Home

Seminar Descriptions Monday

Images

MONDAY, March 8, 2010

7:30a.m. – 8:45a.m.
CELE-BRANDING: FROM FINE TO FABULOUS IN 75 MINUTES
BRAND YOURSELF UNFORGETTABLE
In this session, our speakers will reveal the secrets of imaging, branding and making a name for yourself in the special events industry.
With so many “larger than life” personalities, how can you stand out in the crowd? Be memorable? Reach “celeb” status – be it among your peers, clients or internal team. It’s not as tough as you might think. Through examples, success stories, interactive exercises, and some special guests, we will share the secrets to becoming your own marketing machine.
From minor tweaks to major makeovers, this session will totally revolutionize the way people perceive you and your business.
Learn

  1. Self-Discovery through written exercises and interactive discussions. Learn truths about your personality and how to utilize them.
  2. How to brand yourself for greater opportunity
  3. The 10 steps to celeb-branding
  4. How others before you – and your peers – in the events industry have branded their way to success and notoriety.

A SESSION WITH DR. “RUTH”: EVENT THERAPY - DISCOVERING THE PATH TO SUCCESSFUL VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS
Ruth Moyte, Owner, Red Dandelion Creative, Los Angeles, CA
Event Therapy - Discovering the Path to Successful Vendor Relationships
Ruth Moyte, Owner, Red Dandelion Creative, Los Angeles, CA
Relationships are more important than ever and learning to position vendors as partners can be confusing. It’s time to get creative and navigate in new and innovative ways to strategically increase the value of the vendor/client relationship. Join “Dr. Ruth” in this interactive session as she addresses some of the challenges companies, planners and vendors face as we move through this stormy economic climate. Whether you are a Corporate Planner, Event Agency or Vendor, you can find answers in this engaging, interactive, candid and provocative session.
Learn:

  1. Straight talk about how to best leverage your relationships with vendors.
  2. Solutions for scaled back budgets and how to create a great event without blowing your budget out of the water.
  3. New strategies to truly establish partnerships with vendors that create win-win solutions.

9:00a.m – 10:15a.m.
WEDDING DESIGN FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION
Sasha V. Souza, Event Designer, Sasha Souza Events, Napa, CA
Get inside the head of one of the country’s top wedding planners with this idea-packed session on wedding design from concept to completion. This high-level session will give experienced planners a detailed understanding of how a wedding comes to life from the initial conversation with the client to the big day. With case studies of spectacular weddings, this interactive class will go beyond “pretty pictures” to delve into the thought process and research behind each planning decision, giving you the tools you need to create weddings you — and the clients — love.
Learn:

  1. The top 10 questions you should be asking every client
  2. The tools you need to have in your toolbox to create the ultimate design, including Pantone books, swatch books and more.
  3. How to “get clients on your bus.”
  4. Manage clients to ensure that they are satisfied with the event that you as the designer envision.

BEST PRACTICES: SOLUTIONS TO YOUR TOP EVENT BUSINESS CHALLENGES
Moderator: Laura Schwartz, Principal, White House Strategies, Chicago, IL
Event businesses are facing new challenges given a rapidly evolving market. In this session, you’ll learn best practices for event businesses in 2010 and beyond. A panel of event business leaders with successful businesses will discuss their most effective solutions to increasing sales, business development, human resources management, effective cost-cutting solutions and more. Facilitated by event entrepreneur and media commentator Laura Schwartz, this solution-oriented session will also hone your problem-solving skills as you work collaboratively in groups, utilizing your creativity, brainpower and relationships to find solutions to today’s top business challenges.

Learn:

  1. What direction your business should be taking for 2010 and beyond
  2. Best practices for sales and revenue, business development and human resources
  3. How to identify and solve your organization’s business challenges creatively and effectively

10:30a.m. - 12:00p.m.
FEATURED SESSION
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY: WHERE WE ARE NOW AND WHERE WE’RE HEADED
Moderators: Laura Schwartz, Principal, White House Strategies; Lara McCulloch-Carter, ready2spark; Branden Chapman, The Recording Academy; Kevin Dana, CORT Event Furnishings; and more panelists TBA
From the AIG effect to blacklisted destinations to the Great Recession, the events industry has faced many significant challenges in the past year that have changed it forever. This March, join with your peers and a panel of industry leaders to discuss all that we have faced as an industry and the way ahead. Leaders from diverse sectors of the event world will present their vision for the future of the industry; the top-line trends you need to be aware of; and how our industry will look one, five and 10 years from now. Whether you’re an independent, association, corporate, or nonprofit planner or a supplier, this must-attend session will give you the big picture you need to strategize your business or career for today and tomorrow.

1:30p.m.– 2:45p.m.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: HOW – AND HOW MUCH – TO CHARGE
Howard Givner, CEO, North America, Global Events Group, New York, NY
Flat fee, hourly rate, percentage of budget, markups, commissions — whether you just hung out your shingle or have had your own event business for years, you cannot escape this delicate issue. In this interactive session, we’ll delve into one of the most important and least discussed aspects of planning: pricing your services. You’ll learn why HOW you charge is just as important, if not more so, than how MUCH you charge. This seminar will explore the various pricing models in our industry given the current economic environment, discuss the pros and cons of each, and provide guidance on how to explain your chosen model to your client.
Learn:

  1. How to differentiate the various pricing models used in our industry.
  2. The pros and cons of each pricing model, what types of clients prefer which ones, and how to choose the one that’s best for you.
  3. How to explain how you charge to your client and respond to the most common objections and questions.
  4. How the issue of transparency is viewed by various types of clients, and how to be prepared to discuss this issue as it relates to your pricing structure.

STEAL THESE IDEAS! 20 DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2010 Diane Butner, MGM Mirage Events, Las Vegas, NV
What’s hot and what’s not for 2010? In this fast-paced session, explore the colors, textures, shapes, styles and influences that will dominate the freshest events for the next year. Go inside the mind of a designer who has worked with the hottest companies and the coolest brands to get ahead of the curve and discover new ways of thinking creatively about design, discovering new ideas and crafting innovative event experiences.

3:00p.m. – 4:15p.m.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:HOW TO TURN CUSTOMERS INTO EVANGELISTS
Lara McCulloch-Carter, Branding & Social Media Change Agent, ready2spark, and founder, eventprofs, Stoney Creek, ON
Attracting and retaining customers is the age-old challenge for all business owners. In this session,
explore how to find new customers, and more importantly, how to keep the ones you already have. In this ever-changing and significantly more sophisticated business
environment, your relationships with your clients is vitally important to your company’s survival. You will
leave with an accomplishable “to do list” for meeting your clients’ needs and having them shout from the roof tops about how great you are!

DESIGN WORKSHOP: GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
Leader: Diane Butner, MGM Mirage Events, Las Vegas, NV
Join the MGM Mirage Events & design team as they lead you in an interactive design workshop. You will get to explore fabrics, props, florals and more. bring your creative self to the session and learn how you can bring some the top design trends to life yourself! be prepared to step outside of the box and try some styles that may not be your normal way of designing. For planners, this is your chance to see what goes on behind the scenes and get a better understanding of the work that happens before the trucks arrive!

4:30p.m. – 5:45p.m.
POWER TALK: GREENING EVENT PRACTICES FOR BUSINESSES AND EVENTS
Presenter: Richard Byford, Owner, ByWay Entertainment & Events, Palm Springs, CA
Event greening is no longer a trend, but a necessity for the way we do business. though at times, it feels like a concept that is difficult to grasp and true success feels
overwhelming, there are ways to make a difference immediately. Join a long-time event pro, who has
established a Green Event Standard for the City of Palm Springs, as he leads a discussion on what we can all do to make a difference. bring your ideas and leave with new ones for moving toward zero waste!

POWER TALK: EVENT DESIGN TRENDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Diane Butner, Event & Design Director, MGM Mirage Events, Las Vegas
After a full afternoon of engaging in what industry experts are valuing as trends in the event design world,
here is an opportunity to share your experiences. the MGM Mirage Events team will lead a discussion in what is working and what isn’t for planners and designers. be ready to contribute about the design trends in your market and what is happening with your events in regards to design & décor. You will be sure to walk away with at least one cool idea you can steal from another part of the country!

*Schedule & Classes Subject to Change