Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Parker.
Hi Wendy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Los Angeles in 1994, just after the Northridge earthquake, with $5.00 in my pocket and a dream. I got a job within 48 hours of moving to LA as a stand-in on 90210 for Tiffany Amber Theissen. Not knowing a thing about the TV industry, as my background was in dance and theater, I just let the magical puppeteer take me on this wild journey and loved every minute of the experience. I was always hanging out with the cast and crew, and being a newbie to LA, I somehow figured out the hotspots and coordinated after shooting the show meet-up spots. Years later, I met a lovely man named Carlos, who told me I would be really great at events and gave me my first job in 2003. Three months later, I was the in-house director of events for multiple venues and fell in love with the industry and planning such lavish events. I have been planning events for 25 years and am now a proud owner of my own event planning company and destination management group on the East Coast.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At first doing sales in events was a struggle for me because I Never studied event sales so the learning curve was real.. Of course, the event industry comes with high expectations, and that took a bit to get used to. I feel that the industry is constantly changing with requests, so I found myself struggling to find the vendors to execute my client’s visions at first, but I eventually found my team, and I am so happy with the results now.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a proud owner of an event management company and corporate destination management firm. We are a small boutique event planning company based in Los Angeles & South Carolina. We cover both sides of the coast doing TV & Film industry events along with corporate events, summits, meetings, weddings, and bar & bat mitzvahs. We specialize in any events & celebrations; the sky is the limit. I am known in the industry for thinking outside the box when planning events. If you want to make an ice skating rink in your backyard for the holiday party, we can so that Creating, planning, designing, and executing all the event needs top to bottom. I started out planning events at venues, and I am still representing 31 venues in Los Angeles as the special events director, so I am able to assist the clients on both sides with venue selection and planning.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Covid 19 wiped my company away in a matter of 48 hours. I refunded so much money for cancellations and found myself at a complete loss. I couldn’t stop working, so I became a covid compliance officer on TV sets once things came back and then started catering with my preferred chef for offices that were working in the office around 2021. My events did not come back till late 2022 and it came back super slow.
I learned that life is short and that you MUST do what you love in this lifetime. I am truly so grateful for all of my wonderful clients, and without them and their belief in me, I would not have made it back in after the pandemic.
https://voyagela.com/interview/community-highlights-meet-wendy-parker-of-wendy-parker-events/