It was a LOT of work to get ready for that Expo, and it was a great experience. Some of the major work (and money) was for one-time things like my banner, my business license, and my table decorations. I ordered so many business cards that I’m tempted to call them a one-time expense even though they’re not, because I won’t have to re-order them for a while. (More on my business cards later.) 

I would like to say, at the outset, that Debbie Deaver (who owns and runs this Expo) is amazing to work with. She was very supportive and was a great help, in addition to being very pleasant to be around. 

I showed up on Friday afternoon to get things set up, and was impressed by many of the displays around me. After browsing through the displays that were in the process of being set up, I realized that my table didn’t look the way I wanted it to. I realized I needed to make it look like elegant — like a table you might see at a very nice reception.

I went to several different stores and collected a black tablecloth, some fake red rose petals, some confetti that looks like little diamonds, a bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider.

So, imagine this:

Black tablecloth, with three red/burgundy cloth napkins — one in the center, and two on either far side of the table. If you’re “looking” at the table, on the center napkin, there are my flyers and business cards, with index cards and pens close by for the drawing. On the left-hand napkin is a 16×20 engagement picture of me and my husband. In front of that, there’s a little box we wrapped to look like a wedding gift to hold the drawing entries. On the right-side napkin, there’s a place setting with the fourth napkin folded on the plates, and the bottle of Martinelli’s. Scattered throughout the table are the diamond confetti (which really sparkled under the lights against the tablecloth) and the fake rose petals (for those, like me, who have allergies). Behind me, hanging on the black curtain, was my big banner.

It was a lot of fun, and people were really curious about what I’m doing, and very positive. I had a lot of people, after hearing my “spiel,” tell me that they think this is a great idea. I even had a few people who looked at my table and materials and “got it” before I even opened my mouth. I had several people tell me they’d already found this blog (thank you!!) and a few told me they wish they’d known me a year ago.

Here’s the “spiel”: I’m an event planner — weddings, anniversary parties, holiday parties, funerals, any family gathering. Big events are tough enough to plan without having to take the time to research all the caterers and find out which one can handle your needs. I understand about having lots of food needs. I’m allergic to beef, chicken, eggs, milk, bananas, carrots and corn on top of having Celiac disease, so I know how to talk to restaurants and caterers about food issues and make sure they know what they’re doing. I believe that people should be able to sit back and enjoy their events without wondering if they’re going to be sick later because they got glutened by their caterer.

I do anything from consult for an hour to make sure a client knows how to handle things all the way to planning an entire event.

I look forward to future business, and thanks to all of you who came to the Expo, and who love and support me.!