Network and connect Michela Watson with 15 new wedding planners by December 2022*

● Watson would host a networking event for wedding vendors, inviting 15 wedding planners she does not know and hopes to connect with and 5 wedding planners she does know to serve as anchors.

● Watson would also invite local florists, caterers, bakeries, etc. to attend the event and provide their services for a reduced fee in exchange for the exposure to wedding planners she would be providing. Like Watson, they would be benefitting immensely from the wedding planners in attendance being able to experience their work.

● Include a headshot station where Watson would take headshots of attendees as “favors.”

● Hosting this event would give Watson lots of exposure to wedding planners and position her as a leader in the wedding services field.

● This would be a promotional event for Watson and her product because her previous work would be on display, she would be networking with wedding planners, and she will provide wedding planners with an example of her work for them to take home (the headshots).

Pjoto credits: @thehkphotocompany

Network and connect Michela Watson with 15 new wedding planners by December 2022*

● How:

○ Watson would reserve a venue and send out invitations two months before the event via mail.

■ The invitations would be simple and elegant while featuring a brief biography about Watson. These invitations would be straightforward and contain the details of the event.

● Event Cost:

○ Total: $4,910

○ Furnishings (company name redacted).

■ Exact cost unclear (no prices on website).

■ Brianna: “For an event such as yours we would offer a 20% discount on all rental/lounge items from our website. This is something we offer for venue open houses, styled shoots, and more as we aim to be exclusive with many venues/vendors in the area!”

○ Brunch Catering (company name redacted) would cost approximately $700 to feed 35 people (including emergency extras).

○ Baked goods would be from (company name redacted) and would consist of 4 wedding cake sampling boxes (one for each table) and 45 custom flower cupcakes. The total cost would be approximately $300. (Price provided by company.)

○ Flowers would be from (company name redacted) and would cost approximately $600 for four table flower arrangements and a statement piece to serve as a backdrop for the headshots.

■ Melissa: “I would typically do an event like this, especially if it is not during peak wedding season, at a discounted rate. We book almost 100% of our weddings through relationships with wedding planners, so this type of marketing is well spent money. I would typically do something like this "at cost.”

○ The custom luxury invitations and “thank you” notes would both cost $44.50 for a set of 30 customized items with envelopes for a total of $89 before tax. We would get them from Etsy and the shop offers free shipping. Combined with the cost of stamps at $11 per book (and 20 stamps a book), invitations and thank you notes will cost a total of $135 to buy and send.

○ The cost of the venue (company name redacted) will be $1,400 for a four-hour event on a weekend. (Price provided by company.)

● Timeline: (Event in November)

○ July: Watson invites wedding services providers and selects a date based on the availability of those willing to provide services for the event at a reduced cost/for free.

○ July: Watson recruits five local wedding planners she knows to serve as anchors at the event.

○ July: Watson reserves the venue.

○ September: Watson sends out invitations.

○ September/October Watson receives RSVPs for the event.

○ November: Event (Right between October and December wedding peaks).

○ December: Send thank you/follow up notes to attendees.

Photo credits: @poemacollective.

Network and connect Michela Watson with 15 new wedding planners by December 2022*

Evaluating the success of the networking event will be measured by the number of referrals (either to clients or other wedding planners) Watson gets from the wedding planners who attended the event by one year after the event. In addition, Watson would send thank you/follow up notes to attendees after the event thanking them for coming (and providing a service if they were a collaborator) and asking:

1. Did they enjoy the event?

a. Yes/No

i. Why?

2. Did the event make them more likely to recommend any of the service providers to any clients?

a. Yes/No

i. Why?

3. Would they be interested in attending another similar event in the future?

a. Yes/No

i. Why?

4. Are there any other thoughts they might like to share?

Photo credits: @kevin_xue_pic.