Hello friends and industry professionals!

I am excited about the launch of my new and improved website, and now my first blog.  I will admit, I know very little about blogging but I sure am excited to be doing it!  With the help of my brilliant web master, Troy, I feel very confident that I’ll be sharing stories, passing on useful information and keeping you updated in no time.  Welcome to Encore Events’ very first blog!!

I have been a part of the special events industry for over 20 years (I can’t believe it’s been that long) and I have learned so much! I have made a ton of great friends, met some very interesting people and have formed very strong alliances with some incredibly creative associates.  It’s been tough going, at times, since event planning and design is absolutely not all the glitz & glamour that a lot of the young graduates think it is.  It’s a lot of hard work, long hours, late nights and bullet biting!  But it’s my passion and drive for special events, fabulous décor and the industry as a whole that keeps me going strong.

Lucky for me, my hard work has not gone unnoticed, and just last month I learned that I am, for the second year in a row, the winner of the much coveted GTA Consumer’s Choice Award for event planning for 2009.  My other awards have been:

“2008 Winner - Event Planning - GTA Consumer’s Choice Awards”
“2008 Platinum Winner - Event Design”
“2007 Platinum Winner - Event Design”
“2007 Platinum Winner - Catering”
“2006 Silver Winner - Event Design”

I plan to use my blog as a fun way to express myself, discuss past and future events, connect with my clients, and to give you an idea of what I’m all about. I will be blogging regularly on industry trends, challenges, ideas, people and a lot of other interesting subjects.  Some of the topics I will cover - and invite you to check back on are:

•    Latest trends in event design
•    What colour is my event?
•    Themes – in or out?
•    Event design on a budget
•    Making the recession work for you
•    Starting your own events company
•    Competition vs. opportunity
•    Décor 101
•    Do I need event management?
•    Event packages and associated costs
•    What makes a good event?
•    People who set the pace

I invite you to stay tuned and hopefully, I can pass on something that will help you in your next event or simply help you deal with issues and challenges in your business right now.  And, of course, the odd joke will keep that all important smile on your face!

Something else I have always wanted to do is open up a teaching branch that will enable me to share my knowledge and experience with up-and-coming young event professionals.  I’m not sure when I will do this but stay tuned.  It could be sooner than you think!!

I hope you enjoy my newly revamped website and my new blog, and your questions and comments are most welcome.  I will try to address your concerns and answer all your inquiries in a timely manner – but, hey – we all know ‘life is fast’!

Cheers,
Joy