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Happy New Year to all of you. 2007 is going to be a great year for our chapter! The January monthly meeting at the National Press Club was a great success. With 167 attendees, we had a record turnout. Richard Carbotti and his sons gave a dynamic presentation, educating members in event design production elements. We have a fantastic meeting planned for February as well. Please join us for a "Love Lunch" on February 14, 2007, at Decatur House in Washington, DC. Sugarplum Tents has some wonderful products to debut and local pastry chefs will compete in our first annual cake-decorating contest. Richard Aaron of Bizbash will be our featured speaker. In March, we have two terrific events; the ISES Northeast Region Education Conference (REC) on March 10-11 will take the place in Washington DC at the Renaissance Hotel. This conference brings together some of the top event educators in the Northeast Region. Event professionals from Maine to Virginia will come to DC for a conference that has something for everyone. I often hear vendors say that the education is only good for planners & well, not at this conference. Our Education Committee has worked hard to come up with three tracks - Introductory, Advanced and Business. Each track will have four sessions. In addition, we have two master classes that run for two consecutive sessions. The monthly breaker will be on Saturday, March 10, to coincide with the REC. What a great opportunity to not only network with your fellow ISES DC members, but also to make ISES contacts throughout the Northeast Region. Our second March event is the 12th annual ISES DC Capital Awards gala being held on March 27, at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, MD. Gala Co-Chairs Jamie Greenwald and Patti Weiner are planning an "Evening of Decadence" to honor this year's award nominees. Event submissions for the Capital Awards Gala are due February 12 - if you don't enter, you can't win. As always, the event entries are kept anonymous for judging. All entry forms with names are removed and each entry is assigned a number. The entries are then sent to another ISES chapter for judging to avoid bias. This year ISES turns 20! In an effort to connect the past with the present, we are going to be instituting a Lifetime Achievement Award starting with this year's gala. To nominate a member of our chapter, please contact Bob Blanken, our gala awards chair at bob@blankenphoto.com. In addition, we will be bringing you education that will include "voices from the past." We have a wealth of experience in our chapter and we want new members to make connections with the more seasoned professionals and for the more experienced members to see the benefits of continuing to be a part of ISES. On that note, you will continue to see veteran ISES members bring you lessons of experience intermixed with new and cutting edge ideas in our educational sessions. Whether you are new to ISES or one of our chapter's founding members, I hope to see you all at these great upcoming events! Alysha DiGiorgio, ISES DC President
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President's Letter
An ISES Success Story: Bialek's Music Ltd and the Magic of Bejamin Corey Feinblum When you choose a path in life, set goals, and aim actions forward, the people you need to achieve your goals will appear. For me, ISES DC proved this statement true. As event professionals we all face a time crunch, yet still want to increase business. In my experience ISES remedies that problem. My ISES success story began when out of an ocean of friendly faces- one emerged- and showed the way. I met Ray Bialek (past Chapter President and current Membership Director) at my first ISES event while performing magic. He was impressed, trusted me, and booked a show that week. After that show, Ray introduced me to many ISES DC members and let people know how happy his clients were. Now, a dozen events later, we rely on each other even more for every kind of event - including our last - a show for a large corporate audience. Bialek's Music Ltd was my first taste of ISES professionalism. I received a show contract quickly, follow-up calls, and payment three days after the event. Agents provide great value when they are this professional. Also, Ray has a diverse range of clients that like to schedule events at all different times. This helps me perform steadily year round, rather than 14 shows in four days with a huge drop off a day later (which happens around the holidays). In contrast, non-ISES agents and event planners might not write a contract so I would send them mine (which they often would not respond to), they would forget what show I performed for them, and some required reminders to pay 90 days after the event. The line, "this is the entertainment business," was their justification for sloppiness- my thought, "That is not how I operate my business." Due to this, I have booked all shows myself for several years. The problem with that began as budgeting, sales calls, and paperwork replaced time with my creative team and my director Irvin Kershner (Director of "Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back"). Also, I receive a 50% deposit up to a year in advance without headache when I book my own show. That money often goes directly to my staff or directly into production. Imagine the budgeting challenge as I draw blueprints for an original illusion and commission builders on a seven month project at costs exceeding $10,000 up front, when agents function poorly and pay late. Getting paid a year in advance, rather than three months late, pushes the production schedule years ahead. Every booked event, paid predictably on time, allows me to produce more original magic, which is the value I provide to agents and event planners. ISES members know how to work with entertainers and now I do not have to book every event on my own. I greatly appreciate the professionalism experienced while recently beginning work with other ISES members such as Washington Talent Agency, Entertainment Exchange, Cast of Thousands, the Mayflower Hotel, Marriott, Cara Weiss at Save the Date, and Select Event Rental who now book me for events. Our relationships formed due to repeated exposure because these members consistently attend ISES events. That commitment is also present in their business practices. Now, we can and do rely on each other. We can and do write each other's success stories. The immediately apparent synergy between members and the support of people like Ray Bialek is why I joined. Specifically, I was so impressed with Bialek's Music that those first interactions are why I am here. The results of this synergy are tremendous. In November, I poured my focus into the largest performance of my career at the Eldorado Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana. I performed for 1,200 people in one night, with 2,400 eyeballs trying to catch me and foil my magic. The focus paid off and the show was a hit. When I returned home, rather than facing an empty schedule, I received several calls from ISES members and my schedule remained steady. When I focus that intensely there is no time to book shows myself and all of the sudden performances stop. ISES members helped solve that problem. As I build the production for that scale of event, I initially spend more on the show than I earn; the show must be performed many times before the production costs are recouped. Thus, every show agents and event planners book during these times is critical. What will help shape our future success? We must break down the assumption adults make that magic is for kids. Adults respond more to magic than kids because they are caught completely off guard. Next, we must look closely at pricing. A show requires many months of preparation and my crew may work all day and into the night for setup and breakdown. Pricing must reflect the cost of developing quality stage productions to enhance your events. ISES events are a true networking opportunity and provide a supportive environment that benefits all. Newsletter articles reveal one's perspective and teach others how they can work with your side of the industry. Working with others allows you to focus on your expertise and you can specialize further. As I build for a national tour, with the DC region as my local event hub, ISES members are helping me climb out from under the paperwork, and are making the experience more than I dreamt it would be. This is my ISES success story. Next time I see an ISES visitor, I will aim to meet them first. New members are the lifeblood of ISES and together we all write each other's success stories. |
Student Program on the Move
A student reception kicked off the New Year at the January ISES chapter meeting with 25 students attending. Director of Students, Dave Edwards, CSEP spoke on the topic, "The Special Event Game Plan". It was an informative session on how to become more involved in the events industry and what ISES can do to assist one's career. Students from area event programs heard about the latest event resources, such as magazines, industry conferences, books and websites. Edwards also urged the students to learn about every type of event for a well-rounded education. These include trade shows, festivals, corporate events, social functions, weddings, concerts, expos, sporting events, political events, reunions and incentive programs. He also asked students to learn about the different aspects of events including catering, entertainment, decor, floral, tours, lighting, sound, photography, videography, transportation and others. Goals for the Student Program in 2006/2007 are:
If you have any questions about the student program, please contact Director of Students, Dave Edwards, CSEP, at event.producer@comcast.net or call 703-812-0525.
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The Northeast Party Animals Are Coming To Washington
Washington, DC is home to the White House, the US Capitol Building and most importantly - the two-party system, a dynamic interplay between the donkey and the elephant. In March 2007 it will also be home to hundreds of ISES Party Animals, aka, special event professionals from the country's Northeast region. The Greater Washington, DC Chapter is proud to host the 2007 ISES Northeast Regional Education Conference (REC) on March 10-11, 2007 at the Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel. We are looking forward to showcasing our city and our award-winning ISES DC Chapter. Excellent education and fabulous networking are available in your own city - take advantage of the opportunity to engage! The REC Committee is offering a stylish Breaker at the Equality Center on Saturday, March 10 and an exciting education line-up on Sunday, March 11. We are especially excited to announce that our keynote speaker is Chef Roland Mesnier, former White House Executive Pastry Chef and author of a new book, All the Presidents' Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House, A Memoir. Chef Mesnier was hired in 1980 by First Lady Rosalyn Carter and continued to serve for 25 years, until retiring in 2004 from the Bush White House. Chef Roland will entertain you with his memories and anecdotes of working with various presidents and first ladies on some of the country's most prestigious events. Register now to be eligible for the discounted Early Bird rate of $225.00 for members and only $125.00 for student members. The Early Bird rate ends on February 10, 2007 so register now at www.isesrec2007.com. Visit our website for more information about the education sessions and sponsorship opportunities. The REC is an effective way to showcase your services to ISES members from eight different chapters in the region. We are in need of several services to make the event a success including transportation, audio-visual, table decor and more. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the REC, please contact our REC Sponsorship Chair Pat Richitt at pat@entertainment-exchange.com. We look forward to having you join the ISES DC Party system!
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ISES DC Holiday Party Recap
(continued)
Registration was quickly followed with Kelley Gillespie gathering a group of us newbies for a crash course in ISES 101. We start getting comfortable, learning more about the benefits of our new found membership and our small group starts to grow, and grow, and grow some more. I was surprised and impressed by the number of people that had recently joined or were interested in joining this chapter! As we started to see familiar faces talking shop, the networking began in earnest. Wandering around the hotel meeting new people and expanding my horizons also provided me an opportunity to explore the brand new Westin Arlington Gateway.
As the evening got into full swing, The Pat Richitt Project (PRP) supplied the musical entertainment for the evening. Two entertainers, with their hybrid brand of live vocals coupled with highly produced back-up tracks, kept the crowd surrounded by great music and some even braved the dance floor.
PRP took a quick break for our educational speaker, life coach and self-published author Dedra Faine. Dedra has created a personal approach to event planning through her book Celebrations from the Soul. She has designed a unique standard for understanding clients needs and offers a variety of methods to prepare a distinctive and personal experience for your guest. Her method delves in to the clients' desires and the way they want to be treated. Celebrations from the Soul also encourages us to create opportunities to share cultural and family traditions in order to make guests feel truly welcome.
Pleasant surprises were everywhere and one of the highlights was
decorating gingerbread cookies for the Children's Inn at National
Institutes of Health. Design Cuisine generously donated 100 gingerbread
men and all the fixings for this private, non-profit residence for
children suffering from serious illness. As the evening progressed
the gingerbread men, and in many cases gingerbread women, became more
and more elaborate with each decorator outdoing the other to create
the best looking cookie with the most amount of frosting.
And finally, what ISES DC event would be complete without a Silent Auction produced by our own Kelley Gillespie? Thank goodness Santa made a surprise appearance to help pass out treats and keep the merriment flowing.
Sagal Aden Laura Auer Juris Bilmanis Lynn Biondi Jennifer Collins Renata Costa Eboni Denard Dennis Duez Elizabeth Ebel-Nuwayser Vadim Finkov Lori Glisan Ariel Golocovsky Don Harper Kathryn Harris Raymond Hicks Nadine Isvarin LaKendra Kennedy |
Marietta Koustenis Sharyn Lodgen Aislynne Morris Jeannelle Muhammad Steven Ornstein Aleysha Proctor Laura Ritchie Robin Rosenthal David Sussman Wanda Thompson Jennifer Toney Joel Weiss Elaine Whalan Jacquelyne Willis Mark Wilson Nicole Fingers Woodward Robert York |
2006
ISES DC, All Rights Reserved.