The Party/Event Planner "Insider"

Since I am new to the “biz” of party and event planning I thought it would be a great way to meet people and get to know them by interviewing them for the untraditional topiaries blog. That way they can learn a bit about me and I can learn a lot about them and their businesses, and hopefully some of my readers can pick up a few new tips here and there.

My first interview was with Lisa of Favorite Things. She is a wonderful lady, entrepreneur and mom and has a great smile.



“The Party/Event Planner Insider”

1. How did you get in the biz?
I started my career as event planner right out of college. When I started I did business events - conferences and meetings. That was where I learned the importance of attention to detail. When I had children, I worked part-time selling promotional products and I naturally gravitated to clients in the special events industry. I moved from corporate clients to social clients when friends started asking me to create favors and finishing touches for their events - Weddings and Mitzvahs. I had so much fun working with "social" clients that I decided to start my own business, PARTY FAVORITES, which creates custom favors and finishing touches for social events.

2. How would you define event planning?
There are so many elements involved in an event. Planning a fabulous event is so much more than just hiring vendors. To me the success of an event depends on the thoughtfulness of the details and event planning encompasses all of those details.

3. What is your favorite part of an event?
My favorite part of a Wedding? Mitzvah? Corporate event? Such a hard question because every event is (or should be unique). I don't know if a have a favorite thing about each type of event but I do know that my favorite events are ones which truly reflect the guest or guests of honor.

4.How many hours go into planning a wedding? Bar/Bat Mitzvah? Corporate event?
People don't realize how many hours go into planning an event until they are in the midst of planning. It can turn into a full-time job even for the most low-key events. A good event planner can save a bride or a mitzvah mom a lot of time when it comes to researching vendors, executing ideas and running event related errands.

5. What is something most folks wouldn't know about planning a wedding? Bar/Bat mitzvah? Corporate event?
I am a big believer in "branding" and event. In most cases this means creating a great event logo (which reflects the guest or guests of honor even if it is a simple monogram) and using it to "tie the details" of the event together. It is really inexpensive to create the logo (a specialty of PARTY FAVORITES) and once it is created it can be used for not just favors but escort cards, GOBO, decor, cocktail napkins, video screens...the list goes on and on. People do not realize the impact of an amazing logo but once all of the logoed details are woven together the impact is huge.

6. Where is your favorite coffee spot?
Starbucks

7. What is your favorite color?
PINK

8. What is your favorite flavor?
Chocolate.

9. What is your favorite type of cake?
I love simple vanilla cake with chocolate icing.

10. What do you think about movies that are about "wedding planners?" do you think they portray the industry correctly?
I don't know how "correctly" they portray wedding planners because every planner is so different but I love comedies about wedding planners because the best wedding planners don't take themselves too seriously and can diffuse a bad wedding situation with quick thinking and a sense of humor.

For more on Lisa you can check out her blog or you can follow her post on events for the DC Ladies every other Wednesday.