Author Archives: Maria Carrillo

Eventful

Most people wonder why I want to get into event planning.  I hear “it’s tedious, the hours are crazy, it’s hard to please clients” and while these statements are true I don’t see them as issues.  Let’s take them one by one.

Events Banner

The tediousness of event planning is it’s beauty.  Every detail matters when planning an event.  Whether it’s the party favors, or the colors or the type of card stock used.  All of these elements go into defining the type of event you are putting together.  Is it a fancy party or more casual? Are the colors based on a theme or are is it the clients’ favorite color?  Are the party favors for keeping or for eating?

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Some examples of my work in the past (above)

The hours might be crazy…it depends on the kind of event you are putting together.  My focus would be events targeted towards children so I don’t think my hours would be too late into the evening.  Although overall planning and putting everything together might take a lot of hours to ensure we are setting the correct tone for the event.

Pleasing clients can be a difficult task.  However, I am a firm believer that if you are meeting all of the clients needs (based on initial discussions of what the event should include) this should not be an issue in the long run.  I think it becomes more difficult when clients change their mind often or last minute and arrangements need to be adjusted.  Some adjustments will be almost impossible to make but if you manage client expectations you will have a successful event and they will be coming back for more in the future.

Next Steps…

Two years into school and I am still trying to figure out exactly how I plan to jump into the hospitality industry.  All I know is that I want to work on events for children.  I work in sales so this is a career change for me.

Originally I thought I would start applying for jobs in the event planning business but I’ve noticed it can be very competitive in NYC.  This time I am thinking the best way to tackle is to target the hotel industry first.  This way I have access to banquets, which are just as challenging to handle.

I also think starting in a hotel will give me the opportunity to understand all of the departments and how they work together to pull off banquets.  I have not chosen a specific hotel yet but I intend to start my research shortly on this next step.

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What’s your next step?

Maria

A little about me!

What can I tell you about me? I’m always cracking jokes or at least trying to. I think those closest to me would say I’m a bit crazy, funny, honest and caring.

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I was born in PR and raised on the lower east side of Manhattan (when it used to be a much scarier neighborhood). Now this neighborhood boasts restaurants on each corner and I say to myself, “that was the furniture store, ha!”

I’ve lived in NYC all my life and I love it here. Yes, it’s overcrowded and ridiculously expensive but the convenience of bodegas open 24 hours a day around the corner never gets old.  Plus, I love walking and this is a walking city!

Why am I back in school? Long story short, I lost my job and was out of work for 9 months. Despite lots of interviews, I was unable to find a job so I decided to look into finishing my bachelor’s degree.  My searches lead me to City Tech and I’ve been here since Fall 2013.

Going to school part-time and working full-time is not easy but I make the most of it by expanding my mind. Coming back to school after all these years has showed me two things, 1. how naive we all are the first time we come to college (haha, me included) and 2. how much more there is to learn and understand.

I am enjoying this new journey of mine and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Maria

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