It's Tuesday morning and I am sitting down to chat with the coveted Event Coordinator, Sacha Jammu. I have been a fan of her work since we collaborated on a vignette for a local event. I was blown away by her talent from the start, and dreamt of working with her again in the future. She just got back from a holiday with her adorable family. She is Recharged and Renewed with creativity. I was so pumped to hangout with her and get to know her a little better.
We chatted for 1.5hrs total (LOL). Mostly about life and business as a creative. Sharing solidarity about the highs and lows that come with being an entrepreneur. The passion and love we shared for our profession was evident. The more professional creatives I meet the more I am convinced that in order to persevere through the challenges you have to love it to the bone. And Sacha does!
the Start:
Sacha discovered her passion for event planning in high school planning a haunted house event for her friends at the abandoned convent near her home town. Because of her love for parties, she requested an internship with Events by Emma for her Administrative Assistant program. Shortly after she started her internship she accepted a position as an Event Coordinator with EBE. She dove right in! During her time at EBE she learned a lot about the business and herself. But she credits her people skills for getting her the job with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. There she learned how to recreate a space time and time again. Creating a unique experience for each client and each event. She also learned the importance of having a clear understanding of the limitations and facts of a venue before diving in. With limited time to setup, she learned that knowing all the details ahead of time made planning more efficient and yielded better results. Eventually Sacha took the leap and started French Accent Design, where she is creating Magic for her clients with each event.
Celebrating the Holidays:
As a child growing up Sacha's family had an old stone wooden fireplace. Some of her favourite memories were around that fireplace with her family. She loved decorating the tree and being together. She is hoping to have a fireplace again someday to pass those memories on to her children. As an adult, the best memories are still made with family talking and laughing for hours while drinking red wine.
Sacha's goal is to create "Magic" for her clients and their friends and family. When it comes to holiday planning there are a few practical elements she considers to help create "Holiday Magic".
- Lighting - Lighting is often overlooked when planning holiday events at home. But it should be the first consideration. There should be different layers of lighting. ie. Tree lights, candles, and soft lighting. Lighting has a big impact on creating a festive atmosphere.
- Music - Playing music in the background during dinner service, or blasting tunes during cleanup, no matter what you and your guest are doing there should be some holiday music playing.
- Food and Beverage - Choosing what you serve speaks to the type of experience you want to create at your event. Even if it is just decorating the tree it is nice to plan something special to eat and drink. It elevates the experience and is a setup for being jolly. We are happy when we are full.
- Decor - That might be a surprise to you. It sure was to me. I expected decor to be right at the top. But, decor is the icing on the cake. It pulls everything together. Even though it isn't one of the first 3 things to consider it completes a memorable experience.
Sacha's Event Tips
Theme or No Theme:
When choosing a theme be specific. Not just "Christmas", but "Santa's workshop". If no theme, choose colours and textures for inspiration.
Holiday Decorating Do's and Don'ts:
There are no does and don'ts. I have tried it all. You won't know what you like unless you try it out.
Just commit to the vision.
How do you cultivate memorable moments at Holiday Events?
- Set the Ambiance.
- Ask yourself "What feeling do I want to evoke for my guests?"
- Once you know the feeling you want to create then you can look for the venue, food, and decor that will create that feeling.
- If you are trying to build lasting connections with people give them an event... and some wine.