It’s that time again for our annual fundraiser for The Wright House Wellness Center known as CulinART produced by ISES Austin.  This year our award winning event will be held at Hyatt Regency Austin downtown on Thursday, March 11th from 6pm to 11pm.  Please click on the link below to learn the details and even see a video of last year’s stunning event!

CulinART 2010 Press Release

There are still tickets available but advance registration closes on Monday, 3/8 so get ‘em quick! 

Here are the Chairs of this year’s awesome planning committee and I would like to send out a heart-felt thank you to all of them and their committee volunteers.

Event Co-Chairs:                                                                                                                                                     Bryan Azar, ILIOS Lighting/Michelle Bromley, Allison’s Events

Food & Beverage Chair - Vanessa Tobias, The County Line and Cannoli Joe’s  

Decor Chair - Diane Lyerly, Premiere Party Central 

Sponsorship Chair - Damon Holditch, CSEP, Marquee Event Group

Auction Chair - Heather Carroll, 6ixth Sense Events

Marketing & Communications Chair - Amy Thompson, Angel Springs Event Center 

Registration Chair - Stacey Hoyt, Stacey Hoyt Events

Entertainment Chair - Lera Derrick, LED Events

Documentation Chair - Ron Parks, Ron Parks Photography

Volunteer Coordinator - Dondra Gayle Wilson

Because we will be doing single sessions, the catered lunch or dinner will not be offered so take $25 off the fee making the cost a VERY affordable $275.  The valuable piles of information and documentation that you will receive is what we usually save for our “Day-of” and Classic Package clients who pay anywhere from $1,200 to $3,000.  The coupons and discounts that you will receive from our Preferred Vendors will total more than the cost of the class.  Take it from Nancy and I who have been in the industry for a combined total of 43 years, it is better to be prepared from the beginning for all of the little details that will encompass you and your life during the planning process.

 Click here for details: Workshop Flyer 

 Just call Michelle at (512) 267-4544 to schedule a session that works for both calendars. 

I applied for a scholarship to the annual ISES educational conference known as Eventworld and I won!  I have given a lot of volunteer hours to my ISES chapter over the past six years and I am being paid back by being able to attend these conferences at little out-of-pocket expense.  Wouldn’t you like to go to Hawaii, The Bahamas, or

 

There were many educational sessions to choose from, and I attended some sessions that blew me away.  I took lots of notes and they deserve to be shared.  So, I am going to submit one blog article per session each week for your review.  I hope you enjoy the information as much as I did. 

The Keynote Speaker that kicked off the conference was Simon T. Bailey founder of the Brilliance Institute.  He used to work at Disney World or the “Mouse House” as he called it.  The name of the session was “Releasing Your Brilliance”.  How good does THAT sound?  Take my word for it, it was phenomenal!  Simon addressed what is on all of our minds: the event industry strain in a downturn economy. 

First, he discussed our “brilliance” or insight, potential, genius.  He said that when we live, work and play in an environment where we are operating in our brilliance, we are being CELEBRATED and not just tolerated.  He said releasing your brilliance is about living from the inside out, or existing to leave an imprint.  He said when we find our brilliance, we find our significance.  Pretty profound, huh? 

How do we find our brilliance?  I’m glad you asked.  He said change and even adversity (like this economy downturn) promotes our brilliance.  There is a shift of loyalty going on from “to company”, “to selves”.  It’s about making your personal brand sticky in times of change.  Rewrite your job description in order to be sticky – upgrade your verbal software because words carry energy, Simon says.  “At the end of the day the hand that will feed you is at the end of your wrist”.   

Bailey told us that the secret of our brilliance is hidden in our habits and that our habits create our future daily routines.  He said that we must break our crutches before they break us, and that we must focus on what we CAN do instead of what we CAN’T do.  It’s all the internal chatter that causes our brilliance to dim.  We talk ourselves out of our success!  Are you familiar with the phrase…”yes, BUT”…?  Of course, we all say it all the time.  Simon suggests that we change that phrase to …”yes, AND…” when we notice the BUT coming and switch to something that we CAN do to adapt to the situation at hand. 

 

He stated that part of the secret to brilliance is coming to a place of internal alignment and clarity…no longer being scattered.  He used the completely awesome analogy of the formation of the diamond to releasing your brilliance: a diamond is formed by going through heat, pressure and change. 

Bailey loves the made-up word “Vujade”.  Do you know who coined that word?  According to Simon, it was the famed comedian George Carlin.  It’s “Déjà vu” (a feeling of having experienced something before, although in fact it is the first time that it has been experienced) backwards.  Well, Simon has adapted a concept for the word Vujade and uses it to sustain his brilliance, and he sees this concept being used in other success stories as well.  The concept of Vujade is “to take a fresh set of eyes to look at something in order to understand it differently”.  He gave examples of companies that have done just that, and he sees the brilliance being measured by the fact that these companies have made their customers the unofficial marketing departments for their businesses.  Examples are:

• Amazon
• Apple’s I-phone
• Google
• Zapos.com

He also spoke of companies during the Depression and how they used this concept of Vujade to later become Fortune 500 companies.  Can you think of some examples? 

Another tool that Simon has created and uses in his own life to sustain his brilliance is the 90/30/7/15 rule: Every 90 days have a meeting with me, myself, and I about how I’m going to function within that three month period, set a 30 day goal to be achieved within that 90 days, and take 15 minutes completely for myself 7 days a week.  Here are the main anchor points of his presentation:

• Be a Storyteller – Every day you are telling a story about your belief system.  Happiness is an inside job!
• Be Intentional – What are the new skills that you need to acquire to STAY relevant?
• Be Sticky – This has to do with personal branding.  Your brand represents your future earnings.  Not managing it means you are not taking control of your future.
• Be a Brilliandeer – A brilliandeer polishes and shapes diamonds.  Become one with your own brilliance.
• Be a Sustainer – What impact will you make within the next 10 years?  What do YOU want?

 

Here Simon made us do an exercise that I highly suggest you do as well.  Write down ten goals that you will achieve within the next ten years.  Now place those goals in order of importance from 1 to 10.  Utilize Bailey’s 90/30/7/15 rule to release your brilliance and achieve these goals one by one.  Create a new model for the new you in order to release and sustain YOUR BRILLIANCE! 

His website is www.simontbailey.com and you can see a youtube video here: http://www.simontbailey.com/Videos/Simon-video.html  

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Date:                    TUESDAY, June 30^th

Time:                    6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m.

Address:             4307 Teravista Club Drive

 Contact Phone:     (512) 633-7632 

This new venue is unique and full of hill country charm! Be among the first in the Austin area to utilize this enchanting location for your wedding ceremony and reception or rehearsal dinner. Come check out the panoramic view from our back porch while enjoying complimentary beer and wine.

 Grooms!  Receive a free round of golf (Mon-Thurs) for attending. 

Brides!   Any bride attending the event who books their wedding with us by August 31, 2009 can choose to receive $250 off the facility rental fee, a free champagne toast for up to 100 guests OR a round of golf for 4. 

Please RSVP to Michelle Bromley at michelle@allisonsevents.com                 

Vendors Attending Include:
Allison Events – Raffle prize: 50% off your wedding planning package of choice.  Value $750-$2500
Gino’s Italian Restaurant
Fantasy Cakes
Bella Bloom
Classical Guitar by Emin Navarro
Make Up by Amanda
Eric Hegwer Photograhpy
The Moving Images CompanyCen-Tex Party RentalSilver & Stone Realty Executives

Being a bartender in a couple of high-volume country bars and later in a busy bar on 6th Street, I have heard a couple of different origins for the word “tips”.  It is an acronym that comes from the words either To Insure Prompt Service or To Insure Proper Service (TIPS).  The word you should focus on here is “service”.  All of the vendors you hire are providing a service to you that when added together should bring to life a spectacular wedding day.  The wedding bartender is not the only person providing a service and therefore should not be the only person tipped.

Some clients see the words “gratuity”, “service charge”, “service fee”, or “coordination charge/fee” on a catering invoice and assume that money will go to the catering service staff at their wedding.  This is not the case!  The waiters/servers rarely see even a little bit of that money.  It is important to ask your catering sales person how much, if any of that money goes to the service staff.  These people will be doing the most labor intensive work at your wedding and deserve to be tipped.  The average amount is $25 per server and each one should be tipped individually.  You should include the Event Manager in the service staff calculations.  Your final catering bill should have the number of staff that will be working your wedding.  If it doesn’t, be sure to ask.

How to do it? Slip cash or personal checks into envelopes and hand them out at the end of the night. Assign this to the father of the bride, the best man, maid of honor or your planner.

From Sarah Kunze:

I really enjoyed the workshop!! I liked ALL of the information and there was so much of it. I thought it should be longer!!! Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into the workshop.

From another bride, C. Robinson

There is great information in the binder provided with this workshop. I’d like to see a full day class. I’m more that happy to recommend this workshop to other brides!

From Ashton Bull:

I really enjoyed this workshop and four hours seemed to be just the right time to cover all of the details. I have been to other workshops before and this one is the best so far. I really appreciate the binder and vendor recommendations as well.

Based on the surveys that our attendees provided, we have decided to lower the fee for this extremely informative workshop to $150 for a limited time!  If you would like to learn how to plan your wedding like the professionals do, why not learn from the best?  Contact michelle@allisonsevents.com to request more information about “Planning Like a Pro”.

On Wednesday, January14, 2009 from 6pm to 8pm you will be able to consult with an array of Austin’s top wedding professionals in a unique downtown venue, Mansion at Judges’ Hill.  Come sample an array of exquisite morsels prepared by Sterling Affairs in a setting that is sure to take your breath away.  Your romantic fairy tale starts here!  If tasting free food, cake, and signature bar drinks isn’t enough to get you to our party, surely a raffle of prizes that will greatly assist your wedding budget can spur you to action.  What have you got to lose but a lot of worry about planning your wedding?

Please RSVP online to michelle@allisonsevents.com or by phone at (512) 267-4544

Participating Vendors: Allison’s Events, Mansion at Judges’ Hill, Sterling Affairs Catering, Complete Music, Sterling Images, Floral Renaissance, Austin Party Central, Simon Lee Bakery, Life Coach and Officiant Mike Rinehart, Up-hair Stylist Tammie Garza, and Booth 66

Raffle prizes include a 16X20 custom bridal portrait, a groom’s cake, a $100 floral gift card, a $100 rental gift card, a seat in Allison’s Events workshop “Planning Like a Pro”, and much more*!                                                                                                 * You must be present to win the raffle prizes.  Certain stipulations apply to certain prizes.  See vendors for details.

Keep checking back to our blog for details on other Bridal Open Houses that Allison’s Events will be producing later in the year for wedding venues such as The Omni Downtown, The Renaissance and more.

Hope to see you on the 14th!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Allison’s Events Presents

Planning Like a Pro

Four Hour Workshop

Lunch included by a Preferred Wedding Caterer

$300 

Don’t let the struggling economy stop you from having a professionally planned wedding.  Learn to plan just like the professional wedding planners do at a fraction of the cost.  Learn their secret techniques, tricks and strategies to plan your own wedding down to the last glorious detail.  Taught by seasoned and trusted Wedding and Event Planners and the ACC Instructor that teaches Wedding Planner Certification to the pros. 

Classes are scheduled for February 21^st and 28^th as well as March 7^th, 14^th and 21^st  from 10am to 2pm. 

Sign up today because spots are filling up fast!  Call Michelle at 267-4544 or email michelle@allisonsevents.com to request an enrollment form.

Sample Topics for Allison’s Events Workshop“Planning Like a Pro” 

• What to do FIRST!!!
• Setting Your Wedding Goals
• What is a Bridal Profile?
• Controlling the Guest List
• Wedding Budget Basics
• Best Budget Tips
• Dates to Avoid
• Where do you find a Minister or Officiant
• Wedding Insurance - do you really need it?
• Latest and Greatest Wedding Styles, Trends and Colors
• Invitations Ideas and Selection - what to watch out for
• Invitation Wording - ideas for every situation
• How to choose a Venue, a Photographer, A Florist, A Caterer and everything else!
• Vendor Insights that You need to Know
• What does the estimate really cover
• Yuck! CONTRACTS!!!  Getting it in Writing
• How and When to Negotiate with Wedding Vendors
• Who Pays for What
• Gratuities – are they expected?  YES!
• Tips for Planning your Wedding at Work & Tricks for not getting Caught
• Hotel Room Blocks. - how do I get one and what to look for in the contract
• Top Tips for Wedding Cake Selection
• How to Create a Wedding Timeline
• Marriage License Requirements in Texas
• Name Changing Suggestions
• Staffing Your Event
• Bar Beverages and Signature Drinks
• Rentals - what are they and why do I need them
• Linens, China, Silverware, Chafers, OH MY!
• Etiquette Does Matter
• Specialty Lighting
• Music, Music, Music. - how to choose a band or DJ
• Wedding Song Selection
• Run Your Own Rehearsal
• Designing Your Wedding Ceremony
• Managing the Reception when YOU are the Guest of Honor

Each attendee will receive her own binder with details from the workshop to take home

1. A good meeting, event or wedding planner is worth their weight in gold. They will base preliminary decisions on your budget and suggest what number of guests, atmosphere, location, decor and even date and time the budget can stretch to accommodate.  They will even suggest the degree of formality based on your budget.

2. A pro can plan everything from the venue, florist, audio/visual, lighting, arrange for decorations, valet parking, transportation to catering and much, much more all while saving you from costly mistakes.  Remember this is what they do all day long, they know who the best vendors are who will deliver what they have promised.

3.  They take the guess work out of the planning process.  You might like the price of company A but because you don’t do this for a living you might really be better off hiring company B because they do better quality work.  You don’t know this because this isn’t your expertise.  A planner will steer you in the right direction.

4. A qualified planner will always have a contingency plan.  They will assess the risk factor of any event and make suggestions and offer guidance to accommodate anything that could go wrong