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Tip
of the Month
By Brooke Baglietto
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Set aside specific time in your day when you will respond to email,
specific time when you will return phone calls, specific time to tackle
new projects, specific time to clean house, etc. Designating
specific times to specific tasks will allow you to focus on one job at
a time, instead of wasting time trying to accomplish several things at
once.
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Quote
of the Month
Submitted by Paula Laskelle
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Seek inspiration, but see also if you can inspire
others along the way.
-Anonymous
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Platinum
- Elaine
Bell Catering Company - Napa
- The
Special Event 2009 (Penton Media)
Gold
- Good Gracious! Events - Los
Angeles
- La Tavola Fine Linen Rentals -
Napa
- Napa Valley Linens - East Bay
- Paula LeDuc Fine Catering -
Emeryville
- The Carneros Inn - Napa
- Wildflower Linen - Southern
California
Bronze
- ASC Event Services - Houston, TX
- Baker Party Rentals - Costa Mesa
- Branch Out Floral & Event
Design - San Francisco
- Cachet Wedding Designs - Los
Alamitos
- Champagne Taste Weddings - San
Clemente
- Denon & Doyle - Pleasant
Hill
- Elysium Productions - Irvine
- Entertainment at Large - San
Diego
- Entertainment Solutions West -
San Diego
- Events by Design - San Diego
- Events of Distinction - San
Francisco
- Geoff White Photography -
Redwood City
- Jewell Entertainment - San Diego
- Melons Catering - South San
Francisco
- Murphy's Creativity Software -
El Cajon
- Nancy Liu Chin Designs - San
Francisco
- Special Event Business Advisors
- San Clemente
- Studio 7 Photography - Alamo
- Sylvia's Photography - San
Francisco
- The Vintage Estate - Yountville
- Vianett Bridal - Yountville
- Wedgewood Wedding & Banquet
Centers - California
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Thanks to our Foundation
Support Team:
- Four
Quick Clicks Photo Booth Rentals
- Caligraffiti
- Reverend
Clint Huft
- Craig's
Extrordinary Catering
- Del Lago
Trio
- Celebrations
Event Planning
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Officers
- President
- Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP, Events of Distinction
- Vice President - Paula
Laskelle, Champagne Taste Weddings
- Secretary - Carolyn
Garcia, Wedgewood Wedding & Banquet Centers
- Treasurer - Mike Hogan,
Entertainment at Large
Directors
- Certification
- Brooke Baglietto, The Carneros Inn
- Education
- Pauline Parry, Good Gracious! Events
- Marketing
& Communications - Patrick McMichael, Denon & Doyle
- Membership
- Cherie Flores, The Vintage Estate
- Professional
Development - Therese Cole-Hubbs, ASC Event Services
- Programs
- Jessica Gillon, Events by Design
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By
Patrick McMichael
The
Wedding Industry Professionals Association is very excited to be able
to contiunue to share and gain education, build professional
relationships and drive business to it's members. Be sure to mark your
calendars for our upcoming educational networking events!
Wednesday, January 7th - Rrivre Works Inc., Los
Angeles, CA
Tuesday, February 3rd - The Carneros Inn, Napa Valley, CA
Wednesday, March 4th - The Grand Del Mar, San Diego, CA
Wednesday, May 6th - Orange County and Northern California at Casa
Real, Pleasanton, CA
Wednesday, July 1st - Los Angeles, CA
Wedenesday, September 2nd - San Diego and Northern California at the
San Francisco City Club, San Francisco, CA
Wednesday, November 4th - Classic Party Rentals Orange County, CA
Wednesday, November 4th - Classic Party Rentals,
Burlingame, CA
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President's Message
Dear Wedding Industry Professionals,
Some rejoice when a wedding has ended, but for me, I'm always sad to
see it end - especially when the wedding service providers start to
tear down... all that beauty and hard work gone in minutes! I
started to feel the same way about the end of this year too...slightly
sad because it was over. But then I began to reminisce about the
weddings I had produced in 2008, and it immediately brought a sense of
accomplishment and joy.
My most memorable celebration last year was a "surprise
wedding" - the grand finale of a 7-event weekend in early
August. We developed a theme for this festive gathering called
"A Kaleidoscope of New Possibilities," representing the
wondrous assortment of activities and emotions that guests would
experience over the entire weekend. As I fondly looked back on
those festivities, I began to realize that the theme we had selected is
an equally appropriate choice to describe the year that lies ahead for
WIPA.
As we enter 2009, WIPA is embarking on a journey that is a
"Kaleidoscope of New Possibilities." The launch of our
new website - www.wipausa.org - is ringing in the
New Year, providing valuable information to visitors while displaying
the creative talents of our members. Our website already has
garnered high visibility on the search engines: when you go to
Google and type "wedding industry associations," WIPA is the
first association listed.
As the light of the New Year shines on your life, please look through
your personal kaleidoscope at the possibilities that await - including education.
I know what some of you are thinking - you've been in the industry for
years, and every time you hear about a meeting or a conference, you say
to yourself, "What could someone possibly teach me?"
I promise that WIPA will raise the standards on wedding education, with
a kaleidoscopic variety of 10 programs scheduled for 2009. During
the coming year, you will learn how architectural influences affect
wedding design trends, you will hear intellectual property attorneys
explain how to protect your creative talents, and you will discover
where to find qualified wedding clients and seal the deal. For
our inaugural program on January 7th at the Rrivre Works Studio in Los
Angeles, we are honored and very excited that our keynote speaker will
be Steve Kemble, "America's Sassiest Lifestyle Guru" and
recipient of over 25 prestigious industry accolades.
While I'm on the subject of education, how can we not all be excited
about The Special Event 2009 Conference and Tradeshow, taking place
January 27-30 at the San Diego Convention Center! The producers
of The Special Event 2009 have partnered with WIPA as a Platinum
Founding Sponsor, enabling WIPA to deliver 6 educational sessions and 1
plenary panel session during this conference, which is attended by thousands
of event industry professionals from around the world. We are
also working to create a beautiful booth for the tradeshow, so that we
can spread the word of WIPA. And I would be remiss if I didn't
mention that the Wedding Luncheon, the hottest showcasing event of the
conference, is co-chaired by WIPA Founding Member Peggy Jewell of
Jewell Entertainment.
I encourage you to peer through the kaleidoscope of new possibilities
for this year. Look to your fellow wedding professionals for
inspiration by joining WIPA, attending our educational programs and
experiencing The Special Event 2009. Who is in your life that can
help you get to where you want to go? I can honestly say that
during this past year of the formation of WIPA, I have been blessed by
the many Founding Sponsors and Founding Members who are helping the
wedding industry get to where we want it to go. I can't
think of a better sense of community and support than I get from WIPA.
Here's To Effervescent Bubbles, Good Cheer and Kaleidoscopic Happenings
throughout 2009!
Happy New Year!
Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP
Events of Distinction
WIPA President 2008-2009
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Wedding Industry Professionals Association
Presents:
Protecting Your Creativity!
A Practical Guide to Copyrights, Trademarks and
Intellectual Property Issues
Has this ever happened to you???
· In reviewing another wedding service provider's
website, you discover many similarities to your own website, including
exact paragraphs of text that cannot be explained by coincidence...
· Your creative catering proposals appear to be
copied and produced by another caterer...
· Your dazzling designs are published in a wedding
magazine without you getting credit...
· You discover that a new business has recently
opened, operating under the same business name as yours...
These acts may violate the U.S. Copyright Act or U.S. Trademark Act and
may be "unlawful" under California Unfair Competition
Law.
Whereas, you have invested considerable costs, time and efforts in
creating your brand, website, brochures, advertisements,
proposals and images of your work; and
Whereas, you should learn how to protect your business and exercise all
of your legal rights and remedies in order to prevent further
exploitation of your intellectual property and copyrights.
Now Therefore
You Are Hereby Summoned
to a Forensic Examination of These Matters
with Special Guest Speakers
Scott Gerien, Esq.
and
Lawrence Townsend, Esq.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2:00pm - 5:30pm
Swanky Cocktails and Hor d'eouvres
The Carneros Inn
A Plumpjack Resort
4048 Sonoma Highway
Napa, CA 94559
707-299-4967
 Scott Gerien heads the Intellectual Property Department
of Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty and has been practicing in the areas
of trademark, copyright and unfair competition law since his first case
in 1996. His experience covers all aspects of these areas of law,
including practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
counseling on protection, licensing and acquisition of intellectual
property, and enforcement and litigation in state and federal court.
Scott graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of
California, Berkeley, where he was the recipient of the American
Jurisprudence Award in Remedies, a member of the Moot Court Board, and
a member of the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law
 Lawrence Townsend is an intellectual property attorney
based in San Francisco. Larry is of counsel with the law firm of
Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, PC, and he specializes in copyright,
trademark and related intellectual property law. He represents a wide
range of creative people and companies, including visual artists,
authors, publishers, advertising agencies, as well as producers of
foods and beverages. Larry has also published a novel, "Secrets of
the Wholly Grill," a satire of Silicon Valley and the software
industry.
Photo
by Jim Marshall
PLEASE EMAIL US ANY HOT
BUTTON ISSUES / QUESTIONS
YOU WOULD LIKE THE ATTORNEYS TO ANSWER
Jessica@eventsbydesign.com
REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th
NO WALK-INS ACCEPTED!
You may register by going to our website at
www.wipausa.org
or
Non-Members:
$50 By January 21st
$65 After January 21st
Click here to register
If
you are a WIPA Founding Member or a Founding Sponsor
who has renewed your membership by January 31, 2009 you
receive 4 complimentary meetings in 2009. You may
select not to have this meeting as one of your 4
"Comps". If you select to not have February 4th count
as a "Comp", the Members Fees are:
$30 By January 21st
$45 After January 21st
Click here to register
If you wish to select this meeting as one of your 4 "Comp"
Click
here to RSVP
Note: Only the individual from your company whose
name appears on the current WIPA Founding Membership Roster is
considered a Founding Member of WIPA. If you have any
questions regarding Founding Membership, please contact Cherie Flores,
WIPA Director of Membership at 707-945-4549 or cflores@villagio.com
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A Foodie's Favorite
By
Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP
When WIPA embarked on its search for Founding Sponsors, one prominent
professional was at the top of everyone's A-list. This go-to gal
for catering - who won the Catersource Achievement in Catering
Excellence 2008 Award, Event Solutions Caterer of the Year Award, a TSE
Gala Award and many other accolades - is Pauline Parry of Good
Gracious! Events. Pauline is an enthusiastic, reliable and
resourceful person who not only makes it happen for her clients, but
for WIPA too! Pauline is a Founding Sponsor and our Director of
Education, responsible for the educational content of all the 2009 WIPA
meetings.
Pauline began her catering career in hotel restaurant management in
England working at only the best, a stately castle belonging to the
exclusive Relais & Chateaux collection. Then in 1983, Pauline
came to the United States with her two children and husband.
Unfortunately Pauline did not have a working visa, so she spent her
first two years being "the perfect wife, mother" and hostess,
entertaining friends with amazing dinner parties. Embracing the
American entrepreneurial spirit, Good Gracious Events! was
created from her home kitchen before Pauline secured a commercial
kitchen a year later.
When asked to identify the major turning point of her career, Pauline
recalled; "In 1993, I was asked to speak at Catersource and that
helped get me national recognition." During this same
period, a long-time client took Good Gracious! Events to Monte Carlo
for three consecutive years to do a multi-day private event for the
World Music Awards, attended by hip celebrities and Prince Albert.
Pauline loves the romance of the wedding celebrations and the
challenges of pleasing the bride, groom and their parents. She
especially enjoys developing a menu tailored for the bride and groom
tastes. Pauline's wedding predictions for 2009 include:
"Clients are much more confident at staying away from dual plate
entrees. We will serve comfort foods with new twists and
presentations, buying locally and in season foods, which of course help
with budgets." Pauline also prophesizes, "Color is with
us...so macaroons is a food item that I love to suggest and they can be
made in many colors and flavors"...yum!
Pauline's new book, "Food, Fun, Love Party Styles" is
scheduled for release on February 22, 2009. Pauline has earned the
reputation as "simply the best" and we couldn't agree
more! If someone asks you about the benefits of joining WIPA, it's
the incredibly strong relationships and sense of community that you can
build in a brief moment, and the benefits of working with someone of
Pauline's caliber are amazing! Come meet Pauline at our next WIPA
meeting on Wednesday, January 7, at Rrivre Works in Los Angeles.
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WIPA News - Attention all
Founding Sponsors
By
Cherie Flores
It's
absolutely amazing to see how far we have come in such a short
time. A brief history of our accomplishments is below.
Because of your strong support, WIPA has:
- Captured
the attention of worldwide attendees at The Special Event 2009
Conference in San Diego
- Developed
a fabulous web site that launched in December of 2008 www.wipausa.org
- Created
a legally structured framework that enables WIPA to best serve the
needs of its membership
- Established
excellent credibility and reputation due to your stature in the
industry
Per WIPA's
agreement with you, all Founding Sponsors will continue to enjoy
recognition on the WIPA web site and use of the Founding Sponsor title
on your marketing materials. Here's another plus for both
Founding Sponsors and Formation Support Team Members - with your annual
membership renewal of only $300 by January 31, 2009, you will qualify
for four free meetings next year and other benefits received by our new
Founding Members. After extensive deliberation on this subject,
the WIPA Board of Directors hopes you'll find this to be an equitable
approach.
We greatly appreciate your pioneering spirit in providing your initial
support, and we would love to have you continue the journey with WIPA
as we work to become the most sought after organization for wedding
professionals to join.
Please click here to submit your
application form
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Spotlight on WIPA Founding Members
By
Carolyn Garcia
Founding Members
- A once in a lifetime experience!
We would like to welcome and thank our newest Founding Members for
taking advantage of an opportunity of a lifetime!
Amy Thumhart (wedding planner)
Thumhart Event Consulting
www.winecountry-events.com
Amy Thumhart specializes in wedding planning in the wine
country. Through her experience, she has found that every wedding
is unique and every client and family has specific needs. She
creates custom packages based on those needs so that each wedding
really is "one of a kind."
Paige Levy Kouretchian
Wedding - Catering Manager
www.thegranddelmar.com
The Grand Del Mar is San Diego's premier luxury resort, capturing
the elegance and comfort of an old-world Mediterranean estate.
The resort offers more than 20,000 square feet of event space with
unique settings, including the Elizabeth Caplla - a magnificent chapel
ideal for weddings, an ornate 10,000-square-foot ballroom and lush
outdoor locations for events alfresco.
Carol Rosen (Wedding Planner)
Owner
Party Designs By Carol
www.partydesignsbycarol.com
Party Designs by Carol is a full service event planning
company. "We specialize in Social Events. Our approach
is personal - we act as the tour guide for our clients through the
planning process, providing support for all necessary elements of the
event.
Dina Balatti (Wedding Planner)
Bella Celebrations
www.bellacelebrations.com
Bella Celebrations is a professional wedding and special event
coordination service. We offer everything from partial wedding
coordination services to full service planning, design and coordination
of one-of-a-kind events. Bella Celebrations' strength is on
planning and producing remarkable, flawless events from design to
execution.
Sonjia Adams (Entertainment Consultant)
Music As You Like It
www.musicasyoulikeit.com
Music as You Like It was established in 1973 and has produced over
22,000 events in the greater San Diego area. We are a state
licensed, bonded and insured talent and production company. We
are dedicated to providing events that will exceed all expectations.
Anna Kuperberg Photography
www.kuperberg.com
Wedding Photography serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond!
Michele Jenkins
Events By Michele, LLC
www.eventsbymichele.com
Events by Michele is an exclusive Las Vegas event planning and
consulting company, taking pride in customizing services for each
individual bride & groom to fit their needs. Michele will work with
budgets of all sizes and create packages of various levels of planning
based on each couples needs and desires.
Spencer Bezy
Mobile Music Plus Inc
www.mobilemusicplus.com
Spencer Bezy of Mobile Music Plus has redefined the whole idea of
wedding music and entertainment. With over 10 years of
professional DJ experience on local radio stations, Spencer is more
proficient at music than anyone else in San Diego. As a polished,
well spoken Master of Ceremonies with style and grace, he's unmatched.
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