Cover photo: An Emerald Gemstone-inspired dinner room by David Merrell (AOO Events, Inc.), the 2024 Gala Award Designer of the Year. Photo courtesy David Merrell
It’s easy to feel like social media is the main pipeline for inspiration these days—even when our feeds start filling up with creators copying each other. For event pros, Pinterest and TikTok can be useful up to a point, but for truly creative and innovative designs, it’s important to gather inspiration from a wider realm in this vast, intricate world. We asked some of today’s prominent event pros how they stay inspired. If you need a refresh on your own creative process, here’s what they recommend.
What do you wish all event designers knew about staying inspired in this industry?
David Merrell (AOO Events, Inc., CEO/Creative Director, Los Angeles, CA): If you are truly a designer ... a creative ... you can never stop learning. AND you can never close your mind off to anything. Shutting off new experiences, new possibilities, and new perspective views is a certain path to making yourself irrelevant.
Jaclyn Watson (Jaclyn Watson Events, Planner/Designer, Hyde Park, VT): What I wish all event designers knew about staying inspired in this industry is that it's all about finding your unique source of inspiration and embracing it wholeheartedly. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and explore different avenues of creativity. Keep your eyes open to the world around you—there's inspiration hiding in every corner, from the way light filters through the trees to the texture of a fabric. Staying inspired is as much about nurturing your passion as it is about honing your craft. I always want to stay curious, open-minded, and above all, stay true to my creative vision. There is an abundance of us in this industry and it pays off to be uniquely you!
Jordan Heller (Suncoast Wedding and Event Leaders (SWEL), Owner/Event Planner, Sarasota, FL): You can pull design ideas from almost anything. A can of sparkling water on your desk can give you a color palette. The TV show you binge each night can give you a time period. A client's favorite food can be used to build a whole vibe. You can use what's hot in pop culture right now like Barbie, Palm Royale, and Bridgerton, but you have to find a way to put your spin on it and make it your own!
Kawania Wooten (Howerton+Wooten Events, Creative Director and Principal Consultant, Bowie, MD): When it comes to event design and orchestration, our role is to lead and ignite our clients' imaginations. While they may provide inspiration through carefully curated Pinterest boards, it's our responsibility to not only listen to their preferences but also to surpass their expectations with design concepts that are both innovative and well, superior to their Pinterest boards.
Also, make it a habit to silence the noise of your competitors on social media—mute them or unfollow them. Direct your attention toward creatives in diverse fields. For instance, as an event designer, seek inspiration from interior designers, pastry chefs, dress designers, and fine artists. By doing so, you'll cultivate a unique perspective that steers clear of replicating your competition's ideas.
Keith Willard (Keith Willard Events, Owner/Planner, Fort Lauderdale, FL): I don't think I wish for knowledge for designers in staying inspired. I wish for joy. I wish for event designers to remember that this is about a celebration or inspiration, and how amazing that our job is to create events that bring smiles, love, a sense of community, and/or new experiences. It is so easy to get jaded in this profession. There is always a budget, there are always naysayers, but I find that because I am so passionate about what I do, so excited, that it becomes infectious. There have been so many instances of working with a committee focused on “that's what we have always done,” to “what can we do differently?!” I have the best job ever. I get to create moments that people will remember. In weddings, this will be one of the best days of a client’s life. For my corporate clients, being able to have true pride in the event is important.
Lenny Talarico, CSEP, CHE (Lenny Talarico Events, Owner, Las Vegas, NV): Focus on the objectives of the actual event and the functionality of how products need to work both for the event and logistically to make it all come together. By focusing on how guests interact in an event setting and what works to make the experience enjoyable, you’ll become a better event designer. That doesn’t happen behind a computer screen creating a rendering; it happens by observing real live event experiences.
Melissa Brannon (Uncommon Events, Founder/Event Planner/Designer, Philadelphia, PA): Human connection, conversation, and sharing of thoughts and ideas is how we all thrive. Brainstorming is not done alone. Share your ideas, seek others' opinions, and collaborate. Travel, seek new experiences, and ask questions. Life is huge. As event designers, we are lucky to be in the “make people happy business.”
Robin Selden (Marcia Selden Catering & Events, Managing Partner & Executive Chef, Stamford, CT): As I am coming from a culinary design perspective, I wish that others would allow themselves to embrace their ideas and get out of their own way. We all have moments of doubt and insecurities and the only way to break from that is to just go for it. Not every idea will be a winner and in fact some will even be failures, but to get to the greatness you need to learn from these moments. Some of our best and most creative ideas for food and food design have come from an idea that we initially conceived as being a crazy or silly, but once we took the time to finesse them, we found amazing new ways to present or reinvent something.
Samuele Gallorini (Gallorini Giorgi Events, Wedding designer, Florence, Italy/Dallas, TX): You should be brave and open minded, there are no boundaries to infusing beauty into wedding design projects.
Sarah Chianese (Mangia and Enjoy!, Owner, Springs, Colorado/Hudson Valley, NY): Look around you rather than merely whiz by life. Moments of inspiration may come to you in unexpected places or scenarios. The other day, I saw a double white teardrop flower, and an entire image formed like a magical script in my mind's eye. A child blowing bubbles in a park may hit the sun and background foliage so that you're suddenly transported into your imagination, which forms the vision of an event you may have been struggling with. Remain open, offer attention to your surroundings, scents, sounds, and textures, and let the full spectrum of your senses render your creations.
Sebastien Centner (Eatertainment Events & Catering, Creative Director, Toronto, Canada/Miami, FL): It's our creativity that will raise the industry so we can never stop pushing the boundaries. It's not only our job, but it's our responsibility to those who will come after us, to lead and teach, to collaborate and share, so our industry continues to grow and evolve long after we are gone!
Shelly Tolo (Tolo Events, President, Seattle, WA): When we have potential clients who want a quick turnaround of a design proposal, I often think to myself, “it's really hard to vomit creativity.” We can turn around proposals quickly, but if you want to present something exceptional, you must explain that you need time. My advice to event designers isn't about staying inspired; my advice is to give yourself enough time to be inspired.
Teri Jakob (UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, Associate Director, Special Events, Harrisburg, PA): Be open to stepping outside the box, try new things. Every event doesn't have to look the same or be in a ballroom. Those are beautiful locations and perfect for many parties. Some of my favorite events have occurred in an old Texaco airplane hangar or a hospital parking lots-turned -antique circus. Your imagination can transport you and your guests into magical destinations. Don't be afraid to call an industry friend for advice. Share your challenges and new discoveries. No one will ever be able to do it like you, but by sharing our thoughts together we can learn and inspire each other to do more than we ever could alone.
This article is the final part of a 5 part series.
- Click here for part 1 (What designers do you admire or are inspired by, and why?)
- Click here for part 2 (Which cultural works [films, magazines, etc.] do you pull from?)
- Click here for part 3 (Is there anything specific you do when you have a lightbulb moment of inspiration?)
- Click here for part 4 (What do you do when you're in a creative rut or dry spell?)
