BizBash’s IdeaFest has become an annual hotbed of creativity
for events professionals and this year is no different. With a bevy of smart,
interesting speakers and leaders in the industry, IdeaFest will no doubt lead
the pack again with hot tips and insights for the future of the profession.
One exemplary standout from the lineup of speakers is Maya Kalman,
SWANK Productions CEO. Maya will be
mentoring event planners on in the Plan-A-Thon workshop, a part of the Event
Leadership Institute Workshop Series, during the IdeaFest N.Y. trade show and
conference on Wednesday, October 30.
The focus of the interactive Plan-A-Thon this year is for
attendees to reinvent three key event formats: the award show, the gala
fund-raiser, and the product launch. I asked Maya three questions about her
involvement with the Plan-A-Thon:
- How does your role with SWANK productions make you a good mentor for event planners?
- What do you expect from the workshop’s participants? How can they best set themselves up for success?
- What are you most looking forward to at Ideafest?
Maya Kalman: Oh
gosh…I hate to say this but I feel like almost all of these questions I can't
answer because I've never been to this event before!
I'm both the CEO and creative director of SWANK Productions. We do luxury event planning and couture design, creating one-of-a-kind event 'experiences' for our luxe clients.
I'm both the CEO and creative director of SWANK Productions. We do luxury event planning and couture design, creating one-of-a-kind event 'experiences' for our luxe clients.
Maya believes that
designing and planning every event is actually “creating an experience for the
guests to be immersed in.”
Maya: I love
helping other people sit down and really conjure up the most out-of-the-box
ideas they can contemplate, but also love to figure out the pros and the cons --
and the pitfalls -- that might need to be thought of ahead of time and solved
prior to production. My method of conceptualizing and brainstorming is very
much a process of explicit visualizing and walking through every detail of the
event in my mind. People always tell me that my enthusiasm and passion for this
business shines through. I really do love what we do and it shows!
Maya is excited about the promise of IdeaFest and uncertain of what it will mean for her or for the participants...but she knows she'll love seeing the industry faces.
Maya: I am not totally sure what to expect so I'm not really sure what they [participants] should expect
but from what I'm hearing from David [Adler, BizBash CEO and Founder] it's all
about just letting your creativity flow. Designing without barriers or
constraints, which honestly you never get to do with budget constraints and
client wants and needs.
I've been to many BizBash Events but this is my first IdeaFest so I'm just excited to see everything new in our industry. And to be
honest it's an opportunity to see tons and tons of faces we know from all over
the country in once place. Kind of an industry reunion!
You can follow Maya on Twitter for more great events
industry information at @mayakalman or @swankproduction.
