We were lucky to catch up with Rosie Bono recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rosie, appreciate you joining 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?

As overused as this saying is, I still find it extremely true. The best way to learn is to do.

I learned the intricacies of planning, running (of even just assisting in), and executing successful events is to be hands on and proactive in your involvement from the start. I learned from working the hospitality industry as soon as I could, starting in food and beverage service (bartending, catering, etc.), and got involved in project where my passion was (fan conventions, community events). All of these experiences teach invaluable skills of problems solving, organization, communication, and so many other things, all while actively creating unique and memorable events and experiences for those attending. If I knew what I know now, I would have put more focus into networking and creating a greater number of professional relationships. The people you know are an incredible resources to have by your side, especially when in the events field. It takes a village to put on a stellar event, and you build your village.

I’m going to say there are two most essential skills, because they go hand in hand. Communication AND organization. Having proper communication is absolutely key. Everyone must be on the same page at all times when events are concerned, given things change often and can change the entire direction of the process, and therefore the event. If all parties have all the information necessary, your event will run with less hiccups, and less frustration. In the other hand, you can have all the communication in the world, but a system to keep it all straight is a necessity! Whatever system works best for you, be it digital or physical, you have to have one.

I find that a lot of the obstacles that kept me from learning more early on were my own(self doubt, procrastination, lack of initiative, etc.). All things that we as humans face at one time or another. But, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned through my professional career is that we, as individuals are our best advocate in learning and doing better, and when we recognize that, a lot of doors and windows of opportunity open. That’s not to say that outside forces or influences can’t be obstacles, but it takes us to choose how to handle those instances for a desirable outcome.

Rosie, 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?

My name is Rosie Bono and I am an events and meetings planner with over 12 years in the hospitality industry. Currently my professional titles are; Event Coordinator for the Grand Rapids Comic Con, Chairwoman and President of the Board of Directors for Kogan Con, and a self proclaimed “nerd herder” and “chaos coordinator”. I specialize in planning, organizing, and executing specialized, pop culture and entertainment conventions and events in the West Michigan area, ranging from 20 to over 25,000 attendees depending on the event.

How I got into the pop culture/”fan” convention scene:
When I was 11 years old I attended a anime (Japanese Animation) convention in Minneapolis, MN during Spring Break. Entering the lobby of the hotel and taking that escalator to the show floor was an absolutely life changing moment. As a pre-teen who loved anime, manga (Japanese graphic novels), and really anything that was considered “nerdy”, which at the time was not “cool”, when I saw the hundreds of people in amazing costumes, people talking about their favorite character, shows, or books, the vendors selling amazing merchandise, it was the most connected and “at home” I had ever felt. If I remember correctly, I almost started crying.
I knew from that moment on, I wanted to be in someway involved or working in events/conventions like the one I attended, to make sure that others could experience that same, all encompassing feeling of finding out they aren’t alone, they aren’t weird, and they were “home”.
And from that dream, it blossomed into working all kinds of job opportunities, from “normal” bartending and catering staff, to being an at-event Hollywood celebrity assistant, celebrity travel liaison for pop culture conventions, and being a founding member of a non-profit educational organization.

What I am proud of:
Working in the pop culture convention scene, there are both big moment and small moments that could be considered for “proud of” moments. But for myself, my pride comes simply from involvement. I am so proud and honored to be a part of the most incredible teams of people who put in hundreds upon thousands of hours to bring these events to life, I am so proud and honored to witness Make-A-Wish’s being made with celebrities at conventions, I am so proud and honored to be a part of just one person’s experience, proving that they aren’t alone and have found their community.

Why me?
With over 12 years experience in private/public events and logistical planning, my deepest passion is watching my clients experience their dream event become real. Be it small scale or large scale. Be it black-tie required or cosplay encouraged. From conceptualization to execution, no detail is left untouched to ensure your event is unforgettable, enjoyable and extraordinary.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson: Sometimes, in both the events words and personal life, there are people who you cannot please, no matter how hard you try.

Unlearning it:
This was, and still is, a hard lesson to unlearn. Sometimes clients and event attendees will get an idea of what/how an aspect of an event is supposed to be, and if it isn’t exactly as they picture it, it’s wrong. Regardless if it resides in the realm of reality or not.
“No, you cannot bring an operational chainsaw as a costume prop.”
“No, you can’t bring in your own alcohol to the venue. Yes, it is in fact illegal.”
“Mrs. Mother In Law, I won’t make any changes unless my client says so.”

You get the idea.

There was a wedding I worked a several years ago as a (college internship) day-of event manager at a wedding venue. The couple, wanting to save some money, didn’t hire a DJ or music, opting to use the in-house Bluetooth speakers and a playlist. Prior to the wedding, they were well informed by the venue owners that if the system was used, that 1) they could not play the music loud because it would be terrible quality sound and ruin the speakers and 2) due to it being a Bluetooth only connection, the potential for disconnection and loss of music was very possible.
This turned into me, while ensuring all other aspects of the wedding were running smoothly, becoming their DJ. I kept having to turn the volume down (owners told me a volume number it had to be kept below), and having to continuously reconnect the speakers to their devices, and explaining to them why the music had stopped (poor internet connection).
By the end of the night, the couple were incredibly displeased, and the Bride left a poor review or the venue, calling me out by name as “unprofessional” and the sole reason “the night was ruined”. I was mortified to say it lightly. It was my first “bad” review.

Thankfully, the owners replied, defending me and my work, and re-explained everything on that public forum restating in professional terms, “You get what you (don’t) pay for” and that it most certainly wasn’t my fault. A comforting bolster to my very bruised ego.

The review was taken down not long after by the Bride.

No matter what I did or how many times I explained, I was automatically the villain in the eyes of this bride and her wedding party. There is a singular experience that everyone who works in hospitality faces, and it’s when clients or patrons forget you are there doing a job, with set rules and guidelines. And a lot of times, there is literally nothing you can do to make it right. It wouldn’t have mattered if I called in favor to get a DJ there to DJ that wedding (for free). It wouldn’t have mattered if I broke policy AND disobeyed what my bosses told me, and let them have free reign. Because it wouldn’t be how they imagined it, it was wrong and it was solely my fault.

So, what I took going forward from that experience is that you cannot make everyone happy, and as long as you do everything that reasonable and within your means, know that is enough and to not let a singular bad experience ruin the following experiences.

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

I think the one things that has helped me is my communication style. I pride myself on always delivering positive, yet grounded communication to my clients, vendors and anyone I interact with during the steps to event execution. I have often interacted with individuals who are overly positive and do not communicate all the information (leaving out anything that could be seen as bad), leading to those unrealistic expectations that can formulate during planning. Or, the opposite occurs, where the sender is cold, hard and offering no alternatives, completely stonewalling the conversations and future interactions.
Given the teamwork aspects of compiling the pieces of an event together, a good communication dynamic is necessary for a enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/rosebono

Image Credits
Photos taken by: Have Camera, Will Cosplay