The 2024 Education Team

Natasha is a Video Marketing Coach that has been featured by Meta, Later, Business Insider, and Instagram Creators. Through her signature group programs and educational content on the Shine Online Podcast, Natasha helps entrepreneurs and creators build their brands with a confident video marketing strategy that grows their business, community, and impact.

Ditch burnout from posting just to post for a social media strategy that will help you leverage one of the best tools for growing your business – video content. Learn the 5-part strategy that will help you get in front of your dream clients, show up as a thought-leader, and build relationships within your industry. You'll leave this session with a clear plan and content ideas ready to create!

Natasha is ready to guide you through:

- How to identify your social media goals

- How to consistently show up with a sustainable posting plan

- How to optimize your profile for growth and conversions

- How to brainstorm engaging and strategic video ideas

- How to save time and energy creating video content

Leah Weinberg – co-founder of Oduberg Law and co-owner of contract template shop Legally Set – is an attorney, a recovering wedding planner, and the author of The Wedding Roller Coaster.

After nearly a decade in the wedding industry as the owner of Color Pop Events, a New York City-based wedding planning company, Leah is returning to her roots as an attorney to assist her former colleagues in the events industry, along with other entrepreneurs and business owners.

Her work and insights have been published online and in print with Vogue, the New York Times, People, CNN, CNBC, Bravo, Martha Stewart, and The Knot, among others.

A WeddingPro Educator with The Knot + WeddingWire since 2020, Leah travels throughout the country sharing insight with her peers regionally, as well as at national conferences such as Alt Summit, NACE Experience, and The Special Event.

The million-dollar question that everyone asks before writing a book is: where do I start? While you could skim through some how-to articles and do your own research, many of us simply don’t have the bandwidth to sift through useful information versus details that could lead us down a rabbit hole of trial and error. Additionally, self-publishing a book can feel like climbing a mountain on its own - so what’s fact and what’s fiction? In this talk, author Leah Weinberg will pull back the curtain on the writing process, from topic conception to editing, book design, and everything in between.

Leah will teach you:

• How to identify your “why,” your topic, and who your target audience is that you’re speaking to

• How to break down the reality of the writing process, including time management, outlining, and overall structure

• Why outsourcing is important when it comes to book design, editing, coaching, and more

• The ins and outs of self-publishing - selling, marketing, and the money talk

A marketing consultant and small-business builder, Tayler is the Founder of Enji—though you might recognize her from one of her other companies: TAYLRD Media and Designs and Sourced Co. In her newest endeavor, Tayler is taking everything she has learned over nearly a decade of helping small businesses with marketing to design and build a suite of online marketing tools that fit your lifestyle and make sense for you. Because, while you didn’t sign up to be Chief Marketing Officer of your business, at Enji, we believe becoming one doesn’t have to be so daunting—and our goal is to empower you with the tools and solutions you need to make more informed decisions, use your resources more effectively, get creative with how you connect with customers, and ultimately grow.

Feeling confused, overwhelmed, or just plain "I have no idea what's even going on here?" when it comes to AI? You're not alone. And even though AI seems like a complicated thing, there are easy (and super impactful) ways you can use it in your business. But (there's always a but) AI isn't just a new tool we can choose to use, it's also something that is going to force big business changes on us—so let's make sure you wrap your head around today's best practices as well as the ones that are sure to come.

Tayler Will Teach You:

• What generative AI even is

• How you can use AI to write good copy, fast

• How you can use AI to analyze marketing data for better decision-making

• How AI is going to impact the way couples find you on the internet

• What you can do to prep your business (and marketing plan) for these changes

Vijay is COO of Bite Catering Couture and leading the initiative to launch and scale it's historic event venue 440 Elm. He is a former physician, strategy consultant, and technologist looking to deploy tools from industry to accentuate the creative while improving the P&L.

He lives in Manhattan Beach, CA with Elizabeth, Jaison, and Shiloh.

Most event companies have objectives but lack the rigor of defining their key results. The resulting lack of coordination and strategic allocation of capital results in hurt feelings, confusion, and power struggles that keep small businesses unintentionally small with unnecessarily low margins. We will workshop some example OKRs and review how to use them to create appropriate functional ambition and grow event companies in an intentional/ deliberate fashion.

Vijay will teach you:

• What are OKRs?

• How do OKRs help implement strategic goals across an event company?

• What are examples of OKRs in different contexts?

• What are my current top-level OKRs?

• How can OKRs help to clarify the strategy with my key people?

With the mission to inspire others to Dream, Love, and Celebrate life, Michelle Gainey started Atlanta based Lemiga Events nearly two decades ago, serving as a premier event planning boutique specializing in stylish and glamorous affairs.

A trendsetter and leader in the wedding industry, Michelle has helped to change the narrative of elevated event style in the South. She has designed events around the globe that always include a bit of Modern Southern Hospitality. It’s her secret sauce. Every event is beautiful, but the heart behind them is their distinguishing factor--that essence of hospitality that allows guests to feel welcome, seen, loved, and included. This purpose led approach to designing and planning events fuels Michelle’s passion to create rooms filled with meaningful details and shape awe-inspiring moments that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Hailed by Harper's Bazaar and Brides as one of the Top Wedding Planners In The World Influential Event Designer by Biz Bash

Named Hottest Event Planner by The Atlantan Magazine

Awarded Best Social Event Planner by B Collective Magazine

Google ‘how to sell a business’ and you’ll be shown a myriad of valuation formulas and calculations. These sites lead us to believe that we might be able to get 5x the value of our annual revenue. For businesses in the wedding industry, the reality can be sobering as exits don’t often add up to those ideal scenarios.

In this talk, Michelle Loretta will navigate what you should be doing NOW to build VALUE in your business that goes beyond just your dollars and cents. While your business’s financial performance will always be the most important factor during a sale, there are other considerations that you should be working on long before you plan to sell so that those valuation calculations at the time of sale have a lot more substance and weight. It’s these factors that can garner a higher sale price for your business.

Michelle will be teaching:

• general calculations used in selling a business

• the challenges specific to selling a wedding or event business

• what types of buyers are typically interested in a wedding or event business

• how to quantify the intangibles that add value to your business

• other factors that can add value to your business

Anna N'Jie-Konte, MBA, CFP®, is the President & Director of Financial Planning of Re-Envision Wealth, formerly known as GRID 202 Partners. As President, Anna manages the firm's financial planning and advisory strategies. Anna spent nearly a decade in corporate wealth management, advising ultra-high net-worth families ($5 million+ USD net worth) to grow and secure their wealth for generations to come.

She is a proud Puerto Rican, Gambian-American who is committed to building a firm where access to excellent, values-aligned financial advice is the norm, not the exception. Having spent her childhood watching the strong women around her live lives dictated by their bank balances, she’s on a mission to rewrite the money stories of women. She is particularly dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs navigate their finances.

Anna is among a small but elite group of BIPOC CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certificants trained to give comprehensive, holistic financial advice. She is a 3x winner of Investment News’ “Top 100 Influential Financial Advisors” and has been named "10 Young Advisors to Watch” by Financial Advisor Magazine. She has been featured in well-known publications such as Bloomberg, CNBC, VICE News, The New York Times, Financial Planning, RIA Intel, Think Advisor, and Next Advisor.

Many entrepreneurs fail to convert their business revenue into personal wealth. During this session, Anna will walk us through just how we can leverage different retirement plans to secure our retirement and save taxes. She will also discuss just how you can leverage insurance to secure all your hard work!

We’re excited to learn the following from Anna:

• The different retirement vehicles available to entrepreneurs.

• How to choose and set up a retirement plan to serve your needs as the business owner.

• Tax benefits of different retirement plans.

• Protecting your income through disability insurance.

• Securing your legacy through Buy-Sell agreements & insurance.

Gabi is the Co-Founder of Mexico-based Grupo Planner1 founded in 2007. As owner of Grupo, she oversees the corporate event brand Planner 1 Events and the wedding & social event company Canteiro Weddings. Along with 300 employees, Gabi is dedicated to event execution in Cancun and Riviera Maya and is a pioneer of full-scale production including planning, rentals, and floral design.

The company has been recognized in some of the top bridal media outlets around the globe, including Style Me Pretty, Destination I Do Magazine, and BizBash.

Kathy Romero is the Founder and Lead Planner for Kathy Romero Events, a premier planning and design company serving New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and exclusive destinations worldwide. With over 28 years of experience, she’s become a staple in the event industry. As the former CEO for Preston Bailey Designs, she planned and oversaw some of the most elaborate weddings, corporate events and social galas for a client list that includes celebrities, athletes, socialites, and royal families alike.

Kathy has developed a worldwide client base resulting in exceptional event execution on a global scale. She is known for her unique ability to provide clients with high-touch service while maintaining a strong and warm professional approach. Kathy’s planning career began in 1994; she specialized in planning and designing meetings and private events for Blue Chip companies throughout North America and Europe. In 2008 she launched KRE prior to joining the Preston Bailey team in 2012. Her experience with events on an international scale, provides an insider’s perspective of what it takes to manage a diverse client roster with tailored needs and very high expectations. This unique skill set allows her to seamlessly plan and produce events and experiences nationally and internationally with ease.

Kathy’s creativity, planning background, meticulous eye for detail and robust business experience has positioned her as a leader in the planning industry. She believes in the power of public speaking when used as a tool for helping others. In 2016 she expanded her business to provide business coaching for planners and business owners looking to generate beyond six figures. Kathy is incredibly grateful when she is able to work guiding planners, hotels, and other industry professionals as they expand their brands and service their niche.

For Kathy, there is no sweeter and higher title than that of a mother and wife. She understands that this incredible journey has been much more gratifying because of the love she shares with her family.

By embracing change, being flexible, and stepping out of our comfort zones, we open ourselves up to new opportunities and possibilities in our business.

Constantly evolving and adapting our strategies allows us to stay ahead of the competition and remain relevant in a rapidly changing market.

Through self-reflection, learning from failures, and embracing a growth mindset, we can unlock our true potential and ignite a transformation that propels our business to new heights.

• Adaptability and agility in today's ever-changing business landscape

• How to navigate challenges

• How to identify opportunities

• How to assess evolving business strategies

• How to cultivate growth and expansion through change and an evolved mindset

Terrica has been creating exquisite weddings and events in the Golden Isles area for the past eighteen years. Her weddings and expertise have been featured in The Knot, Reader’s Digest, Martha Stewart Weddings, HLN tv, Style Me Pretty, PeopleTV, and many others.

A contributing board member of the North American Academy of Wedding and Event Planning, Terrica’s weddings and expertise have been in The Knot, Reader’s Digest, Martha Stewart Weddings, HLN tv, PeopleTV, and more.

A Speaker of the Year nominee for the National Association of Catering and Events ONE award and a popular educator for The Knot and Wedding Wire, she launched her new wedding industry education system, Wedding Hustle University, and Wedding Pro Workshop, to provide niche and nuanced education that help wedding professionals implement and build their businesses quickly and efficiently.

Terrica also hosts the “She Doesn’t Even Go Here” podcast.