All Podcast Episodes

204 JOE GOLDBLATT: Event Industry Pioneer and Founder, ILEA & CSEP Program

204 JOE GOLDBLATT: Event Industry Pioneer and Founder, ILEA & CSEP Program

by | Nov 18, 2019 |

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.

202 RACHEL BIRTHISTLE: The Lake Como Wedding Planner and Creating a Wedding with Contrasting Events

202 RACHEL BIRTHISTLE: The Lake Como Wedding Planner and Creating a Wedding with Contrasting Events

by | Nov 11, 2019 |

Andy welcomes Rachel Birthistle to The Wedding Biz. Rachel is the Owner and CEO of The Lake Como Wedding Planner based in Como, Italy. In addition to her own events, she has worked with people like Lisa Vorce on Chrissy Tegan and John Legends wedding and many others. She says she is predominately a wedding planner in a destination rather than a destination wedding planner.

Rachel’s father was in the fashion industry, and from a young age, she worked in his factory doing tasks like snipping thread and packing items. She found the place fascinating and knew that being in the fashion industry was where she wanted to be. She started making her own clothes in school even though her friends thought her fashion style was a little out there!

Rachel discusses going to design college, finding a job with a large retailer in London, traveling all over the world, and her decision to stay home. She speaks about going back to college for sports therapy and starting a clinic in her home. Her life took twists and turns but eventually led her to a position with a wedding planner and, ultimately, her decision to start her own extremely successful business.

Rachel strives to make each client’s wedding an event starting when they get off the plane for their first meeting with her. With an itinerary of possible venues in hand, she begins to analyze the client’s style, how they interact with each other, and begins the design process in her head. Creating a sequence of contrasting events for her clients is what she loves most.

What is your dream? If it’s to start your own business, what are you waiting for? You will never know if you can do it until you take a leap of faith and try. Rachel is someone who did just that; she found areas that were lacking in the wedding planning industry in Lake Como, Italy, and set out to change it. This is a learning experience for anyone with a dream, so sit back and listen to this very insightful episode.

201 THE NEXT LEVEL: JULIE NOVACK Discusses LE REVE FILMS – Fine Art Wedding Films Plus Networking and Social Media Tips!

201 THE NEXT LEVEL: JULIE NOVACK Discusses LE REVE FILMS – Fine Art Wedding Films Plus Networking and Social Media Tips!

by | Nov 6, 2019 | , ,

Andy has Julie Novack as his guest co-host today on The Next Level. Julie is the CEO and Co-Founder of PartySlate. PartySlate is a photo-rich website where leading event professionals share their work, build their brand, and drive leads.

Le Reve Films is the brainchild of Lindsey and Cherish Conklin. This husband and wife team is known for their work on the Engage 19 Baha Mar Conference as well as their work with other discerning clients. To them, cinematography is building a relationship with clients and telling their stories in the most effective way possible.

Andy and Julie discuss Lindsey and Cherish’s unique way of following up with people they meet at networking events. Their ability to market themselves and their business with Instagram stories that are authentic and moving and the way they take these Instagram links and share them with creative partners. The trick to standing out with potential clients, when you know they have many options, is to send an introduction video with your proposal.

Do you follow up with everyone you meet when networking? Julie chats about her policy of following up with four or five people whom she meets and building meaningful and lasting relationships with them. She believes it is better to concentrate on a few than to spread yourself so thin that you don’t make truly meaningful connections.

Le Reve Films has a very different approach to and making wedding films. Listen in as Andy and Julie dive into some of their favorite parts of the interview and see if you can pick up a nugget or two that you can use in your business.

200 LE REVE FILMS: Fine Art Wedding Films Plus Networking and Social Media Tips!

200 LE REVE FILMS: Fine Art Wedding Films Plus Networking and Social Media Tips!

by | Nov 4, 2019 | ,

Lindsey and Cherish Conklin, who make up the team of Le Reve Films, are Andy’s guests on this episode of The Wedding Biz. This duo is known for their work on the Engage 19 Baha Mar summit and other discerning clients. Cinematography to them is building a relationship with clients and telling their stories through film. They are brilliant at capturing the emotion of events in the most engaging ways.

Lindsey started taking multimedia classes in high school and shooting video wherever he could. He quickly found that if you used video in school projects, you were pretty much guaranteed a good grade. Cherish, on the other hand, took control of the family video camera at a young age. She says that if it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t have any home videos. They have been friends since they were three, but it took until the last few years of high school for Lindsey to get out of the friend zone with Cherish, and they have been together ever since.

The leap from a steady job and guaranteed income to building their own business was terrifying, but the benefits outweighed the fear, and it paid off with the success of their company. Their goal is to keep Le Reve Films a small boutique company so they can concentrate on crafting fine art wedding films for every client. Capturing the true essence of a couples’ wedding day requires that they know the real, raw, and profound truth on how the couple came together.

Wow! The tips that these two give us in this conversation are mind-blowing. The way they market their business and themselves is truly next level. They have found ways to set themselves apart in an industry that is saturated, which is why they will be around for years to come. 

Listen to this episode with a drink in one hand and a pen in the other. This episode will teach and entertain, so be ready.

199 THE NEXT LEVEL: JENNIFER STEIN Discusses AUDREY NERACOULIS – Emotional Photography And Authenticity In Business

199 THE NEXT LEVEL: JENNIFER STEIN Discusses AUDREY NERACOULIS – Emotional Photography And Authenticity In Business

by | Oct 30, 2019 | ,

In this episode of The Next Level, Andy is with Jennifer Stein. Jennifer is the Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of Destination I Do Magazine. She publishes a daily blog and also consults, and custom publishes.

Audrey is a film photographer based in Paris and is known for her unmistakable fashion house inspired aesthetic, and unique and sophisticated work. She also brilliantly utilizes social media, especially Instagram, in ways that will surprise you.

Andy and Jennifer discuss Audrey’s moxy in starting her business before learning the trade and how testing is a great way to make sure your business is viable. They also speak about Audrey’s authenticity and vulnerability and that she isn’t afraid to put it all out there because she wants potential clients to be able to connect with her in a real way.

Have you ever had a meet up with clients when you are traveling? Listen to Andy and Jennifer talk about Audrey doing just that. She posts where she is going to be, so if a potential client or vendor wants to meet up with her in their area, they can get together. 

Listen in to this deep dive into some key points of Audrey’s interview. Jennifer speaks about Audrey’s ability to market herself by listening to what people want, how she connects with people by taking photographs of her life and posting them on her Instagram page and how networking when traveling can boost your business.

If your business is struggling and you are having trouble getting new clients, you need to listen to this conversation. What these two discuss, you won’t learn in books, so plugin and enjoy.

198 AUDREY NERACOULIS: Emotional Photography And Authenticity In Business

198 AUDREY NERACOULIS: Emotional Photography And Authenticity In Business

by | Oct 28, 2019 |

Audrey Neracoulis, Welcome to The Wedding Biz! Audrey is a film photographer based in Paris and is known for her unmistakable fashion house inspired aesthetic, and unique and sophisticated work. She also brilliantly utilizes social media, especially Instagram, in ways that will surprise you.

Audrey has a master’s degree in marketing and dreamt of being surrounded by, and working with, a wonderful team. When faced with the reality that a first job working for a corporation meant sitting alone in a cubicle, she decided it wasn’t for her. She chose to pick up a camera, tell stories visually with pictures and become a photographer, even though she had never taken a picture before. 

Is the hardest part of your business attracting new clients? Listen, as Audrey describes what she did when she started out and what she does today to attract clients. She says you have to have a strong brand and make personal connections with your clients. Audrey is sharing her life with pictures on Instagram believing that letting potential clients see her story through photographs will give them the best idea of the reality of her work. 

Audrey’s vision for a wedding is to blend fashion photography and cinematic documentary to make the perfect photographs. Her passion is capturing the emotional and physical connections of the bride and groom so that the images evoke meaningful memories. For added dimension, she likes to build in a sense of sensuality learned from her experience with shooting boudoir.

If you are a photographer or want to be, pay attention as Audrey points out the difference between using film, going digital, and the benefits of both. Listen as she tells us how to create and connect with clients when traveling, about her retreats in Paris, and all the ways she teaches about photography. 

This is a compelling episode with so much great information you will definitely need to take notes, so sit back and enjoy.

197 THE NEXT LEVEL: SEAN LOW Discusses VANESSA KRECKEL – Brand Development to Set you Apart.

197 THE NEXT LEVEL: SEAN LOW Discusses VANESSA KRECKEL – Brand Development to Set you Apart.

by | Oct 23, 2019 | ,

Andy welcomes Sean Low to this episode of The Next Level! Sean is the Founder and President of The Business of Being Creative LLC, which focuses on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. His client list includes the elite of the wedding industry and the design community.

Vanessa is the Owner and Creative Director of Two Paper Dolls, a pioneering custom design house that feeds the desire for customization across all aspects of the wedding industry. TPD Design House services clients in the art of branding, website and logo development, and invitation design around the world.

Andy and Sean discuss Vanessa’s conviction to her start her own company, about being a risk-taker and her need to succeed even though there were bumps along the way. Sean talks about her being a culture specialist, and she understands that it’s not about telling the story to everyone. It’s about telling the story to those who care, knowing that the culture drives the story, not the other way around.

Listen in as they share their outlooks on the way Vanessa runs her company, how she includes everyone in the decision making and the meetings to bring new ideas to the team. She believes that if you let your employees feel invested, they work that much harder because they feel as if it is their company.

If you are looking to discover the secrets to Vanessa’s success, look no further. Andy and Sean suss out the real reasons behind her success and lay it out for all to see. This is the episode you will kick yourself for missing, so don’t.

196 VANESSA KRECKEL: Brand Development To Set You Apart

196 VANESSA KRECKEL: Brand Development To Set You Apart

by | Oct 21, 2019 |

The Wedding Biz is excited to have Vanessa Kreckel on the show. Vanessa is the Owner and Creative Director of Two Paper Dolls, a pioneering custom design house that foreshadowed the desire for customization across all aspects of the wedding industry. She has been named in design publications including PRINT, and Communications Arts as well as BRIDES Magazine and Martha Stewart Weddings. TPD Design House services clients in the art of branding, website design and development, and invitation design around the world.

Vanessa has always loved being creative, which is why she studied art at Moore College of Art and Design and learned how to be a graphic artist. She started her company with one employee and used printing presses, and somehow found a niche with her customized stationery and invitations. 

Who are your ideal clients? What is the voice of your company? These are some of the questions Vanessa asks when helping someone develop their brand. Branding is an essential ingredient in making your business successful, and she has been assisting people in figuring it out for almost 20 years. Listen to her tips and tricks as you follow along on the podcast.

Vanessa talks about knowing and branding the look and feel of your event when thinking about invitations. She reminds us that it’s not just invitations, there are save the dates, invitation design, and day of cards. You need to consider the overall experience and how the design thread pulls it all together when deciding this critical part of your event.

This is one of those conversations that will change the way you choose invitations, your brand, and what you put on social media. Vanessa is a first-rate businesswoman with insight into a different side of the event industry. One that you might not realize has such a significant impact on the event experience. You won’t want to miss what she has to say, so sit back, plugin and enjoy.

195 THE NEXT LEVEL: LAURIE ARONS Discusses GREG FINCK – The Leap to Professional Fulfillment

195 THE NEXT LEVEL: LAURIE ARONS Discusses GREG FINCK – The Leap to Professional Fulfillment

by | Oct 16, 2019 |

The Next Level welcomes Laurie Arons to the show! Laurie has been mentioned in numerous magazine publications and was listed in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Martha Stewart Weddings as one of the top planners worldwide. Her clients include trendsetters like Sofia Coppola, Vanessa Getty, and Christy Turlington, to name a few. Laurie has also created and runs a very successful Wedding Planner Masterclass in March of each year and just announced that for March 2020, it will be at the stunning Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming.

Greg Finck is a brilliant photographer based in Paris. Greg was an executive for ten years with Proctor and Gamble and, at first, was doing wedding photography on the side as a hobby. Five years ago, he started shooting weddings full-time and is already handling major destination weddings and working in the fashion industry. He learned early on how to utilize social media as a marketing tool effectively and has over 70 thousand Instagram followers. Greg also gives a workshop in the spring and is speaking on Authentic Branding at Engage in London in a couple of weeks.

Andy and Laurie bring into focus how seriously Greg takes his career, how hard he works, and how easy he is to work with. They talk about his use of social media to market his brand, why being authentic is so important, and how it can make or break your business. They both agree that Greg’s humility is one of his greatest assets; it is something that clients and vendors alike can feel, and it can only enhance what you do.

Listen in as Andy and Laurie take a deep dive into some of the best parts of Greg’s interview. Laurie and Greg run their businesses in very similar manners, and they are both at the top of their careers. If your company has stopped its upward climb and you are looking for some tips to restart the momentum, this episode drills down into some points that might make your struggle a little easier.

Categories