We recently connected with Federica Beni and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Federica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

I am probably a pretty unusual business woman but the type of clientele I work with (all overseas) and the importance that an event planning project has got in my clients lives, made me decide to make myself available for my clients any time they want, 7 days on 7, not respecting the usual “9 to 5” office times.

I always answer quick messages early morning as I wake up, and I answer emails up to very late at night because the difference in timing forces me not to waste time, especially when important decisions must be made very quickly.

My clients are not a project, a number, they are human beings with their dreams, their specific vision of the most important milestone in their lives: their big day.

I always tell them that my goal is to guide them through the planning/design process making things and decisions to make easier for them and letting them enjoy the best part of this exciting but complex journey. My role is also to give them advices, suggestions about the best decisions to make, that is hiring a vendor of decide about design aspects. Leaning on me, my expertise and experience, they will get the best solutions possible. In all this process, their dreams and desires are the ones that lead my design process and I can’t ignore them so my ideas must be combined with their desires to please them as much as I can.

I can say that all my clients have been felt supported, heard, treasured because their happiness is my main goal and they can feel this.

Federica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a destination wedding and event planner and I support international clients to make their big dream come true all over the world.

I take care of all aspects relating to an event, from logistics to vendors search and management, to design and day-of coordination. Basically a full service production business.

Our work is so complex that we always face smaller or bigger problems, both during the journey and on the events day. Problem solving skills are absolutely necesary to face and solve last minute issues, making sure that the clients don’t necessary know about them, so that they can enjoy the journey without stress and pressure.

Before becoming a wedding planner, I was a business consultant for small and medium enterprises, supporting them in builiding an effective and consistent process management system. I jumped in the wedding planning world by chance and being a lover of English language, I decided to build my business working with international clients.

My previous work truly helped me to highlight my mindset based on process management and all my skills and tools were extremely useful for my new business.

Little by little I got very passionate about all design aspects (totally absent in my previous work) and I have sharpened and improved my design skills so much that now design is the core activity for my busiiness, besides being the most exciting aspect in my work.

A successful design is the one based on details and this is something my clients truly perceive and appreciate. Besides, dedication to each single projects and to the clients is essential to make the business grow up and be successful.

Professionalism, transparency and honesty towards the clients and towards the vendors is what makes the difference between a good business and a successful one, since clients and vendors won’t remember you only for the events you deliver but also for the way you approach them, for your business ethic (I don’t get commissions from the vendors, for example, and this is not so common in this industry) and for the passion with which you take care of each project you create for every client.

What make an event planner be successful? The fact to b always authentic and true to herself/himself. I can guarantee that this is something that both clients and vendors perceive and as a consequence this is where the major reward come from.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The creative activity in my work is driven by both clients vision and desires and both by the environment (meaning the location) where the project is placed.

Every event is not my event, it is my clients’ dream and their goals, dreams and tastes are what primarly drive me when I start working on the design of their event. I have a very long initial call with them, deepening all aspects, what they like and what they dislike so to make sure to include in the mood board exactly what they need and what they desire and translating their ideas in real solutions.

Alongside their vision, the creative process must take into consideration the place where the design must be created in order to make sure that the design clearly resonates with the main characteristics of the environment where it will be realised.

Cohesion and attention to details are what make a creative project truly successful and this is what my clients truly appreciate about my design work.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being authentic and genuine as you are and always remain loyal to your values is what can make en entrepreneur a successful business woman/man.

These two characteristics of mine have always been recognised and perceived. People (that are vendors/creative in the industry or potential clients following me on social media, for example) have always felt this about me, by simply listening to interviews that I gave in the past or podcasts I was part of or IG Live with other fellow creatives we did in the past. Or even simply by reading my post on IG.

The most rewarding consequence of this is the “word of mouth” mechanism that was activated and that sent my way so many new clients, simply thanks to vendors or past clients recomendations,

Surely the best reward ever!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.federicabeni.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federicabeni_ed/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/federicabeni.ed
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Nastia Vesna – Photo 1-4
La Dichosa – Photo 5-7