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Experts Reimagine Events During Pandemic

How local corporate, wedding, and private event planners are reinventing how Las Vegans celebrate

Plans have changed quickly in all areas of life since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The multi-billion dollar event planning industry, made up of small businesses including florists, caterers, musicians, photographers, bartenders and wedding and corporate event planners has been particularly hard hit with the majority of events postponed or cancelled in 2020.

“We started to see cancellations in early March before we closed,” said Julie Gilday-Shaffer, President and Chief Executive Officer of The JGS Group. Her event production company works with corporate and non-profit clients.

“When we closed on March 17, 2020, we intended to take a three month pause and soon realized that it would be much longer,” said Gilday-Shaffer. Her corporate clients found it easier to make the decision to postpone events for a year but for the nonprofit sector it was more difficult. “Nonprofits can’t really take a year off from fundraising and communicating with donors during a time when their services are needed the most.”

Her company quickly pivoted its website to delete information related to live events and added more virtual event information. Employees became recertified in virtual events to ensure a smooth transition from live to streaming events. Streaming content and teleconferencing weren’t new ideas but became the primary way to communicate in the corporate world in 2020.

“One of the main challenges we experienced was focusing on what the user experience was like. Does the audience have a good WiFi connection, camera, and connectivity? We can’t really control those aspects of a virtual event and those things all affect how audiences experience the content,” said Gilday-Shaffer. The JGS Group had years of experience producing videos for their clients, but they had to adapt that expertise to a remote environment.

Additionally, they had challenges with educating customers about the expense of a virtual event. “We are so used to consuming extremely high-quality content on our televisions, phones and computers. Many people forget how costly it is to produce that type of content which includes streamlined graphics, seamless transitions, a high production value and a lot of planning,” she added.

Despite all of the changes, Gilday-Shaffer believes that many aspects of our new virtual communications will remain long after the pandemic subsides. “As much as we talk about Zoom fatigue, it has allowed us to be more efficient with our time,” she said.

Instead of driving across town for meetings, many of her clients now are open to teleconferencing.  “Now you can have a hybrid of individuals at an event, some live and some virtual,” she added. This is appealing to those who still don’t feel safe, can’t travel, and those abroad who are limited by travel or financial restrictions.

Another added plus with virtual events is that watching content on a laptop, television, computer, or phone is up close and personal. “While with virtual we have the barrier of a screen, we also can utilize interactive developments like chat and Q&A that allow the audience to participate with presenters. Because the hosts and speakers are literally full face on each attendee’s screen there is a new kind of intimacy with streaming events,” said Gilday-Shaffer.

Her nonprofit clients can now expand well beyond the limited geography that they used to rely on and increase their audience worldwide for broader fundraising opportunities.

Whether an event is virtual or live, there are still elements that must remain to make attending interesting and interactive. “Now, more than ever, we need to make sure presenters are rehearsed, focused, and that there are entertaining and visually appealing elements. It’s nothing different than a live event, it’s just more important in the virtual world.”

For Wandering Box Bar owners Danita Eldridge and Louanne Madorma, the pandemic enabled them to fulfill their dream of starting a mobile bar company.

“We started the idea for the Wandering Box Bar in December 2018, well before the pandemic,” said Madorma.  Both women had years of experience in musical theater and met on the Las Vegas Strip while working on Le Reve at Wynn.

“We would attend Vegas small outdoor weddings in the desert and notice that they were poorly produced with no music, seating or decorations,” said Eldridge.  This led to an idea of converting an old horse trailer into a mobile bar that can be decorated to fit each client’s needs.

The duo opened Wandering Box Bar in November 2020. The closing of Vegas shows allowed them to invest more time into the project and also provided a distraction from the growing pandemic.

“We were also very committed to bringing a unique affordable experience to our clients,” said Madorma. “Weddings are typically very expensive and to be able to provide a safe and budget-friendly alternative, especially in a time where people were finding it hard to celebrate, made our business more rewarding for us.”

Creating beautiful environments in the deserts and forests of Las Vegas and beyond was something that came naturally for both women. “Danita has an eye for décor and detail and I had produced, organized and participated in shows for years,” said Madorma. “We just took the creative aspects of what we had done for decades in the entertainment business and applied them to creating personalized events. An event is really all about creating a show.”

Madorma and Eldridge consider where the sun is rising or setting, if there will be live or recorded music, settings for photos, and seating arrangements when planning their events.

Their trailer is approximately 11’ x 6’ x 7’ and houses a walk-up serving window for guests to enjoy specialty cocktails. Another plus for clients hiring their mobile bar is that clients purchase their own liquor. “We do this for several reasons,” said Eldridge. “We don’t hold a liquor license and it becomes more affordable because clients can keep what they don’t drink.” Clients can purchase the liquor they need and the staff picks it up and brings it to the location of the event.

Clients have the option of bringing the Wandering Box Bar trailer into an inside event, using it for an outdoor bar at private homes or taking it to beautiful locations such as the Valley of Fire or dry lake beds. The trailer is tailored in theme and decorations for each individual event. “We work with each client to incorporate their theme, from BoHo to elegant, incorporating specialty cocktails, signage and photo options to make each event unique and personal,” said Eldridge.

Angelina McKenzie, office manager at Lakeside Weddings, saw her business drop last year from approximately 35 ceremonies per month down to five or six. "Now we see more micro-weddings with under 50 guests," she said. "Big weddings are not gone, especially as we move to a less restrictive environment. We still are seeing a mix of small, large, and in-between groups, but also there is a huge increase in weddings that are just involving the couple."

Weddings are much more financially feasible if it is on a smaller scale with less pressure when planning a more intimate ceremony involving close family members and friends.

And Lakeside Brides’ Dannielle Novak is able to help brides get the look they desire for the special day with salon service. With 30 years of experience, Dannielle is a licensed professional who is a stickler for PPE protocols. "We are about safety, sanitation, and technique," said Dannielle. "We have the passion and talent to do it right for the bride and the bridal party.”

Lakeside Event Center will be opening its highly anticipated Vino Las Vegas Wine Club this spring. The Club will offer wine events, education, and wine cruises on Lake Jacqueline, all convenient to make the couple’s special day all that more special and to provide diverse options in the current climate.

For all three companies, one element remains constant - businesses need to be flexible and adaptive to succeed in the COVID era and beyond.

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