Consultants

In this stand-alone episode of TNL, Andy and his guest, Sean Low, discuss how the pandemic is affecting the event industry and much more. Sean is the owner of The Business of Being Creative, which focuses on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. His client list includes the who’s who of the wedding industry and design community. Sean was on The Wedding Biz in February of 2018, so check out that episode if you haven’t already.

Listen as Sean speaks about the constraints the pandemic is putting on everyone, the issues people in the event industry are struggling with, and how to do a hard reset during this time of forced separation. Sean also shares about a business exercise he does that allows people to redefine their businesses.

Sean believes that at the end of the day, your voice matters. No one needs what you offer; they want it. Your job is to make them need it. It’s not a question of if you are going to use your voice, the question is when are you going to use it. Sean shares a lot of tips and ideas to help you take advantage of this pause in time to do a re-evaluation of your business so that when this is over, you will come out stronger than you were before.

This is a bonus episode to help us all through this difficult time. The interview can benefit everyone though Katie Krimitsos is the creator and host of the Women’s Meditation Network, “the home for guided meditations that are created for the very special journey that we women walk throughout this life. While we are all different and unique, there is an underlying connection and shared experience between us that is so beautiful, complex and deep.”

Today’s episode is a special one about dealing with the impact of the Coronavirus though it’s timeless in that it can apply to any major challenge or crisis. Brett had a very successful career as a videographer in the lux wedding market, for ten years,  until the recession of 2008 forced him to pivot. Now a filmmaker and keynote speaker, Brett Culp films is based out of Tampa FL.  He is also an author and produces short films such as “How to stay positive when the world feels negative.”

We urge you to share this with your friends, family, and colleagues in the hope that it gives you inspiration and a sense of peace as we all deal with one of the greatest challenges of the past century.

Christie Osborne is FEMA-certified in Social Media Crisis Communication and I was fortunate to get some time with her while attending Catersource/The Special Event conference in Las Vegas. She talks about what to consider when communicating policies regarding response to a crisis, including the Coronavirus.

She also tells us about the most frequently asked questions she’s getting while at the conference. This includes, when events get cancelled, how to communicate online regarding the issue of how we decide to handle deposits. Christie also discusses how to respond when clients ask if they should get tested when they’ve attended a venue or event where it’s later discovered that one or more people were infected. She also talks about how to respond when people have yet to attend an event that has not been cancelled and are asking if it’s safe. This includes how to handle the recovery period once we are past the crisis.

In this episode of The Wedding Biz, Andy is speaking with Rime Arodaky & Greg Finck. Rime is a brilliant designer based in Paris. She calls her Maison the Bridal House For Rebel Goddesses, inspired by women who are unapologetically themselves. Rime has been designing wedding gowns for and considers herself part of the new generation who decided to shake up the traditional wedding codes to bring style and attitude to a very static and conventional industry. Greg has been running the business side of Rime’s business as her general manager for a little over a year and they are engaged. Greg is also a wonderful photographer who was interviewed on The Wedding Biz this past October. 

Rime tells us about growing up, knowing that she wanted to be a fashion designer. As a child, she designed gowns for her barbies and made up fashion catalogs with her designs for her mother and sister. Her father told her, when she was eighteen, that if this is what she wanted to do, she needed to pay her way through design school. So, she took a year off, worked, saved her money, and said she felt empowered by her ability to pay her own way. 

Rime discusses her first company and why she closed it, how working with other designers helped her learn the business and why she feels like she designs gowns for “rebel goddesses.” Rime talks about her ready-to-wear ceremony collection, being the first to extend it to the international market and about Megan Markle being the first celebrity to wear one of her creations.

Greg speaks about what he felt he could bring to the table for Rime’s company, how it affected his photography business and the challenges of doing both. He says the most challenging part was getting Rime’s twenty employees on board with him taking over and the changes that needed to be made.

Listen in as Rime and Greg talk about building a business, where they see themselves in five years and how they incorporate Instagram into their business every day. This is a unique conversation from both the fashion design and business sides that you won’t want to miss.

The Wedding Biz welcomes Joe Goldblatt to the show. Joe is a true pioneer and icon of the event industry; he owned The Wonder Company for over 20 years before selling it. He has written, edited, or co-authored 38 books, including the first textbook in the event industry. He founded ISES, the International Special Events Society that is now known as ILEA, the International Live Events Association, and created the CSEP Program, Certified Special Events Professional. And as a teacher, Joe taught over 10,000 students.

Joe believes that we need to spend time working on our businesses as well as working in our businesses. And do you thoroughly research and evaluate your projects? Joe tells us that these two go hand in hand and are critical when planning exceptional events. He speaks to us about the organization he created and the reason he believes that events have a logical connection to fields like anthropology, theology, sociology, and technology. He also tells us how we can approach the fear of economic health.

Joe has a profound knowledge of the event industry and business in general. Listen in as he tells us why he believes we are on the cusp of what he terms a Platinum Age, an era of great possibility with technology and a generation with big hearts and a conviction to learn. This episode is different from all others. It will leave you in awe of Joe and what he has accomplished and continues to accomplish. You don’t want to miss what he has to say.