If you’ve ever gone to one of Michael’s concerts, you know that you’re gonna sing along, dance and have a lot of laughs before the night is over.  Sometimes, you might even get invited up on stage for a duet…

Another gem sent in from Mike Walter.

p.s  Mr. Bublé is the real deal on stage and off so be prepared for a few harmless expletives.

Grimaldi's "Pizza Under The Bridge." Brooklyn, NY. (John Derienzo, Tony Shaughnessy and Mike Walter)

Once again- Tony, John and I tuned-in to our favorite radio station, WKIP (We Keep It Positive) and rode our bikes 35 miles to Brooklyn just to have a slice of Margarita pizza at Grimaldi’s.    This year- we were joined by my good friend and co-creator of the fictional feel-good frequency, Mike Walter.

The Spinnaker, from Le Peep. Randolph, NJ

It was sunny and 87 degrees in the big apple… this song kept playing in my head throughout our excursion. Everybody was outside doing their thang; running, walking, praying to trees, fixing the roads, sight-seeing, playing chess like they do in one of my favorite movies of all time, and lots of folks playing a little hooky.

As always, the highlights of the ride revolved around the food and the company.  Our friend, Terri, who couldn’t make the ride but joined us for breakfast at Le Peep, recommended  “The Spinnaker.”  It’s a delicious egg-white omelet with spinach, bacon, mushrooms, chives, cheese and tomato.  Yummy! The day was off to a great start.

Mike featured the trip route on his blog, so I’ll just focus on the pizza and the pics.

There’s something about Gramaldi’s home-made mozzarella, the perfect crust, and a red sauce so nice it should have a crayon named after it...  that will keep me coming back to Brooklyn on my bike year after year.

The Little Red Lighthouse @ The GWB

4 slices is usually just what the doctor ordered at the 17 mile half-way point.  But this time… John and I raced up the Manhattan bridge right after lunch…  that fourth slice wasn’t doing me any favors.       No unnecessary drama ensued, but note to self: next year you may want to wait another 15 minutes before challenging anybody to a race.  Especially someone like John, who is a ridiculously-strong rider and spins 8 days a week.

Throughout the trip… we joked, laughed and got personal.   We saw “every kind of people” and enjoyed a fun, alternative workout.

We all agreed there’s no doubt that being outside-  soakin’ up a sunny day & just livin‘, is a very good indication that Life- is indeed good.    See ya next year!    You are welcome to join us.   -mp

Encore Gallery:

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

7 Ways To Bring The WOW and Have The Best Wedding Reception Ever! By Marcello Pedalino http://www.mmpentertainment.com/articles/7ways.pdf

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.

R.I.P Mr. Squirrel

Conference Producer- Robbie Britton

If you’re in the middle of producing a jammed packed two-day business conference and a curious squirrel somehow finds its way inside the hotel’s transformer- which subsequently blows up the transformer, causes the entire hotel to lose power- and obviously sends the little varmint to an early grave…. what would you do?      Some people would panic, some would start to make excuses and then some people, like Robbie Britton, would keep their cool, inform the attendees of the back-up plans, and then proceed to get a generator from their personal work vehicle to restore power to the essential audio/visual components within the hour.

As luck would have it, seasoned professional speaker, Rick Brewer, was on stage when the outage occurred.  Without skipping a beat, Rick continued his insightful presentation sans microphone and power point slides.  Robbie and his crew got the power restored in time for Rick to wrap up his excellent marketing advice regarding the psychology behind designing  appealing package options for your clients and to show a highly impactful video clip that gets me every time I see it.

Wedding Toasts Made Easy

That afternoon, I had the chance to sit down for lunch with Rick and Tom Haibeck, author the book, Wedding Toasts Made Easy.  If you’ve ever been to an elegant reception, gala or intimate dinner where the best man or person giving the toast was…  let’s just say… less than stellar- to put it nicely, that’s the reason Tom’s book has sold over 100,000 copies and people like Regis Philbin used it to prepare for his daughter’s wedding. After Tom’s presentation,  I bought a case of his books (that Tom was gracious enough to autograph) and couldn’t wait to give a signed copy to the next bride and groom that I met with.   This past week, I had a consultation with Jackie and Rody, who just hired me to Emcee their wedding reception for July of 2012.  They mentioned that the Best Man and Maid of Honor might want to propose a toast so I gave them a copy for each.  Look for Wedding Toasts Made Easy to be featured in an upcoming “Marcello Recommends” article.

As always, I gave Jackie and Rody a copy of The Best Wedding Reception…Ever! as well.  Peter Merry, TBWRE’s author, was also a featured presenter at the Armdjs conference.  Like his book,  Merry revealed some unique ideas that we can pass along to our engaged couples with regards to personalizing the  entertainment and tastefully highlighting traditional moments.

Customer Service A to Z

David Louis, who flew all the way from Hawaii to join the Tennessee roster, introduced a genius concept that I’ll be incorporating very soon to assist the 1/2 of MMP’s newly-engaged couples that usually need more help than the other…  David created a Groom’s Workshop.   There’s tons of information and resources out there for the brides, but not so much for the grooms.  If you’re a groom-to-be and would like to know… “What do I do now??!!” after you make an awesome proposal that’s worthy of a bazillion hits on youtube…  contact us at 973-366-9776 to schedule a private workshop.   And if you’re a bride who wants to sign up your future hubby so he doesn’t screw anything up, you can call us too and we’ll help you sign him up. These workshops are complimentary for our clients and simply considered part of the customer service level that MMP clients can expect when working with us.

Fellow Wedding Entertainment Director’s Guild board member and author of Customer Service A to Z, Larry Williams, went pretty deep into the finer points of customer care and hospitality during his session.   It was quite evident that he practices what he preaches…  His good friend and mentor, the legendary Dick Clark, has unfortunately been under the weather lately.  Larry arranged for several of us to record video get well cards for Mr. Clark to help raise his spirits. Larry knew that a situation like this required more than a generic Hallmark card.  It was a very classy and thoughtful gesture.

Running Your Multi-Op

The ArmDjs conference gave attendees numerous ways to go above and beyond the public perception of the norm and the status quo.  Industry veteran, and one of the most talented performers I’ve seen in action, Todd Mitchem, drove this point home when he warned the audience not to become a Ferrari on the Freeway.  It’s a ‘reality bites’ type of expression that I learned as a kid through a basic sports example.   If you are an exceptional athlete in high school, chances are you’re going to be in good company when you get to college.  Meaning:  You ain’t that special kiddo.  And if you happen to be fairly awesome compared to your university counterparts, don’t celebrate until you get to the pro leagues because again, there are already some incredible athletes out there.   Now, if you manage to stand out in the Major Leagues, the NFL or the NBA… then you can pop the champagne and celebrate a little.  THEN,.. If you can combine your uber-athleticism with intellect, social graces and business savvy… you’ve earned the title of a Ferrari on the F1 (Formula One) circuit.

Author of his first book release, Running Your Multi-Op, Mike Walter, who we featured here on the MMP Blog last month, should have rented a Ferrari to get to Tennessee to give his seminar.  Instead of flying out from New Jersey, he chose to break-in his new car and drive 10 hours to avoid one of his pet-peeves…  a connecting flight.   Fortunately,  in addition to being one of the most successful businessmen in the mobile dj world, he’s also a marathon runner- so he still had plenty of energy when it was showtime. The attendees expected Mike to dish out a lot of training and management-related nuggets from his book like he normally does when he’s on the speaking circuit, but they (and I) were also treated to video examples regarding common performance-related pitfalls that Emcees can avoid.  Essentially, knowing when to say something is just as important as knowing what to say.

Keynote Speaker best-selling author, Michael Port with Featured Presenters- Patrick Henry and Marcello Pedalino

While we’re on the subject of  good timing, I want to thank my friend, Alan Trisler, for sharing his photo coverage of the event. Like all great photographers,  he knows how to be in the right place at the right time.

 As we often do when we are brought in to speak at the same conference, Mike and I met up before the seminars began on day one to start the morning off with a nice run.  (We always invite everyone to join us, but it’s usually just us who end up meeting in the lobby at sunrise.)  I’d have to say that this run was one of the most memorable in the 10 years we’ve known each other.  Check out Mike’s running journal for the detailed recap.

As a father, something that was said that I’ll  never forget was delivered by Gitomer Cerified Speaker standout, Patrick Henry.   This was the second time I’ve had the pleasure of watching Patrick light-up the stage with his musical anecdotes that strike a sharp and humorous chord with his audience, but this was the first time I’d heard him say this…  “Some nights, I’ll be holding my beautiful baby daughter, Meredith, in my arms.  And all I can think about when I look into her gorgeous blue eyes is… Please don’t grow up to be a skank!” It was hysterical.   I don’t really tweet that often, but this one had to be shared with other fathers and anyone else in the world who needs a good laugh.  And if you appreciate this type of real-world humor with an edge like Patrick’s tweetable moment, check out Tina Fey’s prayer for her daughter from her new book, Bossypants.

Alan Trisler captures Marcello Pedalino presenting, "Energy" at the ArmDjs 4.0 Business and Performance Conference

When I think of professional goals, Book Yourself Solid, which was written by the Keynote speaker, Michael Port, can easily be considered one of the entrepreneurial bibles that I looked to in my formative years for insight and inspiration. His “Red Velvet Rope” philosophy is right in line with my business model and hard-earned company reputation.  Port gave an enthusiastic presentation that featured one gem after another on the subjects of marketing and branding.   No notes or slides necessary.   I guess that’s one of the perks of being considered an expert in your field and being the author of a NY Times Best Seller… the ability to effortlessly speak on your specialty subject matter becomes second nature.   Just fly to the next destination, engage, teach and wrap it up with a standing ovation.    Highlights from his seminar included Michael telling the famous, “If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye” story and his strong recommendation that you focus your efforts on “commitment and fulfillment” and “sharing information and compassion” when you are looking to build a deeper relationship with prospects and colleagues you already know.

The chance to see Port in person was very exciting.  The opportunity to speak with him for 15 minutes after his presentation was exhilarating.  And now that I’m kinda out of big adjectives, the fact that by chance Mr. Port and I sat next to each other on a connecting return flight home from Tennessee to Charlotte and talked about everything from the economy and the UFC, to the politics of politics and Donald Trump, to cross training, yoga and how to travel fashionably...well.. let’s just say… WOW!-  Life is pretty cool sometimes. And as if I needed another cherry on top,  Mr.  Port extended a  very gracious  lunch invitation for sometime in the near future. How surreal would it be to break bread at the home of one of your literary idols?

Marcello Pedalino presenting at ArmDjs 4.0

I’m delighted to report that my performance workshop on Energy, “The World Belongs to the Energetic,” was well received by the  attendees and that a lot of positive feedback has been buzzing around the industry’s social media outlets.

These are two comments that came in via MMP’s Facebook Page:

“I traveled to attend this event from New Zealand. I loved Marcello’s presentation.” -David Seel, The Perfect Wedding, NZ

Marcello Pedalino shows attendees how "the world belongs to the energetic"

“I have been a DJ for 24 years and although I perform at over 250 Mobile Disc Jockey events every year I have chose not to attend DJ Conferences during my career…..until ARMDJs 2011. The presentation put on by Marcello and Mike Walter was the best 2 hour investment of my career. Marcello not only gave us great ideas but he demonstrated how to implement them first hand. He is truly a highly talented performer. Mike Walter has an incredible perspective on business and talked about the details of our job that really matter. I look forward to learning from these two pros again in the future!” -Rob Vollmar, Grant Hemond and Associates, FL

Special thanks to Mark Maillet, from Eternal Lighting Company, for spotlighting my stage performance with the sleek  Premier 120- LED fixture.  It really enhanced the over-all presentation and helped me demonstrate how professionals can use lightscaping and special effects to adjust the ambiance accordingly and raise the level of energy in any room.

2012 Keynote- Gary Vaynerchuk

Apparently, Robbie Britton already knows how to create energy, end an event on a high-note and leave a crowd wanting more.  Like a little kid on Christmas Eve who couldn’t wait to open his presents, Robbie finally showed everyone a video clip of  next year’s keynote speaker giving a pre-recorded teaser of what’s in store for ArmDjs 5.0 in the summer of 2012…    Gary Vaynerchuk, the author of Crush It and The Thank You Economy will be  bringing “the hustle” and “the thunder” in a “serious way” because “that how he rolls.”  The attendees (including yours truly) were totally amped.

See you next year!  -mp

Marcello Pedalino

Michael Port

After reading the best seller, Book Yourself  Solid, a few years ago, Michael Port has continued to have a significant impact on MMP’s success. When my business was being profiled for a local business story, I credited Port’s latest literary effort when the reporter asked me if I had any advice for entrepreneurs.  “I’m reading a great book by Michael Port. He puts our business philosophy very eloquently.  Develop your credibility,  establish yourself as an expert, strive to be your best- most likable self, and you’ll quickly become the most obvious choice for your potential clients.”  These words of wisdom have served MMP Entertainment well.

Book Yourself Solid

Fast forward to 2011.   Robbie Britton, producer of ARMDJS 4.0, has invited me to join the stellar ensemble cast of industry-notable presenters and special guest speaker, Michael Port. Needless to say-  I’m honored, flattered and very excited.

The content of the symposium will cover areas of performance and business characteristics that are paramount to a successful company.  Michael Port will speak on Bookings, Larry Williams on Service, David Louis on Networking, Peter Merry on Value, Todd Mitchem on Control, Tom Halibek on Speaking, Mike Walter on Training, and my seminar will address- Energy. I’ll be sharing ways that entertainers can harness their physical and creative power so they can recharge their performances.

Tuesday, June 21, & Wednesday, June 22, 2011.

See you in Tennessee!  -mp

Michael Walter and the Elite Team

On page 107, Michael Walter, the owner of Elite Entertainment, writes “My mom used to tell me,  -Being smart doesn’t mean you have to know all the answers.  It just means you have to know how to find them-.”

In his new book and proverbial treasure map,  Running Your Muil-Op, Michael spoon-feeds 20 years of advice on  how to recruit and develop talent, how to effectively manage and delegate day to day operations, and how to deal with the inevitable growing pains that come along with running a thriving small business.   It’s like Vince Lombardi opening up his playbook and handing it off to Captain Jack Sparrow.

All of the nuggets are delivered with enough real world experience and wit to keep the reader engaged, even during the self-described “more boring legal stuff” section.

Michael Walter, CEO of Elite Entertainment

What I love about the book is that Michael’s information is universal;  His tips about taking your employee’s spouses and significant others into consideration throughout the year is relevant to any CEO.   The sections about embracing technology for organizational purposes and marketing will be helpful to any entrepreneur.  And the parts about trust, resolve, humility, ego, reality and balance make the book a good read for anyone who likes to learn life lessons via entertaining anecdotes.   (I love how he and his former business partner decided that it was time to move into an office.)

2001 DJ of the Year Competition: Marcello Pedalino & Michael Walter

Walter is like a Gary Vee. He’s got  a lot of energy to burn and plenty of useful information to share that will motivate others to take action.  He also thrives on progress and readily admits that he likes the attention.  Walter is the kind of guy that you ask to take out to lunch someday after you see him speak at a national conference or read one of his re-tweeted articles. That’s actually how I met Michael 10 years ago.    He was asked to produce the DJ of the Year Competition by DJ Times Magazine back in 2001.  I put my hat in the ring and and was fortunate to win.  Not just because I won a couple of nice plaques and got some great press… but because I  met someone who would become one of my best friends.  (notice I didn’t say “lucky.”   Michael and Branch Rickey don’t really believe in luck)

If you follow this blog, you know I keep things positive, but I also keep things real.  So I was really happy that Mike’s book didn’t suck.  That would have been awkward.   To the contrary, I’m happy to report that all of the initial reviews, beyond our circle of friends since its debut last month-  have been stellar.

Kelly and Michael- Living It Up in London

“Mike has given away the keys to the candy store. Shared all the trade secrets. Divulged the secret recipe… is he crazy to do so? Maybe. Is he a genius? Definitely. And generous?  OH YES.” – Scott Faver

My favorite part of the book was the Epilogue: Words to Live By.   Mike shared several examples of what inspires his  business philosophy and life principles.  He quotes everybody from Sting to Aristotle and mentions everything from Fatal Attraction to The Serenity Prayer.  (it keeps you on your toes- like when Tony Hsieh quoted Winnie the Pooh in his book, Delivering Happiness)  This is a nice snapshot of what our entertainingly-eclectic conversations sound like when we are flying out to a speaking engagement together or while we are out for a training run.

Michael is a fellow “Life Is Good“ fan and he and the love of his life, Kelly, are big supporters of the Sunshine Club. I thought this excerpt from the final chapter of the book really encapsulates the Celebrate Life vibe we promote here and just might  inspire someone out there in the world today….    -mp

…” one of the more awesome things about DJing as long as I have, is bringing joy to so many people.  When we do what we do well, that’s what we do.   We get people to dance, laugh, sing, and celebrate.  We get them to leave their routine lives for a few hours and to enter a world where their troubles and difficulties don’t exist. There is only the here and the now at a good party.  Nothing else matters-”… ~Michael Walter

Click here to order your copy of Running Your Multi-Op.

Follow Michael on Twitter:  @DjMikeWalter

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

(from Left: Mike Walter from Elite Entertainment, Alan Berg from The Wedding Industry Leaders Conference, Sonny Ganguly from Wedding Wire.com, Erik Kent from NJ Weddings.com, Signature Events partner- Jason Jani from SCE Weddings, & Marcello Pedalino from MMP Entertainment & Event Production)

At the helm: Dining Room Manager, Robin Gustafsson, prepping for another busy day at Casa Lever Restaurant.

Location, location, location! When you have to give someone from Jersey directions and they end with something like, “right next to Park Avenue and 5th,”  life is indeed sweet.    When Penelope Cruz wants to entertain guests like Madonna and your restaurant is chosen , you might be on to something.   When you can combine classic Milanese dishes with cordial hospitality and then adorn your stylish interior with original Warhols for good measure… the result is Casa Lever, a comfortably-chic restaurant that recently added gourmet breakfast selections to their daily offerings.

Since Lever gets their pastries and breads directly from Sant Ambroeus, I did extra laps in the pool the day before our visit so my carbohydrate/caloric intake-guilt wouldn’t spoil the morning’s indulgence. 

Birthday girl, Tamara Simms, with her husband, Jay. In town from Chicago for a week of Broadway.

The sumptuous feast consisted of a tomato, mozzarella and basil panini, an apple-filled croissant, a plain croissant with assorted jellies for a warm-up, then an order of raisin brioche french toast  with creme anglaise and  raspberry & blueberry slices plus a side of niman ranch smoked bacon for the meal.  All of the above nicely complimented by 2 cups of  tea and a glass of orange-carrot juice blend.   Delicious!

My dining mates were good friends, colleagues and fellow fitness enthusiasts. (Kudos and congrats to Jay Simms from Chicago who ran the Philly marathon last weekend and qualified for Boston...  pretty much the holy grail of all 26.2 challenges.)  Visiting with his lovely wife, Tamara (who was celebrating her birthday with a week of Broadway), Jay ordered some of Lever’s healthier options along with a familiar face to the MMP readers, Mike Walter.

Mike Walter, Robin Gustafsson and Marcello Pedalino in front of an original Andy Warhol painting of Fashion Icon, Giorgio Armani

They enjoyed the Golden Granola with yogurt, (organic oates, honey, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cashews, pumpkin seeds and coconut), the Uova al Tegamino, (sunny-side up organic eggs, crispy applewood bacon and crostini), and Uova Tirolese,  (poached egg, hollandaise sauce, tirolian speck and spinach).  They were very pleased with their meals as well.

We drove in and found a convenient parking garage right up the block.  After breakfast and some of the best shopping in the world-  Radio City Music Hall and the likes of Rockefeller Center are just a short (people-watchers dream) walk away.

So whether you are just waking up and don’t feel like preparing a gourmet breakfast, looking for an impressive table to do some serious business over lunch or are in need of a meeting location with panache (there is a semi-private area in the back of the restaurant that features a drop-down screen and can accommodate up to 20 people),  or are fortunate to be celebrating a special occasion with discerning dinner guests… Casa Lever should be on your dolce vita-radar.  -mp

390 Park Avenue at 53rd,  New York City, NY 10022 (on facebook)

Contact:  Robin Gustafsson, @ 212-888-2700 or

Debbie Pettersson, @ 212-207-6680  ext. 151

Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Authority, speaks to the capacity crowd of 1500 at The 2010 Wedding MBA Conference

It’s nice when something lives up to the hype.    I’ve been hearing about the Wedding MBA for a few years…  things like, “It’s THE convention to go to if you are a wedding professional,” and “the seminars are above and beyond what you’ll find at your typical wedding industry gathering,” and “hold on to your notebooks, laptops and iPads… you’ll be taking lots of notes from some of the most successful special event gurus in the bridal business.”  The Wedding MBA delivered.

After 2 and 1/2 days of presentations from the likes of Sonny Ganguly & Tim Chi from Wedding Wire, Tammy Elliot & Susan Southerland from The Perfect Wedding Guide, Carly Roney and Alan Berg from The Knot, Julia Markel from the Association for Wedding Professionals International, Andy Ebon from The Wedding Marketing Network and Peter Merry, the author of The Best Wedding Reception Ever,  I’m exhausted and my brain hurts a little.

Mike Walter and Marcello Pedalino present "Take Care of Yourself" at the 2010 Wedding MBA Conference

There was barley enough time to squeeze in a few runs at sunrise and barely enough energy left over at night for some additional networking, but I’ve got at least 10 new ideas to share with our brides and 5 new concepts to implement into MMP’s 2011 business plan so it’s all good.   After speaking with many of the 1500 attendees, they all seemed to share the same sentiments.

Social Media was definitely the “it” phrase of the week.  You couldn’t go more than 15 minutes without hearing someone mention a possible tip or tweak for utilizing Facebook, Twitter, blogging or youtube marketing for SEO and staying connected to the e-universe we live in now. If you’d like to have your mind blown, check out this video clip that Sonny shared with the crowd about sixth sense technology.  We all had to pick our jaws up off of the floor.

from left: Wedding MBA Chancellor- Will Hegarty, The Knot's Alan Berg and Marcello Pedalino

Another golden nugget was the universal message from The Knot’s editor in chief, Carly Roney.  She said that “many brides and grooms now value personal expression more than tradition.”

The celebrate life team here at MMP Entertainment is happy to incorporate your unique personalities and preferences into your once-in-a-lifetime reception.

Speaking of personalities, you can visit Susan Sutherland’s bountiful site and discover her secret survey offering…  take this quiz and figure out what type of bride you are. It will help us enhance your wedding planning experience by understanding your planning personality. Susan was really dialed-in to the wedding industry and offered valuable insight into the psychology of  today’s bride.

from left: Marcello Pedalino, Author of the Best Wedding Reception Ever- Peter Merry, & Wed Guild members- Shawn Whittemore and Liz Daley

The convention rock stars were hard to miss as they each made several guest appearances and gave multiple seminars. Andy, Alan, Sonny and Peter always had a crowd around them in the halls asking for additional advice, photos for their wall and autographs of their books.

I was very happy to see that all of my friend’s and colleague’s  hard work and dedication to their craft was being recognized.

I’m also happy to report that our presentation, “Take Care Of Yourself,” was very well received . Mike Walter and I, as the new kids on the block at this gathering, spoke about the importance of a Health and Wellness program for the 21st century entrepreneur.

Peter Merry taking photos with his fans and signing copies of his new book, The Best Wedding Reception Ever.

We shared our philosophies and offered solutions on common personal and professional challenges like time management, prioritization, diet, exercise, dolce far niente and overall life balance.  In essence, if you take better care of yourself, you can take better care of your clients.  And if you take better care of your team, you’ll be taking better care of your bottom line.

Special thanks to Dr. Drax from the ADJA for the sponsorship and support, to Will & Patti Hegarty and Shannon Underwood from the Wedding Merchants Business Academy for producing  such a monumental event, to Ron Brown for his production assistance, to Sonny Gallardo for transportation, and to Liz Daley, for sharing a few of her photos for this entry.

... a quick mention to a few of the several hundred new friends and wedding professionals  that I met while attending the WMBA…

Mike Walter and Marcello Pedalino

Jean-Loup Bitterlin from Casa De Los Siete Patios in Mexico, Rachael Citron and Heather Balczarek from Glass Slipper Weddings in New Jersey, Jose Betancourt Jr. from Junior’s Band Orchestra in Florida, Olga Goddard from My Favorite Flowers in Utah, Carmen Hocking from A Beautiful Wedding in Kansas, Marc Conneely from Wedding TV in London, Kathi Evans from All The Best Celebrations in New Jersey,  Jody and Tammy Maxx from Music to the Maxx in Texas,  Patrick Kelly from I Do Appointments in Oklahoma, Ali Berberich from The Blue Angel Cafe in California, Eric Goldschmidt from Eventurous in Ohio, Doug Rice from Bridalicious in Texas and Pete Miller from Speaker Coach… who came all the way from Australia!!!

The logistics have been worked out and the scheduling details have been finalized, Mike Walter and Marcello Pedalino have been added to the list of notable industry presenters at the Wedding MBA for Wednesday, September 22, at 4pm.

The 7th Annual Wedding Merchants Business Academy Conference will feature 3 days of presentations from well known bridal-biz superstars like Timothy Chi from WeddingWire.com, David Katz from Conde Nast, Amy Wilkens from Martha Stewart Weddings, Alan Berg from the Knot, Andy Ebon from the Wedding Marketing Network and Peter Merry, author of the Best Wedding Reception Ever.

Walter and Pedalino’s seminar, “It’s All About You!… Seriously.  How To Take Better Care of Yourself So You Can Take Better Care of Your Bride,” will focus on the benefits of health and wellness as a peak performer and a wedding professional.

Like the other presenters at the Wedding MBA, Mike and Marcello will share some of their secrets to success as well as some underestimated lifestyle habits that are paramount for longevity in the special events industry.

Special thanks to the ADJA for the national endorsement and continued support.

If you will be attending the conference but haven’t signed up yet, the Wedding MBA has offered all of MMP’s loyal readers a $100 discount on their registration fee.