We’ve all had the clients who know what they want, but don’t really know what they want. We spend hours trying to read them and making up for all the times they change their mind just when we thought they had settled. But we all know that the success of any good planner is in the implementation of systems that help interpret a client’s wishes and pull together an extraordinary event.

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events (that’s @sparkliatti for all you tweeple)! The Event Leadership Institute is hosting an event with Sasha called Modern Event Design (get your tickets here). They are progressive enough to have selected two bloggers for exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the event and I was lucky enough to be one of them. Here’s my list of the 3 reasons you need to get to know Sasha through this event, Twitter, website – well, pretty much any way you can.

1. She’s extremely transparent. This is really important for those of us in the industry that are looking to learn. It’s not often that you find someone who has created great success and is willing to tell you how to do it.

2. She is the Queen of Systems! Using a thorough and unique questionnaire, Sasha forces clients to get to the heart of what they are looking for. This questionnaire solves many problems that we face in trying to get to know the client. It also saves time and allows her to develop consistent quality.

3. She is a true business woman! Sasha has come up with a system that works for her and leverages that system to save her many headaches. She’s also leveraged that system to make business sense on every level. And, because she’s so transparent, she’ll give you some tips on how you can do the same!

I really enjoyed meeting Sasha and hope you will check out the Modern Event Design event. I’ll be there live tweeting and will do my best to capture takeaways via blogs afterwards, but it won’t be the same as being there in-person!

Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel
Rooftop Lounge
420 Park Ave. South @ 29th St., NYC
Tuesday, June 7th

I had the opportunity to talk to nearly 100 professionals in the events and fundraising industry a few weeks ago about 5 Ways to Build and Sustain an Event Brand. We had a great time and there were some great questions. At the end of the webinar, a whopping 90% said they had at least one specific takeaway that they could implement from the material! For those of you who missed the webinar, I wanted to recap the top three lessons learned that can be applied to an event brand.

Top 3 Takeaways

Check out the Slides

Recording coming soon via Engage365

Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this awesome inaugural event. Liz Mazzei from Pogby, Christine Upton and I have come together to host this first-of-many PlannerTech event celebrating the amazing impact technology has had on the events industry. Join us at the Roger Smith Hotel to learn about ten barrier-breaking organizations and network with your peers in the social media lounge. Slots are free, limited and filling quickly so secure your space today!

REGISTER!

In case you missed it, here are the top five articles I tweeted/wrote this week based on # of clicks. Please Enjoy!

PlannerTech: Are You Saving the Date for This Epic Event?
Liz King, Liz King Events
As a busy event planner, keeping up with all the innovations in event technology seem impossible. Join us for this exciting event during Internet Week to learn about ten companies that change the host & plan events!

Why Your Blog Sucks
Matthew Kepnes, Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site
Your blog sucks. You just don’t know it yet. On the other hand, my blog is great because my blog really sucks, and I know it. I know that my blog needs work, and I’m always working to improve it. I wish I had the fan base that Chris Guillebeau from the Art of Non-Conformity has. I wish I could “figure out” social media better. I wish I had apps like Travelfish. I wish I could have better conversions, a better design, and a million other things. In short, I know that despite getting tons of traffic and being viewed as having one of the biggest travel websites on the Internet, my blog still sucks because I know there’s always room for improvement.

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While the Royal Wedding was a huge event around the world, I wondered if people in the event industry were more “into” the Royal Wedding since.. you know.. we’re in the business. So – let us know. Did you watch?

Sarah De Jesus on her Event Design: The idea and concept for this table design was inspired by the spring season, my crochet flowers (which I had been assembling mainly as cupcake toppers) and my desire to incorporate the use of Pantone’s Honeysuckle Pink as the main color and the use of yellow, light pink and green as a spring color scheme to compliment it. The decor is focused around the flowers which were arranged in galvanized socker planter pots, flower metal plant stakes used to hold the dessert labels and the use of clay pots as the cake stand to give it a unique yet casual, garden and spring feel.

The table was designed and styled by me in collaboration with Jennifer Bunce of The Hudson Cakery who created the delicious desserts and Wendy Oliver of Green Beansie Cards with whom I co-designed the beautiful matching printables (circle for flowers, metal plant stakes dessert labels, bottle labels, and letters for banner) used throughout this table decor. Wendy was so inspired by this theme that she decided to make it a full spring collection by adding this matching invitation and these other printable items now available in her shop.

I also got in touch with Bryan Noss Photographer who was kind enough to capture all the great photos. I believe this Flower Garden Theme would be great inspiration for someone planning a baby shower, bridal shower or even a lovely little girl’s birthday party.

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The creativity and inspiration that it takes to create truly beautiful event design is one that can only be understood by taking a look at the event designer themselves. Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sarah De Jesus – a very talented friend who is consistently showing her creative side through her designs. Check back tomorrow for some amazing images of her Spring Flower Garden Design!

What is your ideal event?
I have a few ideal events, but instead of focusing on one, I would have to say that the most ideal event would be one where everything that has been planned is carried out to perfection. One where everyone in attendance can enjoy themselves fully. An event where every single detail, from the invitation, to coat check, to lighting, to decor, to food and entertainment is on point and appropriate to the event, but most importantly that the client is truly satisfied and happy with the outcome of my work. To me seeing the client extremely happy and the guests means I have accomplished my goal of a successful event.

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In case you missed it, here are the top five articles I tweeted/wrote this week based on # of clicks. Please Enjoy!

Mashable Follow Opens to All
Pete Cashmore, Mashable
Ten weeks ago we announced the private beta test of Mashable Follow, a new social layer at Mashable that lets you follow the topics that interest you, create a profile on the site, share stories to your multiple social networks in a single click, connect with friends and much more. We’re pleased to say the private beta has been extremely successful, and now we’re opening up Mashable Follow to all our users. We appreciated all of the feedback that we received from our beta users and going forward we’re still seeking your feedback on how we can improve. Please let us know if you have ideas.

What Is Google +1… And What Does It Mean For Your Blog?
Jacob, BlogRevolter.com
On March 30th, Google announced the release of its latest addition to the search engine, a small button called the +1. As with any Google announcement, there are always going to be implications—both great and not so great—for the average and professional blogger. Understanding the potential effect of Google’s new +1 feature can better help you prepare for the next six to twelve months of your blog.

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In case you missed it, here are the top five articles I tweeted/wrote this week based on # of clicks. Please Enjoy!

Using Social Media to Make the Most of Business Networking Events
Alfred Edmond, Black Enterprise
If you attend as many conventions, conferences and networking events as I do, you know the drill when it comes to being strategic and trying to make the most of the event for your business. Identify key contacts and companies you want to meet and connect with at the conference. Have your elevator pitch ready to go. Figure out which sessions are worth attending and which ones you should skip.

Are You Protecting Your Blog’s Most Valuable Asset?
Neil Matthews, WP Dude
Are you protecting one of the most valuable assets of your blog—your email list? The majority of us rigorously backup the content of our blog, but do we give the same thought to our email lists? Why back up your email list? “The money is in the list.” is a mantra we often hear in Internet marketing circles, and we hear it so often because it is so true. An email list is still the best way to communicate with your tribe and to make offers to them. Those people are on your list because they know, trust and like you, and are prepared to give you their attention.

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