Event Planners and Designers

Seeing locations through color and shapes is a unique way to design events. Listen as Andy and Sean Low discuss this and much more on this episode of The Next Level. Sean’s company, The Business of Being Creative, 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. 

Together, they own Robbins Otoya, a design and event planning firm that designs and produces destination weddings and events all over the world. They each individually own companies also,  Matthew founded a company called Matthew Robbins Design based in New York City, and Luis has a catering company called Evento & Cocina based in Cartagena. 

Listen as Sean and Andy discuss the unique way Matthew and Luis approach finding a destination with their clients for their event, and how they always use local talent instead of bringing a team from New York to keep it authentic. Additionally, they speak about the fascinating way Matthew and Luis use color in their designs and how they aren’t afraid to use it. 

Sean gets specific on what Matthew and Luis mean by pricing their events by the scope of work and how they don’t want their design decisions to be motivated by how much money they are going to make. Robbins Otoya is an exciting collaboration of two brilliant minds working together to build an unforgettable experience, don’t miss this episode.

If you want your weddings to have theatrical productions, listen as Andy and Andre discuss Sonal Shah and her ability to plan and produce events and the challenges she faces when planning celebrity weddings, interracial weddings, and more, all over the world. Andre Maier is a fantastic photographer based in both New York City and Los Angeles, who works worldwide, and appeared on The Wedding Biz.

Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in New York City, working all over the world. Sonal is known for planning the most elaborate over-the-top weddings. She also works with both Hollywood and Bollywood stars, and has a book out called “The Complete Guide to Planning the Perfect South Asian Wedding.”

Andy and Andre share Sonal’s ability to mediate between bridal couples and parents, why she decided to plan South Asian weddings, and the need to trust the creative partners with whom she builds her teams. Additionally, Andre says that Sonal brings purpose and passion together, which is why she is so successful. They chat about how each event she plans has to be different from anything she has done before.

Listen as Andy and Andre dive into some of the more interesting nuggets of Sonal’s interview. The enthusiasm she has for what she does is contagious, and you can feel it, and they discuss this amazing woman. 

When does it make sense to change the dynamics of a company? Listen, as Andy and Robert Sherman discuss how changing the leadership of Evoke Design led Jeannette Tavares and Jodi Moraru to greater personal and business success. Robert is the President of Washington Talent and Andy’s business partner with Kushner Entertainment. Andy interviewed him on The Wedding Biz in November of last year as they announced their partnership. 

Evoke Design is based in Washington, D.C, and serving clients worldwide. Jeannette is the Chief Creative Director, and Jodi is a producer; however, it wasn’t always like that. Jodi founded the company, hired Jeannette, who eventually became a producer, and later Jeannette bought out the company. Although their roles have reversed, they are now individually more successful as well as the company as a whole.

Listen as Robert and Andy discuss the similarities between their partnership with Kushner Entertainment and the connection Jeannette and Jodi have with Evoke Design. Jodi and Andy both tired of working the operations sides of their businesses and needed to get their creative juices flowing again, and Jeannette and Robert both excel at the business side. They also speak about the way the Evoke Design team treats their creative partners, the fact that they have both worked with them, and can say from experience they know how to nurture people.

A partnership can be great when it is done the right way, with the right people. Listen in to hear how Jeannette and Jodi did it right and are now thriving in a way that makes them both happy and allows them to both live their best lives.  

Listen to Andy and Bruce Russell as they discuss Tara Fay and her interview with Andy last Monday. Bruce is the owner and managing director of By Bruce Russell, based in London. He plans, designs, and coordinates wedding parties and other events around the globe. Bruce is also the co-star of RTE Ireland’s production of My Big Day: Home or Away along with Tara Fay.  

Tara is the owner of Tara Fay Events, based in Dublin, Ireland. She has produced some of the most high profile events and weddings in Ireland and throughout Europe, the United States and the Caribbean. Tara has won several event industry awards, and is the co-star of RTE Ireland’s TV production of My Big Day: Home or Away with Bruce. 

Listen as Andy and Bruce speak about the TV show My Big Day: Home or Away. Also, hear about Tara’s ability to be observant and know what her guests want and need and how planners are not paid for what goes right; they are paid for how they handle what goes wrong. They talk about how Tara likes to tie referral clients back to an event and her ability to keep clients for repeat events, which she calls “legacy clients.” 

Do you give young planners the chance to learn from you? Having a mentor helped Tara become the planner/designer that she is today, and Bruce agrees that providing interns an opportunity to learn the business can only benefit the next generation. This is a fascinating conversation about Ireland’s premier event planner, and you won’t want to miss a moment of this episode.

Tara Fay and Andy discuss Bruce Russell in this episode of The Next Level. Tara is a brilliant planner and designer based in Dublin, Ireland, who is also the co-star of RTE Ireland’s production of My Big Day: Home or Away along with Bruce Russell. Tara will also be on The Wedding Biz next week, so tune in then to hear more about her and her events.

Bruce is the owner and managing director of By Bruce Russell, based in London. He is a planner, designer, and coordinates wedding parties and other events around the globe. He was named Best Wedding Planner by Belle International Bridal Awards and has been featured in International Publications such as Brides, Mayfair Magazine, and Hello Fashion, to name a few. 

Listen in as Tara shares how she handles clients that aren’t a good fit and why she feels it is her job to help couples make more informed decisions around their weddings. Tara also speaks about teaching hoteliers how to show venues for wedding couples. Tara and Andy discuss timelines for events, they talk about digital agencies, and how she is so fascinated by what they do.

Tara’s perspective on Bruce is top-notch. You can tell that they are great friends. Listening to her allows you more insight into the event planning and design industry, and her input on the fascinating interview with Bruce shows the intricacies they face with each event.