Happy Birthday Charlie – 17 Years of Corporate Event Marketing the Wilsonwest Way

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Aug 21, 2009 Happy Birthday Charlie – 17 Years of Corporate Event Marketing the Wilsonwest Way

When asked about the history of our corporate event planning company, I often answer with “Wilsonwest is as old as my son Charlie, as I founded the company just weeks before his arrival.” This comment often leads to my story about being a new mom choosing to leave the corporate world behind in the hopes of a more “balanced” life. I don’t know about balance, but it sure has been a fun ride filled with great projects, amazing people, lots of learning, and lasting friendships that developed along the way. What could be better than that? The birth of both Charlie and Wilsonwest was seventeen years ago and given that seventeen is my lucky number I’ve decided that it’s cause for celebration, a bit of reflection and seventeen gestures of gratitude:

1. To Charlie for unknowingly inspiring me to take this journey
2. To our valued clients – we appreciate you and we thank you for your trust, partnership and the many adventures we have shared around the globe
3. To my incredible team of teachers, mentors, peer groups and other wise ones – thank you for sharing your wisdom and helping us thrive
4. To our industry partners and friends – thank you for embracing The Wilsonwest Way (our strategy and philosophy behind corporate event marketing) and contributing to our success
5. Ken, Ken, Ken, the creative design genius, friend, jokester, caring one
6. To David for the ongoing support and trust
7. To my former employers, Carlson Marketing Group…
8. …and Merrill Lynch for a brilliant foundation on which to start a business
9. To Nick for bringing his laser focus, sharp wit, and intelligence to Wilsonwest for the past 11 years
10. Mary – for your unyielding loyalty and integrity and for being the “Boss-arella” behind the project timelines
11. To my friend Megan who came up with the name Wilsonwest (no, there’s no Mr. West! It was meant to define the Coast upon which we live and work)
12. To all of you who told a story about Wilsonwest, which later translated into a referral, as that is how our corporate event planning company has been built
13. For Annie – when you came along I suddenly became much more efficient
14. Woodrow Wilson for keeping me safe in the office (Mailmen, UPS, PG&E)
15. Thanks Mom for allowing my early party planning forays to take over the kitchen, the backyard and just about every square inch of the house
16. Apple, Google, Twitter, and all the amazing technology stuff that has made our work so much better and easier to do
17. And finally, back to that #17 and the help of just little bit of luck ☺