NACE Hawaii chapter News/Blog

NACE Hawaii Vice President Josette Murai attended the recent NACE Experience! Conference, and she has graciously provided you with notes from one of the seminars she attended. The seminar was given by Joy Weaver, a professional “etiquette trainer,” and it is entitled How to Be Socially Savvy in All Situations. This is a very good and informative read. Click on the link below to open and download notes from the seminar.

How To Be Socially Savvy In All Situations

written by NACE Hawaii Webmaster

NACE Hawaii held its monthly meeting last Tuesday, August 11, and it was very informative and a lot of fun!

The formal meeting was hosted by Tanna Dang of The Wedding Cafe, and it was held in the Kewalo Room at Ward Warehouse, right above the cafe. NACE Hawaii chapter president Herb Yamamoto talked about his experiences at the NACE Experience! Conference in July. Members enjoyed the wonderful slideshow put together by NACE Hawaii Vice President Josette Murai and listened intently to Herb as he spoke about the latest trends and new ideas in weddings & special events.

After the formal presentation, guests moved across the street to Bucca di Beppo, where they enjoyed a very delicious multi-course dinner, excellent networking with other Hawaii wedding & special event professionals, and a great time.

Sue Tabbal with Su-V Expressions got the “royal treatment” NACE Hawaii & Bucca-style since her birthday was the day before!

Special thanks to the following for helping to make this meeting a success:

• Tanna Dang and her staff at The Wedding Cafe for graciously hosting the formal part of the presentation;
• Margie Lehman & Tiffany Lee and their wonderful staff at Bucca di Beppo for the ono (delicious) food and fun atmosphere during the eating & networking portion of the night;
• Herb Yamamoto, Josette Murai, and Linda Leung for sharing their insights and experiences at the NACE Experience! Conference;
• Marino M. Regalado with Ninja Entertainment for providing the sound system for the educational portion of the evening;
• James Chun with Crane Media for supplying the multimedia projector;
• Sue Tabbal with Su-V Expressions for being such a great sport (CHA-CHA-CHA!!);
• And last but not least,

OUR GUESTS,

for taking the time to join NACE Hawaii to network, celebrate, and share. Your presence at our meetings are very much appreciated!

Join us next month on September 8 at the Pacific Beach Hotel. Click here for more info. We’ll see you there!

written by NACE Hawaii Webmaster

Your NACE Hawaii board of directors met last Tuesday, August 4, at the Pacific Beach Hotel to go over policies and ideas for the direction of the association in the second half of this year. Among the many topics were the upcoming Tasty Travels fall fundraising campaign, NACE Experience! 2009, and educational programs for upcoming general meetings…including the possibility of having some nationally renowned professional caterers, chefs, and event planners give presentations here in Hawaii! The rest of 2009 is shaping up to be very exciting, very informative, and definitely worth your membership. Check back here often for more info.

written by NACE Hawaii Webmaster

Last week was the NACE Experience! Conference.  Several members of NACE Hawaii attended the convention to learn new trends and ideas in catering & special events, for the benefit of their clients and for their own benefit.

When was the last time you spent working on “your game?”  You get so wrapped up in running your business, marketing your name, managing your people, and “being busy” that it’s easy to forget about your own professional development.  But professional development is so very important, especially in this day and age when the difference between YOU and the guy with a consumer-grade DLSR & kit lens is your EXPERIENCE and TRAINING. Think about it: one day, you’re the top wedding videographer in the state, and the next, you’re being eclipsed by the hot new cinematographer with a good eye, great camera, a background in Hollywood filmmaking, and an understanding of what today’s brides want.  Do you change then, when it’s too late, or do you adapt now, and constantly stay on top of your game?

Photographers: When was the last time you attended a conference like WPPI or PhotoPlus?  (Several NACE Hawaii members went to WPPI last February.  Did you?)  What about the recent workshops by Kevin Kubota? (Several NACE Hawaii members were there. Were you?)

Videographers: Attended WEVA recently?  What about a StillMotion Evolution workshop?

the evolution experience II from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Bonus points if you can spot the guys from Crane Media in this clip.

Caterers & Wedding/Event Planners: Planning to go to Catersource next March? What about NACE Experience next July in Texas?  When was the last time you went to an ABC or AFWPI conference?

DJs & Masters of Ceremonies: Were you at the Mobile Beat Conference this February? When was the last time you took a workshop like the ones from the Marbecca Method? (Several NACE Hawaii members took the recent class in Hawaii in October, or the one in Vegas last February. Did you?) Will you be at the National Speakers’ Association Fall Conference or the DJ Cruise in November?

Just because you’re good, and you’re clients say you are the best, doesn’t mean that you’re always going to be the best.  The moment you stop learning is the moment when you should just hang up your hat and retire from the wedding industry, because that’s the moment your competition gains the advantage over you.  The only way left to compete is to drop your price…but then you’ll be working for less than you’re worth, and you don’t want that, do you?

After all…

If you don’t stay on top of your game, then your competition will.

written by NACE Hawaii Webmaster \\ tags: advice, catering, convention, workshop