SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26

10:30am – 11:45am

ES-050
Gay Weddings are Good for Business

Bernadette Coveney Smith
Founder and President
14 Stories, New York, NY

A new segment of the wedding market is emerging. Gay weddings are coming, bringing big business and luxury spending. Is your team prepared to reach this powerful and emerging market?

With the number of LGBT weddings set to skyrocket over the next decade, there are many ways for your company to profit. The 14 Stories Gay Wedding Institute can address all your concerns related to LGBT weddings and provide the tools and strategies to ensure that your staff has the know-how to reach the LGBT market – without alienating your current client base.

DELIVERABLES:
• Value of the LGBT dollar and what it could mean specifically for your business
• LGBT terminology and terms
• Laws and policies which effect same-sex couples
• Where to market and advertise to the LGBT community
• Difference between planning a straight vs gay wedding

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ES-051
Be A Story Teller: Communicate Your Message with Impact and Influence

Sue Hershkowitz-Coore
CEO
High Impact Presentations, Scottsdale, AZ

Knowledge drives business in the 21st century, and the best way to convey knowledge is through storytelling. Whether presenting to your Executive Committee, staff or client, your presentation must be engaging and memorable. Learn how to use storytelling to win over the skeptics. Gain the practical tools you need to feel confident telling your brand story, find out what makes a successful storyteller and learn what types of stories work in today’s business environment.

DELIVERABLES:
• Identify influential ways to start and finish a high-impact presentation.
• Create a clear, concise core message.
• Practice and perfect your story.

Noon – 1:15pm

ES-052
Tips Your Company Can Use To Ascend To Preeminence

Mark Bowling
Chief Strategist
BlackSheep Productions, Inc., Atlanta, GA

Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom and Ritz Carlton. These company names are synonymous with quality and outstanding customer service. They are preeminent in their fields. Preeminence is defined as "high status importance due to marked superiority." Not everyone can be preeminent. Explore what preeminence means and why it should be pursued. Identify tangible ways to ascend to preeminence.

DELIVERABLES:
• Discuss the importance of a well-defined Vision, Mission Statement and Core Values.
• Compare and contrast the difference between hiring and selecting members of your production team.
• Discover why “flawless execution” or “maximizing ROO, ROI and ROS” is no longer a sufficient measurement of your event’s success.
• Identify your company's value zones and how you can maximize them.
• Explore why you need to embrace change and initiate it before it is forced upon you.

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ES-053
Creating Your Signature Experience That Increases 
Client Satisfaction And Referrals

Wendy Dahl
Chief Inspiration Officer/Author/Instructor/Coach
Chic Productions, Huntington Beach, CA

Most brides want an incredible, unforgettable wedding day first impression for their guests. Then they want their guests to enjoy an unforgettable, unique experience. So what type of first impression do you create when your potential client meets you? Today’s bride is looking for a unique experience that starts when they first meet their wedding professional and ends with their honeymoon. Are you able to meet and exceed those expectations? What if you could increase the number of client referrals by making a few tweaks to your sales and planning process? This session will ignite your thinking on what kind of experience your brand, culture and service can create for your bride.

DELIVERABLES:
• Describe how to create a unique experience for your target bride starting when you first meet.
• Identify ways to create and deliver your “Signature Experience.”
• Create a working draft of your “Signature Experience.”
• Examine how to use your customized tool to incorporate your specific strengths and passions that will deliver the experience your target bride wants.

1:30pm – 2:45pm

ES-054
GENERAL SESSION
Ready for Prime Time: Behind the Scenes of a Televised Event

Interviewer: Howard Givner

Panelists: Robin Hall, Shawn Rabideau, Caitlin Weiskopf

Proof that the event industry is resilient and that celebrations are still happening everywhere, every day, can be seen right in American’s living rooms. Some of the biggest events in the world are under the scrutiny of the camera and the public eye, as they are broadcast to millions of viewers.

What goes on behind the scenes at these events? What influence does the media and the camera crew have over these events? How does it feel to have “everyone” watching your work?

Join Howard Givner as he explores these questions with producers of some of the biggest “prime time” events in the country. Think Macy's Day Parade, Bravo's Bethenny Ever After and ELLE's Fashion Week Events.

You will get to hear the behind-the-scene stories of how these events come together and the challenges they sometimes face. This session will open your eyes to the influence of the camera, offer insight into these huge events and give you access to big time producers. 

Join us as we kick off what promises to be a week full of new discoveries, re-connections and great times.

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3:00pm – 4:15pm

ES-055
All That Glitters Isn’t Gold: Creating a Focused and Profitable Social Media Strategy

Liene Stevens
Founder & CEO
Splendid Communications

Social media is a return to old-fashioned communication rather than a race to keep up with the next big thing. In this session, we will discuss how to develop an online strategy that makes sense for your business goals.

DELIVERABLES:
• Identify which new social media platforms your company should use and which you can skip. 
• Indicate how to reach your target clientele online.
• Discuss how to incorporate social media into your company’s vision.
• Discover how to use social media for more than just marketing.
• Develop a plan that includes time for social media.

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ES-056
Tips & Tricks for Writing Better Business Email for Smartphone Users

Sue Hershkowitz-Coore
CEO
High Impact Presentations, Scottsdale, AZ

You're about to walk into a meeting, you're in a meeting, the airplane doors are about to close, you're on the train, you're at a red light, but, wait, it's your best customer emailing... what do you do? How do you respond appropriately and efficiently so that you don't sound blunt or unprofessional? How and what do you write to build your relationship and your brand image? Attend this workshop to hear exactly what you should and should not do to ensure you look professional, sound good and keep the other person happy. Take control of your smartphone and your career!

DELIVERABLES:
• Discover why your emails may be sabotaging your own best results.
• Apply proven psychological tools of influence to email to enable better business decisions.
• Identify how to craft messages that easily and effortlessly achieve acceptance and action.

4:30pm – 5:45pm

ES-057
Design for the New Normal

David Merrell
Founder
AOO Events, Los Angeles, CA

Clients today don’t always have the budget for total transformation (or it’s not in their best interest to be seen as excessive). Find out how to customize a venue or environment with just a few well placed, fabulous touches.

DELIVERABLES:
• Learn how to translate interior design trends to your event design.
• Get techniques and resources for designing to the new normal.

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ES-058
Think Global, Act Local – CSR Projects that Create a Real Impact

Sarah Sheehan
Director of Community Relations
St. Jude’s Ranch, Boulder City, NV

Want to leave a lasting, enduring impression on your attendees, corporate sponsors and a local nonprofit organization? Then an event CSR project might be right for you. Discover how to create meaningful CSR projects during your event that have a lasting impact on everyone involved. Explore how to maximize assets and partnerships while leveraging PR and marketing to create a sustainable project. Geared to both event professionals and nonprofits seeking partners. 

DELIVERABLES:
• Clarify how nonprofits and corporations can partner for a project that creates a meaningful experience for all involved.
• Discuss steps to creating a sustainable project and not a one hit wonder.
• Describe ways to manage project details to maximize assets, partnerships and make sure everyone’s time is well spent.
• Identify strategies to leverage PR and Marketing to raise awareness for the nonprofits’ Mission while simultaneously benefitting the sponsors and event organizers.

 

Speakers, sessions and schedule subject to change.