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Laura Schwartz speaks about the Power of Networking

Elisa — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:45:00 +0000

This week I attended another fabulous ISES Orlando meeting! Our “Re-Introduce Yourself” meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency and boasted an attendance of over 100 ISES members and guests. Everyone was buzzing about Laura Schwartz of White House Strategies and looking forward to hearing her speak; she had tailored a presentation specifically for our group about the power of networking and how to network more effectively.

Laura has a dynamic personality and her boundless enthusiasm is contagious! She did an outstanding job of communicating great concepts and techniques for “building bridges” and optimizing your networking resources. Her presentation sparked many ideas for me, and I plan to implement some of her suggestions in the coming months.

One thing she said really stuck with me. She said, “Be the B“… At first my eyebrows raised (yes, she had my attention with that one!) and then she explained that it’s great to be in the position to connect an “A” and a “C” – in other words, be the person who connects others. Being the “B” essentially makes you the bridge, and helping others is a way of leading by example. This resonated with me because I often find myself in this exact position and it was nice to be reminded that even when you’re not directly benefiting from a situation, your role is important – sometimes key!

A Panel of Industry Experts Speak to Students at Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Elisa — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:23:00 +0000

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to share my insights and experiences with students at the Rosen College. I was in good company because other members of the panel included ISES Orlando Chapter President Christine Logan (T. Skorman Productions) and fellow ISES Board member Byron Loper (Ice Magic). Laura Ball (Orlando Marriott Downtown) was on hand to represent NACE and I was delighted to represent ABC and ISES. Dr. Mary Jo Ross, CSEP CPCE had invited us to speak to the students about our multifaceted careers in the special event industry (which I always enjoy!). Also worth mentioning is the fact that rising stars Laura Ball and Byron Loper are RCHM Alumni and former students of Dr. Ross.

It was very exciting to be able to share valuable information (pointers) with the students regarding networking with other industry professionals, as well as tips for getting noticed by prospective employers, gaining experience and building their resumes. They are so lucky to have these types of educational opportunities!

Emerging from the Blog Fog

Elisa — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:05:00 +0000

I don’t even know where to begin…. I’m feeling pretty badly about the fact that my blog is withering in the corner like an unwatered plant! It’s certainly not for the lack of things to write about…. It’s actually just the opposite.

During the past six to eight weeks I’ve had the pleasure of working on some really spectacular projects! I spent a number of weeks working with the Director of Events at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management assisting with the development of the 2009 Grande Hospitality Gala. It was very exciting to be invited back as Assistant to the Event Producer, as I had a phenomenal time assisting with the 2008 Grande Gala!

Fall wedding season is keeping me quite busy! I was fortunate to squeeze in a post on an event that took place early in October. Subsequently, I’ve been posting little blurbs on Facebook regarding my recent adventures with weddings and events.(Be sure to check out the A Flair for Affairs fan page if you are active on Facebook!)

During October I was also busy planning a wonderful event for the Central Florida members of ABC. With the help of my ABC LNG Co-Director, Kerline Docteur, we organized a luncheon at Casa Feliz and had the privilege of having Rebecca Grinnels, President of Engaging Concepts as our guest speaker! She gave an outstanding presentation to our group and I continue to receive raves about her and endless compliments on the event. It was a great day! (I could’ve and should’ve written a full blog on this alone, but alas, the days just keep flying by!… I may try to recap it more completely after I catch up…).

ISES’s monthly event was held at IKEA in October; the event centered on a Table Top Design Competition using preselected IKEA merchandise and featured well known ISES member Ira Steiman as our speaker. Teams of ISES members and guests created about a dozen amazing tablescapes which were judged by the IKEA managers. It was an incredible treat to be part of an event that has NEVER been done before!

Looking forward to December, there is a huge industry luncheon on the horizon…! I’ve been attending committee meetings for this event on behalf of ISES and ABC and I’m really excited about the holiday theme that’s taking shape! This event will take place at the stunning Ginn Reunion Resort on Dec. 4th – can’t wait!

Let’s see… Let’s see… what am I leaving out…? I think I forgot to mention the chihuahua puppy (!) who joined our family about 5 weeks ago. His name is Baci – which I believe means ‘kisses’ in Italian. He’s the cutest little thing and seems to be adjusting to his new life; overall he’s been quite good and we love him!

Whew! – I’m suddenly feeling much better!

ISES GIVES BACK 2 – An Amazing Night at HEAVEN Event Center

Elisa — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:50:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I attended “ISES GIVES BACK 2 – Heavenly Holidaze” at the Heaven Event Center. (I blogged briefly about Heaven once before; it’s a ultra cool new venue space in Orlando.) This event was a spin-off of a fundraising event our ISES Programs team – led by J. Michael Hicks – produced last September.

Flashback to ISES GIVES BACK – 2007
Elisa with J.Michael Hicks, Derek Eaton and Jason Gabel
Courtesy: Christie’s Photographics

ISES GIVES BACK – It all began as a group of ISES friends came together to help a hardworking woman in the midst of some tragic circumstances. Quickly, many members of the special events industry also stepped forward to assist, and created this event. “ISES GIVES BACK – A Party for A Purpose” succeeded in raising critical funds that helped stabilize the recipient’s financial situation. In addition to generous support and contributions from local friends and associates, The SEARCH Foundation also provided a significant donation.

ISES GIVES BACK 2 – 2008
Courtesy: Elisa Delgardio

The “Heavenly Holidaze” event featured approximately two dozen ISES members who provided incredible food, furniture and floral decor, entertainment, lighting and more! The sponsorships for this event totaled over 85k and the venue looked amazing both inside and out! One of the fun-tastic features of the evening was the Laser Graffiti display, provided by ISES member Jon Adcock of Chameleon Designs. Jon describes Laser Graffiti as a combination of laser light, computers and projection, used in conjunction to create artistic and whimsical entertainment that’s so mesmerizing everyone wants to participate! I must agree – it was a blast!

ISES GIVES BACK 2 – 2008
Courtesy: Christie’s Photographics

The event which was widely covered by the local and industry media, was a complete success – all for a worthy cause!

3 CSEP’s "Git" it! {Gitomer in Orlando}

Elisa — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000

A few days ago I had the opportunity to see Jeffrey Gitomer speak – what a treat that was! His presentation was thought provoking, motivating and full of humor. The seminar program suggested that we (attendees) “try to walk away with six things you can use tomorrow” – that was easy to do because the points he presented made such perfect sense. Here’s my shortlist (top 3):

Read daily for attitude & education
(Train yourself to be the best)
Service, service, service!
(There’s always room for improvement)
Creativity and Quality stand out
(Constantly strive to set yourself apart)

Also in attendance, ISES friends Stacey Paul-Barabe CSEP and Heather Wilson CSEP

Eventworld 2008

Elisa — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:45:00 +0000

The Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida was the host hotel for ISES Eventworld 2008 on August 21-23.

What a blast! Hundreds of ISES members from around the globe attended EW this year, and experienced a variety of educational offerings, networking opportunities and well-deserved recognition for their work.

As I mentioned last week, I was really excited about this conference for a number of reasons… For starters, this was my first time attending Eventworld, and I was looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances. Not to mention that I was all hyped up about the Esprit Awards and the Spirit of Excellence Awards. In addition to that, the Vinoy is one of my all time favorite hotels! It’s a historic hotel (c. 1925) that boasts beautiful views of the St. Pete Pier and waterfront, incredible cuisine and luxurious amenities (like fabulously comfy beds!)

Well, unfortunately, our “Gala at the Grove” ( 2007 ABC Gala) event did not garner the coveted Esprit Award – but we are still happy that our event and team received worldwide recognition as nominees, and it was truly an honor to be in such distinguished company. And sadly (sigh) despite our best efforts, our Orlando Chapter did not take home a Spirit of Excellence Award… Yet, we are quite proud that Orlando’s own David DeLoach was sworn in as President of ISES International. (This marks the third time that a Past-President from the ISES Orlando Chapter has served as International President.)

Following the Esprit Awards on Saturday evening, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner reception in the Vinoy Grand Ballroom. You can see from the photos that the ballroom decor had a whimsical & elegant black and white theme, and the lighting was quite stunning. I had the good fortune of sharing this event experience with my friend and associate Kerline Doctuer PBC. And to our delight, we were seated alongside Sasha Souza MBC – an accomplished and well respected member of both ISES and ABC. Sasha spoke candidly with Kerline and I about many issues that we face as planners, blogging and her involvement as Events Chairperson with The SEARCH Foundation (Special Events Assistance & Resources with a Caring Heart). (Perhaps more on Sasha in a future post…)

All in all, it was a wonderful conference, and an especially memorable evening.

ISES – Orlando Chapter Installation at Isleworth & Eventworld

Elisa — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Exciting stuff to mention regarding ISES happenings!

On July 18th I attended the ISES Orlando Chapter Installation event at Isleworth Country Club. (ICC is truly one of my favorite venues… but I digress… )

The Installation event was lovely and dinner was wonderful. I was proud to be inducted to my second term as a Director at Large. I will continue working on the Programs and Education team and focus on arranging the educational content for our monthly meetings. I’m really looking forward to this year! Our team achieved some amazing things over the course of the last year, especially with regard to the “Class of 2008″ meeting series concept, and the level of excitement in our Chapter is really high!

Elisa with ISES Board Members & friends,

Eddie Diaz & Michele Philips-Bruno

As a matter of fact, this week many of us are headed to Eventworld 2008 - ISES’s annual professional development conference. This year’s event will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida – literally in our own backyard! Aside from great educational sessions and networking opportunities, Eventworld will give us the opportunity to gauge our (Orlando) Chapter’s accomplishments as compared to other Chapters. We have documented our efforts between 2007-2008 and are vying for a number of Spirit of Excellence Awards – including Chapter of the Year. I’ve got my fingers crossed!

While at Eventworld, I’m looking forward to attending the Esprit Awards Celebration. I’ve attended a number of industry awards celebrations over the years, but this will be the first time I’m attending as a nominee (!). I’m already quite honored to have my work recognized on an international level as one of the top three events in it’s category. (Wow!) In and of itself, the nomination is a huge feather in my cap; plus it will bring attention to key members of the event team who are also ISES members, and to the Association of Bridal Consultants because “Gala at the Grove” 2007 was also produced with the support of many talented ABC members. Of course if I actually take home one of the Esprit Awards for “Best ISES Team Effort” I’ll be over the top!

According to ISES, the Esprit Awards are “designed to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts, performance, and outstanding contributions of ISES members in the special events planning industry”. They serve as the mark of global distinction and the highest level of professional acknowledgement within the special events industry today. “The ISES Esprit Awards celebrate those event professionals who have turned their ideas into accomplishments”.

Wish me luck!

A Reminder of What Really Matters…

Elisa — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:16:00 +0000

Monday I attended the funeral of a colleague. I didn’t know him especially well but I respected him as a fellow member of ISES and ‘all around nice guy’, so I wanted to attend. I must say it was a lovely service: touching words were spoken, memories were shared and many tears were shed. And sitting there my mind drifted to uneasy thoughts of the day when I would find myself in the front row, dealing with the loss of a loved one… A bit morbid, I know, but it got me thinking about how important it is not to lose sight of the things that really matter… Thanks for the reminder, Tom. God Bless.

Drumroll please….

Elisa — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:39:00 +0000

Today started off with an interesting little situation… which I was all prepared to write about as it involved a fellow coordinator who found pictures from her website on another (newer) coordinator’s website. My mind ran wild with the editorial possibilities – but that was at 10 am.

At 11:30 I was scrambling to make it to a meeting with our ABC State Coordinator. We had an appointment to ‘catch up’ – as she is quite a busy lady and I always enjoy the opportunity to fill her in on a things I’ve been working on and hear about her latest projects.

Following that, I rush back to the office, pull email and start catching up on my to-do list… At least I tried. On the to-do list today: Make programs for Wedding #1 this weekend, prepare sales tax, return phone calls and email… Oh, the rental company can’t find my cc authorization so I need to re-fax… And, in the midst of all of this, I’m working on a special project for ISES which involves my typing a few pages of information for our Programs & Education binder (part of our “Chapter of the Year” submission). And so it went… and then something really fabulous happened…

About 5 pm I received an email from ISES Headquarters with information regarding the annual Esprit Awards. The email started off like this:

The 2008 ISES Esprit Awards Committee would like to thank the exceptional ISES Members who submitted an entry for the 2008 ISES Esprit Awards. Each and every entry represented the high level of professionalism practiced by ISES Members world-wide. You are all truly the best and brightest in the Special Events Industry!

Flashback (I may have to use this term a lot since my blog is new): A few months ago, with the help and support of a few colleagues and members of the event team, I submitted an event for an Esprit Award. Aside from sitting for the CSEP exam, it was literally one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done (from a professional standpoint). It took 3 of us about 80 hours to put this binder together – I mean, it was a very involved process – and all this going on right in the middle of prime-time wedding season. Somehow, we finished project, and it was actually quite impressive; we felt good about it and hoped it would do well in the judging….

So, the email says: Click here for the 2008 ISES Esprit Nominees - and I did….my heart was pounding as I scrolled through a long list of categories and names and then on page 11 I found my name! – and our event! – and my ISES Orlando team members!!! Oh my gosh- that was exciting! I took a few minutes to email our team with the news and and then it was back to work… another meeting from 6 – 9…