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!

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??

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.

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.

 Your go-to social media method:  Facebook or Twitter?

For clients, it’s Facebook, but for communicating with colleagues and friends in the industry, it’s Twitter.  Facebook is a great platform for keeping clients informed about what we’re up to.  People don’t necessarily check it every day, but when they do, we want to make sure that they find something interesting from us – be it a new product, promotion, or referral or something else interesting that is happing in our industry or area.  Also, since FB’s such an important platform, developers are constantly creating new apps that can be fun to try out.

Where do you network and how do you make the time?

 Ahh yes, making the time is key for networking. While it’s tough to say “yes” to every fabulous event, my goal is to make it to at least one industry event a month – whether it’s supporting a colleague’s product launch or anniversary or attending one of the local bridal tradeshows, such as NY Weddings, Wedding Library or the Wedding Salon.  I really try not to overcommit because I always feel a tremendous amount of guilt for accepting an invitation and not being able to make it.

I’ve found that the Engage Luxury Wedding Business Summits have been one of the best networking opportunities for growing my business and establishing relationships that extend well beyond the conferences. I’m off to my third conference next week in Vegas, and I couldn’t be more excited to reconnect with colleagues from both NYC and across the country, as well as meet new friends and explore ways to collaborate and help one another.

What’s your favorite wedding movie?

 Big fan of  Wedding Crashers, particularly the first half.  Don’t know if it’s strictly a wedding movie, but I’ll always sit and watch Meet the Parents if I come across it on cable.

If you could recommend one DIY project to a customer to stay on budget, what would it be?

My favorite DIY recommendation for gifts is one where you have multiple obligations (insert: Bridesmaids gifts!).  Select one of your favorite totes (whether it is monogrammed, has a memorable destination, or is just quirky and fun) and fill it with things you think your girls will love.  The tote will be a keepsake and the contents can be as simple as your gf’s favorite magazine, a box of homemade cookies, a framed picture of the two of you in college…anything that makes it personal and from the heart.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

I’d have to say the most rewarding part of my job is knowing that I’m adding a valuable service to the market – connecting brick-and-mortar shops and independent brands with couples that want a unique and personalized wedding registry – and making sure both constituents are super happy.  I feel rewarded by knowing that our offering is really helping two parties achieve a goal once not available to them: giving the couples choice, personalization and convenience they want for their registry; and for the shops, a technological, sales and marketing platform to reach the registry market. It feels good knowing that it’s a win/win.

Your next birthday: blowout bash or meditative retreat?

 I love a good blowout bash as much as the next gal, but I’m gonna’ have to say meditative retreat.  Registry is really a year-round industry, with couples filling their registries 8 to 12 months before the event, and then a big flurry of activity during the peak summer months, so it feels as though I’ve not had a vacation in forever.  Of course, my meditative retreat can include a few glasses of wine in the evenings, right?

NewlyWish is an online registry and wedding-related gifting service, with the express purpose of helping couples create gift registries that truly reflect their personal styles.  Amanda Allen and Robard Williams have built a network of more than 50 shops in a single, easy-to-use website so that couples can create a registry that includes everything for their home, from kitchen equipment, to tabletop items, bed and bath linens and home décor, as well as a range of unique experiences and less-traditional items such as food and wine, cooking and dancing lessons, artwork, and even tickets to the theater and sporting events. Plus you can find wonderful wedding party gifts and unique bridal accessories curated by some of the best in the business.

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!

After the date is chosen, where’s your starting point on an event?

Venue…always find the venue.  Everything else will fall into place.

When you walk a venue, what are the top three things you look for?

I always look for flow: what is the best way for the room to flow?  I then consider lighting: how can I light the room to make it even more fabulous or in some cases hide its flaws?  And then I look how can I utilize the space effectively, yet differently.  Venue [managers] hate this at the beginning, but always thank me for showing them a new way to use their space.  It sometimes takes an outsider to show someone a different way of doing things.

Summer’s coming! Name 3 favorite NYC outdoor venues.

Highline, 620 Fifth Avenue, Giraffe Hotel

What’s your creative process? / Who inspires you?

I like to toss ideas around out loud.  I like to think it through.  My clients inspire me. It’s their event and I want the party and décor to be about them! It’s the accents I add that tell you “Shawn planned or designed the party.”  I check my ego at the door.

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

A good team of people that are willing to jump in when you need them.  And that includes the vendors. Surrounding yourself with people who want the wedding to succeed and be fabulous is my “must have!”

Describe a “successful” event in five words.

Client refers you to friends!

What event that you either attended or planned has had the greatest influence on your career?

I would say planning Bethenny Frankle’s wedding has changed my life and career.

If you could recommend one DIY project to a customer to stay on budget, what would it be?

Gift bags for [the guests'] hotel rooms.  Leave the rest to the experts.  I’m not just saying this, but the experts are just that.  They know what works, what doesn’t work, and sometimes DYI is far more stressful than not.  Why try to be everyone and do everything for your own wedding? That’s what we’re here for!

How do you incorporate the latest trends into your event?

I try to be a trendsetter as much as possible, but if a client really wants something that’s “trendy” then I try to make it about them.  I think the subtle touches go further than in-your-face touches.

What are the top trends in décor and floral design for 2012?

Color blocking and orange are huge this year!  And brides want to get back to basics — simple, clean and elegant.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

The thank you at the end of the night, knowing you truly put your heart and soul into the event.

Shawn Rabideau has planned custom weddings and events for over 12 years.  His firm, Shawn Rabideau Events & Design boasts an impressive client list including Bethenny Frankel, Jennifer Lopez, Star Jones, Buick and Touchstone Pictures.  Shawn regularly appears on Bravo TV’s “Bethenny Ever After,” and he has also been featured in segments on Good Morning America and Whose Wedding is it Anyway? on the STYLE network.  A frequent expert contributor to Celebrations.com, Shawn’s advice and opinions have also been sought by sites and publications such as DailyCandy.com, The New York Times and Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine.

- 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!

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.

The overall morale in 2011 was higher than it has been for the past three years.  There was hopefulness in the air.  Here at 5^th Avenue Digital, we saw:

•    Companies having summer outings and holiday parties for the first time in years.

•      Advertisers spending marketing dollars on events with consumer interaction and (thankfully) photo capture, for   mementos or social media benefit.

•     The return of corporate incentive trips and large company celebrations.

•      Companies putting money back into their image and deciding to update their employee’s headshots.

•      Business surging once again for the venues and planners we work with.

It seems like everyone is starting to see the economic woes dissipate. The many jobs we were lucky enough to be part of this past year indicate we are on our way, after two years of corporate celebrations being relegated to the back burner.

I’ve worked hard to assemble a team of super-talented photographers, who have captured not only incredible corporate images this year but have also taken our 5^th Avenue Social division to new heights.  We have partnered with a dynamic group of planners and venues and are very excited to share our new portfolios that feature images from their clients’ events.  I am already anticipating the new images we’ll be seeing in the coming months.

One of my proudest accomplishments in 2011 is the newest model of the YouBooth photo booth.  The collaborations with our clients have allowed us to introduce the newest technology crazes to their events.  The YouBooth has a new exterior design, plus the most exciting new feature: a social media application that allows guests to upload their photos directly to Twitter, Facebook or email.

This year the YouBooth was proudly used at pop-up store events, holiday parties, mitzvahs, weddings – any occasion where fun was required.  What we love the most is finding creative solutions that maximize each client’s use of the booth.  I owe a special shout-out to my producer, Rylan Crooks, for always finding ways to execute our clients’ unending ideas of how they envision using the YouBooth.

Building a strong business in this economic time is certainly a challenge.  We have watched many of our partners in event planning scale down the past few years, and it’s so comforting to watch them scale back up.  We are very grateful for their trust in us and we treasure these partnerships.

I am also very grateful to my 5^th Avenue Digital team: the amazing group inside the office, Beth, Rylan and Tim, and the photographers, videographers and designers that make our clients their number one priority.  Teamwork and partnerships have been the overall theme in 2011.  Knowing that you have the right people in the ship makes being the captain a joy.  I am grateful every day that I get to work with the team I have, and I would not have been able to double our business this year if it hadn’t been for them.  There have been some rough waters in terms of owning a photography business over the past three years, but it looks like smoother sailing ahead.

Thank you all who have contributed to an amazing 2011.  We will be sharing some of our favorite photographic moments in galleries over the next few weeks.  Here are a few more of my favorites.

I got off to a rocky start when my plane from New York was canceled because of frozen lines.  The day was not lost because my fabulous traveling companions, Xocital Gonzalas and Howard Givner, not only quickly rebooked us on a later flight, but kept the conversation engaging and prevented a true travel nightmare.

The educational elements of Special Event are more geared toward the new professionals starting their businesses.   There are a few exceptions.  The experienced professionals are usually the ones giving the sessions.  This was the case with Howard’s panel on selling your business.  I found the class very informative and was sorry I hadn’t known some of the advice before I sold my previous business.  Both Deb Roth of Pink Powered by Moss and Maurenn Ryan-Fable from First Protocol had great advice for those who are thinking of selling their business.

The panel that I was on discussed the experiences and benefits for event companies that have had real life social media results.  I found the session to be one of the most valuable, not just because I was part of it, but mostly because of Lara McCollogh-Carter, Ready to spark, the organizer.  With a varied and knowledgeable panel, Lara kept the discussion focused, informative and new for advanced social media users.

As businesses become increasingly comfortable with a social media presence, it’s important for them to keep updated on what they can add to their marketing campaigns that will increase eyes going to their products and services.  This type of informative session is the perfect forum for people to learn from the experiences of others and then apply these new things to their own mix.  I learned from my fellow panelists as well as from some of the questions posed by the audience.

The trade show exhibits were mostly geared towards planners who want inspiration and new ideas for their 2011 events.   Deb Roth really stepped it up this year with a great booth for Pink Powered by Moss that included juice stations for your phone, which I was happy to use. I walked the show with Debra Morris from Eventsful and Andrea Corealle from Elegant Affairs catering, two New York event powerhouses.  Seeing the show through their eyes was a great learning experience for me.

Michael Cerbelli’s 100 New Ideas presentation is always a sell out.  He is one part Tony Robbins, one part Colin Cowie and 100% inspiration and vigor.  He’s got it down.  This was his tenth year onstage and he did not disappoint.  Michael puts together new things from around the globe and planners everywhere get to hear about new products and services to take to their events. Congrats, Michael, for developing such a unique program that is so effectively branded and well regarded.

My favorite thing about Special Event is the after-hours networking and evening events.  They’re always a blast and this year was no exception.  Tweetup with the wonderful #eventprofs from around the nation, dinner with the lovely Tatiana Byron of 4pm Events, quality time with the amazing Debra Morris, Andrea Corealle and Bernadette Coveney Smith, plus event sites and food offerings from Phoenix hosts, make this event a must-do every year.

Even the difficult travel couldn’t squash the Special Event effects.  Luckily, I got home after the next storm with no delays.   What was your biggest takeaway from Special Event this year?  Share your story!