Can you provide a brief overview of what you do at Bee Together?
The beauty of being a business owner is that I do a little bit of everything. My day-to-day usually involves client meetings, sourcing vendor quotes, emails, posting stories on social media, and rental coordination. I work part of the week in the office at The Creative Hive and the other part out of my home office.
How do you approach event design to ensure a seamless and visually appealing experience for clients?
Event design is one of my favourite things to do although most people don’t realize how time consuming it can actually be. I love nailing down a good theme so this can act as the guiding post for all decor decisions. I really try to take the space into account to ensure we’re utilizing all we can. Then I carefully map out what is needed and where it’s going to go. I love sourcing unique rental items so an event stands out visually.
As the leader of purpose and engagement, can you share examples of how you've helped clients connect with charitable partners or align events with a broader purpose?
When helping clients with their givebacks, I love involving their employees when I can. It creates such a sense of ownership within the company and shows employees they are valued and heard. One example of this was a simple holiday donation the company was planning on making that turned into something more! Instead of the company picking one charity of choice, (typically one that is only aligned to the business owners) we decided to involve their employees too. We took the total number of the donation and divided it equally throughout the number of employees in the company. We then created 5 categories that were important to all staff, matched a charity with each category and had employees decide where they wanted their share of the donation to go. This gave everyone a great sense of pride knowing their donation was making a difference.
What inspired you to pursue a career in event planning and design, and how has your background influenced your approach to this role?
With a background in both real estate and community engagement, I have been able to apply those skills in event planning and design. At first, I wasn’t sure there was much alignment between these industries but the more I learned about event planning, the more I realized how much it translates. Jocelyn is the reason I decided to pursue a career in event planning. I loved what she was doing to create and foster community and wanted to be a part of that. She has taught me so much about this industry and I’m luck to have learned from one of the best. We have a wonderful working relationship and I truly admire her! I don’t think I’d be in this career had it not been for her.
Are there any hobbies or passions from your personal life that inspire you as a creative individual and business Co-Founder?
The biggest influence from my personal life that translates to the work I do is travel. It’s so refreshing to see how other people live, work and play. I’ve visited over 30 countries with a variety of traditions and have been so grateful for the learnings along the way. I have learned so much from other places I’ve visited in terms of design inspiration and event ideas and always try to bring that knowledge back to work and apply it.