Conference 2011 article by Dee Lane Eades, Chapter VP Education

I Believe

I believed it when it was presented to me that this year’s educational conference would benefit attendees through education, exposure, networking and a look into the future.  All of this came true and I am a believer. 

The belief that you can do the same thing year after year and not become stagnant and stale is incorrect.  By attending the NACE conference, we were refreshed and invigorated with new ideas and new ways to hone our craft called the special events industry.  By taking time from a very busy schedule to attend conference, you can give yourself a shot of life and regeneration every summer.  And that’s what I believe occurred at this conference. 

We were introduced to a man who believes in making himself better everyday and using the tools given to him to grow and be a better person, a good steward to community and life and a mentor to others.  Even though those tools were somewhat introduced to him as a young boy, he strayed and had those tools handed back to him tenfold in prison, he was able to see a new path for himself and give back to his community.  Chef Jeff Henderson was an impressive speaker and wasn’t asking for us to feel sorry for him for the hard knocks he received in life.  He was sharing his opportunity to give back and make his story show us regeneration and how a full of life can change your course. 

Chef Jeff took his punishment of prison and the chance it gave him for hands on experience in the kitchen to create a new life path for himself.  He became a chef and honed his craft of creating fabulous foods from what he had on hand.  Once he was back in society, he took his craft a step further with the Chef Jeff Project and went to the streets to help at risk kids learn a trade, give them a sense of purpose, and get their life on track.  There were plenty of times when he had to push through and get it done but those times are what made him the man he is today and gave him the tools to help others.

 His I Believe message brought home ways that we all can look at from a new perspective.  Stay fresh, stay focused and get the job done.  But stop and lend a helping hand along the way to others.  By opening yourself to your community, be it through NACE fund raisers or other philanthropic endeavors, you continue to grow personally and professionally and can have the mentality of I Believe and reap the benefits and rewards by being refreshed, by being regenerated.  By being a believer in yourself and the chances you have.  And the chances you can share with others.

The first full day of the conference, I attended an afternoon session entitled “From The Dress To The Reception:  What Brides Need, Want, Expect and Demand”, presented by Matthew Trettel and Bruce Vassar, co-owners of The Wedding Guys in Minneapolis, MN.  They were very pleasant presenters, engaged the packed-house audience right away, and worked around the audio challenges that day like true professionals.

A little background on this duo, from their website, which I visited post-conference:

“Their work has been honored with ten Bridal Show Producers International Star Awards and the 2010 ISES Esprit award for ‘Best Public Event’. The Wedding Guys® have been featured in Inside Weddings, Special Events, Catering Magazine, Today’s Groom, Florist Review, and Event Solutions.

The Wedding Guys® are contributors to Art of Celebration released fall of 2010. They have made special guest appearances on numerous radio and television programs including Discovery Health Channel’s ‘Miracle Weddings’ and 'Get Married'....” - so in a nutshell, we were in for a wonderful session!

At the conference, they took us through their process with a bride, beginning with the Intake Meeting, as they call it.  They stressed to us that every bride is not a right fit for The Wedding Guys, and we too, should be savvy and straightforward...and kind...in not accepting every bride that approaches our companies for services.  It takes self-confidence and pride in your brand to do this, and squashing yourself into a vision you do not embrace (and are perhaps even uncomfortable in executing) does a disservice to everyone.  Good point.  They produce only three-six weddings per year, and simply do not desire to spend time on a booking that is not fulfilling for them because it also takes their time away from their other projects, as well.

They ask many, many questions to really gain insight into the client’s vision, so they are able to reflect it perfectly in the wedding day at hand.   Here are just a few examples of their Intake questions:

                 -ages and occupations of the Bride and Groom

                -do you have a pet, and if so, what is it

                -favorite vacation spot?

                -favorite movie?

                -favorite smell?

                -how do you relax?

                -how would friends describe you?

 ...well, you get the idea!  Once they have accepted the event, they begin to craft the bride’s Look Book, a story board of sorts, to visually reflect the choices and options they’ll be working with.  Their on-screen PowerPoint event images were stunning!  The session discussion touched on menu (when is it ill-advised to present a trend concept that is actually post-peak (as they see it) – such as candy stations - unless you have an amazing, new treatment of it), color (they seek out home furnishing trends and color movement and stay far ahead of the curve), service styles (depend on your caterer to advise you, then work with them to amp-up the ideas, as the need arises).

The highlight of this session was the hands-on ‘team assignment‘ we received.  Each table was subdivided into two groups of approximately 4-5 people each.  Each team was given 15 minutes, a different Profile Sheet (I think there were four different profiles in the room overall) and a stack of ‘flash cards’:  nicely executed photographs of everything from wedding carriages to Dodge Vipers, from simple bridal gowns to $10,000 couture creations, menu ideas and service styles, examples of florals of every style imaginable, photos of event spaces from sugar sand beaches to opulent ballrooms, and color representations that ran the gamut.  Each card had a code on it. 

Our assignment was to work as a team to review the Profile Sheet and cull the images from our stack of cards that would best reflect the couple’s style and desires for their wedding day.   So, all those Type A-Right Brain audience members went right to work together  ....you can imagine the conversation level in that room!  It was like Wedding Professional Poker at the tables...those flash cards were flying!

Note that my team’s Profile Sheet summarized as follows, briefly:

Bride and groom ages were 52 and 56 respectively

                   Occupations:  Wall Street power couple

                Wedding date, Summer 2012  -  79 guests

                Budget   $50,000-$70,000

                Favorite colors:  medium blue, silver, ivory

                Favorite smells:  hers, flowers  |  his, cigars when first lit

To close the session, each team reported to the audience and our presenters on the codes they used to depict their particular Profile Sheet.  It was a great way to realize which flash card codes were translating frequently across various profiles and client preferences, and which ones were unique to a particular profile.  And of course, as a presenter myself, it is always an interesting education to see how others interact on a project with colleagues and strangers alike.

This session was valuable in reinforcing concepts I knew, yet brought to mind this sophisticated ‘client-vetting’ philosophy that could assist any wedding sales professional.  The hands-on project would really operate well as an effective ‘training’ tool for sales teams in larger companies in most any wedding discipline to train how to stay on-brand and on-client-message for truly amazing weddings.  Good takeaway for me....

For additional insight into The Wedding Guys, visit their website www.theweddingguys.com.

Thank you for the opportunity,  Shelley Pedersen, CPCE

For those of us who have made the personal and professional commitment to be active members of NACE, it's likely because at one point or another we "got" the value.

I joined initially to create awareness for a new business idea, and eventually to leverage my NACE association nationally to expand it, market it, and ultimate sell it.  

But it's not always like that, and it's not always according to a well thought out plan.

I have discovered most of what NACE is about are the people, the shared experiences and the access to new ideas, new trends and perhaps most importantly to resources (again, mostly people) who you can pick up a phone, send a text or shoot an email and know you are going to get priority service and hopefully even a little deal.

So today, I am a NACE member, serving my 3rd consecutive term on the local board and the reason I am am here is mostly about the people.  But not only about the people.

Two years ago, I envisioned a new business that would leverage my media and entrepreneurial experience with marketing and the growing opportunities to help businesses build their brands, market their products and services using social media and digital platforms that tie everything together.

Today, I am proud to still say I am a NACE member, with a number of clients who I met through NACE and who I consider friends, as well as clients.   Sure, we have non hospitality and non industry clients--but they pay more and get lower priority service :). 

So my advice to you in writing this blog is quite simple.  Get involved in NACE on the local or national level or both.  Meet everyone and then meet them again.  (Who knows, like me, they may now be in a totally different job or business then when you first met them)... and most importantly, use the platform you have been afforded--the blog, the facebook page, the twitter timeline, the membership contacts and of course, the monthly program (attend!!!) to take full advantage of your NACE membership for marketing.

Michael Shoer

(formerly mshoer@icecaters.com now michael@cwi.me)

I really want to thank NACE's Jenn McDonnell and Allison Schultz for being so great to work with and build a very exciting combination wedding show and industry design/education event.

I hope that all of the NACE members planning to participate in the Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta show on January 30th at 200 Peachtree will reap the benefits of exposure to the attending Brides.

One of the other benefits to NACE of us working together, is that we have been able to spotlight NACE in some of our show marketing, including in news releases and in our social media posts.

If you have not seen what I am talking about, please go to www.facebook.com/bridalextravaganzaatl to see the vendor information and insider information we are sharing with brides who are increasingly following this page and our twitter feeds.  Or visit the new web site www.bridalextravagnzaofatlanta.com (or www.atlbridalshow.com which is easier ;) and you will see NACE mentioned several times.

-Donna

Fresh approach to specialty linen rentals backed by unparalleled catering and event industry expertise.

Recognized industry leaders establish Graceful Tables to redefine customer service, sophisticated style and imaginative vision in table design.

Nashville, TN/Atlanta, Ga—Four of the most recognized names in specialty linen industry and special event design have teamed to create Graceful Tables--a new company where relationships, listening to, and fulfilling the needs and wants of the customer go hand in hand with quality fabrics, fashionable concepts and imaginative vision.

Graceful Tables is the culmination of the combined experience and knowledge of Jo C. Dermid, CPCE, Beth Harmon, Amanda Robinson and Dee Lane Eades, CPCE.  The company’s name has special significance in that these women, all hailing from the South, understand and embody southern grace, hospitality and charm and redefine it for today with the newest and freshest fabrics, fashions and designs.

“It can start with a favorite color, a flower or perhaps an antique piece of lace,” said Dermid, a 20-year veteran of the catering and hospitality industry,“Whatever the occasion, the table design must be meaningful and reflective of the occasion and its purpose.”

For some it’s an expression of grandness, while others let the most modest design take center stage.  In the end, whatever the occasion, whatever the atmosphere desired, the event must be perfect.

“With Graceful Tables, perfection comes easily, “ said Amanda Robinson, who holds the position of President of Graceful Tables.  “High quality linens, sophisticated design consultation compared with the unparalleled industry experience of the team allows us to provide an innovative service resource for those seeking the newest and most unique ideas for the table.”

As the company’s defining statement, Graceful Tables embraces “Where fashion and people gather.”   According to the founders, the Graceful Tables philosophy is elegant in its simplicity.  “The events are yours to plan. The memories are your clients to cherish.  Leave neither to chance.”

To learn more about Graceful Tables, please visit the company’s new website at www.gracefultables.com or contact us at 770-993-7375 (Atlanta), 615-891-7469 (Nashville) or  877-652-2414.

NACE Member BB Webb has a lot to say about guests and their lack of respect for the RSVP!

Read her MEMBER MUSINGS guest column in the November Newsletter and then join the discussion here!

Next time you log into the NACE site to register for a meeting, don't forget to check out the CLASSIFIED ADS.    It's free to post jobs and service ads, and it's a valuable member resource to keep an eye out for that next opportunity, or just to know who is looking for what here in the ATL catering and events biz.

Networking and Communicating

As you can see, we have flipped the switch and upgrade our trusty chapter web site to the web 2.0 world.  That means we have added social networking and other tools to enable our members to increase their professional networking and communicating, right here at www.atlantanace.com.

This site has a number of new features that we hope you will take advantage of to increase your involvement and thus, your visibility amongs your peers in the Atlanta hospitality, catering and events industry.

For starters, you can now upload your profile picture and add a short blurb to tell everyone a bit more about you and what you do.   But that is just the beginning.  This blog also allows members to post comments and share thoughts, ideas, challenges or maybe even business opportunity leads.  You do have to be a member to have post priveledges, but anyone can access the blog to read it.

There's is also no longer any excuse to wonder why you should be following the chapter on twitter.   Now all of the twitter posts that are sent directly to followers, is also displayed on the main page.  We are using twitter to distribute late breaking program changes and deadline reminders.   If you are not familiar with setting up a twitter account, just know that it is free, and when you go to twitter.com to sign up, one of the options you can select is to be notifed by mobile phone.  That's the best way to use twitter, and be able to receive an SMS text message on your phone the second we send a tweet.

We've got much more to share with you and a number of features that we're still trying to figure out how we're going to use, but the bottom line is that we hope this site improves your NACE experience and adds to the benefits of networking through enhanced communicating.

Let us know what you think.