1.  Composure and patience

2. Strong organizational and problem solving skills

3. Creative thinking and simplicity

4. Sense of Humor

There are last minute adjustments and glitches that lurk behind the scenes of every event and they need to be dealt with by fast-thinking and seemingly effortless actions.  Your knowledge of the event objective will help you deliver quality through your innovative ability to pull out the best tools in your kit.

1.  Be open to establishing non-specific connections  – not all connections will be related to your business, but can help you discover the bigger picture of how we develop relationships that ultimately grow business connectivity.

2.  Tune in to Listening – Be curious by asking good questions, and take the time to listen to the answers. You will see greater opportunities and enjoy the experience.

3.  Refer and Recommend – share experiences, advice, and your connections. This will inspire others to do the same for you.

4.  Follow up – Make the sincere effort to make follow-up contact only people that you connected with.

5.  Don’t forget your Business cards! – It happens to all of us!

I have traveled around the world and in most countries it is acceptable to barter the price of goods and services; it rarely provokes resentment. Garage sales are a good example of how we unilaterally play the game. I was asked recently to discount my services 50% and although I don’t mind adjusting some prices I thought long and hard about this request.
The thesis- discounting a product to remove it from inventory is good – discounting a service depreciates value.

It is not that we can’t help you; it’s merely in relation to the logistics of productivity; while anything Olympic related shifts into overdrive expecting anything else to function as normal is unrealistic. As the torch makes its long and historic journey to mark the beginning of the celebration, the rest of the country will have to remember that if there is no immediate reply; leave a message and we will get back to you after the spirit of Olympic flame is extinguished.
GO CANADA GO!

Published article South Delta Leader, January 15, 2010

Most engaged couples don’t consider that their wedding is the first time they will be entertaining together as a married couple. Choosing the perfect setting for a wedding can reflect your personalities and create a truly memorable event. The everlasting trend in weddings is personalization and what better way to begin planning by finding inspiration at a unique site?

Destination weddings are a perfect example of a location being the jumping off point for your wedding. The blessing and curse of a destination wedding is that most of the design elements are built into a package. Having set the tone perhaps at the beach with romantic and picturesque scenery, this location establishes many elements of the design and offers the opportunity for you to reflect your personal touches into the nuptials and reception. By embracing the spirit of the location and learning customs and traditions that can be incorporated into your celebration you can deliver the personal touches for a one-of-a-kind affair.

There are couples for whom the religious aspect of the ceremony is paramount, and other couples that incorporate meaningful traditions from their ancestral roots. The location of the ceremony will be governed by this, but this also allows for some originality in symbolizing how you as bride and groom have arrived to this point of union. Transitioning your guests to another location for the reception can have a scattering effect, so plan on creating a creative and coherent welcoming at the new location that reflects some design elements of the ceremony and further builds a sense of anticipation for your guests.

Fresh-air weddings tend to be more casual affairs however depending on the location; it is the outdoors that inspires the broadest thematic inspiration from rustic to formal. All the natural elements serve to accentuate your design, entertainment, and photography. An outdoor wedding however needs a well-built backup plan, which is as critical as any other consideration as no one can control the weather conditions. Umbrellas for rain or shine, and a heated reception tent are a must. Consider flooring as no lady wants to aerate the grass with her satin heels and elderly guests will have difficulty maneuvering the unlevel areas.

To create and set the tone of your own beautiful wedding, take this opportunity to make the most of it by tapping into your own imaginative ideas on location selection. Remember, it is important to reflect your personalities but don’t go too over board that in years to come you ask yourselves, what were we thinking? Relax and enjoy your wedding day; this is the first of many festive occasions as husband and wife.

Could you please send your team to pick me up and take me on a 1-2 year world tour to meet and mentor with the best of the Special Event Designers and Producers?  I want a sneak peek into the underbelly of what it takes to organize a Presidential Inauguration, Coronations, the Academy Awards, and other high profile affairs.  I’d like to travel to the Middle East to understand the intricacies of developing an event for a Sheik, follow the Olympic Organizers from one city to the next, and be present to better understand  the cultural preparations of powerful  traditional ceremonies that mark  a right of passage, a wedding, or death.  I will need a photographer as we chronicle this most desired adventure and create a book that can then be on Oprah’s Book of the Month Club.

The Special Event industry is so misunderstood, and I would like to bring attention to the challenges, skills, and research it takes to be a true industry professional, and the importance that anthropology, sociology, and psychology play  in the development of every event.

In your January 2010 issue you headline in bold print: How to Get What You Really Want This Year.  This is what I really want, so I am being bold and just asking for it. I too want to Live my Best Life!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Focus on these 5 C’s :

1. Contacts – Will the people that attended the event do so again? Have a plan in place to gather contact information and thank them for attending and donating at your event, and also to provide your organization with contacts for future event announcements. Give people the opportunity to opt out if they are not interested.
2. Credibility – People want to know that when they donate in any way, what percentage or purpose the funds are being raised for.
3. Continued Education – Communicate your mission statement and any other important information to the public about present and future initiatives. Ask yourself if they will learn anything new from this project.
4. Commitment – By fulfilling your obligations you will prove your motivation and improve your organizations’ image.
5. Community Relations – Show proof that the community and its’ involvement in your event is benefiting from your fund-raising initiatives.

Any fund-raising event needs strategic leadership, clear objectives, and motivated volunteers, but don’t forget to mine for gold among the 5 C’s of success before and after your event.

2. Catch-up is not a condiment, it is a temporary impediment.

3. Complaints are solutions in their infancy.

4. Work as though you are renovating, constantly upgrading your value.

5. There is a journey and a destination where you always end up back at “Change”.