ISES Indiana ASPIRE Event Fashion Show
Wednesday, February 3, 2010

. Mingle and network with event professionals, while catching a glimpse of the latest in event fashion as it comes down the runway.

See new products, styles, colors, and trends that will give you new inspiration for 2010.

Thank you to our 2010 Aspire Sponsors:

SAVE THE DATES! 2010 MEETING SCHEDULE

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PACE Awards

Thank you to the below ISES members for submitting an entry for the 2009 Pace Awards!!!

Indiana University Southeast
JP Parker Flowers
Detail + Design
A Classic Party Rental
BMG Event Productions
Cloth Connection
Crush Entertainment
ICVA
Indianapolis Marion County Public Library
Indy Photo Booth
Mon Amie Events
Nathaniel Edmunds Photography
Circle City Planners
Evans Audio Visual
Indy Visual
Crowne Plaza at Historic Union Station
Nathaniel Edmunds Photography
Cocktail Sax Jazz Band
Eventfull Planning
KB Design LLC
Accent on Indianapolis

Please join us for a night to celebrate great achievements in our industry and support our peers! Get your tickets now at www.isesindiana.com/pace.htm.

Friday, March 5, 2010
The 2009 PACE Awards
30 South Conference Center
Thirty South Meridian Building, 8th Floor

Early Bird Pricing - $50 individual tickets, $400 per round of 10 people
Prices increase on March 1st - so get your tickets early!

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Weddings with Wow - Luncheon Recap

The past Weddings with WOW joint luncheon with ABC Indiana was a great success at the Indiana History Center. Hoaglin Fine Catering provided a fabulous lunch for the attendees. The Wedding Guys, Bruce & Matthew, from Minnesota talked about wedding trends and were a hit! They mentioned they would love to come back and speak again to our chapters. The luncheon showcased twelve designer tablescapes from area event planners & venues. Many thanks to all of our sponsors, we would not be able to provide such an experience if it was not for your participation.

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The Special Event - New Orleans

The 25th Anniversary of TSE was held in New Orleans in January, and this post hurricane ravaged city showed amazing grace, hospitality, strength and humility as they thanked the special events community for returning this conference to their city. Education classes including some of the industries most renowned professionals set the tone for a week full of new ideas, great discussion and inspiration for 2010. ISES Indiana Member, Gene Huddleson from Detail+Design was one of those speakers, facilitating an all day floral and design course. TSE as always is known for the seemingly endless tradeshow floor and this year was no different. The newest products from emerging companies as well as the latest innovations from classic vendors all created this year's tradeshow. Finally, each evening concluded with special parties and celebrations. The highlight of these were the fireworks show over the Mississippi River surrounded by Mardi Gras World (the location where the city stores the floats used in their parades) and the Gala Awards and Celebration. This year's Gala, "The Rising," served as an emotional tribute to the city and the special event professionals impacted by Katrina.

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ISES Chicago - Day of Education

The Greater Chicago Chapter of ISES invites you to join us at our "Day of Education". We have a fantastic group of speakers for you to learn new ideas for your upcoming events! Some of our amazing speakers are Sasha Souza from Sasha Souza Events, Liene Stevens from Think Splendid, Sean Lowe from The Business of Being Creative, Julianne Smith from Julianne Smith Wedding Garters, and one more hot speaker. Topics to be covered include latest color and event trends, blogging to help your business, earning PR for your company, fundamental considerations for creative businesses, and more. Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn from some of THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS!!! Class will begin at 9:00am and run till 5:00pm Continental Breakfast, and Lunch will be included. Visit www.iseschicago.com

When: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

Where: Carnivale Restaurant
702 West Fulton Street
Chicago, Illinois 60661
312-850-3017

ISES Member: $150.00 OR $125.00 if registered by Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Non-Member Fee: $175.00 or $150.00 if registered by Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Student Member: $100.00 or $75.00 if registered by Tuesday, January 26, 2010

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Welcome New Members!
Please welcome our newest members of ISES Indiana:

Morissa Moore, Event Manager, White Lodging Services
morissa.moore@indymarriott.com

Jenny Fultz, Event Coordinator, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown
jennifer.fultz@indymarriott.com

Cheryl Hill, Student
chill621@comcast.net

Please feel free to send an email to our new members to introduce yourself and welcome them to ISES!

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Member Spotlight

Leslie Swathwood, City Flavors & Indy Health Expo

What does your company do? How is it different than others like it?
At present, I am the co-owner with my husband Jason in 3 different businesses, and one still in the early stages of development:

CityFlavors.com is a multi-media company that connects diners with restaurants in the greater Indianapolis area. We offer a detailed website as well as printed dining maps for each area of the city. We launched our site in the fall of 2009 and plan to establish ourselves as the premier restaurant website for the city. Our website provides comprehensive information about restaurants including user reviews, videos, photographs, menus and much more. Our comprehensive online and offline information resources can help with planning the perfect, unforgettable dining experience at one of the finest restaurants in the area.

Indy Health Expo is a two day health, beauty & fitness event for the entire family. Our mission is to inspire and encourage individuals to embrace a life of health, beauty, wellness and fitness. Indy Health Expo brings together over 200 local and national health, beauty and fitness product & service providers, all showcasing information about their products and services to thousands of individuals interested in leading more healthy lifestyles. Our event also features over 50 speakers, seminars and demonstrations on current health, beauty & fitness topics.

Elegant Events, Ltd. is a full-service event planning firm specializing in servicing the most discerning clientele. While our primary focus is weddings, we also plan private social & corporate events as well as offer a wide selection of invitations and accessories for all events.
Our business still in development is one where we will be planning and executing wellness fairs in a variety of settings.

What led you into the event industry?
As I look back (even to college and high school), I find that everything I have ever been involved in has involved some type of event planning. So it’s really somewhat natural that I became involved in the industry.

What was your very first job?
My very first job in high school was in downtown Chicago working part-time at three independent upscale women’s clothing boutiques where I not only learned the ins and outs of retail, but also about entrepreneurship and events. I helped plan the opening of additional stores with the owners, as well as in-store designer trunk shows.

Is there a specific person who guided you to your career path or has inspired you to work as you do today?
It may sound cliché, but my parents, my husband Jason and my daughter Claire are truly my inspiration and the foundation of what I do on a daily basis. They are what makes all my hard work worthwhile.

Why did you decide to join ISES? What do you hope to get out of it?
I joined ISES back in 2000 when I left the corporate world to start the Perfect Wedding Guide franchise here in Indianapolis. I knew that by joining ISES, it would help me not only connect with a wide variety of local professionals, but also would help grow my knowledge and experience in the industry.

I also knew I wanted to get involved locally, making sure that I was more than just a “checkbook member”. I knew from past experience that membership-driven organizations are most effective when you get involved. So I initially volunteered on the programs committee, and then was asked by Past President Mark Thornton to consider joining the board handling public relations/advertising. I joined the board in 2001 in that capacity, then moved on to VP of Programs, President Elect, then ultimately was honored to serve as Chapter President in 2005-06.

What is your most memorable event? Why?
There are a handful of weddings that I consider my favorites due to the close relationship I developed with the families involved as well as due to the outstanding outcome of the events. I also have great memories of “Club PWG”, our 5 year anniversary party with Perfect Wedding Guide – it was our way to give back to so many of our event professional clients who had put their trust in us to help grow their business.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Since I am somewhat of a food fanatic, I really don’t have just one favorite. Locally, I have several favorites: Deeter’s, Capri, Sakura, Bonge’s and The Story Inn. Out of town, I truly enjoy: Katana in Los Angeles, Bouchon in Las Vegas, Gramercy Tavern in New York, and in my hometown of Chicago: Lou Malnati’s, Little Louie’s, Miramar Bistro, Frontera Grill, and RL Café.

If you were not in the event industry, what would be your dream job?
I took dancing, acting, and voice lessons for many years growing up and in college, so if not in the event industry, my dream job would be to act, sing, and dance on Broadway!

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The Scoop

• Jennifer Zorbas-Hanshew, The Perfect Wedding Guide, and her husband, Troy, welcomed a baby boy on December 23, 2009—Zander Willard Hanshew. Congratulations!
  
• Congratulations to Pam Parker, owner of JP Parker Flowers, for receiving the Visionary Member of the Year award from the National Association of Business Owners.
  
• Jennifer McKinney-Seet, CSEP has moved from Thomas Caterers of Distinction to join forces with Master Bridal Consultant, Gloria Boyden, at Events by Design. With this partnership, the company will now offer a full range of event planning services for wedding, corporate, social, and non-profit events. Her new contact info is: 317-371-0672, jennifer@eventsbydesignindy.com

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Download your ISES Member Logo

To download your ISES Member logo and the official logo usage policy, please click here . You will need your member ID number and password to access this section of the web site.

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