Posts Tagged wedding
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
There used to be a distinct divide between the special event, wedding, trade show, conference and meeting industries. Each with their own affiliations and events, specialized publications, distinct vendors and industry figureheads. Sure, there may have been some overlap, but for the most part they were distinct silos on the vast land of the events industry.
The shift
Twitter, Facebook and Blogging have created a shift in our industry.
In a world without social media, I likely would have never heard of Jeff Hurt. I would have happily orbited in my own special events universe; attending ISES, The Special Event Show, Event Solutions and a few other industry events celebrating our own superstars. I would have languished in reading my niche publications and called my close group of industry friends.
But Jeff wasn’t in my Special Events universe. You see, Jeff is a conference & meeting education consultant. But because of his irreverent and smart blog and his constant stream of shared links on Twitter he captured my attention. Jeff didn’t just impact me, he also caught the attention of Event Solutions, a special event publication, at a time they were planning their conference education. Speaking at Event Solutions’ conference awakened a new segment of the industry to Jeff’s knowledge…and so began the smashing of our two worlds.
Not unlike my story about Jeff, I was asked to be a part of Events Asia 2010. Half way around the world, in a country I’ve never been to, a conference organizer was asking her contacts for recommendations on speakers. Two people I have never met suggested that she connect with me. Why? Simply because they had read my blog. I was asked to speak to the event’s delegates and my face-to-face reach, which had until that point been limited to the Western Hemisphere, had now shifted to the East…and so began the collision of our two worlds.
This collision is happening across all segments, all over the world, at breakneck speed. I’m seeing prominent wedding professionals being consulted for conference ideas, conference planners providing technology ideas to special event professionals, meeting planners being interviewed for wedding publications. Social media is challenging our definition of event segmentation.
The events industry is changing and our silos are breaking down. What does this mean to your business?
It likely means:
- you have more competition than ever before
- you have more opportunity than ever before
- good ideas, unique perspectives and having an active voice is more important than ever
- social media should not be ignored
- our business models need to change (that goes for individual businesses, affiliations, industry events, etc)
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(Image by Lara Casey)
On June 7 – 10, 2010 I did not attend Engage!10. In fact, they didn’t even have a virtual component to the conference. But I was still part of their virtual audience…a remote and passive group of viewers who witnessed the event through the blogs, tweets, Facebook status updates, pictures and videos of the live attendees.
For those of you who don’t know yet, Engage!10 is a luxury and exclusive wedding business summit that is held twice a year for an intimate group of 175 of the industry’s brightest. June’s event took place on the beautiful Cayman Islands and their upcoming October event will be held at The Breakers Palm Beach.
Now I’ve been involved in many a conference over the years both as a speaker and a delegate – most of which were targeted to the special events community. Two things struck me as remarkable about this event.
(Image via Avery House)
1. Emotion | As I read the communications from the attendees, I was moved by the passionate words they used to describe their experience: ‘it was the most amazing time of my life’, ‘I made relationships that will last a lifetime’, ‘I had business-changing conversations’, I felt reinvigorated & inspired…and the list goes on.
I asked Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts who is the brains and heart behind this event, why she thought people were so moved by Engage!10. She modestly ascribed it to something that happens organically when you get this group together. But it became clear as I listened to her speak that it was attributed to a clear and focused vision for her event.
Rebecca shared with me that for many years she felt frustration with the lack of education for professionals in her industry. If you wanted to attend a wedding conference, it was most likely an event that was marketed to brides. At one such event a speaker asked the audience to put up their hands if they were an event planner. Almost 75% of the audience raised their arms. Rebecca knew what she had to do next.
Her vision was to create the kind of event she would love to attend. One that takes the best thinkers in the luxury wedding industry and focuses on inspiring and motivating through high level content. More importantly, Rebecca wanted to create an atmosphere where over the course of the summit attendees could dance with, have drinks with and break bread with the speakers. After all, these one-on-one conversations stimulate some of the best ideas and partnerships…organically.
(Image by Lara Casey)
2. Visual Storytelling | Take one look at the images from this event and your jaw will drop. No matter who took the pictures, the story is the same…and that’s not easy to accomplish. Every single detail of this event was visually branded Engage!10. Why is this so important? In this new age of social media, the experience of your in-face attendees can influence the desire for your online audience to attend next time around. Photos and videos are very sharable. According to David Kirkpatrick, author of the Facebook Effect, for many years more than 50% of all pageviews on Facebook are of photos! We love to look at photos. I can attest that the many pictures I saw of the event made me want to attend.
(Image via Avery House)
Rebecca says that the keys to success in visually branding her event were to:
1. Start with a color palette . For this event, Rebecca choose a teal and yellow combination. This palette was chosen when she did a site visit at the Ritz Carleton. The colors were simple and unique and every single detail used this combination – from the website to the programs to the signage to the table tops.
(Image via Avery House)
2. Have a graphic designer as her right-hand man (errrr…woman) . Every detail was designed by their resident visual brand stakeholder. This ensured consistency and an aesthetic worthy of the Engage!10 name.
3. Think about every single detail . What color is Rebecca wearing at the podium? Why yellow, of course. She laughs when I point out that I noticed this and claims that she doesn’t own another piece of yellow in her wardrobe. But she bought it because it helps tell the story. Just look at the image below in combination with the other images in this post. It all fits.
(Image by Lara Casey)
Rebecca also sent me a piece from her summit that is amicably referred to as their Face Book. It’s gold for any attendee. Inside is the picture, name, company, location, website and twitter address for every single attendee!! Yes, before you ask, this is a logistical nightmare – ever try to ask 175 people for their head shots? But it provides so much value and reinforces the vision of Rebecca to create high value connections for everyone who attends. Fab!
Are you as taken as I am? Then sign up for the next summit being held October 3-6, 2010 at The Breakers Palm Beach.
Check out what some attendees have had to say about Engage!10:
Lara Casey, Jasmin Star, Donna von Bruening - Day 1, Day 2 & 3, Momental Designs - Part 1, Part 2, Rebecca Davidson - Part 1,Part 2, Part 3, David Wolfe Photography - Part 1, Part 2, Better Angle, Celebrations Cayman, Bridal Bar - Part 1, Part 2, Elizabeth Anne Designs, Jules Bianchi, Think Splendid, Mccallum Solutions, Sean Low
(Image via Avery House)
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Event planners are always looking for unique alternatives to the everyday. This is why I love Etsy seller floredelsol (many thanks to the totally fab Kim Vallee for turning me on to them!). Proprietor, Christina Moreno, is a floral designer who uses professionally preserved flowers and moss to create chic & long-lasting centerpieces. Each item is hand crafted so she can customize every single detail to work with your colour scheme.
Arrangements range from $30-70 USD.
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I absolutely adore this video by Sarah Yates recently produced from an engagement shoot. I smell a new wedding trend.
tori and austin from sarah yates on Vimeo.
Via What Junebug Loves Wedding Blog
What do you think?
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Etsy is one of my favorite resources for beautiful and unique handmade goods. Here are my top 10 picks for all things wedding:
Bird seed favors by naturefavors . Earrings by luxedeluxe . Necklace by AmberSky . Garter by florriemitton . Paper banners by aymujer . Invitations by FoglioPress . Favor pouches by petitsmetier . Cake pops by My3lilCupcakes . Love bird toppers by cottonbirddesigns . Pinwheels by petitsmetier
- Custom made pinwheels (30 for $90)
- Pale mink silk satin garter with hand beaded details ($52)
- Hand crafted chandelier wedding banners (3 pack for $114)
- Something blue...floral necklace ($58.50)
- Love birds wedding cake topper ($134)
- Gourmet chocolate fudge brownie lollipop wedding favor (30 for $60)
- Custom favor pouches via petitsmetier ($1.50 each)
- Carnivale invitation ($2 each)
- Long rhinestone and pearl earrings ($68)
- Bird seed wedding favors (100 for $99.95)
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When my husband and I celebrated our honeymoon, we opted for a month in Europe. One of the towns we visited along the way was a beautiful place called Orvieto. Known to Italians as the “green heart of Italy”, it is lesser known to tourists and is centrally located between Rome and Florence. It’s location, beauty and rich Etruscan history made it a must on our list of places to see.
I recently came across some stunning pictures of a wedding that Artfool (now named Matthew Robbins designs) designed and executed in Orvieto. Having been to this beautiful place, I think they did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of this magical Italian town.
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I’m so happy I came across these beautiful floral designs on Oh Joy!‘s blog. Dandelion Ranch is located in LA’s Artist District and their creations are a sight to behold.
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
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