Jackpot: The Wedding MBA Sends Every Attendee Home from Las Vegas a Winner- Mike Walter & Marcello Pedalino Come Up Aces

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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 2010 Wedding MBA Conference In Las Vegas Confirms Mike Walter and Marcello Pedalino to Join the All Star Line Up of Featured Speakers: 9/20 – 9/23

By:  the MMP Wire Staff –  Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada

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.

Lauren and Jerome’s Wedding Reception at the Crystal Plaza: “It Was More Than I Could Ever Ask For”

If you have 400 people on your guest list, the Palazzo Ballroom at The Venetian or the The Westmount Country Club would be my initial suggestions for New Jersey venues that boast a modern-elegant flair and opulent decor. However, if you are planning a more intimate affair in the 125+ range and would like to celebrate in a Platinum Wedding- worthy ballroom with first class hospitality, The Crystal Plaza in Livingston, NJ. deserves your consideration.

Lauren and Jerome definitely made the right choice with regards to the venue and event professionals, but what really took this reception from ordinary to extraordinary was the way they chose to personalize their event. At their initial design session last year, I gave them a copy of The Best Wedding Reception… Ever! It features ways to make your once in a lifetime experience more fun, unique and unforgettable.  You’ll see from the candid video testimonial below that you’ll get to choose your own adjectives when it’s your turn.

The personalization highlights started in the cocktail hour with an endearing conversational presentation. Jerome and Lauren supplied us with 75 photos leading up to the reception so we could produce a photo montage.  Not only did the collection include plenty of Kodak-worthy images featuring the newlyweds, the 7 minute media clip also featured cameos by everyone on the guest list. The final version of the montage included 3 of their favorite songs and was given to Lauren & Jerome on dvd as a keepsake.  (The version we played during cocktails was looped and muted.  This way, their requested background music programming for the hour which was playing could be enjoyed without distraction…   more importantly, the guests didn’t have to hear the same three songs over and over for the hour. .. and  because the montage was playing in loop mode on an unobtrusive plasma screen, their guests could enjoy the photos at their leisure and convenience.) It was a wonderful way to instantly reconnect all of their guests by sparking sentimental memories and lively conversation.

Another highlight was the father daughter dance.  Since Lauren and her dad couldn’t choose between four of their favorite songs, we produced a custom audio mix that included all four tracks.  After several weeks of tweaks and fine-tuning, we came up with a version that made the once in a lifetime dance with her dad a moment she’ll never forget and one he’ll always remember fondly. In case you are curious, the final mix included specific clips from Tim McGraw’s My Little Girl, Van Morrison’s Have I Told You Lately, Celine Dion’s Because You Loved Me, and Frank Sinatra’s The Way You Look Tonight.  It was a great way to make what could have been a  traditionally ordinary moment …refreshingly extraordinary.

Jerome and Lauren made a lot of classy moves throughout the afternoon like  taking a few minutes after the cake cutting to thank all of their guests and playing  their parent’s wedding songs later in the reception.   The love and respect for their parents was also evident during the grand entrance introductions when all the guests cheered for Jerome’s dad, who was given the honor to serve as Best Man!

I think my favorite part of the wedding,  (besides everyone singing and clapping along to one of the coolest first dance songs), was seeing Jerome dance with his mom.  Mrs. Genarelli worked in the guidance office of Indian Hills High School where I was a student volunteer.  Over the four years, I can’t tell you how many times she told me about “my Jerome”… like any proud mother would adoringly tell people about their son.  And then there I was, nearly 20 years  later, watching her dance with him on his wedding day. Between Mrs. Genarelli and Lauren, Jerome should thank his lucky stars. 

Special thanks to Nella Mellace and Marco Chivarillotti from the Crystal Plaza for their hospitality and professionalism.  It’s always a pleasure when we have the opportunity to collaborate.  Kudos and appreciation also goes out to Scott Bush from Scott Photography for sharing his photos for this entry.  Like I always say… when your venue, photographer and entertainment can work well together and are at the top of their respective games, you can focus on your job as a VIP guest of honor… relaxing, taking it all in and having the time of your life.

Dramatically Different Results: Marcello Completes The Professional Process Training with Peter Merry

How does an award winning entertainment and event production company stay on top of the latest industry trends and continue to offer their clients a fun, unique and memorable experience for their once in a lifetime celebration? Simple.  They put in a lot of time and effort when it comes to continuing education.

Case in point, Peter Merry, the author of the new wedding bible, The Best Wedding Reception… Ever!, was in town to deliver his Professional Process curriculum.  My hand still hurts from taking so many notes.

Peter is considered one of the top Master of Ceremonies in the business. When my wife and I got married five years ago, we flew him in from California to make sure our event was elegant, yet festive and that our guests attended a “celebration with style.”  And boy did he deliver.  Since then, Peter and I have remained good friends- and fortunately for my clients, Peter has been a non-stop source of extraordinary ideas to implement into MMP’s social and corporate events when the need arises.

Peter is also the President of the Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild, an elite group of 20 entertainment professionals from the U.S and Canada who specialize in wedding receptions. I’m proud to be the only member from the tri-state area who qualified.  It was a rigorous application process which took over 3 months to complete.   My acceptance and current membership helps MMP’s discerning clientele distinguish our level of service and talent from all the other available alternatives- and to justify the significant difference in investment; Peter’s hands-on guidance and educational content has proven to be a priceless source of validation to this end.

I look forward to introducing all of the advanced level techniques I learned regarding entertainment, decor,  hospitality and event production concepts at our upcoming design sessions and celebrations.

It’s funny, The Professional Process made me feel like Luke Skywalker hangin’ with Yoda for two days of Jedi training.

“There are plenty of DJ Entertainment companies out there.  They all play music and they all make announcements…  but with dramatically different results.” – Peter Merry

You be the judge.  At your convenience, compare this, or this, to that.

Jani and Marcello Deliver the WOW! Rose and Joe’s Wedding Reception at The Venetian with Special Guest: Kim Sozzi

Last week, I assisted my Signature Events partner, Jason Jani with artist relations and event direction at the Palazzo Ballroom of the Venetian for Rose & Joe’s wedding reception.  Jason, owner of Sound Connection Entertainment, arranged for the dance chart-topping singer, Kim Sozzi to perform a surprise set for the guests after the first course.

Rose & Joe wanted their wedding reception to be exceptional, so they chose the Palazzo Ballroom of  the Venetian.  They wanted their entertainment experience to have a modern, yet elegant flair, so they chose Jason’s firm to handle the production.  Then, like many of our clients, Rose and Joe wanted their once in lifetime celebration to be extraordinary; so they asked us to come up with a WOW factor moment that they and their  guests would never forget.

Since Rose & Joe are both big fans of dance music and recording artist Kim Sozzi, having Kim make a special appearance and perform a personalized set of their favorite songs at the reception became the ultimate concept and desire; Jason delivered and made it happen.

As a result, Rose, Joe and their guests experienced a dance set that deserves to be in the new book release, The Best Wedding Reception…Ever. After the first course was served, Jason played the classic ballad, At Last by Etta James to pack the floor with couples;  followed by an Italian family favorite, The Tarantella, to warm up the dance floor with smiles and laughter.    The stage was impeccably set for  Jason to “Crush It” and take Rose & Joe’s  wedding reception to the Signature Event level.

Kim Sozzi entered from the grand staircase into an eruption of  cheers and applause.  The guests were blown away and couldn’t believe that Kim was singing her biggest hits like “Feel Your Love” right in front of them. Literally!  A seasoned professional, Sozzi sang her songs down off the stage, right in the middle of the crowd, never taking the spotlight away from the guests of honor.  The room’s ambiance was filled with the best of both worlds, energy and intimacy. Rose and Joe looked like they were floating on air.  The joy on their faces was priceless as they were enjoying every minute of the moment. At one point, I checked in with Jason to confirm that all was right with the world and he said, “Look at how happy Rose & Joe are right now, this is why I do this.”

Special thanks to Jimmy Silva from the Venetian for his hospitality and professionalism; he and Dave Mocera always provide a first class experience for everyone that walks through their doors.

While we are on the subject of the best that the Special Events industry has to offer, check out the cinematic excellence that Greg from Endless Wave Studios produced for the newlyweds. Greg specializes in producing mini-film featurettes for his clientele the day of their event known as “same day edits.” A couple doesn’t have to wait 6 weeks or 6 months to re-live the magic anymore. In Rose and Joe’s case, not only did Greg produce a professional music video that was played on the Venetian’s large drop down screens before their grand entrance, he also created a full production featurette of the days highlights that played right before cake cutting.  Greg’s latest blog entry goes into more detail…    “I think a story is only complete when you are there for everything, the making of the cappuccino in the morning, the giving of gifts, vows, and kisses, and right to the last song. This is why we can give back such a complete story.”

Check out his ‘same day edit’ artistry below.  One of my favorite parts is when Rose sent Joe a gift before the ceremony and later on when they made their grand entrance into the Palazzo.  I was there in the moment and it was awesome; watching it again with this level of connoisseur-like editing, camera work and musicality was just as breath-taking. The ultimate stamp of approval came from my wife who teared up after I showed it to her today.  With watery eyes she said, “tell Greg he did he a great job”… an emotional smile and a kodak-moment laugh immediately followed.

To see more highlights, live footage and behind the scenes interviews, check out Jason’s video log below.

I look forward to teaming up with Jason in the future for more Signature Collaborations.

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