From the Publisher: Optimism Breeds Creativity
Some companies have taken the last year to strengthen their core
by Meredith Mcllmoyle | Published in November 2009 economy | From the Publisher | Departments
While exhibiting at a regional trade show several weeks ago, I was surrounded by event professionals full of optimism — how refreshing!
The collective agreement was that we were tired of being beaten down by the bad economy and it was high time to reorganize and rethink our business approaches.
There was talk of first-quarter budgets being revived, holiday celebration business and a stabilization of the economy overall. However, the conversations that I enjoyed the most were the ones revolving around creative solutions for finding new business niches.
Some companies have taken the last year to strengthen their core. They are bringing out new product lines, retraining employees and regrouping in preparation for a better 2010. Terry Patton from Espresso Elegance shared with me that his company saw its worst month in 20 years over the summer. But it was short-lived and it gave him and his team time to streamline their operations. Now, he is back to serving 15,000 or more lattes at an average of 25 events a week. Though he is cautious, business on the books is on track for a dramatic improvement over earlier this year.
Other companies are taking this opportunity to extend their business offerings. As you will read in Event Savvy (pg. 8), companies across the country are proactively creating new-to-our-industry solutions. Feastivities Events’ Snow Balls are a brilliant addition to the corporate holiday party tradition.
Colorado-based Forté Events has added a funeral planning division to the company. As anyone who has been through this knows, it’s an extremely important time for families to have the support of a professional to handle their loved one’s final event.
Zip Promotions has designed a program for planners to add speed dating events to the services they offer. Talking Tree Creative, from Maryland, has called upon its in-house expertise to create stunning digital décor packages, which are affordable and incorporate cutting-edge technology.
The list goes on. And the best part is that everyone is willing to share their creative solutions with colleagues in an effort to jump-start our industry.
After our September article on adding social events to your services, I heard from dozens of planners telling me that they have started venturing into weddings and other social events. It appears that most of them are finding enough success there to get through this tough time.
The conversations that I had the opportunity to be a part of were lively and inspiring. This speaks volumes to the benefits of networking with your peers and participating in conferences, where you can start to draw on the energy of the group at large.
It’s time for all of us to take a fresh approach to our businesses and call upon our creative selves to find new successes.
About the author: Meredith Mcllmoyle
Meredith McIlmoyle is the publisher of Event Solutions magazine and leads the Event Solutions team in coordination of the Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow.
She brings more than 15 years experience managing relationships with partners and clients across a broad spectrum of the event industry. She joined Event Solutions in January 2001, and has since excelled in a number of roles including magazine sales, tradeshow sales, sales manager, and conference director before assuming the lead role as publisher.
Her roots in the events industry run deep, beginning in her college student days, planning alumni, sports and fundraising events with the Office of Special Events at Arizona State University, from which she earned a B.A. in Journalism.
After earning her degree, she moved on to work for multiple event services and production companies, including TBA Global, Image Entertainment Productions and Ultimate Events. Meredith’s expertise in new business development grew through experience in every aspect of events, including: entertainment, weddings and social affairs, corporate events, meetings, conferences, plus outdoor fairs and festivals.
Meredith is an avowed outdoor junkie and constant volunteer, working as a Certified Marine Naturalist, volunteering for an assistance dog program, participating on a committee for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and walking annually in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day event. She lives in Anacortes, Wash., with husband Sean, son Brayden and their golden retriever, Blaze.
You can contact Meredith via e-mail or by calling at 612-238-7557.