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We here at A Wynning Event are very excited because we have been asked to write a book about event planning.  Our goal with this book is to simplify events i.e. take the mystery out of event planning so that no matter your experience, knowledge or budget, we will show you how to create simple and yet elegant special events.  So with that in mind, let’s start with the simple question, why throw a party?

Is it a birthday? Anniversary? Bridal or baby shower? Holiday such as Valentine’s Day or 4th of July? How about just having a group of friends over to share in good food and fine wine? 

Any of the above and more are reasons to throw a party so here we go.

The Checklist a.k.a. AWE Party To Do List©

I believe that parties are suppose to be fun from start to finish, not stressful so why not start off on the right track with creating your AWE Party to Do List©.  There is no need to get anxious about having people over for a dinner party or throwing a wedding or formal event for a couple of hundred people.  The same process should be implemented no matter what the guest count is.  The best implementation method I believe is a party checklist.  I always generate my AWE Party To Do List© because it provides me with the steps that I need from beginning to end in the party production process and is easy to repeat and adjust for future events. 

This AWE Party To Do List© that I will share in part with you will turn any amateur into a party planner with flair and style and will help you smooth out the bumps along the path to creating a successful and carefree event.  Below is a portion of the sample checklist that will be in our book which we hope to publish by the end of the summer so that you can use this list as a guide for your own events. 

Again this is just a partial list but you can start to use this so please feel free to add to it or delete from it what does and doesn’t work for you.  Remember, this is just a sample list; it can be tweaked along the way and modified for your own particular use.  I will list the items below and then provide in future blogs detailed explanations and examples of these categories to provide you with a bit more insight and knowledge.  Whether it is a cocktail or dinner party, by following these methodical steps, you will see that it doesn’t take much to create an elegant event from start to finish. 

AWE Party To Do List©

• Budget

• Party Date & Time

• Guest Count

• Theme

• Select, Order and Mail Invitations

• Venue Selection

• Create Food and Beverage Menu

• Enhance Theme with Décor, Flowers, Props, Specialty Lighting, etc.

• Hire Caterer (if appropriate)

Again, this is just a sample of the list we have already developed and will be published in our book later this summer.  At A Wynning Event, our goal is to alleviate the worries a wedding or special event can bring with our full service planning capabilities and we hope with our event planning guide you will enjoy your planning process without pulling your hair or teeth out.  And just remember; make your next event A Wynning Event.

It was a beautiful June day and the guests were mingling and awaiting to witness the wedding of a couple that have known each other for over seven years.  Like most weddings, the groom was a bit nervous, the bride was a bit late and the guests were all excited to be a part of this dream June wedding day.  At A Wynning Event, we have participated and planned many weddings but this one was special.  Yes, it was intimate with just close friends and family, but at this wedding the bride and groom walked on four legs and had fur coats.  Yes, a dog’s wedding and what made this day so special was that my dog, Coco Channel, was a “bridesdog.”  Yes, dressed in pink wings, she walked down the aisle - in fact the only dog to do so, the others had to be carried! 

All joking aside, even though the wedding went to the “dogs,” it was still a beautiful event since the vows about companionship, love, trust and honor have no boundaries whether you walk on two or four legs.  The slight difference was instead of the ring exchange, the dogs exchanged matching collars and at times were more interested in sniffing the other four legged guests then each other.

At A Wynning Event, we encourage the bridal party to theme their wedding and this one was no different.  This wedding was a beautiful backyard wedding whereby guests sat on white chiavari chairs with burnt orange textured silk cushions and the tables were covered with matching linens.  The floral was exquisite.  To compliment the colored linens, Luna Gardens, one of L.A.’s premiere floral studios, designed a romantic look and feel using springtime colors of yellow, pink, orange and green.  Complete with a beautifully bronze colored wedding gate as a backdrop for the altar, guests couldn’t help but marvel at the spectacle.    

When we arrived at the wedding, we were asked to sign the guest book.  But this wasn’t your ordinary guest book, instead we were given two white stuffed toy dogs to sign our special wedding message to the bride and groom.  I think this is a fun, creative and personal idea.  I just hope that the dogs don’t get a hold of them and chew them up!  Another creative idea was the cake toppers, two dogs sat upon the cake which was beautifully decorated with soft orange colored rose petals.  At the cake table is where the dog’s “pawed” their marriage certificate. 

The catering was delicious, we were treated to freshly made tortillas and quesadilla’s, guacamole and chips, a specialty bar serving “Greyhounds” and “Bowowtinis” and of course what wedding wouldn’t be complete without the customary chocolate fountain.

When the couple left the wedding, they drove off in a classic turquoise convertible Thunderbird.  Both of us (Coco and I) received “doggie” bags.  Mine was a small china ring box with two doves on the top and Coco’s bag was filled with treats and dog toys.   It was a beautiful ending to a most “ruffmatic” day.   

The dog wedding will be broadcasted on national television very soon.  Please check back with our blog for date and time of the show!

As the principal owner of A Wynning Event, I know the importance of keeping my ducks in a row and making sure on game day that my vendors show up on time and at the right location.  But what happens when one of your vendors doesn’t show up to your event?  How can this happen?  What do you do?

This scenario recently happened at a major Hollywood Studio A-List premiere.  When I heard about this, my first reaction was how could this happen?  Where was the communication breakdown?  Apparently, the date was changed and the event coordinator did not relay this information to the caterer.  There was a production timeline sent to all the vendors but by mistake the caterer was over-looked on this piece of information and they never received it.  Ok, mistakes happen but with an event of this size, magnitude and publicity surrounding it, why wasn’t there verbal communication between the event planner and caterer 48 hours to a week before the event? 

Call me neurotic, but I always check in with my vendors a week before any event no matter if it is a 10 person sit-down dinner or a Hollywood A-list live television show such as the SAG Awards(R).  Then, 48 hours prior to the event I call each vendor again and speak to them personally to confirm numbers and answer any outstanding questions they may have. 

Again, at A Wynning Event I may drive my vendors a little crazy at times with my phone calls but better to over communicate with your vendors than to assume everyone knows the program and are all on board the same ship. 

So how did this happen at this recent movie premiere?  Maybe because both parties involved have many years of major event experience they just relied on the fact that something like this could never happen.  Wrong!! Whenever human beings are involved in anything mistakes can happen and these are the types of mistakes that ensure we learn our lesson for the next time.   Remember the saying that a million dollar mistake never happens twice because you learn after the first time what went wrong and how to prevent it so it doesn’t happen again.

Ok, so now we know human beings are prone to making mistakes and that a major vendor can potentially not show up at your event.  What is your action plan?  How do you provide the missing element hours prior to the event start time?  First, I always have a worse case scenario action plan in place prior to the event.  Since day one when I opened the doors at A Wynning Event, I have always had this action plan in place for every event I produce so I am prepared to deal with any hazards should they arise.  Thankfully, whatever incidents have come up over the years I have been able to quickly and efficiently squelch and fix them prior to guest arrival and no one had ever noticed that anything was amiss.

My second approach to preventing this type of incident to occur is to communicate.  Not once, but continually up until the actual event day.  Never leave anything to chance or think that the other participants involved already know everything about your particular event.  Remember, most of your suppliers are dealing with multiple events the week and sometimes the day-of your event so you need to communicate with them often to ensure that they are on the same page as you regarding your event.

Finally, when you send out your production timeline, call each vendor afterwards to ensure that they received it and read it.  Again reiterate the date and time they are to show up at your party.  When you call and get their voicemail, leave a message for them to return your call so you are assured that they received the timeline, read through it and don’t have any questions.  Use your vendor contact sheet to generate the written communication and timeline; don’t go off the top of your head thinking you have noted all the vendors. 

Check and double check your work.  After all, that is why your client hired an event planner and expert to produce their event.  Your client doesn’t want to leave anything to chance and neither should you.

At A Wynning Event, when a new client requests a proposal, I am always so excited and I get right to work researching their company, checking out the fellow competitors, looking at possible new venues and thinking about themes and new ideas for entertainment.  I spend the time researching and writing the proposal, submit it and then follow up.  Sometimes I win and sometimes my competitors win.  That is the way the event world works.  But what do you say or do when neither you nor your competitor gets the job but the potential new client takes your proposal and implements it themselves?    What can you say?  Do you copyright your proposals?  Ask for a fee upfront for your ideas?

I have spoken to quite a few other event planners and no one seems to have the “right” answer.  What we have found at A Wynning Event is with the corporate budgets tightening, the budgets we are provided to create events are more challenging and I am hearing from many other event planners the same situation.  Thus, is it forcing companies to generate event proposals to get ideas?  Is there anything that can be done?  After all, writing the proposal and coming up with entertainment, venue and catering ideas and the look, feel and flow of the event is half the work.  In fact, the easier part of the proposal is implementing it.  So how do we protect our ideas and get paid for them? 

Good question (if I do say so myself) and having asked around for a while no one seems to have a good answer.  After all, you want to provide the potential client with an accurate picture of how their event will look, you want to show them that you are creative and can save them dollars, you want them to see that you are the only person who can visualize their ideas and implement them efficiently and produce a memorable and great event.  So essentially, you are providing them with the roadmap.  I guess there maybe a couple of answers here.

One answer maybe (and mind you it has to be tactfully done) is to tell the client upfront that you charge for your proposals, and if you win the contract, then that fee is included in your production and coordination fee.  Also, you may want them to sign off on a non-disclosure agreement explaining to them what has been done in the past and that you are just trying to avoid a reoccurrence.  I’ve done this before and it worked perfectly.  I won the job and did a couple of events for this client until they hired their own in-house event team.

Provide the potential client with just a capabilities proposal and once they sign off on a contract and provide you with a deposit, then give them the details.  The problem with this solution is that it only works when the client is just looking for a team and not set on a theme or venue.  They just know they want to do an event.

Finally, give them enough to pique their curiosity, provide generalizations and pictures but avoid the details until you receive a signed contract and deposit.  Apparently, as I have been asking around, this seems to be the method of madness du jour. 

Whatever appears to be the case, one thing is certain.  At A Wynning Event we take pride in our work, our creativity and our network of resources and will always do our best to provide the most for an event while staying within the provided budget parameters.

The statistics are out there.  We all know what is happening in the business world in terms of an economic slowdown, layoffs and businesses closing their doors forever.  In fact, unless you have been living on Mars or under a rock it is hard not to know what is happening or have these challenging times affect your business or lifestyle in anyway possible.

One constant in the business world that this economy hasn’t changed is the importance of long-term business relationships.  Like a good friend, they are there for you for support and growth.  Sometimes this so-called “friendship” is put on hold due to budget cuts, but when the economy swings back up, they are there for you.  The important fact to remember is that you must continue to maintain this relationship and not let it drop by the wayside.  After all, you just don’t forget about a friend if they get busy and can’t make plans with you for a while. 

Like a friendship, a business relationship is the same and your goal is to make it long-term.  Create loyalty by staying in touch with your client, sending them notes about something you saw or experienced that reminded you of their business, inviting your client to networking events that they would benefit from as well and keeping them in the loop in terms of news that may affect their organization too.  Even lunch or happy hour every now and then is good for both of you because you get to know each other better than previously, catch up on news and have a good time.  After all, it is easier and more fun to do business with someone you know plus you are more aware of their likes and dislikes making it a bit easier to anticipate and fulfill their business requirements.

One of the long-term clients at A Wynning Event is the Century City law firm of Cox, Castle & Nicholson, LLP.  We have had the pleasure of working with this law firm for over ten years.  In fact, this is a business relationship that has lasted longer than quite a few marriages!  The key to this long-term business relationship is:

• Customer Service – Immediate responses to questions and requests
• Respect for Budgets – Knowing what the budget is and maintaining it throughout the event production process
• Admiration for Client – Getting along and having fun with my client socially as well as professionally

There have been times that due to budget constraints Cox Castle & Nicholson, LLP had postponed or canceled an event, and thus my involvement was tied to this cancellation as well.  But business is business, it was nothing personal.  I just looked forward to the future and stayed on their radar knowing that they would request my services and expertise again when the time was appropriate.  Remember, it is easier and more fun to keep a client then it is to find a new one, and the business relationships that you already have are the ones worth growing. 

As the web becomes more competitive, how does your website get seen?  How do you capture those customers out in cyberspace who are putting on social and corporate events?  Back in the day when few event planners were on the web, my website got quite a few hits and the ratio to a viewing to actually contracting the event was extremely successful.  In fact, some of my largest accounts have come from the web.  Those were the good old days my friend.

But now with the economy slowing and corporate events having been put on the back burner, let alone more and more people are planning their events on their own, how do you maintain your business let alone grow it?  One answer maybe through Social Media.  It’s one thing to be out there networking and going to various work and fun functions to meet people and gain business but why not use the web and its plethora of tools to help you get the word out there?  Go ahead, don’t be shy.  Create that Facebook page, start to Twitter and yes get Linkedin.

Like me, you may want to choose what social websites you want to save for your social life and which ones you want to use for business.  Remember though, the web is a very small world these days so you have to be careful as to what you have in terms of content on each of these pages.  Yes, a future client may go to your Facebook page so be careful what pictures you post! 

You will also find by using Social Media how much more you will learn about current trends, who is doing what and which new business applications you can apply to your own business.  I know for myself that through Linkedin I have learned about some new applications that not only have I immediately applied to my own business but will add to a new business division of A Wynning Event. 

It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-changing and growing tech world and you don’t have to be an SEO expert to use it.  Just spend some quality time on these sites, join some groups and discussions and put yourself out there.  You will find that you will not only learn something new but will gain valuable insight into business in the 21st Century.  Eventually, you will gain more business contacts that might lead back to new business and generate growth for your company, and this growth means more dollars in your pocket!

The Screen Actors Guild Awards Show(R) has been our client for the past ten years.  We are excited once again to work with such an innovative and important entertainment client.  Check out these industry articles from this year’s Screen Actor Guild Awards Show(R).   In relation to the SAG Awards(TM), we were quoted in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, February 22, 2009. 

 http://www.bizbash.com/losangeles/content/editorial/e14192.php

Take it from the SAG experts and set a dinner party table with flair - By Sandra Barrera, Staff Writer

Please see our article on the SAG Awards at Biz Bash.

 http://www.bizbash.com/losangeles/content/editorial/e9732.php

Whether you are giving a party for 20 or 200 there isn’t much difference in what you need to do to get ready for the event.  The important tools all involve organization and planning.  You start with your guest list, invites and RSVPs, which then leads to knowing who will be attending the event. 

 Either by yourself or with a caterer, you decide on what you will be serving and always be aware of any special food needs or allergies your guests may have.  Then comes the fun part.  Decor.  Again, either it is a simple table set for 20 or a large room with seating for 200.  Either way, you still have to pay attention to the amount of dishes, glassware, flatware, linen and decor you will need for the event. 

Service is an important factor at your dinner party since you want to be sure that your guests are attended to and that the food is hot.  It is always a good idea to discuss timing of the meal with your caterer or whomever is helping you with the event to ensure that they meet your expectations of what you want for that evening.  

Of course, once the food is on the table and your guests are eating is the time that you are able to relax and be a part of the event.  Allow yourself to be a guest at your own event. 

And finally, don’t forget the party favor!  This can be something simple and fun or a little sweet that your guests take away with them when they leave.  Never-the-less, the party favor is always something a guest loves to take home!

Nothing can be more satisfying as an event planner than to see your event run smoothly just as you planned it, especially when the world is watching.  Making sure that over 1,200 guests, most of which are on the A-list of Hollywood, are enjoying themselves and the food and beverage that is provided can be quite challenging.

As the Awards Event Supervisor for the SAG Awards, we start the event coordination and planning process about four to five months in advance.  We meet with the SAG Awards Committee and the producers of the SAG Awards show to discuss not only their guidelines but also their expectations for the upcoming show.  We then look to the television set’s art director, Joe Stewart, for inspiration and design ideas.  We actually extend his vision into our dining room.  This year, in celebration of SAG’s 75th anniversary, our charge by both the SAG Awards Committee and SAG producers was to create a regal yet classic and elegant dining experience.  We used two-toned golden linen designed by our art director, Keith Greco, and extended this look with our china, glassware and flatware all of which had gold on them as well.  Even the flowers, designed by C.J. Matsumoto, were golden.  

For our dinner, we served an antipasti plate so that our guests can have something to hold them over until the after-party sponsored by People Magazine and Entertainment Industry Foundation.  For our dinner this year, chef Alan Jackson created a Mediterranean styled plate of four food items - Tuna Nicoise, Chicken Bisteeya, Poached Lamb Loin and a Grilled Vegetable Terrine.  And of course no dinner can be complete without wine and champagne provided by both Dry Creek Vineyards and Taittinger.

This dinner gala is especially challenging since we are working with a live television production.  Thus, it is essential that we coordinate our serving times with the actual show and its commercial breaks, and we must work quickly since we only have two to three minutes during each of the television show’s segments.  In this instance, timing is everything!

Finally, after the telecast we strike the event that evening.  Close to 6,000 stems of glassware, 2,400 pieces of cutlery, and over 1,200 gold chavari chairs, black satin napkins and gold-rimmed china must be packed up and loaded out that evening to make way for the next event to be held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.  Then it is back to the drawing board for our team to top this year’s event and create an even more spectacular evening for next year’s SAG Awards to be aired live on both TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

Andrea Wyn Schall