On a normal day in 2019, I’ll receive anywhere from 10-15 “Event” invitations. From Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Meetup and networking groups I belong to, I could literally fill my entire month’s calendar in the span of a week. Less, if I took into consideration all of the articles I read concerning local events and happenings, and personal invitations. There is, quite literally, not enough hours in the day. There is, though, enough so-called “events” in the day.

If your website is done well, it should make you feel like you have a salesperson on your team, working her tail off as your own personal hype woman. You don’t even have to have a super fancy, custom-built website to make this happen. In fact, I’m a huge fan of Squarespace and all of its built-in features. But you do have to have well planned content that guides your potential customers through your site and encourages them to take action before they click away.

If you’ve been following my journey, you know the importance of community in building the person and businesswoman I am. From my tenure with Professional Women’s Roundtable; to Party Partners of Philadelphia (now The Industry Formula); to entrepreneur networking groups like Wellstruck Lady Boss, finding or cultivating a community of people who support one another has been instrumental in my success.

I’m delighted to interview my friend, fellow entrepreneur/cannapreneur, and strategic partner , Eric Michael. He and I are partnering on a number of events and campaigns, and he’s one of my all-around favorite people.

You can tell busy season is here when I don’t have time to blog (note to self: pencil in time to blog).

Throughout the year, I receive dozens (sometimes over 100) emails or messages asking to “pick my brain.” Furthermore, judging by my conversations with other entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals, I’m not alone. messages flood email and social media inboxes, and introductions seem to fly at you and before you know what happened, you’re scheduling a meeting.

If you’re anything like me, your Facebook notifications are full of events you can attend throughout the week. From Painting with a Twist parties, to themed nights at local clubs, to special chef’s events at restaurants. A quick look at your inbox, I bet, would reveal the same thing: invitations for things to do with friends, family and brands. It seems like there’s always “Something to do.”

When I graduated with my degree and experience in event planning, I happened to step out into the worst economy my generation had known. Every major company was shying away from events, cutting their event planning teams and giving any event-based tasks to either the marketing department, Human Resources, or an administrator (who all had pretty hefty workloads of their own!)

As the economy started to get better, budgets started to once again be allocated to events. Emphasis on marketing events, celebratory events, incentive trips, and the like began to come back into the forefront. However, the sentiments of the post-market-crash lived on. Budgets were cut for events, and planners were expected to deliver the same quality of events with a budget that was slashed in half. Vendors had to begin “getting creative” with their pricing and offerings, and many planners expected an incentive to book.

By now, we've all heard of Shonda Rhimes' book, 'Year of Yes.'

Though I have never read the book, when I first heard her discuss it, I was all-in and a true believer: Say yes to things that come your way. Say yes to opportunities, yes to your future--and yes to everything that scares you.

Actually, I lived it. I said 'yes' to every single thing that scared me, beginning when I accepted the job at Snap Kitchen. From traveling by myself; to accepting a role with a start-up, with a future less secure than the offers I turned down; to speaking in public, live TV interviews and even group runs. It was an incredibly successful two years for me. I said 'yes' to volunteering opportunities, too, such as Professional Women's Roundtable and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My schedule was packed, my brand was out there--and I was facing my fears.

Site selection is a pivotal moment in the development of an event. After all, the difference between a hotel ballroom and a tented outdoor celebration will affect everything from your event budget, to signage, to audio visual and the number of attendees you are permitted to have at that event. All of these factors, then, must be considered when making this important decision. Below are 5 considerations when selecting your venue.

Photo by Joanna Nowak Photography

I met Hillary a few years back and have been intrigued and impressed by her business’ mission and growth. Happy to have her on the blog this week!