How I Planned a Corporate Event in 8 hours in a Different City for 150+ People

Now that the holidays are starting to slow down and we are approaching the new year, I thought I would reminisce about one of the crazy work things that happened this past year. Being a concierge company in Houston you get all kinds of unique, fun requests that come through. I have a client that I worked for on an as needed basis because they have someone full time to help them, but shit hit the fan when their full time assistant left and didn't finish an important task, which was planning a party. They called me needing me to plan a corporate party for 150+ people in Atlanta, walking distance from the hotel, including entrainment and food with a $3,000 budget. Oh and it was the very next day on a Friday night.

My first thought was holy shit. That thought lasted 10 seconds and then I immediately got on the internet and phone. Thankfully on the day they called me I had a light load with other clients and could just get right to planning. This happened to be in July, which was my craziest, most stressful month of business. I was insanely busy and constantly putting out fires for clients. I am by no means complaining, just explaining how crazy busy it was.

First I started working with the hotel to see what was available. We went back and forth for a few hours. Since this was a big conference they were at, space and availability was limited everywhere in downtown Atlanta. I found out the food alone would be way past our budget. So I started calling various venues around Atlanta. My client decided he wanted to have a DJ. So I immediately started to call to see who was available the next day for a Friday night gig. Right when I was about to sign the contract my client decided they no longer wanted a DJ, but that DJ was amazing and put me into contact with a girl who was an event planner (I think) and who then put me in contact with various venues. After 5 million calls back and forth to various people and seeing if they could work with our budget. I FINALLY found someone that would work with us at like 6pm the night before the event. The event was at a popular game place, we ordered food for all the guests to enjoy, there was music there, it was a semi private room and everyone had fun!

When everything is all said and done, it's a great feeling to just be able to know you accomplished something great for your clients that they enjoyed. It was literally an insane day. My client probably didn't realize the complete spectrum of insanity I was going through, but that is nothing for them to worry about and that is part of owning a concierge company. You go through great lengths for your clients. This is just a little bit of how behind the scenes things can go crazy when you least expect it.

These are just a few things concierges go through. This is what I do, and beyond, for clients. I love my clients and am SO thankful for them and love the relationships I can build with them.

Lesson: you never know who will help you and be full of connections when you least expect it. For that DJ Simon Rimmer in Atlanta I am extremely grateful for you, even though you probably will never see this. If anyone is ever in Atlanta and needs a DJ use him.

ecomodernconcierge.com

7 Ways to Have & Show More Gratitude

There are so many ways to have and show gratitude. Being grateful for the small things and really looking at things in a different way is something that I try to do. I am in no way perfect and am always improving myself, but I try really hard to be grateful, even when I am not necessarily feeling it at the time.

• Keep a Gratitude Journal. Last year and this year I started writing down things that I am grateful for. I am not perfect at always writing things down that I am grateful, but try hard because it makes me see and think of what I am really grateful for. There is so much to be grateful for. 
• Look for the Silver Linings When There are Challenges. Man, this is really hard to do. Overall, you will be a happier person if you look at the positive in things instead of the negatives. As a Houston concierge and personal assistant things can go wrong and you have to look at the silver linings and figure out different solutions to problems. 
• Volunteer. Volunteering is one of the most gratifying things because you can make such a big difference. I have volunteered for decades and absolutely love it. If I could I would volunteer all my time with various organizations. There are so many organizations in Houston that you can volunteer for. I have volunteered personally and providing my professional organizing services to many different organizations throughout Houston.
• Spend More Time Doing Things You Love. You can find so much gratitude and joy doing the things you love. Spend more time with family and let them know you love them. Spend more time on that hobby you love because it makes you happy. 
• Thank You Notes. I try to write thank you notes often. I am so appreciative when someone does something nice for my husband and I or gives us something. So go tell that person you are thankful! Even if you don't write them a handwritten letter, email or call them and tell them.
• Give Back. Not just by volunteering, but give back in other ways as well. Tell someone you appreciate them, take in your neighbors trash can, pick up that clothing item off the floor in the store, do random acts of kindness, etc. etc. There are so many ways to give back, you just have to figure out what works best for you. 
• Email Random People. I know this sounds weird at first, but this is something that I have been doing this past year. I will email people and tell them I like what they are doing. There is a person on Tumblr I have been following for years and love her photos and the snippets she says about her family, so I emailed to tell her I love her photos and the positivity she exudes. There is a made in Texas article in Texas Monthly that I love, so I emailed to tell them that I enjoyed it. The list goes on and on. Surprisingly, most of the time the people will respond. Even with people you think are out of touch and don't expect to reply, they usually will reply. 

ecomodernconcierge.com