We were lucky to catch up with Bennell LaPorte recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bennell , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Events, typically known for the lavish nature of their final product, are all about people and relationships. Most anyone can learn the basics of event planning, things like finding venues, helping a client choose flowers, and negotiating a contract. However, it takes a nuanced skill set and approach to simultaneously be the holder of all the event details while creating something from nothing based solely off a client’s spoken desires.

Since I was young, I’ve always been incredibly organized, analytical in my thinking, and able to piece together and explain information in such a way that makes it accessible to others. These skills serve me well in this craft. Part of what makes me so successful is my ability to understand and see (in a manner of speaking), what my client isn’t necessarily saying out loud. If a client shares that it’s important to them their guests have a great time at their wedding, what they’re truly saying is they want all of the details to intentionally play a part in making their guests feel valued and appreciated for being a part of their day.

Learning this craft and honing my skills over the past 14 years has been a mixture of two things. Doing the work on the ground to understand how an event day functions from beginning to end and most importantly, building relationships grounded in trust. When you understand what drives someone and their decision making, it illuminates for you how you should move in that space. For my creative partners, what’s the philosophy in how they approach their work? For my clients, what’s most important to them and why? Those nuanced details and insights is what makes the behind-the-scenes work in this industry so exciting for me.

Regarding the speed at which I learned things, I’m not sure there’s anything I could’ve done to speed up the process. I believe you’re always right where you’re meant to be, learning the lessons, and developing the skills as the opportunities present themselves. Early in my career, I was fortunate to have a manager who saw my gifts in logistical planning and execution. They encouraged me to dive deeper into those skills by taking on additional opportunities that would challenge me to stretch and develop that muscle. From events that ranged from 100 attendees to others that became multi-day, multi-state affairs and more, this industry has allowed me to plan events all over the country and abroad in such a way I could’ve never envisioned when I first got started.

One piece of advice I’d share with up-and-coming event planners, designers and producers would be to stay hungry. It’s so easy in this space to get complacent when so much of our process becomes copy/paste but, there’s always so much more to continue learning and innovating on. This is particularly true if you own an event planning firm like I do. Although I’d never claim that being in this industry is easy – there’s a reason why it’s ranked as being one of the top five most stressful jobs right behind firefighting – the benefits far outweigh the stressors. In an era when so many people are craving outlets to be more creative, to have the ability to innovate and most importantly to make genuine connections with other humans, this industry provides all of that and more in spades.

Source: https://convene.com/catalyst/meeting-event-planning/event-planning-most-stressful-jobs/

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

LAPORTE & COMPANY is a premier full-service wedding and event planning company. Our hallmark is the creation of exquisite sensory experiences for our discerning clientele and their guests.

Serving Arizona, California, Hawaii and exclusive worldwide destinations, we believe that luxury is a specialty that exists to exceed all expectations. Our years in the planning industry allows us to curate sublime events that are seamless, delivered with sophistication, logistical precision, and graceful distinction.

What sets us apart, is the intentionality we bring to creating experiences that have immersive storytelling at their core. For us, that storytelling comes through in the way we weave the five senses into every facet of an event. Whether it’s a scent in the reception ballroom that’s reminiscent of the hotel lobby where a couple first met, or a treasured family recipe that becomes the take home favor for your guests, we treat every component of your big day as an integral piece of the overall story your event is trying to tell.

In addition, given my decades long experience in the nonprofit sector, I’m an expert in nonprofit fundraising (large scale galas). Particularly, how to leverage donor giving psychology to take an event from barely hitting its fundraising goals to surpassing them. In a world where nonprofits are constantly competing with each other tapping into the same donor pool, it’s more important than ever to create innovative pathways (and reasons) for your donors to give.

Now that the world is back open, a new (and exciting) offering I’ve added to my catalog of services is Travel Design. As a global event planner and travel enthusiast, I’ve combined my love of world exploration with my event planning expertise to create customized, one-of-a-kind travel experiences for my clients.

From a picnic with alpacas in the Netherlands to a majestic hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey or a private cruise along the Nile River in Egypt, my clients’ biggest travel dreams are the inspiration behind the curated masterpieces I produce for their vacation adventures.

An avid traveler, having visited four continents to date, I live by the mantra: “If you don’t know who you are, travel and let the world show you.”

For more information on my event planning or travel design services, please visit https://laporteandcompany.com.

If you’re ready to take your events to the next level and leave your guests wanting more, pick up my free guide to Elevating Your Events. (https://view.flodesk.com/pages/622fa8074e5181d777e47728).

For an honest (and hilarious take) on what it’s really like to be in this industry, plus insider planning tips and advice, catch me on the airwaves on the Event Fusion Podcast. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are streamed. (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/event-fusion-podcast/id1527856856).

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Planning, designing, and executing a singular event takes a lot of time and energy. With only so many hours in a day, having a business model that supports multiple streams of income is imperative. A diversified offering portfolio not only ensures that you don’t get burnt out but more importantly, it makes it so that not all your eggs are in one basket. If COVID-19 taught us anything – when the entire events industry was seemingly decimated overnight – it’s that income diversification is queen.

For event planners, our skill sets are innately suited to be transferrable in many ways. In my business, I presently have five active income streams with an additional one in the works. Each stream is centered around core skills that both allow me to keep my creative juices flowing while allowing me to spend my energy on things that matter most to me.

My present streams of income include:

1. Event Planning & Travel Design (Done for You)
2. Consulting
3. Digital Products
4. Affiliates
5. Business Coaching (for event planners looking to make 6-figures per year)
6. Online Courses* (this stream is not yet active given current capacity in my schedule)

It’s important to diversify your business offerings so that you’re able to provide different points of entry for your clientele. Whether I plan an event for you from beginning to end or, I consult with you and your team on event strategy (this is usually the case for my nonprofit clients), my clients have multiple options for how they can access my expertise.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I live by the belief that if you take care of your people, your people will take care of you. To me, maintaining high morale on a team hinges on everyone feeling like their work, their time, presence, and unique skills are appreciated for what they are. When people can genuinely and authentically show up, be themselves and be celebrated for it (while also cultivating a space of trust, excellence, fun and creativity), in my opinion, there’s no better space to be in. For my part, I always strive to cultivate a space where the hours we put into things don’t feel like work but rather, it feels like you’re having the best time creating magic among friends.

When it comes to managing a team, I lead with trust. Trust that I’ve hired the right people for each job. Trust that everyone is an expert in their respective area(s) and as such, will bring their unique talents and A-game to the table. Trust that we’re all doing our work for a collective goal and not selfish means. As the old saying goes “people don’t quit jobs, they quit terrible managers.” For me, ensuring that my people feel heard, valued, appreciated, and respected is paramount.

This job requires that I work with a lot of independent contractors and creative partners and the same is true for everyone on the teams I bring together. We have mutual respect for the skills and expertise we each possess, we have a blast creating something from nothing, and we give our clients our absolute best always. At the end of the day, bottom line is that it’s a privilege to be a part of someone’s special day. Whether it’s celebrating a long-awaited wedding or coming together to mark the pending arrival of a tiny new human, I don’t take these moments that my clients allow me to be a part of for granted.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laporteandcompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennelllaporte/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laporteandcompany
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bennelllaporte

Image Credits
Heidi Mixon Imagery Studio 3 Images Lasting Images AZ