This week I attended the Modern Media Strategies conference hosted by the Heritage Foundation and Google.  The event was focused on using blogging, social networking and online video to enhance political campaigns.  Now I must admit that when my partner suggested that I go to this event, since our business plays in the modern media space, I was under the impression that there was a broader focus.  Nothing in the description or the agenda revealed anything about a political focus, but there I sat in a room full of congressional aides and campaign managers analysizing Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s use of Myspace and Facebook to get votes.  Not quite what I expected, although interesting to say the least.  It was interesting to see how blogging and social networking is literally changing the way we receive information, even on something as important as the presidential campaign. Though a lot of the information specific to “modern media strategies” was very basic, I think receiving this information from the point of view of people who may not be as comfortable with technology was very instrumental in helping us devise a strategy to take Planaganza mainstream.

My team and I go back and forth when I comes to assigning names to our brands.  Some of us are more adept at naming than others.  However, the name “Planaganza” was born out of a collective team effort.  In this day and age we needed a name that had a ring to it but more importantly that had an available URL!  We tried Eventuality, but that was taken by a computer-based appointment management system.  After several similar suggestions and several email messages ruling out the ultra-corny names, we settled on Planaganza. The name is meant to be a derivative of the word “extravaganza” and our original tagline was “We all can’t plan an extravaganza, but we can all Planaganza!”  Get it, plan – a – ganza!  Anyway, the name stuck but the borderline cheesy tagline was eventually changed to “the place for life’s events”.  Hopefully the name is unique but catchy enough to draw both seasoned event hosts and newcomers alike.

  5:02 A.M. is the time the clock on my laptop read as we plugged away on Planaganza development Saturday night (click thumbnail to see close-up).  We did not actually “call it a night” until about an hour and a half later.  I know this is common place for you entrepreneurs, diehard techies and developers across the country (and to be quite honest its not that abnormal for me when I’m focused on a goal), but it got me thinking about the business direction of Planaganza.  Given all the hard work we’re putting into it, what will be our strategic goal for the business in the next 1-3 years?  Will we be as big as Youtube (yes, I have high aspirations) or will we continue to run it privately like Facebook (who, by the way, is changing the game right now with its application development craze)?  Its a real question that we will have to answer real soon in preparation for the day when it is actually posed.  Until then, we’ll keep plugging away and burning the midnight (or 5 A.M.) oil.  It helps to build team cohesiveness and character…right?…if we don’t kill each other in a sleep-deprived rage first…:-)

RBs

 Invitations are your guests’ first glimpse into the theme of your event.  Invitations can be as casual and efficient as those sent via email or as glamorous and elaborate as an embossed invite on linen paper encased in an embroidered silk box.  Both invitations announce who, what, where and when, but each also gives your guest a sense of what to expect upon arrival.  If you want to give your guests a sense of your personal creativity, you can opt to make your invitations by hand or by enlisting the help of your handy color printer.  Although this really does personal
ize the invitations and would be nice for a dinner party or social, it may not be the best option for guestlists over 50 -100 people.  However, you could, in fact, through an “invitation party” (popular for constructing wedding invitations) and invite your friends over to help you with the assembly. 

If making your own invitations doesn’t suit your lifestyle, you can always opt to buy pre-made invitations.  FineStationery.com offers exquisite designs for every life event. You can even make pre-made invitations look unique by adding embellishments or patterned lining to your envelopes. Overall, you want your invitations to express the personality of your event. Whether that is simple and casual or elegant and timeless, there is an invitation out there for you.

RBs

I’m not big on philosophy.  In fact, I’m more of a logical realist than a theoretical philosopher. But the question, “what makes me happy” always leaves me philosophizing on life and what it all means.  There’s no logical answer for it.  We all strive for happiness and to attain the definition of what we believe it to be. But in our seeking of happiness, can we ever truly just be happy?  Every now and again I like to step back from the business side of Planaganza and explore why I really do this.  And when it comes down to it, constructing the site, implementing new tools, designing the pages, and thinking of ways to market Planaganza just makes me happy!  The whole thought of what Planaganza could mean to people makes me really happy.   And sometimes, happiness is just that simple.  I’m not seeking happiness or looking for it, I’m just being happy.  Happiness is not a series of analyzed circumstances that equal happiness when they turn out in our favor.  Rather, happiness is the feeling you get when you’re doing something you love or when you feel content and at peace despite the chaos that swarms around you.  Happiness is knowing that in every failed attempt there is a valuable lesson and in every victory there is someone who you can use your success to help.  That’s what makes me happy.  What makes you happy?

RBs