I recently caught-up with Judy Allen, one of the world’s leading authorities on staging, event and lifestyle design and the best-selling author of 10 books on event planning. Judy has tremendous insight into the industry and we are privileged to be profiling her here.

Judy’s most recent book, Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies from the Real World of Events — How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion (John Wiley & Sons), is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

WTTC: Judy, you’ve had an outstanding career. How did it all start?

JA: My career as an event planner started in travel. I was the manager of a travel agency that became a top producing agency because I developed a very successful corporate clientele and began doing their meetings and conferences and then their incentive programs. I then moved from doing incentives through a travel agency to doing event design at a top incentive house. I loved the incentive side of event planning and wanted to focus on this area.

WTTC: What has been the highlight of your career so far? Why?

JA: I think the highlight of my career was hearing that the worldwide theatrical premiere of Beauty and the Beast was going to take place. Within 24 hours, I had my vision of the opening gala (event design as well as logistics and timing) on the company chairperson’s desk and within two weeks had the contract to do the event for 2,000 guests. I knew inside that the event was meant for me and just put it out there.  I love taking dreams and making them reality whether they be my own, my clients or the guests attending an event. I did the same for my first book. I wrote the first manuscript in two weeks and had it contracted in another two weeks. I knew it was meant for me to do from requests I was receiving from others to share what I knew so I sat down and did it and put it out there.

WTTC: What is it about you that made you so successful?

JA: I never lost sight that what I was designing was someone’s take away life memory. I have always been passionate about creating meaningful, memorable and magical events that were also educational, enlightening, engaging, entertaining, and delivered results for all attending.

WTTC: What is the most important skill an event planner needs to succeed?

JC: To be able to visualize an event from every perspective. To be able to step in and see and feel the energy and emotion of the event from every viewpoint (client, guest, suppliers) and to know what will be required to bring it about with regards to strategic design, planning, staging, budget, logistics and timing.

WTTC: What role has creativity played in your success? Is it a skill that can be learned?

JC: Creativity has played an important part in my success as I believe in producing custom not cookie cutter events. But equally important has been my ability to work from both sides of the brain, which I feel is essential in event planning.  It’s equally important to become a master of logistics and timing and of cost production and budget management. One creative director sold a client on a staging idea tied to launching their new car but had never done a car launch before or worked with a car prototype and had no idea that the idea they were proposing was not feasible.  They then had to go back to the client and tell them the great idea they had would not work.  Another event planner made a $100,000 costing error because they had no idea how to cost for union labor for move in, set-up, rehearsals, day of, tear down and move out and that was just the tip of the costing errors they made and that I discovered when I was brought in to review their budget after the client had signed. I found that error in the first ten minutes. Cost projections is a skill that can be learned. I learned to project, manage and bring in events within a couple of hundred dollars of estimated costs. I also made sure that events were reconciled on an ongoing basis so that clients clearly knew where they stood at all times as they added and subtracted  event elements.  Clients should never have budget surprises at final reconciliation. All these skills can be learned and I talk about how in my books Marketing Your Event Planning Business and Time Management for Event Planners.

WTTC: How important are creative concepts in a downturn economy?

Innovation is very important in a downturn economy.  Those who will survive are event planning companies that can quickly respond to changing times and not keep proposing what is now the past.

WTTC: The meetings and events industry has been taking a beating in the press? Are events a frill that companies can do without? Why are events important to company growth and profitability?

JA: It’s the type of event that is being done that is causing the industry to take a beating in the press. Perception is everything. Events serve many purposes. In my book, An Executive’s Guide to Corporate Events and Business Entertaining: How to Choose and Use Corporate Functions to Increase Brand Awareness, Develop New Business, Nurture Customer Loyalty, and Drive Growth,  I discuss short and long term and internal and external benefits of events and the return each event style brings. There are many ways that events can still take place but presentation, positioning and the event launch platform is everything.

WTTC: Is the era of the high-profile event over?

JA: For a time, I believe it is but that is something that has been coming for a while. Some corporations are already ahead of the curve. One company switched to doing a year long company well-being event focused on personal fitness challenges set by individuals choosing to take part. They spend $400,000 a year on their program, which ends with an incentive that includes a climb up to the top of a mountain where the “money shot” of the group is taken (that inspires desire for employees and their partners to be a part of it the following year). The return on their $400,000 event investment is a savings of over $2 million dollars in reduced health insurance costs and that is just one area of event investment return. It’s time to evolve and embrace the new.

WTTC: You’ve written quite a bit about the role that ethics plays in event planning. How important is it to have a code of conduct? Can you talk to us about the working relationship between clients, suppliers  and planners? How can it be improved?

JA: My book, Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette, was recommended by Harvard as a “must read” for business executives and industry professionals.  Recent headlines have shown us time and time again the importance of having codes of conduct in place.  My latest book, Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies from the Real World of Events How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion, will take event planners, event planning company owners, business executives and event planning suppliers through the “how to” with regards to setting company policies, procedures and protocol and making sure that event planners, event planning companies, corporations, their employees and their guests and event planning suppliers are all protected legally both personally and professionally. It is an event planning step that cannot be missed and it is essential that established codes of conduct be put in place and signed off on by all involved.

WTTC: How important is it for planners to find the right partner to do business with? Any tips on what planners should be looking for in a supplier.

JA: Who you do business with reflects back on your company and on your personal and professional reputation.  What to look for in choosing suppliers is covered in great detail in the second edition of my first book that was just released Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide to Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events. Tips and checklists are included in each chapter.

WTTC: What is your vision for the future of event planning?

JA: We are in a time of change. And business savvy event planners will lead the way in bringing innovative solutions to their corporate clients that will help them to achieve their corporate objectives. I can see cause marketing partnerships growing with the corporation creating the event and taking control and not just lending their name to non-profit events that may or may not operate under their standards. Cause marketing can bring many returns - if done right - and I outline them in An Executive’s Guide to Corporate Events and Business Entertaining: How to Choose and Use Corporate Functions to Increase Brand Awareness, Develop New Business, Nurture Customer Loyalty, and Drive Growth. It’s time for the event planning industry to grow to go forward as true business partners to their corporate clients.

WTTC: Anything else you would like to add?

JA: Challenging times lead to growth - of an industry and of an individual. It’s an exciting time and it’s also a time to invest in education and enlightenment in new areas to meet changing needs. I do very limited private consulting with my 2jproductions business partner and last year we helped one event planning company grow in sales by over a million dollars. As you venture into proposing new event options - such as helping your business clients to work with non profit organizations - you need to make sure that you have already dealt with any learning curves otherwise you put your client’s event planning event investment dollars at risk and that in turn puts your company’s future growth and reputation at risk.