Andy is excited to bring to you his engaging conversation with Todd Fiscus, event designer and founder of Todd Events. Todd has a very impressive client roster, and also plans and designs events for noteworthy professional athletes and civic organizations. In this conversation, he discusses his background growing up loving to redecorate spaces as well as his various career pivots including considering becoming a chef before finding his passion for event design. He explains that his goal is to create events that reflect the spirit and tastes of his clients rather than imposing his own style.
Todd also talks about a new course he has created called Pillars of Production which is aimed at event producers, planners, and rental companies. Pillars of Production covers a range of topics from human resources, risk management, financial management, tenting, and production languages. The goal is to help new and current industry professionals avoid some of the pitfalls that Todd himself experienced when he first started out. He aims to leverage his expertise to provide best practices on standardizing operations in the industry.
He also stresses the importance of competency with the various creative partners involved in event production, like lighting and sound technicians. Todd acknowledges that fear and uncertainty come with being an entrepreneur, and he hopes that his course will help transfer knowledge and boost the professionalism of the industry so that useful skills and information are not lost when it comes time for great designers and planners to retire.
This was such an exciting, insightful interview for Andy, and he really hopes that you enjoy listening to it! If you do, then he asks that you please share this episode with at least three people you know who might also enjoy it. It would be great if you were to also subscribe to the podcast if you aren’t already so that you never miss a new episode and to leave a top review wherever you listen. That really helps people find the show!
This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads – all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create your free listing at www.zola.com/andy.
Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don’t forget about Sean Low’s podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.
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Time Stamps
[0:00] – The sponsor of this episode is Zola.
[1:48] – Andy is excited to announce today’s guest, Todd Fiscus of Todd Events!
[3:29] – Todd, even as a child, enjoyed decorating and rearranging.
[4:40] – Todd worked in a kitchen at a hotel and quickly realized that it wasn’t his calling.
[6:18] – Hear how a wedding in Dallas inspired Todd.
[7:41] – Todd touches upon an important lesson that he learned in the last three decades.
[8:56] – What makes Todd stand out in a very saturated market?
[11:11] – Learn about Todd’s course Pillars of Production and its primary objectives.
[12:29] – Todd discusses his seven pillars of production.
[16:19] – Company owners need to be able to communicate certain things to clients.
[18:29] – Todd explains how planners don’t always understand the language of power.
[21:33] – Hear about the seventh pillar: financial management.
[23:23] – Learn all about the Enfield Production.
[26:09] – What are some of the best practices that planners and designers should be aware of?
[27:33] – Andy discusses the difficulties of onboarding new hires.
[28:48] – Employees can watch videos and take tests to assess their understanding.
[30:01] – Pillars of Production plans to release new training videos four times per year.
[33:28] – Being an entrepreneur comes with constant fear and uncertainty.
[36:33] – Todd discusses how sustainability has been his greatest challenge.
[39:15] – Andy gives us Todd’s contact info.
Find Todd:
Todd Events – Website
Todd Events – Instagram Page
Pillars of Production – Website
Pillars of Production – Instagram Page
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Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & Zola.
