This year, the Event Coordinators’ Network welcomed Jim Hooker, cofounder of Stewart and Hooker and former associate senior vice president for Cultural Relations and University Events at the University of Southern California.
In his keynote address, Mr. Hooker spoke about “Rising to the Next Level.” He reminded us that it does not take a large budget to create a great event and having a large budget does not guarantee success. An event becomes great when it maintains consistently high standards and makes an emotional connection with the guests.
Throughout the past few months, we’ve focused a lot of attention on event management and planning. However, I don’t want to forget about the second piece to our name – protocol. I’ve recently joined a great organization named Protocol and Diplomacy International – Protocol Officers Association, who released a weekly message regarding tipping etiquette last March. Since we are entering vacation season, I thought this topic is very timely for event planners and travel aficionados alike.