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

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

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

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

Zappos. Not only do they A) deliver shoes quickly, but they B) offer free shipping in addition to C) no-hassle returns.

By every indication, this company has a soul.

Here are 10 more reasons to love Zappos, which are also 10 really great reminders for all of us in the service business. While these are their company values, they are easily and powerfully adaptable to any project we embrace. Try them on for size:

Deliver WOW through service
Embrace and drive change
Create fun and a little weirdness
Be adventurous, creative and open-minded
Pursue growth and learning
Build open and honest relationships with communications
Build a positive team and family spirit
Do more with less
Be passionate and determined
Be humble

The CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, also talks about the importance of hiring people who consider themselves lucky or optimistic as these folks tend to pay more attention to detail and are cognizant of their surroundings. I consider myself to be a lucky person. I won a giant Easter Rabbit when I was in the second grade. On my first trip to Las Vegas I tried roulette and hit it big with a $20 chip on #17. And if you’ve read a previous post, you know how I feel about #17. I have a lot more “lucky” stories (like how many times I lost my wallet only to have it returned with gifts and stories to share), but I’ll stop here and connect the notion of luck to the business values and the list. If you equate luck with paying closer attention to your customers and the details, I’ll place lucky high on the list. A little luck may open a door you otherwise might not have noticed.

Thank you Zappos for your innovative and thoughtful practices and for always delivering the goods.

admin Relationship Marketing, The Wilsonwest Way culture, events, relationships

Two weeks ago, we moderated a panel discussion for some new friends at the VCOMA. Joining us were a couple of longtime parters, Janet Gregg from Meadowood and Geoffrey Applegarth and Ashely Capra from Paula Le Duc Fine Catering. The main focus of our our presentation was to help our audience view their events in a strategic context, provide some “behind the scenes” insights on the creative collaboration process, and to emphasize the importance of measurement.

We framed the presentation around The Wilsonwest Way, a methodology we use to approach every event or meeting we produce. This 4-step process has retained its relevance and resonance due to the power of its simplicity and also because it helps to engage your stakeholders and partners. Plus, it keeps you focused on the event objectives and encourages creative collaboration.

Here is a brief overview of the process:

Spend a lot of time on the intake phase and dig deep. Prompt your internal stakeholders to tell you what they hope to accomplish and why this event will make a difference. The next step is the innovation phase and this part of the equation is always the most fun for me. I love sharing the “big picture” and all those insights with a group of diverse, smart and creative people and then step back to see what emerges. As event producers, we act as “conductors” bridging the sometimes divergent chords together to create a complex and powerful experience for our guests. When you support and encourage collaboration across your carefully selected partners, the end result will be better than imagined. Of course all that innovative thinking means nothing if you don’t stay focused on the implementation part and employ rigorous tools to ensure your event is managed and executed flawlessly. Timelines and spreadsheets, data scrubbing, and conference calls may not be thrilling but remain critical to success. And last, and certainly not least, is the interpret component. Please, PLEASE, as much as you’d like to toss that binder, don’t move on to the next event until you ask “How well did our event measure on the objectives?” Survey, ask, prod, and observe. And be sure to document your findings – all that data is critically important as you start the process all over again.

It’s a good, healthy challenge to sit down at a table with your partners and really dig down to the core of what you do and how you do it. We hope we measured up. We appreciate the opportunity to share our process with the VCOMA members and we’d love to get some feedback from some of you who attended the presentation. Please leave us a comment here or contact us directly so we can talk further.

Next time you’re ready to start planning your next meeting or event, we invite you to employ The Wilsonwest Way – and let us know how it goes.

admin The Wilsonwest Way

Look closely at the inside cover of Seth Godin’s new book Linchpin and you will find a picture of me and my colleague Nick Rossi. Imagine how excited we were to discover this when the book arrived! How did this happen? Well, unbeknownst to us, our colleague Mary Sullivan sent in our photos in response to the questions, “Who Matters to you? Who could you not live without?”

Take a moment now and think about the people who really matter to you – those people that you just can’t live without.

Call them. Write them a note. Send off an e-mail. Celebrate them! Do it often. It feels good to be on either side of this equation.

I will join Seth in the chorus by saying, celebrate the linchpins! We most certainly need more of them.

admin The Wilsonwest Way culture, partners, relationships