WeddingPro COR 2022 Recap
What a whirlwind of the last couple weeks. I am so excited to share with you the end result of the annual Wedding Pro COR conference. This year it was hosted in Chicago at The Geraghty.
It has been an honor in my career to walk alongside The Knot and WeddingWire as a partner for their educational events since 2016. My company, Meldeen, has been developing the event branding for their educational events since then. This means that we are developing the color palette, the overall look and feel of the events, and executing alongside an event producer or planner, in addition to handling the printed visuals and digital components of creating a consistent and strategic event brand for attendees to experience. This year, we worked alongside Beth Bernstein of SQN events. This was a labor of love since the spring to bring this event together in a very open warehouse space. One of the most recommended marketing recommendations I have right now is to get out and meet people. Being in the same circles as others growing in our industry is a great way to leverage your business to the success it’s capable of. It’s invaluable to have the opportunity for a two-day event to build relationships, ask hard questions, and be inspired.
For me, not only did I produce the event branding, but I had a main stage presentation on Building Brand Standards Day 1, and set up a desk for me to do onsite branding audits for those who desired my direct input.
From topics like Pricing for Profit to Overcoming the Fear of Selling for the two days, the content was anything but basic — and empowered those in the room to optimize their leads, be more equality-focused, and set goals for 2023 and beyond.
Some of the biggest takeaways were:
—Lean into AUTHENTICITY in all aspects of your business - it’s the way of future (especially with GenZ and Millenials)
—Dive deep into building a few strong connections at a time and take action to uphold them (40+ hours to build a genuine connection)
—Your values lie with what makes your creative process unique, and less about “the pretty” deliverable
Huge shout out to all of the speakers who made this event so valuable!
Whitney Little
Tayler Cusick Hollman
Kirsten Palladino
Nadia Anderson
Terrica
Paulina Corvi
Jason Rhee
Andrea Eppolito
Beth Chapman
Brian A M Green
Ian Ramirez
Desireé M. Dent
Kawania Wooten
Megan Gillikin
Tyler Speier
Alan Berg, CSP
Hannah Nowack
Don Mamone
Alejandra Baca
Brian B
Tara Melvin
Nora Sheils
Fallon Carter
Tom Chelednik
Jenny Lewis
Bethel Nathan
Stephanie Korcyznski
Kunbi Odubogun
Kaleigh Wiese
Phillip Van Nostrand
Jacqueline Nwobu
Clay Dunn
Sara Dunn
An extra special thank you to all of the vendors and creative partners who offered their services and talent to give the attendees an experience that was immersive and inspiring.
Lead planner: SQN Events
Venue: The Geraghty
TKWW Event coordinators + their team: Susie Diharce, Emilie Smith, Amber Shields, Maddie Bendorf
Event design: Kehoe Designs
Catering: Entertaining Company
Design and Stationery: Kaleigh Wiese
AV and lighting: BlackOak Technical Productions
DJ and emcee: DJ Bryen Hall
Event rentals: Tablescapes Event Rentals
Linens: Nüage Designs
Beauty: Diamond Beauty Hair And Makeup
Photography: Studio This Is Photography
Videography: Wholehearted Wedding Film Co.
Transportation: VIP Valet Services
Sponsor: Sourced Co.
Sponsor: Venue Profit Pro
Sponsor: Rock Paper Coin
Look forward to sharing the announcement of next year’s destinations for Wedding Pro COR. Keep an eye out for the dates!