Recap of WWPR’s June Professional Development Panel, “Secrets to Planning Perfect Events”
Jul 17, 2014 | Professional Development
On June 26th, WWPR’s Professional Development Committee in partnership with Pepco Holdings, Inc. hosted an exciting and informative discussion at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery revealing the secrets to planning perfect events. The sold-out event began with networking, hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Geppetto Catering, and a wine tasting provided by Total Wine & More. Along with sparkling wines, Total Wine provided takeaways, including formulas on how to calculate the number of bottles for an event using the number of guests and duration of the program. Debbi Jarvis, panel moderator and Group Vice President, Corporate Citizenship and Social Responsibility for Pepco Holdings, opened with a warm welcome and shared several pointers to planning a successful press event. Regarding developing relationships with reporters she shared, "You have to do the work before the event," and "Be a source, not a sore." The panel included:
- Reggie Kouba, (@rmkpro), Principal and Founder, RMK Productions
- Hilary Howes, (@hilarybydesign), CMG, Vice President, Encore Decor Inc.
- Joshua Carin, (@GeppettoCaters) Proprietor, Geppetto Catering, Inc.,
- Elaine Coronado, President, Argus Events& Marketing
- Avoid lines by making sure your registration, food and beverage lines are easily accessible and well-staffed.
- Practice Makes Perfect: If you have speakers, give them an opportunity to practice onstage in advance with the sound and lighting in place.
- Make sure you wear comfortable shoes...things move fast.
- Every event needs to have a “wow” moment
- Show your sponsors love
- Be creative—thinking outside the box will get you results