WPIC Year in Review 2011

A word from WPIC Founders, Danielle Andrews Sunkel and Tracey Manailescu:

“Onward and upward!”  That has been our motto over the past few years.  We have invested a lot of money, time, heart and soul in order to improve The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada.  This year our attention has been focussed on polishing the course, the image, the brand, the Alumni Association and helping our members do the same.

• This year we upgraded and polished the look of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Inc. by introducing a new logo, a new website, new ads and getting the 11th edition of the “Professional Wedding Consultant and Coordinator Certification Manual” professionally revised and edited.

• We took a “tough-love” approach to critiquing our members’ websites and blogs. And they are looking fabulous now we must say 😉

• We set up a massive combination Working/Inspiration/”Rock the Frock” photo shoot in May, where we took over every inch of the Glenerin Inn common space.  We along with Designing Trendz, Design2Decor, Micki’s (now Exclusive Affair Rentals) and The Wedding Decorators transformed the rooms in to beautiful wedding spaces.  Phenominal photographers Barry Cardoso, Richard Emmanuel, Purple Martini and Nikko Photography captured the designs, our WPIC Certified Wedding Planners and real brides in all their glory.

We have seen results from our efforts this year in the fact that the WPIC course has become standard for most Wedding Professionals in Canda as well as at venues such as the ClubLink Golf and Country Clubs, Fairmont Royal York, Hart House and Transat Holidays to name but a few.  Every class has at least one International Student who travelled from another country just to take our course.  This year, we’ve had students attend from Australia, Poland, Belgium, France, Germany, Barbados, St. Lucia, The Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Turks & Caicos, Japan, India, China, Mexico, etc.  We also held another International class in Nassau, Bahamas.

2011 started with much Media attention.  The Royal Wedding provided an opportunity for many WPIC Alumni to give their opinions in the Media and WPIC President, Danielle Andrews Sunkel, was interviewed for The Globe & Mail and appeared during CHCH Morning Live’s broadcast of the wedding.

We continued to practise what we preach and attended several Wedding and Event Conferences this year.  See Blogs from our experiences at these conferences here.

As the founders of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada and producers of  six International Wedding Conferences, we were asked to speak to the delegates of CSEME (Canadian Special Events Magazine Expo) about “The Components of International Events”, we spoke to an audience of over 800 at the Wedding MBA in Las Vegas in September and our Latin Instructor, Dulce Avila, spoke on behalf of WPIC at the Latin American Destination Wedding Congress in December.  We were also supporters and exhibitors at the Love Mexico Destination Wedding Professionals Symposium.

We were asked to be judges of the Canadian Event Industry Awards,  and we were honoured to present the Wedding Category awards at the CEIA Gala.  (On a sidenote, one of the winners was WPIC Alum, Mary Swaffield of Lavish Wedding Design.)

Each year, our organization has grown and branched out in exciting new directions.  We expect nothing less from 2012.  We appreciate the support of our amazing Alumni, you make us proud! We will endeavour to keep supporting and helping you to reach new heights in your careers.

Sincerely,

Danielle & Tracey