We recently connected with Abbie Batson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Abbie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?
Back in January of this year, I found out that my soulmate dog, Murphy had Lymphoma. He was only 6 and was just the best dog I’ve ever known. My boss, and entire team surprised me with the idea of having a “Wake” for Murphy. They paid for everything, hired vendors, and we invited about 40 people to come and celebrate his life. It was such a kind gesture and I’m just really grateful for them!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My. name is Abbie Batson, I’ve been working at Reverie for the past 6 years as the Special Events Leader. Reverie is a wedding and event venue out of Dayton, OH and is also attached to SouthBrook Christian Church. I had volunteered at SouthBrook for awhile and heard that they were going to be building a wedding venue – I made a few phone calls and finally got ahold of Solomon Gomez, Reverie’s Director, and told him that I wanted my name thrown in the running to work there!
After a few interviews, I got the job and began touring new couples through what was only a construction site at the time! Walls not put up yet, caution tape all around, Solomon and I would cast the vision of what we knew this place would be. Our first year, we booked 12 weddings and thought we were all that and a bag of chips! :) Continuing to grow, we added people to the team and this year we’ll do 64 weddings!
This biggest and best part of working at Reverie has been the people. We have a few stories of people who have had their engagement parties with us, then their weddings, and then their baby showers so it really has been an amazing way to connect with our community and really be part of their lives. I am so proud of the team we have – working in customer service can be a challenge but I feel like we all really prioritize the clients’ experience and genuinely want them to have an amazing event. Another incredible element that’s part of Reverie’s makeup is that every single dollar we make goes right back into the ministry work of SouthBrook. We’ve been able to provide backpacks for students in need, contribute to making much needed hires within our student ministry, helps open doors for the recovery community and more!
Solomon has been a fantastic director and has challenged us and pushed us to be a team that always thinks of the client’s experience – overdelivering & over the top customer service is definitely the “brand” we aim to promote and embody.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I first started working at Reverie I was only 24 – hadn’t really had an “adult job” yet where I was really responsible for other people which meant I had a lot of growing and learning to do. Having to learn how to be good at customer service, how to be resilient when things didn’t go well or we were dealing with a stressed out bride and not take things personally – you’re kind of forced to have thick skin. I have had lots of leaders in my life that have encouraged confidence and an understanding things may not go perfectly but to always come with ideas and solutions. So critical thinking and planning has been an area I’ve grown in a lot as well.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think from the beginning we have always tried to be team players within the industry. When it was just Solomon and I on the team, we would attend as many networking events available to us and just ask everyone a million questions. We intentionally partnered with people who had way more experience than us, other venues included! We tried to steer away from things feeling like a competition and more so partnerships. I know we’ve had couples come tour our space but wanted more of a barn feel so we had other venues we could recommend – it’s always been about serving the people who come through our doors. We’ve met other vendors who have similar mindsets but I feel like we’ve worked hard to be known for that. Having humility and trying to surround yourself with people who know more than you helps keep you in a growth mindset as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ReverieDayton.com
- Instagram: @WeddingsWithReverie
- Facebook: @WeddingsWithReverie
Image Credits
Sarah Babcock
Stevie J. Davis
The Brauns