If I Had A Million Dollars (for your business) . . .
So goes the song by Barenaked Ladies, but I’ve also [...]
False environmentalism, & other hotel pet peeves
Most people who plan events for a living do a [...]
Does She Really Like Me, or Just Want My Business?
DEAR HOWARD, I am in charge of events at my [...]
The Power of “Sorry”
“The client’s not happy.” Four words that send a shiver down the spine of anyone in the event or hospitality business. Of course “not happy” in our world is customer service code for “furiously angry”. The event can be spectacular, but if the client’s not happy, we are dead in the water. Likewise, the event can be a train wreck, but if your client looks at you from across the room with unbridled joy and appreciation as he raises a shot of Patron toward you, all is good in the world.
Where Our Big Ideas Go to Die. Part 2, Solutions
In Part 1 of this post, I talked about the [...]
Where Our Big Ideas Go to Die. Part 1 of 2: The Key to Why We Don’t Get Things Done.
Every year I’d go to at least 2 or 3 major industry conferences, the kind where I get on a plane, stay at a hotel, and immerse myself in new ideas. These were my moments of inspiration & creativity, where I could get away from the day-to-day grind, get away from the clients, employees and vendors, and really clear my head to be open to new ideas. If you’re like me, those moments of clarity and inspiration would last, oh, maybe three days. Then the notes, brochures and brainstorms go into “that place” where new ideas