187 THE NEXT LEVEL: VALERIE GERNHAUSER Discusses CARRIE GOLDBERG – Travel & Weddings Director, Harpers Bazaar

Today on The Next Level, Andy Kushner is speaking with Valerie Gernhouser, Owner of Sapphire Events. She also created Sapphire Sessions Speaking Tour, a specialized program for wedding planners and event designers.

They speak this week about Carrie Goldberg, the Travel and Wedding Director at Harpers Bazaar. She oversees all things bridal, weddings, and travel for Bazaar.com. She is also responsible for content strategy and visuals for Bazaar’s digital travel and wedding verticals, and editor of Bazaar’s new subscription program called Bazaar Brides.

Valerie chats with us about her views, in addition to Carrie’s, on redefining luxury, how it is a feeling, not about how much money you spend. She also agrees with Carrie that brides and grooms are more focused on the emotions, what makes it unique, and that it’s all about the guests enjoying themselves.

This is also a conversation about millennials, the digital natives. Anything they want is at their fingertips, and they are very adept at finding it. You won’t want to miss it, so tune in and enjoy the discussion.

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185 THE NEXT LEVEL: LYNN EASTON Discusses MARCY BLUM – A Pioneer of the Experiential Approach to Event Planning

Today on The Next Level, Andy Kushner is speaking with Lynn Easton, creator of Easton Destination Events, a worldwide luxury destination wedding design, and planning company. She is also the Co-Founder of Easton Porter Group, a luxury hospitality company with a portfolio of award-winning boutique hotels, vineyards, restaurants and event venues in North America and Europe.

The discussion this week is on Marcy Blum, an internationally sought-after event planner, and entertainment expert. She has been named one of the best in the world by Vogue, Martha Stuart Weddings, Harper’s Bazaar and the New York Times magazine. 

Marcy has worked with celebrities including LeBron James, George and Tamika Soros, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, to name a few. She has also appeared on television shows including Oprah, Live with Regis and Kelly and the Rachel Ray Show.

Lynn speaks about how events need to evolve as they unfold. She also believes that every event should be customized for each client. Planners always need to up their game, plan more creative activities, and Marcy is the master at planning experiences. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

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183 THE NEXT LEVEL: PHILLIP VAN NOSTRAND Discusses KING DAHL Former Executive Director of Events, MGM Resorts.

In this episode of The Next Level, Andy Kushner and Phillip Van Nostrand a photographer based in New York and California, talk about King Dahl’s interview on the Wedding Biz. Phil has been been published in numerous publications including the New York Times, Fortune.com, Huffington Post and Forbes.com and was a master class speaker at WPPI. 

Listen in as they talk about King Dahl and his incredible designs. King is the former Executive Director of Event Design for MGM Resorts, where he was responsible for 1200 events a year. He is known for his signature style which is large, dramatic productions and was inducted into the Event Solutions Magazine Hall of Fame. They talk about how he left his career when he was at the top to slow down and enjoy life and then came back, two years later, as an in-demand event design and production consultant. This is a very entertaining episode about King Dahl, Phil’s life philosophy, travel and making your job work around your life. So relax, plug in and get ready for an entertaining conversation.

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181 THE NEXT LEVEL: JULIE NOVACK Discusses ALI BARONE of Ali Barone Events

In this episode of The Next Level, Andy Kushner and Julie Novack, CEO and Co-Founder of Party Slate, chat about Ali Barone’s interview on the Wedding Biz. Party Slate is a photo rich website where leading event professionals share their work, build their brand and drive leads.

Listen in as they talk about why Ali started her own company, how she built her business with her ideal clients, and how she has her clients pin on their pinterest board with reckless abandon. Julie speaks about getting involved with the community when building your team, and how there are no bad ideas when brainstorming. Andy and Julie are professionals in this industry and never disappoint so sit back, unplug and listen to this entertaining discussion.

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179 THE NEXT LEVEL: SEAN LOW Discusses DAVID ADLER, CEO of Bizbash Media: A Guide to Collaboration Artists

In this episode of The Next Level, Andy Kushner and Sean Low, Founder and President of The Business of Being Creative LLC, chat about David Adler’s interview on the Wedding Biz. Seans’ consulting firm is focused on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative, his client list includes many of the biggest names in the wedding and design industries.

Listen in as they discuss David’s comments on social engineering, his insights on augmented reality, radical humanization and code switching. The idea that events are like standing around the water cooler or going to the town square. And hear about his philosophy on how we, in the event business, are  “collaboration artists.” You might just learn something from this episode that you didn’t know so sit back, relax and enjoy.

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