Three-in-One Lazer Event - Organized by Bernadette Martin

Last night a private event was held at our apartment for a small group of 10 people. Organized by Bernadette Martin, the evening was called a "Three-in-One Lazer Event". Think "speed dating" but with a business purpose in mind. Which is to say that each of the 10 attendees spent a brief period of time with three different consultants to pick up critical bits of information, or key "take aways", to use corporate-speak. The attendees, all entrepreneurs or highly successful business people, rotated amongst the three following "stations":

Station 1: This station included an assessment of your color profile to determine which are your most complementary colors (and most unflattering colors), tips on your appearance, and a make-up touch up to remove circles under your eyes....so that you would be ready for the next station. Consultant: Cécile Hasroyan, Image Consultant.

Cécile holding up a color swap

Station 2: Professional head shot photo taken (for use in Facebook, LInked In, blogs, websites, bios, etc). Professional photographer: Sue Ryski.

Sue setting up the photo studio (aka, my "arrière cuisine")

Station 3: Coaching on how to write an interesting bio, what purpose it serves, and individual commentary on each person's 1st draft bio that they wrote in advance as "homework" for this workshop. Consultant: Bernadette Martins, Visibility Branding, Career Personal Brand Strategist.

Bernadette's session - writing a bio

All of this was accompanied by some food & drink....supplied by yours truly, served buffet style. There were cherry tomatoes stuffed with guacamole, mini empanadas with chorizo & yellow peppers, warmed medjool dates stuffed with whole almonds with a sprinkle of fleur de sel, whipped feta cheese with roasted red peppers & camembert cheese served with baguettes, verrine mediterranean (roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, and smoked eggplant puréé), skewers of comté-green stuffed olives-proscuitto....and for dessert, a verrine tiramisu (chocolate biscuits, kirsch-soaked cherries & mascarpone cream).

The participants left the evening with a new color palette in mind (or reinforcement that they are using a good one!), a good sense of how to improve their personal bios & how to create a branded bio, and a professional photo downloaded on a USB key. Quite a nice package. And from all indicators, a good night was had by all.

The 2nd session is now scheduled for Thursday December 3th. Price: 130€ per person. Feel free to contact me for more information or you can contact Bernadette Martins, the organizer (www.visibilitybranding.com).

:/dma

Message from the Himalayas

I must take a break from all of the activities that have been keeping me away from this blog lately...and share a pure highlight of my day. Today the phone rang, and I answered it without giving it a thought.

Guess who I found on the other end: my sweetie! We could talk for only 2 minutes. The call was barely audible. I heard an echo -- my own voice reverberating....and then his, too....and the awkward pauses that needed to be had as we each tried to catch up with what the other had just said....and trying to squeeze the most in during such a short duration....

I have no idea where he called from - but he had been to 4000 meters and back down to sleep at 3000. So far, no altitude sickness. Even better than that...everyone is doing great! I told him I thought of him every night, alone in bed, all snugly & warm with our down-feather comforter....wondering how he was doing in his sleeping bag in the cold snow....to my surprise, and relief, he said the weather has been not at all cold! That's my 2nd biggest worry you know, that he'll be cold. The first one is not having enough oxygen....

What a great highlight! I wanted to share the word with our family & friends who are wondering how he's doing. It's more than half-way over, his trip there. Less time ahead than behind! To wait, that is.