It is quite easy to explain our conference in one word….an EXPERIENCE!

This conference did not fall short of anything when it came to content. The presenters were phenomenal and offered an array of subject matter.

The Concurrent sessions I attended included “Sexy Tents”, “Buffets and Action Stations”, “The Creation of an Event”, “AND…this little piggy really needs to market”, “How to turn your catered event into a night to remember with Caviar Tastes on a Hot Dog Budget”, “Strategically Marketing yourself internally and externally” and lastly, “Now What? How to improvise and thrive when things go wrong”.

All of the sessions provided dynamic content but my favorites were “Sexy Tents” and Now What? How to improvise and thrive when things go wrong!”.

Sexy Tents offered a plethora of pictures and details that one often doesn’t think of when it comes to tenting an event. Of course, we don’t have a lot of the high profile events that these people do, but to bring those ideas down to a smaller scale will definitely prove beneficial in my area.

Improvising is something we all have to do, but Avish offered several exercises and even team building activities that I was able to take back to my team and actually use.

My favorite comment that he made when someone responded with, “that’s not my job”, was…”It’s not about your job, it’s about the outcome!” How true is that? We often hear those statements as managers and cringe when we hear them. But when it boils right down to it…we are all in it for the same reason…the outcome!

The general sessions were nothing to push aside either. The content and visual aspects were tremendous. I truly enjoyed our opening speaker, Walter Scheib, who was the personal chef for three (3) terms in the White House. I truly felt I could relate to him and the fire he is constantly put under when in the kitchen.

Our closing speaker was by far my favorite…It’s a theme party as Cindy Novotny would say! Her positive energy and home striking comments crossed every “T “and dotted every “I”. It was truly tremendous. Her breakdown of life and work balance fell nothing short of right on. She also nailed it on the head when she said, “Busy makes busy and slow makes slow”. She firmly believes in not following others dreams, but to make and follow your own.

Cindy is also a constant carrier of Susan Scott’s book, Fierce Conversations. She said she never leaves home without it. She also enforced the idea of constantly marketing yourself. There is never a bad opportunity to sell yourself or your company.

Cindy also focused on what 100% is. She questioned if being around 100% of the time was better or if being present 100% of the time was better? Of course, being present was the winner. She said she always had her cell phone on and was reachable by all if need be.

The break outs, food and décor were sub par to start but really finished with a bang! The last day the Philadelphia Chapter really stepped up the themes, décor and presentation. The breakfast was themed after American Bandstand and we had girls roller skating in the middle of the room during our meal…totally cool!

The off-premise event was breath taking. The Adventure Aquarium hosted our event within their amazing aquatic walls. The sea life was beautiful and added quite the dramatic touch to the food and décor.

Overall, the experience was terrific and one I will continuously talk about. The ideas that were generated and the brainstorming that took place, will only set us up for future successes. I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity!