We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Campbell Birnbaum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

In order to be successful at events, there is an undefinable quality you must have. It might be akin to socially intelligence, but its more complex than that. While my traditional education taught me to communicate effectively and clearly, everything I have learned thus far in my career has been through pure experience and being thrown into the deep end to see if I can swim. There are a lot of resources and “certifications” out there, but I’ve never hired someone because they had those things. I grew up in the industry learning to be a bit scrappy and figure things out on my own. Not one single job had a “training period”, let alone someone to sit me down and say “this is how we do things here”. It’s more like, welcome to your desk, GO.

There are unexpected challenges that arise at every single event that you have to learn to work though. Sometimes there’s just no way to prepare for. these things no matter how much planning you do. A leak in the roof, an off the wall request, the list goes on, I think all it takes is being onsite a couple of times working alongside seasoned planners to figure out if you are going to be successful or not. Do you process situations quickly? Are you willing to think outside the box for solutions? Are you assertive in asking for things you need and advocating for your client?

By the time I started my business, I felt extremely confident in my ability as a planner. As a new business owner however, I am still very much still figuring things out as I go!

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

I decided to leave my corporate events job during the pandemic, which felt like. risky move, since there were no events happening obviously. While working from home, I had just been waiting and waiting for that layoff email, which surprisingly never came. I am so grateful for our parent company that was able to keep teams across the board, across most brands- one of the perks of working for a large corporation. We quickly pivoted to virtual events, something that felt like learning a new language. And god, was it boring. Like many people, I started really soul searching during our down time and decided to finally take the leap of faith in the fall of 2021.

Before starting my business, I had seen about every aspect of the event industry. I started my career doing galas for the New York City non-profit world. Then I went to a fashion PR firm where I produced fashion shows for New York Fashion Week. That job was a real trip to say the very least. My latest and longest job was as the Event Director for Women’s Wear Daily, a brand I still hold dear. It was my ultimate dream job in my 20s. I got to work with the world’s most creative designers such as Virgil Abloh, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Kim Jones, Pier Paolo Piccioli, and so many others.

I am so proud to say that my husband is an officer in the Marine Corps, and so in 2019 we moved from New York City to San Diego. WWD was very generous in letting me keep my job. Frankly, though, I was tired. Before the pandemic, we were producing about 2 large scale conferences each month, plus 2 or 3 smaller events. I has always wanted flexibility, and to be able to say no to projects if I wanted to. I also wanted to explore an area of the industry that I had only really dipped my toes into thus far, which was weddings.

The creativity and reward that comes with giving someone the best day of their life is really unmatched. I decided to do full service planning ONLY, meaning I start with my clients from the beginning of the project instead of working with them month of or day of. This way, I can identify any issues from the get go and guide them through them. I also like to be collaborative with the design and be really hands on with all of the details. I only take on a limited number of weddings per year, in order to give clients the attention they deserve.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the most important things in planning is to be flexible. Yes, we make a plan and we think through every detail, but we also need to think about a plan B, C, and D, and be willing and ready to pivot at any given moment. And do it quickly and calmly.

There are so many templated, “one size fits all” resources out there, and I think that’s great for some planners. But I learned to be a bit scrappy and resourceful on my own. I once had a very famous designer arrive onsite and ask to change the entire stage set. It was 4:00pm and the session was the next morning. My boss at the time initially said no to the request, but I knew this would go a long way if I were to pull this off. I called around to furniture stores, rental companies, and almost every vendor I knew in order to make it happen. I found some of the hotel bellhops and tipped them handsomely to help us carry the delivered furniture in. Sure enough, we pulled it off. The power of quick thinking, remaining calm, and AMAZING vendor partners.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Weddings are extremely personal. There is often a lot of investment on the line as well as complicated family dynamics. I have to work to identify the anxieties and biggest fears, and find myself in the middle of family dramas. People at the end of the day want to be understood and feel celebrated in a way that is comfortable for them. It’s my job to do that for them. I work with my clients for about a year, sometimes even longer, and so they become really great friends. Some planners keep it all business and have some pretty strong professional boundaries. I totally understand the reasoning for that. My approach, however, is much more personal. I want them to view me as a best friend, someone they can text and bounce ideas off of. I never take on a client that I think in the end I would be relieved to be done with at the end of the project. The hope is that we create a lasting friendship.

Contact Info:

• Website: ashleycampbellevents.com
• Instagram: @ashleycampbellevents

Image Credits
Cavin Elizabeth Photography, Jared Ladia Photography, Rebecca Love Photography, Tracy Brewington Photography