Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions will be on Monday and Tuesday. You do not need to pre-register for sessions. Each breakout session will be presented at least twice unless otherwise noted. This year’s topics include:
| Target Group | Speaker | Topic/Description |
| ALL | Rev. Virginia Bishop | Blogging for Bridal Business
Demystify blogging as a creative and inexpensive way to enhance your web presence and provide your clients with valuable information. You’ll get first hand, step-by-step instruction on how to create a blog and 5 valuable lessons you can learn from blogging. |
| Consultants
Vendors |
Heather Canada, ABC | Business Administration for Creative Types
Are you overwhelmed with bookkeeping, budgeting, marketing and other business tasks? Get the tools to create a system to run your business more efficiently so that you have time for what’s important – your clients. |
| ALL | Mary Charmoli, ABC | What to Do Until Help Arrives
Are you ready for any emergency? Has it been a while since you took a first aid or CPR course? After calling 911, you will be prepared to take control until professional medical help arrives. |
| Novices
Consultants Vendors |
Tobey Dodge, CSEP | Mentoring Program: A Way up the Ladder and a Way to Give Back
This session from a seasoned professional offers the potential mentor and those needing a step up opportunity to learn how they can both benefit from this type of relationship. |
| Consultants | Miguel and Marc Drudis | Destination Weddings in Europe: an Affordable Luxury for Limited Budgets
European wedding experts share legislations on marriage, cost structures for destination weddings, how to select the best destination, and how a European destination wedding is an affordable luxury. |
| ConsultantsVendors | Xochitl Gonzalez, ABC | In the Spotlight with Media Coverage
The first place a bride turns to after she gets engaged is the newsstand. Should your name be in her bridal magazine? From creating a killer press kit to generating buzz about your business, this session will teach you D-I-Y publicity strategies for even the most shoestring budgets. |
| Novices | Renee Grannis, MBC, | Contracts and More (description to follow) |
| Seniors ONLY | Rebecca Grinnals | Rising to the Top When the Door is Wide Open
Rebecca will be conducting a senior-level session limited to Accredited Level and above, and for senior members (10 ABC years). The barrier to entry has never been lower for those entering any facet of the wedding industry. A 20+ wedding industry veteran, Rebecca will explore the topic of staying relevant in a rapidly changing competitive environment. Her session will explore options to leverage your years of expertise and hard won reputation, opportunities to develop alternative streams of revenue, keeping up with social media while using it to reinforce your credibility & explain why experience matters and more. |
| ALL | Howard Kier | The Art of Negotiation
What makes a “win-win?” You can become a better negotiator with techniques you can use in both professionally and personally. |
| Novices
Consultants Vendors |
Mark Kingsdorf | Who’s That Guy in the Red Shirt?
Wedding markets are filled with un-memorably cute, sing-song business names, and forgettable consultants blend together with websites that all look the same – learn inexpensive ways to brand your business to stand out, get you noticed, remembered, and referred. |
| Novices
Consultants Vendors |
Pablo Vasquez | Marketing Magic
If you’re in business, you’re a marketer. This session will help you improve your ability to analyze your customer, your service, and your competition before setting goals and objectives that shape your business future. |
