The Wedding Professionals Conference
October 28- November 1, 2019, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
The guest list for this amazing, partially-sponsored conference will be limited to 25 pre-qualified Wedding Planners & Travel Agents, from anywhere in the world, who work with Destination Weddings (or plan to). Tickets go quickly, once they are sold, no more will be added.
See the highlights from last year’s event: Cocktails in Cancun.
$599 CAD
Price includes 4-nights Accommodation (5-nights for those attending the FAM Trip to Baru Island!), Conference and all Activities!
*Air transportation is not included and is the responsibility of the attendee.
Agenda: (Tentative, subject to change as necessary)
October 28: Arrivals – Cocktail Party with local Wedding Professionals
October 29: Site inspections. Your choice of Luxury or Beachside venues
October 30: Conference (see below for schedule and speakers)
October 31: Experience Cartagena (3 agendas to choose from)
November 1: Departures, OR Boat Transfer to Baru Island for one-night at Hotel Las Islas Resort
November 2: Boat transfer to mainland and Departures
Speakers
Keynote Speaker ~ Liene Stevens
Liene Stevens
Think SplendidLiene Stevens, the founder and CEO of Think Splendid, is an author, speaker, and business consultant helping bridal, retail, and hospitality brands leverage the $298 billion wedding market. Named by Special Events magazine as one of “12 Young Professionals to Watch,” her research on the millennial generation is currently taught in the MBA curriculum at three top-tier US universities and cited in multiple scientific and academic journals, including the African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure.
Respected for her discretion and no-nonsense advice, Liene works behind the scenes with wedding brands around the world, helping them increase profitability, market share, and shareholder value. She has personally trained thousands of wedding and hospitality professionals and her classes are described as “incredibly comprehensive, approachable, and great fun.”
Liene is frequently interviewed on the business of weddings and her expertise has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, Vogue, CNN, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal. She has served on the Board of Directors for the New York Metro chapter of the International Live Events Association (ILEA) and on the Advisory Board for the Wedding and Event Institute. In addition, Liene is the author of two books: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Marketing Your Wedding Business in Today’s World and Luxe Love: Marketing and Selling Luxury Weddings.
Renee Dalo
Renee Dalo
MoxieBright EventsTopic: The Power of Language and How It Can Transform Your Business
Wedding planning wasn’t always in the cards for Renée. Instead, what started out as a seemingly one-time favor for a friend evolved into a thriving side-hustle to her acting career. When it was her turn to walk down the aisle, she flipped the script and discovered that the wedding industry was truly where she belonged. Shortly after her “I do’s,” she started MoxieBright Events, a boutique wedding planning company, and never looked back. It wasn’t long before fellow industry pros were looking to her for advice. With over 12 years of experience under her belt, Renée turned her knowledge towards the advancement of the industry as a whole and launched her top-notch educational resources for event pros. In addition to her self-guided Wedding Management e-course, Renée is also the founder and host of the popular B2B podcast, Rock Your Wedding Biz and the current host of the Talk with Renee Dalo podcast. Renée is a fan favorite on the speaker circuit, taking the stage at conferences across the country, including Wedding MBA, Creative at Heart, Let’s Plan Conference, and Tide Talk LA. She is recognized across the industry, having earned a coveted spot on Honeybook’s “20 On The Rise” list, and she contributes frequently to industry publications. She currently serves as the Vice President of WIPA Southern California and has also held leadership roles in The Association of Bridal Consultants and The Rising Tide Society
Timeesha Duncan
Timeesha Duncan
Timeesha DuncanTopic: Standing Out From The Competition and Dominating Your Industry
Timeesha Duncan is an International #1-Best-Selling Author, and award-winning Branding & Marketing Expert and Educator. She is best known for helping entrepreneurs create brands that captivate their target audience, build their tribe and impact millions with their brand message.
Timeesha has coached over 3,000 students and clients in over 10 countries. She has high-profile collaborations with million-dollar brands and has been featured in numerous highly prestigious platforms such as the Huffington Post, Amazon, and Forbes.com, and shares her expertise on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox news, and she continues to expand her reach and presence.
Monica Caesar, WPICC, DWC
Aisle Plan Your DayTopic: Destination Weddings
Monica Caesar is an award winning, full-time destination wedding planner and the owner of Aisle Plan Your Day based in Edmonton, Canada. Aisle Plan Your Day has been a premier source for weddings since 2006, producing and executing flawless celebrations in locales spanning across Canada, to Mexico and all throughout the Caribbean.
Touted as one of Canada’s leading destination wedding experts, her high regard for detail and professionalism make Aisle Plan Your Day one of Canada’s premier Destination Wedding planning companies.
Monica has also been an Instructor for the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada for the last 10 years, training and certifying wedding planners across Canada and throughout the Caribbean & Mexico in local and destination wedding planning.
Monica has positioned herself as a sought after destination wedding expert, industry speaker and trainer. Monica travels the world sharing her experiences & expertise and her work has been featured in numerous international publications. Her extensive travel attending industry conferences, reviewing hotel properties, private wedding venues and wedding packages allows her to stay up to date with the latest industry trends and build an extensive network of top industry professionals worldwide.
Ana Maty
Ana Maty Trujillio Gedeon
Gema Tours – WeddingsBy the end of the XXth century, the Colombian jet-set declared Cartagena as its social & events destination, where sophisticated and magical weddings are held with guests from all over the world. Since then, the wedding fever has been nonstop and more than a decade ago Gema Tours Wedding Planner Division, was created under Ana Matty’s leadership.
Respected for her discretion and no-nonsense advice, Ana Maty works behind the scenes with numerous wedding suppliers in order to create the most memorable of weddings. Each one of them has its own personal charm and fascination. Our weddings narrate an entertaining story for every guest. Her main goal and desire as a wedding planner is to get a cohesive visual narrative where the bride and groom are the stars of the night and make guests feel delighted.
Wedding planning wasn’t always in the cards for Ana Matty. At first, she wanted to get immersed in the tourism industry and that was when she started working at Gema Tours in the congress, convention, festival & summit divisions as the leader of the operative team. Under her leadership, Gema Tours, the largest in the local host travel agency industry, increased profitability and market share.
It was then, after a couple years as master event organizer, with a Cordon Bleu Degree and her banqueting expertise that her clients asked her to organize weddings for friends and family. Today, Gema Tours Wedding Division has grown from a small, localized market segment, to a massive logistical operation with a great reputation.
Conference Agenda
October 30, 2019
9:00 – Keynote Speaker, Liene Stevens
10:00 – Renee Dalo
11:00 – Break
11:15 – Ana Maty Trujillio Gedeon
12:15 – Lunch
1:30 – Keynote Speaker, Liene Stevens
2:30 – Timeesha Duncan
3:30 – Book Signing and Break
4:00 – Speaker
Sponsored in part by Cartagena de Indias Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cotelco Hotel Association, and The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Inc.
