rumantra Shop

7/ Oiland: essential oil products like roll on perfumes. Only oils of the highest quality and mixes that will remind you of Bali forever. They have a tiny outlet in central Ubud.

8/ Quarzia: modern Italian batik clothes in the most beautiful silks and cottons. All hand-drawn and crafted.

9/ Rumantra: a store overflowing with amazing products based on designs and illustrations of the owner. Don’t leave without a t-shirt or a piece of jewelry.

Quarzia Batik

Ubud Open Studios 2025: save the dates!

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Art friends (and fiends!), the 2025 dates for Ubud Open Studios are here.

We will be returning on May 22-25 2025 for another amazing three days of studios throwing their doors open for YOU! An art crawl like no other.

Ubud Open Studios invites art lovers, cultural explorers, and the creatively curious to our annual celebration of art in Ubud, Bali.

Discover Ubud's contemporary art scene right from artists’ studios. Imagine an art-filled scavenger hunt where every studio is a treasure trove of creativity.

In 2024, Ubud Open Studios showcased over 50 local and international artists’ studios, inviting attendees to enter their world of creativity and craftsmanship. A journey of artistic discovery & connection offering a glimpse into the sacred spaces where art comes to life. It's about community—an opportunity to connect, converse, and collect experiences & artworks that resonate.

Behind every artwork is a story, a creative process—an artist’s journey.

5 events, 600 attendees, 100s of hands

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For ten days we were part of a large incentive trip and supported 5 events, ranging from an intimate dinner, to ‘leave it all on the dance floor’ extravaganza. Huge thanks to the other companies that joined forces with us, from florists to sound and lighting experts traditional Balinese decor crews, photographers, calligraphers, weavers, furniture rental experts and more.

Below are 5 of our favorite photos and moments.

1// A chance to design on water: we created an evening surrounded by water at the Kempinksi Chapel and brought in denizens of lily ponds, including dragonflies and geese in flight. We had to battle the elements to make this one happen. Woven by Udianata. Photo by Arley Mardo.

2// Twin Dragons: Handwoven and peched on the edge of a cliff to guard over attendees. Why hold an event in Bali if not to work with the crazy skillfull craftspeople and culture of this island? Creations by Raka Dalem Bernat and Sri Melanting, hand-woven from leaves in the style of Balinese decor for ceremonies and events. Photo by Arley Mardo.

3// A black and gold art deco meets Bali tablescape: A chance to work again with Cosa Projects and to incorporate Balinese offering baskets, cloth and hair ornaments. Shout out to The Host Table for their tableware choices and amazing set up.

4// Lighting perfection: working with our favorite team of Focus Productions again to light every event perfectly, including this secret corner of a ballroom we revealed during dessert for a dance party, speakeasy style! And of course draping and curtain opening mechanics by The Host Table made it all possible. Backdrop by Sri Melanting.

5// A Balinese village by the seaside: we brought pieces of Bali to a welcome reception on the Kempinski lawn, including the photo backdrop featuring wayang (shadow puppet) chickens in traditional cages and Balinese floral motifs. Created by Sri Melanting.

The incredible skills used to make these pieces of art can only be appreciated when you see the process behind the creations. Below is short video featuring some of the behind-the-scenes footage during the 5 month long lead up to these events. Shot at Udyana Studio in Ubud, Bali.

Behind the design: Ubud Open Studios 2024

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For the 3rd edition of Ubud Open Studios, we asked Bali-based illustrator damdampops to create a set of icons to represent all the different types of art and media found at Ubud Open Studios. The icons arrived to decorate the main hub at Titik Dua and also appeared on the official tote bag, t-shirt and catalogue.

The Dinner Series: Present Space

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We couldn’t let 2023 pass without The Dinner Series! This time we gathered to dine with Fed and Made Dhanu in the Titik Dua gallery surrounded by the artwork of Salvita de Corte and Naomi Samara. 19 guests joined us for a 5-course meal plated on Jenggala ceramics and a very special performance ended the evening. As always, the Dinner Series was hosted by co-founder Maya Kerthyasa.

We started the design of the dinner wanting a very minimalist and clean table to ensure the artwork of the Present Space exhibition remained the focus of the evening. We chose single white lotus blooms and white canvas cloth for the tables.

Place cards featured a Joan Didion quote used in the curator’s note of the exhibition written in white under the watercolor lettering of the guest’s name so you could faintly read the words.

Guests were invited to explore the exhibition before being seated.

The Fed menu was inspired by ingredients that were once common in Balinese dishes but are slowly disappearing due to the globalization of culinary arts. The local ingredients are slowly being forgotten. Some of the dishes are based on reminiscing about a childhood snack, a combination of Rujak Es and Rujak Cermai, resulting in the creation of cermai granita which was served with raw fish caught by local fisherman. The dessert also came from a home-cooked snack that Made’s grandma always made when salak was in season. The dishes were all plated on ceramics by Jenggala, a heritage Bali brand celebrating over 40 years of making incredible tableware.

The performance was presented by St Udyana, a youth group from Taman, Ubud. The dancers also played instruments and surrounded the guests with a story of knowledge and culture flowing like water and filling up all the spaces.

The final touch came from Salvita De Corte as she washed the white on white printed menus with watercolors to reveal the menu of the evening for attendees. A perfect final moment.

Art & Sugar: events at Powder Room by Room4Dessert

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Celebrating creativity in all its forms. We’ve been programming at the beautiful Powder Room for half a year now and love watching the relationships grow between different artists, attendees and the host. No matter what activity or art form it always ends with a sweet treat from The Powder Room ovens.

One of our favorite moments of magic was when Art Toy master Uncle Twis held a workshop at Powder Room and reimagined the Red Choux and Bombolini.

We then jumped into the world of plant parents with a Plant Swap and Houseplant Workshop led by Thousands Bloom. The incredible garden team of Room4Dessert brought some of their precious babies to swap with attendees too.

Gumi Cards: a playing card deck featuring Balinese flora and fauna

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Our fourth game product is a playing card deck featuring line drawings of Balinese flora and fauna. As you play, find lotus flowers, dragonflies, squirrels, bats, banana flower blossoms and ferns representing each suit. Each Gumi Bali deck comes with a little booklet explaining the meaning behind the cards and the scientific names of all the species.

Gumi, meaning "earth" in Balinese, captures the essence of these playing cards. Each card showcases line ink drawings, hand drawn by Rumantra, a talented artist and passionate plant enthusiast based in Ubud, Bali. Rumantra's illustrations bring to life the vibrant flora and fauna of the island.

Each card was based on an original ink illustration by Rully Rumantra, seen here on display at Powder Room in Bali.

Gumi also has an accompanying coloring in book featuring all the illustrations, and hand screen-printed tote bags and t-shirts.

Download Elami’s Design Guide to Ubud

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If you’re looking to experience Ubud through design eyes, we have a guide for you.

Ubud is our hometown and we are fortunate to know many of the amazing creatives making beautiful spaces for people to enjoy.

This is our curated list and includes places we always take friends and family who are visiting. Think art, culture, hidden local gems, incredible views & architecture, artisan products, workshops, and more.

 

How did we choose?

These are all places and experiences that we like to go to ourselves. They are often are located in stunning places with great architecture or views, have good design (interiors, graphics, products), and are worth the money. They are curated with an eye for Bali made or designed with respect to our island home, and often have a connection to local artists and artisans.

Who’s curating the guide?

Elami Productions—producers of Ubud Open Studios, TEDxUbud, and many events and brand experiences in Bali.

What you get:

For Rp100,000 (~$7), you can download The Design Guide to Ubud and add the address pins directly to your Google Maps (download it to use offline).

Our notes are attached to each location explaining why we chose it and what you can’t miss about each pin.

Forever access. We promise to keep it updated with new places.

It's a wrap: the second edition of Ubud Open Studios!

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The 2023 Ubud Open Studios was an incredible honor to put together—70 studios over three days joined to participate in the Studio Showcase at Titik Dua; an Artist Forum including discussions ranging from what it means to be classically trained vs self-taught, to the future of digital art; and two days of studio visits by eager attendees soaking up talks, workshops, and demonstrations.

Our vision for this event was to help revitalize Ubud’s identity as a thriving community of artists, map the incredible creativity taking place in the area and strengthen ties between artists. We hope we succeeded in making that happen. Thank you to all our supporters, partners, and sponsors for helping us produce this event and bring it to life.

“I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been all over Ubud in the past 3 days visiting some amazing artists for the second annual Ubud Open Studios. Not just for the ceramics, painting, sculpture and textiles but also for the wonderful people we met along the way as we weaved through rice paddies and tiny overgrown lanes, discovering places you would never usually gain an insight into... and always welcomed with big beautiful smiles. Thank you Ubud Open Studios - see you next year!”

“It was amazing. You are all rock stars. This felt like a much-needed & exceptionally well-enjoyed event. People should fly in for this. All the art one misses from being in a metropolis exists here but it's behind closed doors, and y'all opened the floodgates. I wish I got to visit more new studios. The ones I enjoyed the most are the ones I've never visited before, a good note to self for next year! Try new things :)”

And our work here is done... Keep an eye on the Ubud Open Studios Instagram for more beautiful shots. Huge thanks to official photographers Arley Mardo, Herry Santosa (photos below), Suki Zoe, and Ade Ardhana.