another charles dickens dinner

12.14.12 -- Dickens has come and gone, again.  And thankfully with a little more ease this time.  This year's Dickens wasn't accompanied by as much stress and craziness as past years, and I'm hoping that's a sign of experience. It also helped that the structure and flow of the evening remained pretty much the same from last year, a definite blessing considering I had more events that normal in the two months leading up to the event.

Over these past three years I have been able to develop some great relationships with the staff at the Biltmore, and it is these relationships that make the long days more bearable. I'm so thankful for their hospitality and how helpful they have been from year to year -- there's definitely a sense of comfort I feel knowing who I'll be working with and knowing I can trust them.  I'm sure many event planners who work with the same venues and vendors over and over feel the same way.

This year we honored James Newton Howard and Wells Fargo.  The night was narrated by opera star baritone Rod Gilfry and highlighted by performances by our talented USC Thornton students.  I chose to go back to a traditional red and green color scheme, with copper accents in my centerpieces (I was thankful that the Biltmore also decided to decorate with copper--what a blessing!) which resulted in a very rich and Christmas-y room. So thankful for the wonderful success of this event year after year!

Here are some pictures from the beautiful evening.

Vendors
Venue, Catering, & Valet: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Valerie Lehman & Olivia Manzo
Linens: Elegant Design Specialty Linens
Florals: Dellarobbia Design Studio & Flower Market, Jolene Reynolds
Lighting, Production, Sound: Thinkwell Design & Production, Jamie Hamlin
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Sound: PRG Audio
Photography: Steve Cohn Photography

Dickens Dinner Round 2

December 9, 2011 -- Another year has come and gone, and so has another Charles Dickens Dinner, or as Dean Cutietta accidentally called it, The 25th Annual Charles "Chickens" Dinner.  And in about six months the cycle will begin all over again.  Another six months of planning, two hour long production meetings, last minute changes, and yet another chance to grow as an event planner, gaining new experiences and skills with each challenge. 

This year we honored Richard Carpenter of the GRAMMY®-award winning duo, The Carpenters, with the USC Thornton Legacy Award and the GRAMMY Foundation® with the John C. Argue Dickens Medal of Honor.  Randy and Gretchen Newman served as our dinner chairs and their playful interaction on stage (completely off-script) had everyone laughing, myself included, creating a warm and comfortable environment.

The evening was highlighted by featured performances from our choral, opera, popular music, classical guitar, and early music departments, giving guests a broad sampling of the talent that exists at the Thornton School of Music.  Rod Gilfry, baritone opera star and USC Faculty member narrated the evening with snippets of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

It's interesting to look back and reflect on where I was last year when this event happened.  It was a huge milestone in my career and the success of the event was such an encouragement and affirmation that I'm right where I'm supposed to be.  This year was a huge test of my patience as I waited for all the loose ends to come together, many of which I had no control over.  There are always last minute seating changes, personnel changes, conflict in scheduling and the production flow, and it's in those moments where the ability to make decisions and act quickly are key factors when managing an event.  I know the only reason I felt so calm the entire week leading up to the event was because my peace was not from myself, but from God.  I feel truly blessed to get to spread that peace and in doing so create an atmosphere where others around me -- people on the production team, the hotel staff, the guests -- are able to experience that same sense of ease.  What I was reminded of at Dickens is how much my attitude and demeanor affect everyone involved in the process.  If I am stressed out, my team feels that anxiety and so do the guests (that last people I want feeling stressed out). 

Some of my favorite moments were the times I stepped aside from the event itself and invested in the people around me: an encouraging phone call with a friend, a short chat with the security guard while waiting for the linens to be placed, conversations with the crew from Classic Party Rentals, escorting lost guests to the VIP reception, greeting donors and guests at their tables, laughing at the awkward moments from the stage, joking around with my co-workers -- together they all made this Dickens Dinner so enjoyable despite working 18 hours, my day beginning at 5:45am and ending at about midnight the same day.  It's what allows me to smile at the end of the day.

I couldn't be happier at how Dickens came together, awkward moments and all.  I'm thankful that the autograph auction turned out better than I expected.  I'm thankful that all the decor came together to create my winter wonderland theme.  I'm thankful that I got the chance to eat lunch AND dinner.  I'm thankful for my amazing team of vendors and production crew.  I'm thankful for all the encouraging texts from my friends.  I'm thankful that my family came to support me.  And lastly, I'm thankful for the opportunity to plan and oversee an event of this magnitude at this point in my life.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and Merry Christmas!

Vendors
Venue, Catering, & Valet: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Valerie Lehman
Linens: Elegant Design Specialty Linens
Florals: Dellarobbia Design Studio & Flower Market
Lighting, Production, Sound: Thinkwell Design & Production
PR: M2M
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Sound: PRG Audio

'tis the season for Dickens

Yes, it's that time of year again -- The Charles Dickens Dinner is in full swing becuase we only have about one more month until the big day!  This year I decided to choose a winter wonderland theme for the decor, and to spark the creative process, I created an inspiration board.  I recommend creating one anytime you have to visually design an event because it not only helped me visualize different color combinations, centerpiece ideas, and invitation designs, but it also allowed me to better inform and communicate with my vendors (graphic designer, linens, florists) exactly what I was looking for. It makes the process so much more enjoyable for everyone, and through it I expanded my knowledge of color themes I could try (other than your Christmas green and red), as well as current trends in the event industry.  I'm so excited to see how the room will look with all the pieces together! 

Photo Credit: 1. Elegant Design Specialty Linens // 2. Wedding Centerpiece Ideas // 3. Forever Photography // 4. Weddings by Kristi 6. Do-it-yourself Weddings 7. Google Images 8. Asian Wedding Blog // 9. The Free Wedding // 10. I do Inspiration // 11. Google Images // 12. Blue Guava // 13. Forever Photography // 14. Chisar // 15. Decor8 // 16. Sweet Chic Events

The 24th Annual Charles Dickens Dinner

December 10, 2010 -- The culmination of six months of hard work has finally come to completion and I could not be happier about the event.  The Charles Dickens Dinner has been on my radar ever since I stepped foot into the USC Thornton School of Music as a work-study student as a freshmen in the fall of 2006.  Little did I know that 4 years later I would be in charge of making this event a success.

I don't think I've ever worked so hard on any event. Ever.  And in the week leading up to the event, I think it's safe to say my mind was thinking about Dickens 24/7 (and maybe still is -- hello 2011).  Literally.  I had an ongoing to-do list in my head, a desk that was covered with brightly colored post-it notes (If you don't know already, I love bright colors so the bright colors definitely help make the to-do lists less daunting. And putting a huge red sharpie check mark once they're done -- best feeling ever.)

I think one of the measures of a successful event planner is that way in which they react to problems once an event has begun.  There are two options -- freak out and stress everyone else out in the process, or react in a calm, positive demeanor.  One of my goals as an event planner is to treat people with respect and manage others with a positive attitude because I've found that people respond to direction better when it's not coming from a power-driven and demanding place -- and hopefully my team felt that throughout the planning process.

The best thing someone can say to me on the event day is that they felt at peace, and relaxed. My job is to ensure that everyone else involved doesn't feel stressed out. So hearing how relaxed everyone was, how relaxed the Dean was, that it was "the smoothest Dickens" from a banquet captain that's done the event for 3-4 years and my boss, that I looked so calm -- it was all extremely humbling and overwhelming.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine to have planned an event of such capacity at the age of 22. I think I'm still in shock at all that I've accomplished since graduating -- its been 6 months and I've planned two weddings and a major fundraising gala.

The Dickens Dinner was not only a success for the Thornton School of Music, but also a huge milestone in my career, and for that I'm extremely grateful.

Needless to say, this event would not have been possible without the help of an amazing team. I couldn't even begin to take credit for all the work because the reality is it was a team effort. Thank you to everyone who helped -- I could not have done it without you!

For additional coverage of the event, read this article by Alice Dubin of Biz Bash -- Crowd of U.S.C. Musicians Enlivens Annual Fund-Raising Dinner

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

 

VENDORS

Catering, Valet, Venue: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Valerie Lehman -- a great wedding venue too!

Costuming: K-Gals, Jacqueline St. Anne

Graphic Design: Leslie Baker Graphic Design, Leslie Baker

Flowers: Dellarobia Design Studio, Jolene Reynolds

Lighting Equipment: Angstrom Lighting Inc.

Linens: Elegant Design Specialty Linens, Jannette Galindo

Photography: Steve Cohn Photography

Print: Greens Printing, Janet Green

Production: Thinkwell

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Sound: PRG Audio

dickens week

It's time to take a short break from weddings and switch gears to ... fundraising dinners?

For those of you who don't know, I've been working for the USC Thornton School of Music as a Development & Events Coordinator for the past 5 months, which basically means that I help plan fundraising events, and anything related to donor stewarding -- aka making donors happy.  I love my job (which I know doesn't happen with most first jobs) but I definitely feel really blessed to have it.

Our biggest event of the year is The Charles Dickens Dinner.  No one really knows why it's called that, so just roll with it. But it's a festive holiday-themed dinner that honors individuals who have made a significant impact in the world of art and philanthropy.  The evening is highlighted by costumed carolers, a musical tribute by student performers, and the awards presentations.  This year is our 24th year, and we'll be honoring James Conlon, David Bohnett, and John C. Herklotz.

One of the perks of my job is interacting with VIPs like USC President C.L. Max Nikias, Randy Newman, and many USC Trustees. The other day I got to drive Danny DeVito and his wife to his car.  I think it's fair to say it made my night.

Dickens is by far the most challenging event I have ever worked on, but it has also been a huge growing experience. 

If I had one piece of advice to give to anyone planning an event, it's to follow-up.  Even if you trust that person completely to finish their job, it doesn't hurt to give them a courtesy reminder.  By phone, email, once a week, every day -- whatever it takes to ensure that everything get done.  I think I probably called Chick-Fil-A about every other day last week about whether or not they could donate sandwiches.  And who doesn't love Chick-Fil-A?

As an event coordinator, it's your responsibility to ensure that everything is in place when the event happens, that every detail has been thought through and every problem anticipated.  Someone "forgetting" is not a good enough excuse for a component falling through.  The challenge with new events is knowing what to anticipate.  Having never fully attended a dinner, it's hard to know what could go wrong, whereas with weddings, I've been to enough to know common mishaps (i.e. forgetting the rings -- trust me, its happened).

So as I prepare for this huge milestone in my event planning career, I will be tested emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually, and it is my hope that I act with grace, patience, peace, and joy in the midst of probably one of the most high-stress, pressure-filled environment I've been in yet.  Part of the reason I'm in this profession is to help minimize that stress for everyone involved and to create a positive environment that enables people to perform their job with ease.  So this week, instead of complaining, demanding, or yelling, I will smile, laugh, and enjoy and take advantage of the opportunity to showcase this supernatural peace I've been given.

Stay posted for pictures and a post-event update!