Wedding Pros Go ‘All In’ at EPMEN

I don’t mind being inside when it’s cold and rainy outside.  Especially when some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the wedding industry are sharing techniques to improve what you’re passionate about and philosophies that can help you earn loyalty for life from your clients.  EPMEN 2012 was on.

SCE ‘s Jason Jani, struck a nerve with a lot of the attendees when he said that “75% of the people on this earth aren’t doing what they love everyday… That sucks.”  “Don’t just chase the dollar, chase the dream…  Don’t settle…”  It was clear why artists like Jay Z and Kanye West call on Jani when they are on tour.  His passion for “doing cool things for cool people” is currently unmatched in the mobile entertainment and event production field.  I loved the way his question, “Are you making excuses or are you all in?” came up in conversation and on twitter the rest of the day.  As I said on my Twitter… “I’m all in JJ!”

 

Lorenzo Araneo, host of Rockstar Podcast and devout Twitter fan, shared some heart-felt personal stories about why he and his family are loyal to particular brands in his Art of Social Marketing presentation.  After he and a few others in the audience got a little choked up, his points were easily made and accepted.  I really liked how Lorenzo wasn’t shy about sharing his affection and respect for his Italian heritage.  Araneo tells it like it is.

Always a crowd favorite, Elite’s Mike Walter, brought his usual dose of well-prepared wit and wisdom in a seminar called, 10 Things You Can Do To Have A Better Day.  In addition to stressing the importance of waking up early, exercising and eliminating distractions… he earned a tweet-worthy moment with “Health and fitness IS a time management solution.” Amen Michael!  Neen James would be proud.

Many of us got to meet WedLock’s Jayne Hallock for the first time and picked up a few nuggets from her seminar on Blogging.  One in particular was the Yoast SEO Plugin recommendation for Word Press users.  Another was how to use Pinterest as a source for content and inspiration.  Jane also had some heads nodding when she said, “Your website is your business card; your blog is your personality.” And, when you are blogging, “sometimes about 100 words is enough.”     (-maybe next time. )  Hallock and seemingly everyone else in the entire world except me was dialed-in to Instagram too.  (Some of the cool filters that app offers was the inspiration for this entry’s photos).

Up and coming stars of the photography and cinematography world, Vanessa Joy and Rob Adams, offered some great tips for capturing event footage and testimonials with the latest DSLR equipment, software and technology.  Since MMP still uses a video camera from 1997 to record comments from our clients at the end of events, this seminar was extremely informative and timely.  We’ll be taking their advice soon and  upgrading to a DSLR camera with a 50mm 1.4 lens and a manfrotto 561bhdv-monopod.  Rob and Vanessa also shared ways to offer instant gratification to your clients.  This dynamic duo is making quite an impression on the workshop circuit.

If you were interested in Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience before the actual sale, Alan Berg had you covered.   Alan has a remarkable ability to take anything you do or say and within 5 minutes advise you how to do it and say it 10 times better.  On top of that, he knows how to take whatever you are currently doing for your prospects and rethink everything-  from the way you contact them initially to the way you respond to them when they call you back after shopping around.  Mr. Berg has some serious skills.

The country’s most lovable Emcee, Sean “Big Daddy” Mckee, took a day out of his ‘8 gigs a week’ schedule to host the festivities.   Show producer, Adam Skuba, deserves major kudos for the caliber of Monday’s line up and the over-all production;  especially considering that this was only his sophomore effort.  Special thanks to Adam, the EPMEN team, and all the sponsors (NJ Wedding, Bride Live, Elegant Bridal, Hurricane Productions, Screaming Lunatic, NJDJN, Sherman Specialty, NAME and ADJA) for their hospitality and support.

See ya next year!

Impressive Aussie- Marcello Recommends: Secrets of Super Productivity by Neen James

A few weeks ago I attended a private business conference in Indianapolis. It’s an annual gathering that’s kinda like a Dead Poet’s Society for special event entrepreneurs. One of the featured presenters at this multi-day event was  productivity expert, Neen James, from Australia.

Not only did she offer sage advice with regard to personal and professional efficiency, she totally owned a room that was filled with 40 alpha-male control freaks who can be very unforgiving if you don’t bring your A-game.

I can’t share specific details from that particular presentation, but I can at least refer you to her public book release, Secrets of Super-Productivity: How To Achieve Amazing Things In Your Work Life. Neen graciously sent me a signed copy in a  very impressive follow-up package after the conference.   It read like a modern version of How To Win Friends and Influence People.   James touches on everything from task prioritization, the importance of social surroundings, continuing education, financial fundamentals and general wellness tips.

Secrets of Super-Productivity would make a great gift for anyone you know who is old enough to read and who’ll eventually be on their own someday.   Like the ability to balance a check book and display simple social graces, I firmly believe that the gospel of Neen should be standard fodder for school curriculums everywhere. SOSP is also a great investment for the successful professional who likes or needs a little  reminder of what got them to the top and more importantly… how to stay there.

Here are a few excerpts to whet your appetite:

“Stop trying to manage time and learn how to make time.“

“…The other thing most people overlook is the need to schedule time before and after each meeting to prepare and complete follow-up activities…“ Jason and I had a ‘decompression session‘ after each day of educational content in order to digest what we learned, discuss implementation strategies and just to chat about anything else BUT business in order to avoid information-overload.

“Many people have a tendency to want to keep e-mails.  Set yourself some guidelines for what you want to keep and delete the rest once you have read or actioned them.” Jason @soundconnectdj recently tweeted:  ‘WOW.  Just hit 10,000 unread emails.‘    It’s good to be busy and in demand, but I think JJ needs a little Neen-inspired Delete Key session.

“Make an appointment with yourself for the first of January every year to reflect on the year that was and the year to come. “ My friends know that I’m usually on a plane to Costa Rica at the beginning of each New Year.  The reflection begins on take-off and evolves into a month of introspection and rejuvenation.  11 years ago I read that mandatory sabbaticals yield significant results for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, it’s been a part of MMP’s annual playbook ever since.

“Sleep is vital for renewing body and mind and yet we often forfeit sleep time so we can do other activities.”  ..  “The important thing is to discipline yourself to get a good night’s sleep and  rise early so that you can make the most of every day.”

“You will feel more in control of your life when your home is a retreat rather than an obstacle course or a constant reminder of things that need doing!  Spend some time spring-cleaning… remove the clutter, tidy problem areas, create storage solutions and eliminate the mess.”

Connect with Neen on Linkedin, Twitter, & Facebook or visit her online productivity store for additional resources & booking information. -mp

*Editor’s note:  I still get choked up every time I see that scene from Dead Poets. 

The Perfect Host: Indy’s Jim Cerone Lives Up To His Title

“He’s a gentleman and a scholar.”  That’s a  phrase you can’t use too often anymore and probably why Jim Cerone stands out from the crowd.   I’m sure being 6ft. 4 also helps the cause.

Cerone is the only  certified Wedding Entertainment Director from Indianapolis and one of the finest special event performers in the country. Need some more street cred?  No problem…  (or as Jim likes to say, “My Pleasure.“  Cerone was recently elected to serve as Indiana’s President for the International Special Events Society.

This past week, Jim hosted an exclusive  business conference at the luxurious Conrad Hotel.  The V.I.P list of attendees were treated to three days of top-notch educational seminars from some of the best and brightest speakers on the circuit.  I’d love to reveal the line-up and what we all learned, but then you’d see a pop up window saying that your computer will self-destruct in 5 seconds. What I  can divulge is that MMP’s social and corporate clientele will appreciate what we implement in the coming months.

To earn the reputation of The Perfect Host, you’ve really got to be firing on all cylinders as a professional and be:

1) Someone who not only picks you up from the airport, but comes inside for an hour just so you can watch the extended time and shootout of the U.S Women’s Soccer Championship game…

2) Someone who continually asks “is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable” when a 104 degree heat-wave hits town…

3)  Someone who personally guides a walking tour along the gorgeous canals in the morning for those who like to exercise and see the sights…

4) And Someone who prioritizes his life by making time to sit down and eat with his lovely wife, Rosie, and play with his well-mannered sons, Jimmy and Joey, at the pool even though he has a formidable list of type A over-achievers to  coddle for the week…

With sincere gratitude and a humble tip of the hat, I offer kudos and congrats to The Perfect Host… my dear friend, Jim Cerone.  -mp

 

WeddingWire.com Publishes Marcello’s Latest, “7 Ways to Bring The Wow & Have The Best Wedding Reception Ever!” on Wedding Aces

I’m honored and delighted that the Wedding industry mega-site, WeddingWire.com, has featured my latest article “7 Ways to Bring The Wow and Have The Best Wedding Reception Ever!” in their exclusive Wedding Aces portfolio.

The WeddingWire network reaches over 8 million people each month via their impressive online social network that includes; Martha Stewart Weddings, Wedding Bee, and Project Wedding.

Wedding Aces is an online community that offers advice and tips for engaged couples via articles and blogs from experts in the Wedding industry.

The 7 Ways article highlights some of the best Wedding professionals in the New York City metro Area as well as several unique ideas that can make your event an exceptional experience.  I wrote the article for engaged couples that are like many of MMP’s clients who feel that the entertainment, ambiance and hospitality are a priority.  They demand dramatically different results from what they’ve seen and they are willing to invest accordingly.

A high resolution pdf of the original article can be viewed & downloaded here.

If I can be of service in anyway to help you Bring The Wow and Have The Best Wedding Reception Ever!, please call 973-366-9776, text 732-547-1677 or e-mail mmp@mmpentertainment.com to schedule a design session.  Best wishes! -mp

Special thanks to the Wedding industry rock stars who gave me permission to interview them for the piece and to share their excellence with the world.  Jason Jani,  Peter Merry, Martin Hardy, Greg Lassik, John Arcara, Jim Cerone, Alan Berg, Mike Walter & Andy Ebon.

And to Sonny and Jeffra from WeddingWire.com, my sincere gratitude for including my work on their incredible site.

The EPMEN Wedding Entertainment Conference Delivers

From Allentown, NJ,  for the Ashford Estate tasting- to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the EPMEN Wedding Entertainment Conference; this week is all about making Brides & Grooms happy and learning how to help them plan the reception of their dreams.

Some big names in the wedding industry were there to share their expertise with the attendees.  I brought back 3 pages of new ideas and reception enhancement techniques to implement into our upcoming events.

Special thanks  and kudos to Adam Skuba and the EPMEN crew for all of their hard work and hospitality.  -mp

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