10 Things I Learned at This Year’s Women Presidents’ Organization Conference

May 10th, 2013 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Here are some of the kernels I took away from my participation in the Women Presidents’ Organization 2013 International Conference:

1. Women are starting to understand the power they have in numbers. They are mentoring each other, empowering each other, and creating businesses that are making a difference in their communities and in the lives of other women.

2. I am lucky to have heard Linda Applegate a few times as the head of the OPM program at Harvard Business School. Every time I hear her lecture, even if I’ve heard the content before, I hear something new. This time, I heard the term pivotal growth, and I think that’s the stage we are now in at 5th Avenue Digital. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Maximize Your Event Photography

February 25th, 2013 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

One of our most loyal and beloved clients, Consultants 2 Go, recently celebrated their 10^th anniversary in business, and we were there to capture the event.  Consultants2Go® is a management consulting company providing marketing and analytic consultants to Fortune 1000 companies.  Being experts at using PR to market their services, they had a specific plan in mind for using their event photos.

We asked Sandi Webster, one of the company owners, to re-cap their strategy for maximizing use of the event photos:

1.    All photos were posted to the company’s Facebook Page and website

2.    Individual photographs of clients, consultants and staff gave more ways to market:

• Sending individual emails to each attendee who was photographed, along with a Thank You for attending.  For clients, this individual email was a follow-up to any conversation had at the party, and was another client touch point.
• For some clients, including a photo of a consultant who can help their business.  Even if they didn’t speak at the party, it gave them an increased comfort level since they probably saw the person at the event.
• For consultants who attended, sending a link to the Facebook page so that they can see the album

3.    Emailing a newsletter including links to the pictures

4.    Sending a press release announcing the anniversary, with a photo

5.    Making commemorative photo albums for the staff

These are just a few ideas for extending the use of your event photos.  Including your event photos as part of your overall marketing efforts is strategic and smart – just like Sandi.  Thank you for sharing your marketing expertise, Sandi, and congratulations on 10 years in business!

Ten Things I Learned this Week in Sandy’s Aftermath

November 5th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

1-It is time I start to believe the hype about incoming storms. Sometimes they are correct.  I’ll never go through a tunnel again without remembering the sight of the flooded Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.  Kudos to Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg for leading us calmly and fearlessly.

2-It’s time to move to higher ground.  It’s tiring getting evacuated once a year.  My family in Connecticut all own their own generators. That won’t help on the 19^th floor.

3-New Yorkers are always nicest in crises.  I met the most wonderful people sharing cabs, bargaining with livery drivers, waiting on the bus line and sharing a power strip in Starbucks.  We come together and help one another when it counts.

4-Facebook has improved communication in crises.   This was the first crisis I’ve been involved in where Facebook was a major source of family communication.  We found out who left town, what Fire Island looked like, who had showers, and who needed a hug.  We shared sad pictures and humor and we have been able to help out friends in need faster than in times past.

5-New Yorkers are tough.  When one way doesn’t work, we find other ways.   We band together to help our neighbors and we speak our minds when we think we are not being treated fairly. Staten Island was offended by the idea of the merriment of the marathon – and Bloomberg listened.

6-It’s key to have a friend in the Police Department.  After the crane collapse on 57^th Street, we couldn’t get into our office, but needed to, to access our equipment for the weekend’s jobs.  Detective Bueller and Sergeant Gardella could not have done more to help us.  We were able to get into the office and get the equipment we needed. This was the result of Sergeant Gardella being a good friend of one of my dear friends, Alexis Fine DeAngelis of the Glazier group!   Detective Bueller even helped us lug our equipment down the street!

7-I have the best friends in the world!  This is not something I needed Sandy to learn, but it’s always reassuring to see how my friends are always there to check in and give support, to offer a desk, a bed, a shower and laugh.  I am eternally grateful.

8-I have the most amazing team.  While I also did not need a hurricane for me to learn this, Sandy reaffirmed it in a big way.  Camping out in Starbucks, strategizing how to get event galleries completed and YouBooth jobs fulfilled was a wonderful day.  We each brought humor and skill to the tasks at hand.  When the news came at the end of the day Friday that the marathon was cancelled and all our herculean efforts were for naught, Rylan and Beth went back to work managing the new information and informing the rest of our team.  I am so fortunate to be working by their side and learn from them always.

9- After 25 years of marriage and a few crises beyond our control, my husband is the best partner I could ever ask for.  I hold it together for a good period of time, but when I don’t he is there to make the decisions and work together in a true partnership to get through.  I am incredibly lucky and I am reminded often.

10- Some things work out the way they are supposed to.  About three months ago, our top technician, Ron, told us he was getting married on November 3^rd and asked us to use the YouBooth for his wedding.  When the marathon booked three booths, we quickly began working on YouBooth version 3 so we would have an extra for Ron.  We were close to it being finished, but Sandy got in the way and we were closed out of the office because of the crane.   Ron understood of course.  When the marathon cancelled, we had an extra booth and were able to supply it to Ron and Daphne!

All in all, there is always learning that comes from catastrophe.  The government will be spending lots of time on how to improve New York’s infrastructure.  I’m lucky to know that there is nothing I need to improve except my need to be in control.  Because, are we ever really in control??

Things I Learned at My First Harvard Reunion Weekend

October 25th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

    It was truly wonderful to go back to Boston and see my friends from the executive MBA program I completed a few years back.

The weekend was filled with wonderful classes, great conversations and a perfect road trip with my friend Sandy Webster.

Here are a few of my takeaways:

 

• There were no new concepts presented, just reaffirmations that I’m on the right track with 5^th Avenue Digital, with our concentration on innovation, customer-centric service, and new focus on profits.

•  Viral marketing works when there is good natured humor involved. You don’t need a big budget but humor is the essential ingredient.  Here’s an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSBO8YAnTQ.  This little-known cheese company hit it big with this video…enough said!

 

•  There’s been a customer revelation and now the customers have the power, all what we have been feeling.  It’s important to remember how you are creating value for them and what will motivate them to buy in the future.  Keep innovating.  Be in the business of delighting your customers.

•  Treat your customers as assets — not costs.

•  If you make a promise- keep it!

•  There are no mature companies, just mature mindsets.

•  Boston in October feels like coming home.

•  That one of the best things about the Owners-Presidents-Managers program is the friends I have made from all over the world, and how enlightening and inspiring it is to get to know them better every year.
• That old men get wobbly-kneed and inappropriate around Tyra Banks.

 

The Social Media Portal

July 19th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Take a quick look at our new promotional video for our Social Media Portal!

The Social Media Portal from Fifth Avenue Digital on Vimeo.

Please feel free to tell us what you think.

5th Avenue Digital’s Social Media Portal

June 28th, 2012 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

Last night, 5^th Avenue Digital was awarded a Big Apple Award from the New York Metro chapter of ISES (the International Special Events Society), for Best New Product.  We couldn’t be prouder!  Our new product is the Social Media Portal, and since winning the award lots of people have been asking us: what IS the Social Media Portal?  For all those inquiring minds, here’s the answer.

At events where we provide photography, the Social Media Portal enables everyone to select their favorite photos and email them, or post them on Facebook and Twitter.  This works for portraits, with green screen photography, or even with general photography coverage.  Photos are sent to our Portals almost immediately, where they can be viewed and selected.  Here’s a screen shot of the selection page, which can also be branded with a logo in the upper right corner.

The images are ready to select almost instantly after they’re taken. Selecting and posting images is super-easy, and we provide a Host to assist anyone with questions.  We provide three types of stands: a clamp that attaches to a counter or table, a stand for high-boy tables and a floor stand.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wedding Wednesday Wisdom with Amanda Allen of NewlyWish

June 20th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Want to know where to find chic wedding gifts that break out of the traditional mold?  Amanda Allen can tell you exactly where to find to them—because it took planning her own wedding to ferret out the eclectic mix of stores and service providers she was looking for. NewlyWish is the child of Amanda’s and Robard Williams’s experience and their desire to create an online registry where others could easily find and share ideas and gifts from the sophisticated to the hip, and from place settings to artwork and fitness training sessions. We love that Amanda’s registry also features eco-friendly gift ideas. Amanda talks about trends in the wedding registry and what inspires her work.

 

What are the top trends in registry for 2012?

Of all parts of the wedding planning process, registry is the one that best lends itself to being done online from start to finish, so I think we’ll be seeing even greater use of existing online technologies and platforms as well as the development of new ones to help make the registry creation process simpler and even more attuned to couples’ needs.  One technological “advance” that we’ve seen over the past few of years is the growth of cash registries. Going forward, though, I think couples are going to increasingly focus on products and services for their registries (guests can always give cash or a check in card), drawing on improvements in ecommerce, generally, and registry-specific developments that allow couples to quickly reduce the world of available products down to just those that they want. Read the rest of this entry »

Wedding Wednesday Wisdom with Shawn Rabideau

June 13th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Talk about a turn of events!  This week’s featured expert was on his way to a career in journalism, when he decided it wasn’t for him.  During a short stint as a merchandiser at Pottery Barn, Shawn Rabideau found he had a knack for table decor and room design.  Soon, his talents were recognized and he jumped at an offer to do just that, full-time, in an event planning role.  It developed into such a passion that in 2004, Shawn decided to strike out on his own, founding New York-based Shawn Rabideau Events & Design, a full-service event production, floral design and lifestyle company.  With a long list of celebrity, corporate and charitable clients, Shawn’s had such success that he is considered one of today’s leaders in the event planning industry.  We couldn’t wait to wrangle a few precious minutes to sit down and chat about his experiences!

How has the industry changed since you started?

The internet, reality television and the economy have changed the industry.  There is more competition than there was before, brides believe what they see on TV and they are spending less and planning more on their futures than they are on the occasion.  I think we have to work a bit harder than we did a few years ago.  But I think it’s also super-rewarding! Read the rest of this entry »

Lessons Learned at the Annual Women Presidents Conference in Atlanta

April 30th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the annual conference for the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), held in Atlanta. Every year I learn valuable lessons and gain tremendous insight from this dynamic group of successful women. Here are the take-away lessons from this year.

- Women are fearless and powerful in numbers!  This is something I notice every time I’m at this conference and this event was no disappointment.  The ladies who work at the WPO, including Dr. Marsha Firestone, work tirelessly to make each year special. And they did so again this year.

- Laurel Richie, President of WNBA: Transcend your product features. Focus on the hopes and dreams of your customers and you can’t go wrong. The work she’s done on the Girl Scouts rebranding has been fascinating. Studies have shown that many successful women entrepreneurs started out selling Girl Scout cookies.

 

- Geena Davis is much more than a pretty face. Her work on the Geena Davis Institute helps brings awareness to the inequality of the way women and girls are portrayed in the media — still! Only 17% of all roles go to woman and there is still work to be done to make the roles more realistic and inspiring.

“The U.S. ranks 90th for female representation in government globally. Try NAMING 89 countries!” – Geena Davis

 

 

- Jim Collins, whose book Great by Choice, has identified a commonality that makes great leaders truly great: fanatic discipline, empirical creativity and productive paranoia.

- Big idea: what would be missed if we weren’t here? That should be the golden rule of your business.

- Also: Great companies need to be great without you!

- When filling key positions in your company, make sure the candidates fit with your values when they walk in the door, that they have a passion for what you do and don’t need to be tightly managed, and that they don’t feel they have a job, but that they have responsibilities.

- Jim Horan talked about the one page business plan: what behavior needs to change in order to achieve your 3 to 5 year vision?

- Marylin Molbley of Edelman Public Relations: when crafting your story, think coverage and conversation. Reverberation often trumps circulation. Think about how to make your story reverberate.

- If you’re not on LinkedIn, you don’t exist!

- Only been 20 Beluga whales have given birth in captivity. We watched one about ready to give birth at the American Express Fastest Growing Women-owned Companies event at the Atlanta Aquarium. They gestate between 14 and 16 months, and divers need to take turns getting into the water to help because the baby whale has only two minutes to get to the surface or it will die.  The staff at the Aquarium has been on 24 hour around-the-clock watch for a month. I hope we hear about it in NYC!

The WPO conference never fails to inspire greatness!

Oh, Sugar! Wedding Wednesday Wisdom from Amy DeGiulio

April 25th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

What’s better than fresh, local, seasonal ingredients when it comes to wedding and event cakes?  Nothing! And cake maven Amy DeGiulio certainly knows this.  Her NYC-based Sugar Flower Cake Shop not only specializes in gorgeous custom creations specifically made for her clients, but her delectable designs are mostly sourced from her farmer and chef friends up in the green Hudson Valley.  Amy herself once cultivated a lush garden there, so when she got the idea to expand her penchant for making the most precious sugar flowers into cake design, she founded her business on the principle of only using the freshest, best tasting goods available. Amy recently took some time to share a bit of Wedding Wednesday Wisdom with us!

 

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

I love the opportunity to be doing something creative. My former careers as an actuary and a high school math teacher were rewarding for their own reasons, but in cake design and running a business, I get to use both sides of my brain. One minute, I’m using my Excel spreadsheets to calculate the exact amount of batter I need for each size cake we bake, and the next, I’m working with a client to replicate the fabric flower on her dress in sugar.

 

What are your “must-haves” when working an event?

None of the designers at Sugar Flower Cake Shop like creating the same cake twice.  We must have creative control over the final product, with lots of influence from the couple and tons of inspiration from the other event elements.  Please don’t come to us expecting a replica of someone else’s cake.

 

Is there a tool you wish you had, but don’t?  What would you invent to make your job easier?

When we are faced with needing a mold or feel limited by the cake decorating tools available, we look outside the industry, or simply create our own.  Our shop is made up of tools from sculptors, fashion designers, and even plumbers. Last year, a cutter that I really loved “died.” It was made of super cheap plastic that was literally taped together for far longer than it should have been.  The thing I loved about it is that it cut three petal shapes at once, saving us a ton of time! With its days numbered, I commissioned a metal worker to create a custom petal cutter for us [using the plastic one as a model].  This metal piece is incredibly resilient and definitely makes our jobs easier.

 

Cake or cupcakes?

My preference is definitely for cake.  There is a time and place for cupcakes, but I’m not a fan of them for weddings. One of the reasons I create cakes is to have a canvas on which to display my work (mind you, it’s a pretty tasty canvas!!).  This sometimes gets lost when a client chooses cupcakes, since many go down that route looking for a way to have something tasty while on a tighter budget.  However, to have something truly artistic, an intricate display for the cupcakes needs to be created, which can sometimes end up costing more than a cake.

 

Any “magic words” to help you manage when the stress is on?

Yes — it’s called “Step away from the cake!” There is nothing worse than approaching a creative process under stress. In my shop, when it’s time to finish a cake, I need to adopt an almost zen-like calm.  If I’m stressed, I put the spatula down, walk away, and pour myself a cup of tea.  In those few minutes, the head is cleared and I can go to work.

 

Amy DeGiulio is the owner of Sugar Flower Cake Shop, a successful cake design business in New York. DeGiulio’s wedding and other special design cakes have appeared in the pages of many bridal publications including Martha Stewart Weddings and Brides.  Sugar Flower Cake Shop has also been featured on the STYLE  and TVLand networks. The shop offers monthly cake tastings, as well as decorating techniques classes for instruction in confectionary flower making, piping and painting. Visit them on the web at www.sugarflowercakeshop.com or follow on Twitter @SugarFlowerShop.