Where have I been? Part 1

So I know I haven't blogged in a while, and as I stated last week, I am working on some really exciting things that I can't wait to share with you. But in the meantime I wanted to share some of my recent travels with you.

Last month I had the pleasure of taking not one, but TWO trips to the fabulous Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. My first trip was for Engage!09 The Encore, A Luxury Wedding Business Intensive, put together by the wonderful & amazing talent behind Engaging Concepts, Rebecca Grinnals & Kathryn Arce.



Prior to arriving at the hotel, I had the honor of running into Randy Fenoli, the Fashion Director at Kleinfeld Bridal in NY. Randy was gracious enough to offer me a ride to the hotel, where we were able to talk some about Engage! 09 Something Blue in the Grand Caymans and how it changed his life. This made me really excited for the day to come. He also shared his new business venture, Randy Fenoli Men's collection. Not only was I grateful for the ride, but for 20 minute conversation one on one with such a fabulous person!



(Sylvia & Randy working the dance floor)

First up was Rebecca Grinnals, if you aren't 100% sure on who Rebecca Grinnals is, then you should really take some time to find out. She, along with Kathryn Arce, is the driving force behind Engaging Concepts. They consult some of the best of the best in the wedding industry. Rebecca spoke on the state of the wedding industry, the loss of 2 major publications - Elegant Bride & Modern Bride, where we are, where we are going and shared some of her valuable insights with us.


(Photo Courtesy of Kristy Rice of Momental Designs)

Next up, Simon T. Bailey, author of Release your Brilliance, among other books, shared with us his brilliance. His thought process, how he sees us, how we should see ourselves and helped us to realize what we need to do to get to the point we want to be. I walked away from his exercise with a whole new look on me & how I run my business, deal with my family and handle the everyday pressures that come along with family & business. For me, personally, this exercise has changed my life and business.



After an amazing lunch we were greeted with smiles by the amazingly witty, Marcy Blum. Marcy's infectious humor and insights were just what we needed, a dose of reality in the luxury wedding business.



Following Marcy, was Sean Low, again, AMAZING..... Sean spoke to us about the business of being creative. His insights from years of working with Preston Bailey proved to be some of the most valuable words of the day for me. Again walking away with more knowledge of myself and my business.

Our last speaker of the day was Todd-Avery Lenahan, the incredible mind behind ABA and designer of wonderfully decorated Encore Las Vegas. He shared with us his thoughts and how each space came to reality.

The evening of course ended with a bang! A party at Blush nightclub located in the Wynn. Here, we were able to let our hair down, and just get to know one another. Love Life Images installed a photo booth that Randy took over for the night.

I met some truly amazing people on this trip, people that I can now call friends. I was lucky enough to get to meet the Cake Diva herself, Ms. Sylvia Weinstock and her wonderful husband Ben, Lara Casey, the super brain behind Bliss Events, Southern Weddings Magazine and now Lara Casey Reps, and countless other people that I can go on and on about all day.

The dates for Engage! 10 have been posted, so if you haven't had the opportunity to attend, you must make it your business to do so. Now, I am not saying it will change your business overnight, but, if you listen carefully, you should be able to walk away with some invaluable insight that will transform your business.