STL WME 2015

   

  Welcome Midwest Wedding Professionals! Wedding Market Expo is so excited to be returning to St Louis - it seems like our home away from home because we have made so many good friends here in St Louis. It is a privilege and an honor to hold the conference at Bissinger's Caramel Room, one of St Louis' newest and most elegant venues. It is our goal to help inform, educate, and inspire each and every one of you to be the best that you can be for your clients and yourselves. Sit back, enjoy the Wedding Market Expo conference and we hope this experience is as rewarding for you as it is for us. Linda Smith Bev Egidi   #WMEMidwest

   

  Conference Schedule General Session: Tuesday March 10, 2015!9:00 am – 9:15 am 11:40 am – 1:15 pm 3:00 pm – 3:30 pmWelcome & Venue Sponsor Group Photo, Lunch Afternoon Break Thank You & Exhibit Show Sponsored by Poptions 9:15 am – 10:00 am 1:15 pm – 1:30 pm 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm Afternoon Announcements Connecting With Today’s Couple Grow Your Reach, Referrals, & Presented by Britt Shelby, The Knot Revenues with Email and Social How can brands build relationships with Media Marketing today's totally connected couple? Presented by Paige CahillThe key is understanding who they are, how Constant Contact they communicate and knowing what's important to them. Walk away with 10 social media tips and strategies that you can implement today.! 10:00 am – 10:45 am 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm 4:15 pm – 5:15 pmPrice Matters: How to Price Your Step into Managing your Time Group Discussions & Wedding Business Presented by Cherie Ronning Networking Wedding Network USAPresented by Tammy Elliott, PWG 5:15 pm – 6:45 pm Time Control – it takes some Mind Opening Night Reception! Control too! Lots of tips for budgeting your time wisely, and creating a working at The Caramel RoomLearn ways to calculate your costs, revenue spent on weddings and why it matters, calendar to keep track of it all. #WMEMidwest determining a fair profit margin, different ! pricing models, and monitoring and changing your price.! 10:45 am – 11:30 am 2:15 pm – 3:00 pm Identifying Your Ideal Client Is Your Old Message Reaching Presented by Shane McMurray New Brides? The Wedding Report Presented by Sheila Dunn, San Antonio & Austin Wedding Guide How to identify the ideal client using market dynamics, personas, touch points, See how to improve your marketing material to reach today’s bride. and customer journeys. !!  

  Conference Schedule General Session: Wednesday March 11, 20159:00 am – 9:30 am 11:45 am – 1:15 pm 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Lunch & Exhibit ShowWelcome & Sponsor Afternoon Break Thank You Sponsored by Ces & Judy’s 9:30 am – 10:15 am 1:15 am – 1:30 pm 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm Tools & Apps for the Industry Afternoon Announcements Creating The Business I Want Presented by Cheryl Bailey Presented by Charles Oster Wedding Industry Rescue 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm Mywedding.com Cheryl Bailey will share and review her top How and Why to Effectively Use It is your business, make it what you want choices for the tools and apps you need to Style Shoots in your Business it to be: Get the sales you want, Createrun a well managed and profitable wedding Presented by Ethan Woods and share the message you want, Attract Saint Louis Bride Magazine business. She'll review some you may the type of customers you want. already know about and share a few little Photographers, Florists, Editors, they all do it. What, you ask? Styled Photoshoots. 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm known secrets with you as well! Whether a novice or a seasoned veteran, discover how to produce your very own, Thank You & Drawings 10:15 am – 11:00 am and most importantly… Why!! #WMEMidwest Building A Stronger Referral Base Presented by Amy Mader 2:15 pm – 3:00 pm ! Platinum Weddings Group Discussions & #WMEMidwest Our next presentation will explain why you Networking need a referral base and how to obtain it by fully understanding your colleagues and clients.! 11:00 am – 11:45 am A Niche is Not Enough Presented by Therese Cole Hubbs Electric Karma Learn how to differentiate yourself fromyour current market. From tactics including maark!seutrivnegymoaf tyeoruiarlsbausnidneossp,ecnrienagtiuvpe to differ e   nt markets, gain tools to stand out! from your competition.

  Sponsors   #WMEMidwest

  Sponsors   #WMEMidwest

  Speakers Cheryl & Shea Bailey, Owners of Wedding Industry Rescue Husband and wife team, award winners, and owners of Wedding Industry Rescue and Yellow Umbrella Events. They’re fun, unique people who love what they do and love sharing it with others. Cheryl is the sales and training side – if you want to know why you can’t close the deal or why you’re not making money, she can tell you. Shea is the tech guy – If you want to know about WordPress and SEO, he’s your guy! Together they make a great team. Paige Cahill, Regional Development Dir. Constant Contact Paige Cahill, Constant Contact Regional Development Director for the Central Midwest is the small business marketing expert who “coaches and connects” small businesses and non-profits to online marketing tools, tips, strategies, resources, and people. The last business Paige owned, was a direct marketing firm, that allowed her to coach thousands of small businesses to “go and grow” their businesses with online and offline marketing strategies. Paige delivers real-world examples, tools, and strategies. Therese Cole-Hubbs, Owner of Electric Karma As the country’s leading authority on South Asian Weddings, owner/creative director, Therese Cole Hubbs and her company Electric Karma International, specialize in Indian, Pakistani and multi-cultural fusion weddings. Electric Karma’s team of experienced professionals has produced more than 600 traditional weddings over the past 28 years, and brings innovative, creative and impressive ideas to each of their clients. Therese is an active philanthropist, designer, educator, and public speaker, a member of NACE and Director of Professional Development in WIPA’s National Board.   #WMEMidwest

  Speakers Sheila Dunn, Editor of San Antonio & Austin Wedding Guide As editor of San Antonio's and Austin's Wedding Guides for almost 20 years, Sheila Dunn has help hundreds of wedding professionals craft attractive and EFFECTIVE marketing messages to help grow their business. As marketing director for the company’s Bridal   Extravaganzas, she helped more than double the size of the shows in exhibitors and attendees. A leader in reaching that 1% getting married, Sheila also works as a consultant, helping   wedding show   producers grow their business. Tammy Elliott, President of Perfect Wedding Guide Tammy Kinzer Elliot joined Perfect Wedding Guide in 2004 as President and became CEO in 2010. With over 30 years of experience in marketing, sales, management and business, her career spans a multitude of mediums, where she managed, owned or consulted for numerous companies including radio, TV, cable, internet and print. Tammy a highly rated speaker domestically and internationally, is known for her no nonsense approach to business and has presented at Wedding MBA, NACE, CaterSource, The Business of Weddings In Ireland, Weddings Beautiful in Cancun, IFA and many more. Amy Mader, President of Platinum Weddings As an established Wedding Planner in Austin, TX since 1997, Amy Mader and Amy's Platinum Weddings, has coordinated upscale and celebrity weddings and has become a benchmark for consultants in the Central Texas region. She is president and founder of Nuptial Essentials Curriculum and Instruction, LLC (NECI) – the only state licensed vocational school for wedding consultants - and Nuptial Essentials Association of Weddings Professionals (NEAWP). Amy is responsible for instructing the Seminar Online and Distance Education Professional Wedding Consultant Training Program classes as well as 3-Day   Weekend Seminars and national convention for NECI. #WMEMidwest

  Speakers Shane McMurray, Founder of The Wedding Report Shane McMurray, Founder of The Wedding Report, Inc., helped build one of the first systems allowing doctors to exchange information across health plans. Along with his wife, he created a paper company in 2001 which in 2005 evolved into The Wedding Report and has since collected over 200,000 survey samples. His research has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, and hundreds of other publications, and news articles worldwide. He has provided direct insight to eHarmony, Martha Stewart, Swarovski, and many companies. Charles Oster, Vice President of mywedding.com As an expert in sales, management and business development, Charles Oster has worked with many different organizations. His role includes sales, marketing and education for the mywedding.com small business community as he leads the sales effort of the sales professionals. Listen to Charles and be entertained, inspired, educated and motivated to advance your business and/or role within your organization. Cherie Ronning, President of Wedding Network USA Cherie Ronning has been in the Wedding business for over 30 years. Starting as a wedding planner, she quickly created a name for herself with her attention to details and love of the events. From planning, to owning a custom invitation company, to the founding of Wedding Network USA, LLC, Cherie is an active and integral part of the Wedding Industry.   #WMEMidwest

  Kassaundra Schario, St. Louis Marketing Consultants, LLC With over a decade of marketing experience, Kassaundra Schario has weathered the storm of changing technology and knows how to keep your business relevant in an ever changing world. As a St. Louis native and graduate of Lindenwood University, she understands business and the extra push that your consumers need to connect with you. Constantly staying in front of your target audience is more important now than ever before and is often something that many businesses need help with. That is just what St. Louis Marketing Consultants is here to help you achieve. Tracy Schwerin, Couples Resorts Jamaica Tracy Schwerin lives in Charleston, SC and is the Wedding Business Development Manager for Couples Resorts, Jamaica. She has been in the hospitality industry in since 1999, working with brands including Hilton, Marriott, Starwood & Wyndham, holding positions ranging from Catering Sales to Director of Sales and Regional Revenue Manager. While working with these facets, Tracy has simultaneously been active in the wedding and event planning industry as an independent wedding planner.   Britt Shelby, Account Executive for The Knot As the local marketing consultant, and account executive for The Knot Wedding Network, Britt Shelby has acquired extensive knowledge in marketing and the overall wedding industry while working for the top ranked wedding brand in the industry. Her public relations and marketing background along with her experience has paired to help her successfully market over 400 local businesses in Missouri. Ethan Woods, Publisher for Saint Louis Bride Ethan Woods is the publisher and associate editor of Saint Louis Bride magazine and publisher of WHERE St. Louis, WHERE Menu Guide and MAP St. Louis. He has worked for the Casa Gallardo restaurant chain, Planet Hollywood International, Miller Publishing and currently Morris Media Network. Ethan has been active with many local organizations including the St. Louis CVC, St. Louis Hotel Association, Saint Louis Area Attractions Association, ISES and St. Louis Concierge & Guest   Service Association. #WMEMidwest

  Conference Schedule Workshops Tuesday March 10, 2015 10:00 am – 11:30 am 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm So You Want To Be A Planner? “Blogging for Authority” Workshop Host: Amy Mader Workshop Host: Cheryl & Shea BaileyThis workshop is for Beginning Planners, or Others This workshop is for Bloggers only! Prerequisites: who want to add Planning to their skillset. 1.) Have an existing blog set up. ! 2.) Have installed \"Wordpress SEO by Yoast\" (if you have a Wordpress website) https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/ 3.) Have Google Analytics on their website ! 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm Digging Deeper with the Owners Making $$ with Destination Weddings Workshop Hosts: Workshop Host: Tracy Schwerin Shane McMurray, Know your Market This workshop is for Planners or Others who want toTammy Elliott, Budgeting for your Business add Destination Weddings to their business. ! Kassaundra Schario, Marketing Your Business! This workshop is for Business Owners only! ! Wednesday March 11, 2015 10:15 am – 11:45 am$u! per$ize Your Social Media & Marketing Success with Email Marketing Campaigns Workshop Host: Paige Cahill • Learn how to get your emails opened. • Email marketing design tips and strategies to help you grow your revenues and marketing results. • See how easy it is to insert your logo, colors, links, videos, and social media buttons into an email campaign • Understand how email can grow your social media and online reach   • See how to schedule and send an email • Learn how email reports can help you supersize your marketing #WMEMidwest

   

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