Amy Fukuizumi
Co-Founder of You’re A Big Deal
Brand Strategy // Content Marketing // Creative Writing
Full speaker details
& session info below!
Megan Bieber
Founder and Social Media Lead
Solicited Advice Co.
Instagram: @solicitedadviceco
TikTok: @solicitedadviceco
Megan is the founder and social media lead at Solicited Advice Co. She is passionate about bringing peace and sanity back to social media as she works with retail, wedding, and lifestyle clients. Prior to starting her own business, she ran large-scale social media programs at enterprise corporate companies — but she’s never going back! She’s also a mom to a marvelous daughter and is in an intense relationship with her Peloton (it’s cool, her husband does too).
MAIN SESSION: “Don’t Let Video Kill Your Instagram Growth: How Brands Can Leverage and Make Videos without Investing Thousands of Dollars.”
Between Reels, Stories, and Lives, Instagram video is having a major moment – and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.
✨ 40% of Instagram users post Instagram Stories daily.
✨ 60% of Instagram story videos are watched with the sound on
✨ Instagram video posts have 2 times the engagement of other types of posts
✨ Instagram video content is not only the most desired content by users, but that format works 2x harder than static posts.
In this session, you’ll leave with:
• A clear understanding of the value video provides.
• An explanation of just how the Instagram algorithm favors video.
• A breakdown of just how often to post video.
• Tips and strategies for creating video – without a thousand-dollar budget.
BREAKOUT SESSION: Reels 101 & Social Media Audits: Megan will walk you through the must-follow steps to creating Reels designed to engage and grow your following. This is your time to ask specific questions and seek that social media audit you’ve been craving!
“Staying Relevant when it comes to social media can often feel like trying to drink from a fire hose. I am passionate about finding the balance between being informed and being inspired. Staying relevant to me means engaging in the wider world around us and having the restraint to use only the information that is most important to us.”
Natalie Denyse
Founder + Director of In Good Company PR
Creator of The Essential PR & Marketing Field Guide
@ingoodcompanypr
Natalie Denyse is the founder and Director of In Good Company PR, a national PR and marketing firm known for helping wedding and hospitality industry tastemakers and brands stay at the top of their game.
From celebrity wedding planners to boutique hospitality properties, acclaimed fine art photographers and bridal brands around the globe, In Good Company PR’s clients have appeared in The New York Times, Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur, Martha Stewart Weddings, Vogue and more.
Founded with a boutique sensibility, for which the company is known for to this day, In Good Company’s bi-coastal team is made of driven creative marketing professionals who share a commitment to helping creative wedding and hospitality brands reach their fullest potential through proven PR and marketing techniques.
MAIN SESSION: “ The Keys to Marketing Your Brand to Appeal to the Luxury Buyer”
The last two years have disrupted the celebrations market – there’s no doubt about that. If you feel like you’re at a point where you’re operating at a level that reflects your service or product excellence but are ready to break into that distinguished buyer group – you’re in the right place. Together we are going to dive deep into the intrinsic needs of today’s luxury buyer and help you identify your brand’s unique position in the market in 2022.
BREAKOUT SESSION: Sign up for Natalie’s Breakout session, where a limited number of attendees will have 1-on-1 access to Natalie, who will offer Brand Audits. This means, you’ll have exclusive, personalized help on shaping a strong identity, elevating your brand’s social presence, branding or growth guidance, sales tactics and more in a small group setting. This is an opportunity to get customized solutions and expert insight to enhance your marketing strategy long after Relevant is over.
Space is limited and attendees will be prompted to provide some details ahead of time through a Google Form.
“Relevance is authority. It’s confidence and adaptability to the changing times!”
Cindy Giovagnoli
Curiosity Coach & Writer
Creator of the Say The Word ® method and podcast.
@cindygiovagnoli
Using curiosity as her primary tool, Cindy Giovagnoli is a coach and writer who has helped dozens of clients get unstuck and move forward on the projects that matter to them. Creator of the Say the Word® method, she specializes in helping her clients take ideas from vague and overwhelming all the way to fruition, whether it’s a business they want to start, a book they want to write, or a bucket list dream they’re ready to fulfill.
In past lives, her work has included outdoor guide, lawyer, and wedding photographer, and she has spent decades utilizing her insatiable curiosity to live a rich and deeply meaningful life.
You can find her hosting The Say The Word Podcast or wandering in the mountains near her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Justin, and their cattle dog, Chili.
MAIN SESSION: “The Tangible Takeaway: Hands-On Integration of Your Relevant Experience”
Utilizing her Say The Word® method, Cindy will make sure you walk away from today’s workshop knowing exactly how to integrate what you’ve learned and what action steps you’re going to take next. In this hands-on, pen-to-paper session, she will guide you through a series of questions, utilizing your curiosity to process how to best apply everything you learn at the conference to YOUR business and life. With this session, you’ll channel all of the inspiration generated by a day full of amazing speakers into an action plan customized to your needs.
“Staying relevant means staying curious. Coming back over and over to the questions that drive us, our businesses, our creativity: checking in to make sure we’re in line with our values, our authenticity, that we’re listening to our clients, that we continue to dig deeper into how to grow and move forward in sustainable and fulfilling ways. Curiosity is always step one.”
Melissa Koren Wilson & Amy Fukuizumi
You’re A Big Deal
Brand and Marketing Consultants
@youreabigdealdotcom
Melissa is Queen of Getting Sh*t Done and Amy a Celebrator of Curiosity, Uniqueness + Vulnerability! Together we help small businesses and passionate people pump up their digital presence to attract and engage aligned customers.
We focus on web design, content creation + marketing (think: social media, email, and blogs), and brand photography. Whether you’re just starting out, ready for a refresh, or want to kick up your marketing, we’re glad you’re here!
MAIN SESSION: “Stop Doing Things You Hate”
It’s time. Time to mind your business. Like the sweet, sweet relief of aloe on a sunburn, the Stop Doing Things you Hate workshop is a salve for your business soul. A regular reminder we give to our clients (and each other): You don’t have to keep doing things you hate (or even dislike a lot) in your business + marketing.
It sounds so obvious but the RELIEF we see when business owners are given this permission made us realize how not obvious it is, especially when it comes to business growth + digital marketing.
Note: there’s definitely a difference between hating something because it’s out of alignment and being uncomfortable with something because it’s unfamiliar. You can learn your way out of unfamiliarity, you can’t do the same with being out of alignment.
For now, we’re talking about things that feel out of alignment a.k.a things you think you should do to grow and market your business but actually feel overwhelming, defeating or, not productive. Growth + Marketing “Shoulds”* like:
- Posting to social media multiple times a day
- Launching new products all the time
- Doubling or tripling your prices to scale your business
- Writing a new blog post every week
- Sending newsletters every day
*If you LOVE doing any of these things don’t leave! Those are some frequent stressors we hear. Whatever your version of “should” is, we’ll help you shake it off. To be honest, if we felt the pressure to “should” ourselves all the time, we would not be running our own business(es).
But we love what we do and we like bending rules so we’re taking a different approach and we’re going to tell you all about it.
“Relevancy is a double edged sword. You want to stay current, and aware, and always be learning. But you don’t want to get hyper focused, distracted by what everyone else is doing, and overwhelmed. Being relevant is staying true to yourself, living on the edge of your comfort zone, and knowing when to mute the noise and lean into your strengths.“
Leah Haydock
Wedding Photographer
Leah Haydock Photography
@leahhaydock
@BostonProposalConcierge
Leah Haydock photographed her first wedding in 2008 and isn’t sick of them yet! Leah has a background in genetics and pharmacology and turned her back on the corporate world (after working in sales, marketing, and international business) to start her photography business focusing on elegant and timeless Boston weddings. Her corporate experience has proven invaluable however giving Leah a reputation for being able to advise on superior client communication and how to handle difficult conversations.
Leah has never advertised and is usually booked 18 months in advance, thanks to the word of mouth recommendations of previous clients and excellent relationships with planners and venues.
In 2020, Leah co-founded Boston Proposal Concierge, a bespoke proposal planning and photography company. Leah lives in Boston and is thinking of getting another miniature dachshund, she had told stories for The Moth and is obsessed with food.
BREAKOUT SESSION: “We Need To Talk” Navigating Difficult Conversations
In the wedding industry, difficult conversations are inevitable. Whether you have an unhappy client due to unclear expectations, a tricky pricing negotiation, or you’re trying to explain why a wedding can’t be rescheduled for the 5th time due to Covid, we’ve all been there. When you see the email pop up or the phone rings and you get that feeling of dread in your stomach. Come to Leah’s breakout session and you’ll leave with a solid 7-step process for handling difficult conversations and emails, attendees will be encouraged to share real-life examples in advance (anonymously if you’re shy!) and we’ll work through what went well and what could have been improved.
“Staying Relevant isn’t just about the latest equipment and social media, it’s being able to pivot and adapt and plan ahead. The word unprecedented has been overused for the last two years but for the wedding industry that relies on large in-person gatherings of people to function, there has never been a more critical time to stay relevant!”
Francie Dorman
C0-Founder of 42 North & Mavinhouse
@42_North | @mavinhouse_events | @francemathey
Francie has been planning weddings and events with distinguished clients around the globe for over 15 years. Together with her co-founder, she first launched 42 North, a nationally recognized planning and design firm, and now leads a team of entrepreneurial planners at their recently launched sister company, Mavinhouse.
42 North & Mavinhouse have been featured by Vogue, Martha Stewart, Town & Country, InStyle Magazine, The Knot, Wedding Wire, the Huffington Post and more. 42 North was awarded top planner in the US by BRIDES Magazine in 2020 and 2021.
BREAKOUT SESSION: “Lessons Learned from Launching a Sister Company”
Have you thought about launching a sister company, or expanding your existing brand, but feel overwhelmed with the idea of embarking on that journey alone? Have you recently launched a new venture but want to ensure you’ve built the right foundation to ‘future-proof’ your business? Sit in as Francie covers why and how she and her business partner launched their sister company and what lessons were learned. Bring your questions and challenges, and we’ll work together to cover the key systems, partners and infrastructure you must have in place to launch successfully and maintain momentum.
“I stay Relevant by working on myself and consistently developing my leadership skills so I can bring my best self to my team every day.“