Garine: Hello! My name is Garine, I am the social media manager and marketing manager at Chair Decor. I wanted to first start by asking you a couple basic questions. What is your name, and the name of your company?

Jess:  My name is Jessica Pompeo, and my company is JSP and Co.

Garine: How long have you been in the industry?

Jess: We have had the pleasure of working in events on many different levels and industry types (coordinating, catering, décor, non for profit, PR, fashion, dance and more) for 14+ years.

Garine: That is incredible! It is amazing to see a planner with such an extensive resume. What are your experiences with Chair Decor?

Jess: Chair Décor & The Whole Team have a very special place in our hearts. We have watched the team grow much alongside JSP and Co. for a few years now. The Crew is always so flexible, easy going and quick to help! Every year we have experienced the growth from new products, ideas and the team members being brought on board. They love to collaborate on new ideas, ways to utilize product and offer the best quality!

Garine: We feel the same way about you Jess! You have always been such a delight to work alongside. What do think the long term impact of COVID will have on the wedding/event industry? what does this mean for the future of the event industry?

Jess: 

COVID has turned 2020 into the virtual year, which we feel will continue in years to come. We have been quite busy at learning new ways, tactics to navigate with different restrictions and allowances and work even quicker than ever on our feet! We gained a ton of knowledge as planners and clients to ask even more questions and details outlined to ensure all aspects of potential situations are covered and ensure the experience is what clients hoped for. We amongst many have been able to take advantage of all the virtual and online tools in the advanced technology available to us and connect in different ways. The truth of the event is also become very present, the reason we are here is to celebrate something. The industry is and will continue to involve in a way we probably never expected and will allow new opportunities in different types of events and connect with so many more individuals even quicker than an in person level. We have seen some truly memorable experiences evolve overnight this year in some of the smallest celebrations. It has provided us with a level of hope/experience to utilize as a positive tool for future clients and ourselves moving forward. Such community growth has really become present, where collaborations and support within vendors is allowing us multiple outlets to support each other in business and bring even more to offer to clients. We have seen and know that in the years to come the industry has become very open minded and focused back on the narrative of memorable experiences of celebration.

Garine: I completely agree, we have personally seen a lot of community growth/collaborations as well as a lot more of an open minded approach; Are there any exciting new projects you’d like to share?

Jess: We all had a little bit of “extra” time here and there in 2020 to exercise some new ideas or projects. We officially launched our #GiftedCelebrations program. The Focus is for our team to be your personal gift & celebration specialist. Curating the most memorable personalized experience for a gift recipient! By building an online platform and questionnaire for clients to fill out in 5minutes with as much detail as possible about the individual they are gifting, establishing a budget, we then put together the most thought out gift/celebration for that individual to keep and enjoy also while donating to some great non-profit local charities. The packages are built on utilizing our experience and knowledge with design, personal touches and local suppliers to support as many small businesses continual growth and to Celebrate! We have built small sympathy packages to full on mini for two wedding experiences no idea is too small or big as everything is custom built! Our objective was to create a celebratory experience within your own home, safe, with keepsake useful gifts as memories of celebrations! It is like an event in a gift!

Garine: This is absolutely exciting, you always have the most brilliant ideas! Thank you for sharing about your experiences with us, JSP and Co. as well as during this pandemic. We wish you the best of luck and are excited for our future endeavors.

We have made this infographic to further help with communicating table sizes etc.
Each table, whether it is rectangle or circle has 4-5 bullet points, I will further go into detail what each means

1. This is the surface of the table size, the measurement is made to see the longest point of the table surface. According to this image, it is the measurement from the left side of the table to the right side of the table.
2. The height is the measurement of the top of the table to the bottom, you can even say the length of the leg. This is measured to know how much linen you need to cover not only the surface but the sides as well in order for the linen to cover everything. (In order for it to be “floor length”)
3. This is the complete size of the linens measurement, for a 96” round table the required size is a 90×156 linen. A 72” round table requires 132” linen. We always make sure that we are gathering the correct information from the client and give them the correct linen size to ensure a floor length gorgeous look.
4.  And 5. Are the amount of people that can sit around the table. Generally the rule of thumb is, 2 feet for each person, also consider chargers and other items on the table that would need more room per person.

Garine: Hello! My name is Garine, I am the social media manager and marketing manager at Chair Decor. I wanted to first start by asking you a couple basic questions. What is your name, and the name of your company?

 

Jess:  My name is Jess Patullo, my company is JEM Events.

 

Garine: How long have you been in the industry?

 

Jess: Over 8 years working under large corporations in the sports and entertainment industry. 2019 was the first year I went off on my own and started @jem__events (Instagram) Jemevents.ca (Website)

 

Garine: It has been extremely exciting watching you grow within this industry! What are your experiences with Chair Decor?

 

Jess: Chair Décor is always my go to, not only is the team always so easy and wonderful to work with – they have a great selection of items and rentals to help bring my clients visions to life. Chair Décor is the best when it comes to quality and service.

 

Garine: You absolutely melt our hearts with these complements, we are so happy to hear all your wonderful experiences with us! What do think the long term impact of COVID will have on the wedding/event industry. what does this mean for the future of the event industry.

 

Jess: The world has changed substantially with COVID and although it is super easy to dwell on all the negative repercussions and “different” situations that we have to now adapt to when it comes to planning a wedding and event it has been proven that:

1) With an open mind, the help of a planner and great vendors, you can turn around an event over night
2) Cutting back your guest list is now acceptable and people will understand. By having intimate and small gatherings allow for hosts (brides & grooms) to spend quality time with each of their guests.
3) Safety & Health precautions should have always been significant when planning a gathering – now that is has become mandatory it has forced every person involved in the planning process to ensure the safety and well being of each guest is a priority!

 

Garine: I love your attitude towards this, no need to dwell on all the negative repercussions, there are solutions; are there any exciting new projects you’d like to share in order to celebrate in a creative/safe way during this pandemic?

 

Jess: Virtual Events are taking off! Specifically, a lot of my clients and I have been planning their Corporate Holiday parties…virtually. It is a great way to spread some joy into everyone’s lives. Starting a virtual event with a special custom gift delivered to the front door of each guest is a special way to personalize the experience. Bring an event to the comfort of your home by sending “Event Packages” that feature, a custom menu, wine, table settings, and a personalized gift.

 

Garine: Event packages and custom menus right to your home, that is such an amazing idea! We are so excited to see you continue to grow and help couples enjoy their wedding in a safe way!