1The Next Level

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.

Greg Finck is Andy’s guest on this episode of The Next Level. Greg is a wonderful and brilliant photographer, based in Paris, and is here with Andy to discuss Alejandra Poupel. Alejandra is the owner of Alejandra Poupel Events and is based out of Paris as well, she plans and designs for a wide variety of events all over the world.

Greg and Alejandra both work all over the globe, and they believe that when you operate internationally, you must plan your events to work with different cultures. Hence, her events and his photographs tend to be tailor-made for those unique clients. He also agrees with her that to have a successful company the business side is just as important as the creative side.

Andy and Greg also dive into what Alejandra said about the importance of using Instagram to not only focus on the client but when possible, to help showcase yourselves and the other vendors at events. You must always put the client first, but helping the other vendors when you can, helps build a camaraderie that can land you more events and, with the destination wedding market so strong in Europe, the growth potential is limitless. 

Listen to Andy and Greg discuss this fantastic entrepreneur; her insight and talent are what sets her apart. Alejandra has the business acumen and creative expertise to be around the industry for many years to come. If you haven’t listened to her episode of The Wedding Biz, you should because you don’t want to miss the chance to hear how she became the businesswoman she is today.

Andy welcomes Jennifer Stein back to The Next Level. Jennifer is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Destination I Do Magazine, which can be found at newsstands in all fifty states and twelve countries. She also publishes a daily blog, consults, custom publishes, and is about to launch a new podcast.

Michelle is a destination planner, producer, and designer based out of New York City who works all over the world. She has a book called “Signature Weddings – Creating A Day Uniquely Your Own,” and she does many different types of events, she has even produced an event at the Vatican in Rome.

They talk about how Michelle brings in clients and builds relationships, using print to market your business and the power that Michelle brings from a chaotic childhood to her business mindset today. Jennifer also talks about taking a step back, thinking things through before responding, and how critical conversations need to happen in person or on the phone.

Did you know that fear can be a motivator? Listen in as Andy and Jennifer speak about letting fear motivate you but getting rid of the fear that doesn’t serve you. These two always have the best deep conversations, and this is one that should be on your must-hear list. Take a moment to listen and think about what they are saying.

The Next Level welcomes back Sean Low. 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 whos who of the wedding industry and design community.

Robert is the owner of Washington Talent, the iconic entertainment company out of the Washington, DC area. Robert is passionate about what he does and is in it to bring joy not only to his clients but also to his industry partners.

Andy and Sean discuss how Robert expanded his company by adding services designed to make Washington Talent a place where you get everything you need for an event. They talk about his ability to be flexible and professional with the planners, which makes the events less stressful for them. 

Did you hear that Robert and Andy are partnering up on Kushner Entertainment? Listen as Sean talks about all the positive things that are in store for these powerhouses of the music and events industry as they combine their forces and form a mega team. Robert is bringing his business acumen to add structure to Kushner Entertainment, and that will leave Andy to focus on what he loves, which is being creative.

This is one of those conversations that will keep you spellbound. Every time you think you’ve heard all they have to say, they say something better. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn some news about the event industry that not a lot of people know yet, don’t you want to be able to say “have you heard?”