Six Things That Make A Champion

Posted on January 18, 2012 by passionsthatdriveus

It’s a competitive world and never more so than now. This season is busy with media awards, football playoffs and presidential elections. And, in the special events industry, it’s time for the Event Solutions Spotlights, the International Caterers Association’s CATIEs and Event Marketer’s Ex Awards. Competition is part of us. And while it’s true that it’s not just about winning, but how you play the game, it’s equally true that there are some people who just ARE natural champions. I thought it a good time to revisit this post I wrote about one of the world’s best motorcycle racers –Valentino Rossi. He has the attitude of a champion yet also knows how to play the game and have fun in the process.

“To finish first, you have to first finish.”

– Barry Sheene, British former World Champion Grand Prix Motorcycle road racer

What is it about sports and competition that fire up our passions and teach us so much about ourselves? Perhaps it’s the fact that we are watching people who are gifted, passionate and, as Sheene says, are driven to see the race through to the end, whatever the outcome.

Sheene was a true champion but a little before my time. In the past decade the sport has been dominated by Valentino Rossi. With eight Grand Prix championships to his name he is the most successful and celebrated motorcycle racer of all time. After watching him, I’ve formed some opinions on why he is such a champion.

JOY. While other racers approach the track serious and stiff, Rossi does so with joy and a sense of humor. While he is a ruthless competitor and is there to win, it’s not about winning at any cost. There is no cutting corners. No unethical moves. Just beautiful racing. It’s about the process, not the goal. He does what he loves. He does it well.

STRATEGY. A champion isn’t always first out of the gate. There have been races where Rossi comes up from the rear to finish first. Often, he takes time to establish his own rhythm or to see what lines other riders are taking before beginning to pass them. Why is this important? Because we are never the same from day to day.

KNOWLEDGE. When he’s interviewed after each race, Rossi can give a detailed account of what happened and why at every turn during the 20-plus laps. It’s no surprise his nickname is “the doctor.” How many of us can look back at just one week of our lives and analyze it with such precision that we are constantly learning and using that knowledge like building blocks?

MINDSET. It’s not just about equipment. Rossi made history when he moved from Honda with whom he had won so many championships, to Yamaha. At the time, Yamaha was not a proven winning manufacturer but Rossi won the next two championships riding a new bike and working with a new team. A champion is confident in that his or her own personal force that allows them to make it happen no matter the odds, or the engine.

HARD WORK. In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell cites a study of elite performers that reveals they had studied or practiced their craft for 10,000 hours or more by the time they were in their twenties. ”The research suggests that once a musician had enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That’s it. And what’s more, people at the top don’t just work harder or even much harder, than everyone else. They work much, much harder.”

FINISHING. In 2006 Rossi didn’t win the championship. He lost by five points. In 2007, he didn’t win again. That year, it seemed like no amount of joy, knowledge or hard work would help. There was one race that he ran flawlessly and yet, with finish line in sight, his bike died. All he could do was shake his head. He had done everything in his power and still he didn’t finish that race, or that season, as a champion.

Champions have skill, of course, but what sets them apart is tenacity. From the moment the race begins, they believe they will win. And it doesn’t come and go, this belief. It’s there all the time. A true champion, Rossi didn’t retire or join the world of auto racing which was clamoring for him when he lost. Instead, he came back for another season and went on to win his ninth GP title.

To finish first you have to first finish. And that can’t happen if you aren’t in the race.

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Speaking of races, there are still a lot of great champions in this one — the Event Solutions Spotlight Awards. Voting closes January 31. Click on the logo to view the finalists and cast your vote.

Embracing the Bump in the Road

Posted on December 8, 2011 by passionsthatdriveus

This article can be found in my Fuel for Thought column in the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Event Solutions magazine.

Fueled By: Disruption

By Liese Gardner

Disruption is the client who now has 500 guests instead of 250 or the budget that gets slashed two weeks before the event. Disruption is something not to fear but to thank. It keeps you strong, agile, and creative. It’s why we love to see Tom Colicchio throw a curveball at the Top Chef contestants mid-race.

We know disruption makes “good TV” but it also makes “good life” as it did for Steve Jobs. “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” he said. “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

Granted, for Jobs, his hand was forced. It’s hard to embrace the bump in the road when the highway is smooth. But even if it is, the excitement of reinventing one’s self and beliefs is powerful. It shakes off complacency and allows us to see and feel the world anew.

Starting from the Beginning

Take for instance, the case of the head master of Riverdale Country School in New York. Domenic Randolph is often called a disruptor for ideas he’s introduced to the curriculum having to do with issues deeper than the ABCs. Like Jobs’ rethinking, Randolph’s takes place at a beginner level ““ students. Tests, he contends, miss a serious part of what it means to be a successful human — character. He asks questions relevant not just for educators, but anyone trying to lead a thoughtful life. Can character ““ grit, curiosity, determination, zest, ethics — be taught?

Character is something that you, as people not just as event professionals, are judged on every day by your clients, your team, your peers and yourself. Every generation of event professionals (today millenials, Xers and Boomers are hashing it out in the workplace) has its own idea of character and that means new and ongoing discussions about work ethics, passion, economic needs, success, and yes, sometimes failure.

And I say “event professionals” but perhaps we can take the Jobsian approach and use the term “event beginners.” The lightness of beginning again disrupts old habits and allows us to relearn who we are, revive curiosity, rethink failure, and most important, reinvent it all into success.

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Photo by Stephen Wilkes. Tape Installation by Stephen Doyle

Fueled By: Brilliance

Posted on October 10, 2011 by passionsthatdriveus

By Liese Gardner

Note: This was written for the October/November edition of Event Solutions and my new column there, Fuel for Thought. Continue to the end to see what I’m doing in the pages of Event Solutions!

Brilliance is … A great marketing campaign, a beautifully designed event, a well placed move on the chess board of business.

Brilliance is … Expression through design. The upcoming holiday season promises a respite from a difficult year. It’s the time we celebrate our resiliency, hope and humanity with light and love. It’s the time that we wrap our arms around uncertainty, excited for a New Year, while at the same time paying homage to tradition and those who came before. Holiday design reflects these emotions. As you weave the sparkle of hope and promise from table to tree, make it brilliant.

And as far as design durng the rest of the year, it’s a lot like life. It’s not about taking the first answer but always digging for deeper meaning. It’s about seeing things from a new perspective. For instance, does floral design have to be in the center of the table, or even on the table? At the Emmys Governor’s Ball in Los Angeles this year, produced by Sequoia Productions, Kevin Lee from LA Premier took the simple calla lily, framed it and hung it from above. It’s a great reminder that the only thing we can control in life is our perception and when we shift it, brilliance happens, personally and professionally.

Brilliance is … Ideas. Some people use coffee to wake up. Others get their morning jolt from the daily blog of marketing guru Seth Godin who was interviewed by Event Solutions editor Ann Turner in Getting Personal this month. At about 10 lines each, Godin’s posts are always a fast, intriguing read. To him we, as businesspeople, are at the end of a very long day; there is no time for messing around with sentiment. If it has to be said, he says it. He literally rips the Band-Aid off of preconceived notions. It’s a hurt that feels so good and millions look forward to it each day.

Brilliance is … Bold Moves. When such inspirational people as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates say they believe in hiring brilliance, it’s not to be taken lightly. Certainly the management of Event Solutions is a good example of how to take this philosophy to heart. They have assembled their brilliant team of tomorrow and I’m happy to be part of their strategy of bold moves.

I am thrilled to be working with Event Solutions as Editorial Director and general consultant, influencing both the magazine and the show. My goal is to make a positive change that will elevate the events industry!

While change is brilliant and exciting, we all know it takes a lot of work to make a difference. Certainly hard work is nothing any of us in this industry fear. You have faced tough times and survived, yet this is not the time to nurse the wounds of yesterday, to make excuses or look the other way hoping someone else will bail us out. It’s time to get down to work, to inspire one another and, quite simply to be brilliant.

There is not a moment to waste.

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Photos:

By Nadine Froger Photography

Sequoia Productions, LA Premier, Patina Catering, Images By Lighting, AirDD,

SIX DAYS IN LAS VEGAS

Posted on March 9, 2011 by passionsthatdriveus

Last week I spent six days in Las Vegas during the Catersource / Event Solutions Conference. I returned home fueled by not only the super fantasmagoricalness of Vegas — images of naked people floating behind frosted glass, a four-story chandelier bar, the huge glass structures outside my room at The Cosmopolitan that made me feel as if I were in Tokyo…

…But also by the time I spent connecting with new friends and deepening old relationships. There were many memorable moments but here are just a few of the highlights. I know I’m breaking all the rules of blogging (many that I taught during my sessions at the conference) but the first rule of rules is to break them! So I’ve veered from my normal blog in format, but not in content. My focus remains those times and people we experience in life and work who inspire and fuel others with their drive and passion.

THE BEGINNING

On Friday night, I joined Pauline Hoogmoed, CEO of Catersource and Event Solutions, for dinner along with caterers Warren Dietel, Vicky Crease and her husband, Andre, Cade and Ingrid Nagy and Jen Delaye, ICA’s President. Pauline is a straight-shooter whose clear, yet sometimes forthright, assesment of how things are might initially be startling, but I find it exactly the right recipe for what she has accomplished. Pauline has turned up the volume on what was already a successful show and magazine, and has created a groundswell of energy that helps professionals connect and inspires them to carry their passion back to their communities.

And I loved learning her secret to a busy life — she’s a speed reader. I couldn’t help but feel a little envious that by 10 p.m. she’s read a novel while I’m falling asleep before finishing a chapter!

DAY TWO:TOUR OF MGM RESORTS EVENTS WONDERLAND

A tea party was the final stop on a behind-the scenes of the design studio of MGM Resorts Events — a 72,000-square-foot wonderland. And the surreal environment they created afforded me a chance to experiment with my iPhone app, the Hipstamatic!.

To understand what King Dahl, Executive Director of Event Design, Lenny Talarico, CSEP, Director of Events, and the entire team of the MGM Design Resorts Events create, I’ll let them show you on their blog, Perfection is in the Details.

DAY THREE: BOARD MEETING OF THE WEDDING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION (WIPA)

Every meeting needs a Rosemarie Christofolo. I’ve been on many corporate retreats, but these were all attended by people from one company with one objective. This is my first time on a board (I was elected Director of Education and inducted in February) and the difference is huge. There is one vision, but guided by a dozen strong entrepreneurs each with their own idea of how to get there. As a professional facilitator, Rosemarie brought the board to conclusions and actions with grace and aplomb. I only wish she had a service available for facilitating our lives!

One of the board members is Therese Cole-Hubbs. Here she is living up to the name of Electric Karma, the extremely successful division of ASC Event Services that specializes in cultural events and weddings, mostly South Asian. Therese is doing weddings every weekend of 400 – 600 people. Amazing! Actually, she doesn’t dress like this every day — she wore the sari for her seminar, No Passport Required: Trends in Cultural Weddings and Events.

I love that she can wear a sari and look fabulous; that she is always smiling and always willing to try something new as we work together on her pr and marketing. And, I love that even if I call her at 8 in the morning, she’s already got 15 “naan” in the fire!

DAY FOUR: MODERATING A PANEL

I was happy when Tracey Kumer-Moore, Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, asked me to moderate a panel that brought to life an article she had written for the ICA’s CommuniCater newsletter. I love to moderate as it’s similar to writing an article, only in three-D. The topic was how wedding planners and caterers can create a stronger partnership when approaching a bride. Tracey and Carol Rosen, Party Design by Carol. represented event planners and Molly Kruger, Chef Molly Culinary Artistry, was the caterer. And Pauline Parry, Good Gracious! Events, actually represented both sides as her company has both catering and wedding planning services.

The topic brought strong opinions on both sides and passions ran high on the subject of mark ups, tastings and referrals. People stayed overtime asking questions and debating. Now that’s what I call a good seminar!

Over the course of the conference I deepened my connection with Carol Rosen. I’ve known Carol for years but never knew that just by talking to her I’d feel the world is right. She is genuinely happy and loves her life, garden, and family. At the end of the day that is all we have. Yet, she’s a person who doesn’t wait to the end of the day to appreciate it. In fact, right after the show she was off to Argentina!

DAY FOUR CONTINUED: CATIES AND SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

What a night it was! So many friends in the audience and on stage, both upstairs and down at this bi-level event.

Tom Budas — Susan Lucci no more! Tom took home the award for Marketing Professional of the Year for the work he does for AOO Events. I’m honored to work with him and Dave Merrell sculpting their image and marketing.

Pauline Parry — one of two of the night’s Event Solutions Hall of Fame Inductees, and her husband, Dennis Parry, and friend, Therese Cole-Hubbs, a nominee herself for the Spotlight Award for Event Planner of the Year.

It was truly Pauline’s night. Her warm, heartfelt and yes, a little teary, speech made everyone listening understand why they are in this industry — it’s about the passion and Pauline conveyed it with sweetness, generosity and humor. See Pauline’s blog later this week at Foodfunlove.blogspot.com to see the video of this lovely moment.

DAY FOUR … CONTINUED! AN AFTER-HOURS PARTY

Newer to this industry than Pauline yet no less passionate about it is Josh Parker from Verterra — the plates made from fallen leaves, a revolutionary process created by CEO, Michael Dwork. Michael spends most of his time in India overseeing the production while Josh has single-handedly put Verterra on the map. He’s done this the old-fashioned way — by being at almost every single catering, food hospitality industry event and supporting his clients personally. This grass-roots approach to product creation and its marketing is beautiful in its simplicity, just like a Verterra plate!

DAY FIVE: ICA INSPIRATION ZONE AND SHOW FLOOR

After working together across time zones, phones, ipads, and computers, I finally met the tireless and creative Jody Wimer from JPC Event Group in the Pittsburgh area. The ICA Inspiration Zone in the attendee lounge at the show was filled with notebook upon notebook of amazing photos that she and Dan Smith from Good Gracious has culled from top catering firms. It was simply and finally a hotbed of, well, inspiration! That type of dedication from Jody extends to all things so it was no wonder that JPC Event Group also won the Catersource ACE Award for the Eastern region. Well done!

It’s the seemingly small moments in life when we reveal a piece of ourselves, and allow someone in that are most memorable. I experienced one of these moments with an old friend, Marcy Blum, a high-profile wedding planner from New York. Maybe it’s that she’s a wedding planner and is accustomed to really listening to brides in order to understand them, but Marcy and I covered a lot of territory in a short time. After many years of not seeing one another we got right down to the heart of it all and I loved that we could open up to one another while standing in the middle of a tradeshow floor in between the hot dog samples and the bbq smokers.

DAY FIVE: DINNER

So many days, so many meals! But this one was special. I finally got to spend time with Lara McCulloch-Carter, owner of Ready2Spark. Lara is a beautiful, brilliant woman who I’ve known only online for years. She was the brains behind the twitter chat, #eventprofs, that connected so many of us in the early days of social media and continues to grow with new people every day. We talked over chicken croquettes served in a shoe and white asparagus in a sardine can. It gave new meaning to that much-used axiom, “thinking outside the box.” No one ever mentions what the box looks like! This is an example of someone thinking outside the sardine can.

DAY SIX: BREAKFAST

Breakfast was the one meal I kept missing so I was glad to have the chance to combine breakfast at the Wicked Spoon (great name) with some quality time with John Homrighausen from J-Bar-H Texas Catering and Americana Catering.

John, a larger-than-life Texan (is there any other) known to many for the cowboy hat he almost always wears in his Facebook avatar, is a man who understands branding (and that is NOT a cowboy pun). They say one of the last things we know about ourselves is how we are perceived by others and yet I think this is the first thing John knows. The second is that he knows how to make this positively affect his clients and his business. Third, he doesn’t let it limit him. He is known for upping the ante of what we think of as barbecue and creating upscale menus with creativity, style and ease. Cowboy wisdom meets street smarts. Plus, I can totally relate to his addiction to Diet Coke!

DAY SIX: BACK ON THE ROAD!

Catching a bite with my on-the-road buddy, Desiree Patterson. If you had told me years ago when I met her that I’d see Desiree eating pulled pork tacos with pineapple I would not have believed you. But here she is at that litle Chinese-Mexican restaurant at The Cosmopolitan and clearly happy to do just that! Desiree is literally fueled by this industry, the people in it and the work she does at Good Gracious as wedding planner.

Last but not least, I thank Vegas for it’s own unique bubble of high-energy that allowed such a large group of very different people from all corners of the world and the event spectrum to come together. Like frenzied atoms, we bounced off one another — catalysts to our own growth as individuals and as an industry. Can’t wait to do it again next year!

Liese