Meet Abigail Bruton | Director of Creative Experiences

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abigail Bruton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abigail, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I believe that we take risks in everything during life’s journey.  Falling in love, starting a new career, starting an investment portfolio, etc.  Learning to take calculated risks, and not being afraid to fail has helped me in my career as well as my life. Learning about the event planning industry has been an interesting journey.  When I worked in Corporate America, I was entrusted to work with a team to coordinate various types of events.  From employee appreciation, to academic and club excellence awards ceremonies. I realized how much I loved “the process of planning,” coordinating, curating a specialized team to bring the companies and clients’ vision to life.  I feel that this “love affair” found me. 

When I decided to branch out on my own, I reached out to a seasoned professional and asked if he could answer questions and be willing to mentor me. This new relationship brought my vision to a new level. I took many small and big risks by asking to coordinate events and recruit volunteers for a nationally recognized multi-million-dollar company.  I wanted to get my foot in the industry door. 

As an owner of my own event company, I realized that I needed to never be afraid to ask questions, to continue to educate myself, network and expand my business.  This to me meant, I had to become something bigger than me, and understand the complexities without losing my courage to keep taking risks. This has been an exhilarating love affair turned into a love story. 

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with our business, can you tell us more?
As an owner and event planner the job entails learning the most important details of our clients love story, personality, and vision. This job can carry a lot of stress.  We are the ones that every client looks to for professional advice, and we are expected to know how to stay calm and manage all situations that can come up during one of the most important celebrations in our clients lives.  I believe it’s so important to “love the process.” I love organizing everything in my life, I love people, I love to travel, and I enjoy working with people with varied backgrounds and experiences. It is all about the team.  I love curating a specialized team of professionals for each event. Although I never imagined starting my own event planning company, I am so happy I took the leap.  I have learned from so many amazing professionals in this industry.  It’s like they say: do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.  That is what it feels like for me.  We start a journey with a client, a vision, signature details and end with an amazing celebration and a beginning to a new friendship.

Another aspect of my work that I enjoy is mentoring others and training college interns in the hospitality management programs at various colleges.  

Now with the current Covid situation, we must learn about and know how to execute a safety plan for our staff, interns, volunteers, venue staff, our client, and their guests.  We must take our training to a new level.  We have implemented a new safety-first plan, and plan to expand to add a new position called: Covid Coordinator. This pandemic has forced everyone to PIVOT to a new way of doing business. We have always offered a component of virtual planning in our planning contracts.  But today we need to educate our clients of the virtual process and how we can still provide an exceptional experience even with their guests who are thousands of miles away.  This is our new reality and we must try to embrace and encourage our clients to think outside of the event planning box while being true to their vision.

In conclusion, finding love can be scary but it’s worth fighting for.  I found this love affair and have not looked back.  Although the music is the same, because of Covid, we must learn to dance differently. Creating unforgettable Signature Experiences is what we do. What we love.  What we are here for. 

Image Credits
Champagne & Love Photography