Designing the invitation is an exciting and creative aspect of planning an event. By hiring a graphic designer, you open the door to fresh visual ideas, innovative paper selections, and a professionally finished piece. Customized invitations set a unique tone for any social or business occasion; their individuality and style tell guests far more than where to go and when to arrive. A well-designed invitation provides guests a tantalizing peek into the festivities that lie ahead.

admin Event Essentials, The Wilsonwest Way culture, customers, design, partners

When I started my business, I was strongly cautioned to keep my personal and business lives separate. As a new parent, that made no sense to me. And, well, I simply bucked that notion – knowing that I would draw from the same resources to thrive in both spaces.

Fast forward 18 years and I often revisit this work/life balance debate, of which much has been penned. There is yet to appear a magic set of rules to follow to promote harmony on both sides of the fence and I continue to maintain that there’s no distinct line. Advances in technology support this position.

What does keeps me balanced is an understanding of and a commitment to my vision and values. While I still need to juggle, take some detours, and question things along the way, I am confident about the direction I am heading and will hop a fence when I need to.

Speaking of 18, it’s birthday time again in our house and I am reminded once again to celebrate with a big thank you to my son Charlie and to all of you who have contributed to our success. As the post was so popular last year, I wanted to direct you to my thoughts on the matter in August of 2009.

Cindy Wilson

admin The Wilsonwest Way culture, holidays, Management, relationships

Generally our summer plans include a trip out of the country, and the experiences of discovering new people and places offer a good dose of adventure and inspiration. We all benefit from the opportunity to step away from our routines and return home with fresh ideas. This year, though we ventured out of the state, our schedules and family commitments meant staying closer to home. I found myself missing the adventure and was reminded of this while watching the trailer for the upcoming film Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts exclaims, “I want to marvel at something!” If you read the book, you know she did just that, as she traveled the globe.

Well, here I sit in the middle of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. What am I doing thinking that it’s only elsewhere where I might find something marvelous?

How do you see your own backyard with a fresh perspective? Mix it up. This week, I did just that – not intentionally, but by chance. I found myself crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, heading up to the very top of the hill in Tiburon for an afternoon meeting. The views, the bay, the fog, the gorgeous home, the conversation, the gracious host  - everything about the afternoon was a big departure from my office routine. I looked at my city from across the bay and marveled. That energy has stayed with me all week and just thinking about the experience as I write this, I am inspired to look for inspiration and a fresh perspective in the week ahead.

And here’s my take-away for all of you event producers out there: when you’re planning a meeting or event in a venue that’s both familiar and often used, take this approach to energize your guests. Stage the room differently, turn the agenda upside down, change the lighting – you get the idea. Mix it up. People will take notice.

Cindy Wilson

admin Uncategorized

Event producers rely on a team to pull off an extraordinary meeting or event. At Wilsonwest, we hold members of this team in a very high place. Call them trusted partners, collaborators, friends –  but never vendors. Vendors sell you something. Trusted partners give and keep on giving – great inspiration, extraordinary service, value, respect, and much more. Working with these partners you are capable of delivering more than you or your customer imagined. All of this giving translates into an even greater experience for event participants.

This week, I’d like to give a shout out to one of those partners: Bill John and the Odyssey Team.

The Odyssey team is extraordinary and they have been working to create meaningful Corporate Socially Responsible (CSR) events long before the term was in vogue. When many of us hear the words team building, we cringe. Odyssey changed this for me. When you meet Bill, you understand why the firm is so successful.  He lives and breathes his mission. He listens. He gets it. And he is a true innovator.

Check out their work: innovative, dynamic, smart, and real.

Cindy Wilson

admin Relationship Marketing, The Wilsonwest Way collaboration, culture, partners, relationships

I took a quick trip to New York City last week, and while dining in some great spots I was reminded of a favorite guru of mine in the hospitality industry: Danny Meyer. Danny is CEO of the Union Square Hospitality Group and owner of famed restaurants such as Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, Tabla, The Shake Shack, and many more.

I LOVE his approach to business which he calls enlightened hospitality and which serves as the foundation of his thriving restaurant empire. This business model, designed for long-term sustained profitability, embraces his key stakeholders in the following order: 1) employees  2) customers 3) community 4) suppliers, and 5) investors. Hmmm? Investors at the bottom of the list? Sound a bit backwards? Meyer argues that if you place the emphasis on the first four groups (in this order) you will find that it is their collective work and collaboration that fuels even greater and more enduring financial success which ultimately fuels the bottom line and makes for happy investors.

His businesses are known for outstanding employees, warm hospitality, strong ties with exceptional suppliers, and a solid commitment to playing an active role in the community. Investors are honored to be associated with businesses that generate not only profit, but good will and soul. There’s a lot to be learned from this business philosophy and I have enjoyed reading Meyer’s book Setting the Table, The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business.

Meyer understands that serving food is secondary to the experiences he creates for his customers and to quote him, “Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that’s hard.”

Cindy Wilson

PS – If you’re heading to NY  there’s a few new Shake Shacks popping up in the Theater District and the Upper East Side.

PS - I know it’s been around for a while, but my daughter and I loved, loved, loved Billy Elliott The Musical and I hear it’s coming to San Francisco in the Fall.

admin Relationship Marketing, The Wilsonwest Way collaboration, culture, customers, employees, food, partners, relationships

What other event gets teenagers out of bed at the crack of dawn during summer vacation, prompts grown men to cry, and brings together 204 nations in fair-minded competition? With 715 million people are expected to tune into the final World Cup match (compared to 106 Million for our Football game aka The Super Bowl), it is clearly the most important sporting event anywhere. The Wilsonwest Team has had the privilege to be a part of the World Cup at Stanford (1994), in Paris when France reigned supreme (1998), and most recently in Berlin (2006). As an event producer, I have never seen more spectacle and frenzy. You can truly feel (and hear) it in the air!

This year, since we’re not in the center of it all, I have been observing from afar and wondering what lessons we might we learn from World Cup where aside from a few bad referee calls and temper tantrums, the world’s drama is played out fairly on a stage of grass. What if we could channel that energy to take on some the planet’s biggest challenges? This would certainly be a call to action for social media experts – mobilize people all over the world to stop and focus their energy, time and even money on just one thing – even if it’s for only the 15 minutes allotted during half time. What if we could create a competition that is as exciting as the one played out on the field? With all the eyes of the world focused on such a venture, would it not be an opportunity of a lifetime?

Cindy Wilson

admin Uncategorized collaboration, culture, events

As a parent of two teenagers I often approach summer longing to share their “summer camp schedules.” Filled with learning, sports, travel, and leisure and combined with a more relaxed schedule, it is a clear departure from the routine.

Well, what’s stopping us from creating our own version of summer camp? Last year when the economy afforded us a lighter summer event calendar, we decided to do just that. We created Wilsonwest Summer Camp and made time for some of the fun and educational activities that seemed to always take a backseat to conference calls and budgets. We took a few (free!) technology classes at the Mac store, went on a road trip to see new hotels like Bardessono in Yountville. We sampled food from some of the popular urban food carts, sought design inspiration from local gardening guru Flora Grubb, and toured some of the City’s special event venues. We invited our clients and partners to share in the fun. Though we never made it to a camp fire at the beach, it was definitely an added bonus to our summer schedule.

Well, here we are kicking off summer 2010 and though our event calendar has heated up, we’re embarking on Season 2 of our Summer Camp. We found the experience invigorating and inspirational, offering us fresh ideas to present to our clients and partners. We also enjoyed spending time together outside of the office and our weekly meetings.

Stay tuned for some of our discoveries. Better yet: try a summer camp of your own and let us know how it goes. Of course, there is always this approach.

admin The Wilsonwest Way

When it’s time to start the food and beverage planning with a hotel catering team, event producers are most likely to be handed a big file of “banquet menus” presented with fancy wording and packaging. Buffets, plated dinners, themed events, and food stations – you know the drill. Other than a glance at the pricing model, I generally spend little time with these menu packets. While I do respect that a skilled culinary team has spent many hours crafting and packaging these menus, I simply find this method of menu planning to be sterile, lacking in personality and that it provides little clue to the heart and soul of the hotel’s Chef de Cuisine and the seasonal offerings. I want more!

At Wilsonwest, we start the process with a conversation with our catering and conference services manager and from there we ask to be introduced to the Food & Beverage Director. Once we have a solid understanding of the property, the kitchen, and the connections to local purveyors, we then ask for an introduction to the Executive Chef and the Banquet Chef. We LOVE seeing what’s going on in the kitchen and what the Chef is enjoying doing at the moment. What’s a new favorite? What are you most proud of? What are the limitations of the kitchen and better yet, what special equipment, facilities or culinary resources do you have to really make the meal a special event?

We share information about our audience, however during the planning stages, we rarely dictate the specifics of any menu. We want to hear from the experts first - encouraging them to share the very best of what they have to offer and hopefully create an opportunity for them to try something new. We generally find that at first, the Chef is hesitant, thinking that a couple of event planners have turned “culinary” and they are protective of their space and rightly so. We respect that. It’s precisely the reason we solicit the expertise from the Executive Chef rather than solely a catering or conference services manager who may have little or no experience in the kitchen.

From here, it’s on to the tasting where we pay careful attention to presentation, portion, service, flatware, dinnerware, and (of course) taste. The banquet and conference service team are engaged in this process and from here we connect and build the team who will stage and serve the meal. We ask the team to taste along with us – it’s a collaborative with just the right amount of cooks in and out of the kitchen.

By this point in the process, almost every Chef we’ve worked with is excited, engaged and completely passionate about executing a new and exciting menu – so much so , that our joint creation often becomes a new addition to the banquet menu!

nick2 Event Essentials collaboration, drink, events, food

I recently read Who’s got your Back? by Keith Ferrazi in which he extols the virtues and value of forming deep relationships with a core group of trusted advisors, peers and mentors. While I have always understood the power of what he calls “lifeline relationships” in my personal life, I did not translate this into business until we began producing executive (or C-level) events for our clients and I observed first-hand how top leaders seek out and value these peer groups as critical to their success.

Too often business leaders, especially entrepreneurs, feel compelled to go it alone, equating this Superman type of behavior with a true measure of strength. There is a fear that asking for help might impose upon others or, even worse, showcase a weakness. But the truth is these lifeline relationships power growth for individuals and organizations. They provide education, inspiration, loyalty, trust, and accountability. The ones who truly “have your back” are keeping you honest and holding you accountable.

Who are your lifeline relationships? Will they tell it “like it is” even if the telling gets tough? Are they holding you accountable? Do these relationships afford you a place to shed your Superman cape and show a little vulnerability?

If you have yet to identify your lifeline relationships or are simply still unsure about the concept, pick-up Keith’s book for a really simple guide to these powerful relationships.

admin Relationship Marketing, The Wilsonwest Way growth, power, relationships

A few weeks ago, my colleague Mary Sullivan and I served dinner to a group of teenagers at the Larkin Street Youth Facility. It was an extraordinary experience in many ways. From the minute we walked in the door until the last meatball sub was served we felt a vibe – a good vibe. All around us were people helping other people and the energy in the air was palpable. The front door was open, the staff’s minds were open, and the kids were receiving all kinds of good energy, the kind of energy that helps you move beyond the street into a safer space.

It was a welcoming, nurturing space, with a sense of ease. Larkin Volunteer Manager Audrey Muntz greeted us and thanked us profusely for our simple dinner of meatball subs, salad and cupcakes. She shared Larkin’s mission with us, gave us a tour, and was incredibly thoughtful in the way she helped us understand and respect their work and the boundaries important to their mission. She wanted to make certain that we, too, were taken care of in the walls of Larkin Street Services. A part of me winced, thinking that I should have placed more care in the advance preparations – but thankfully my colleague and friend Mary Sullivan had prepared a homemade sauce inspired by an elderly North Beach neighbor while Nick Rossi’s wife (and chef) Tracy created the perfect cupcakes. Okay, I thought, let’s serve up the meatball subs.

Well, one by one, they disappeared with many requests for seconds and many thank yous in between. I walked out of there that night feeling so filled up – not from meatballs, but from the energy that came back to me and I am inspired to do more.

Thank you Larkin Street for the inspiration and the energy. You live your mission and your place exudes your mission.

Visit this place – call them and offer to help. They need clothes, money, and volunteers to prepare and serve dinners. You’ll feel the vibe the minute you walk in the front door.

admin The Wilsonwest Way culture, food, San Francisco