The Association of Bridal Consultants-

ABC Heartland along with Southern Illinois Invites you to Meet us in St. Louis.

for a Day and a ½  event packed with keynote presentation, tips, and hot new trends to get you motivated and inspired for the upcoming 2010 wedding season!

Saturday, March 20^th 

5:00pm – 5:30pm

Early Registration

If you get checked and want to beat the crowds on Sunday stop by and register

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Welcome Reception not to be missed…

Cocktails, Hors d’oeuvres, Dancing, Mingling with keynote presenters

In the spectacular Gateway Ballroom on the 18^th floor

Event is hosted/sponsored by the Hyatt Regency St Louis AT the Arch

Cost is included with the purchase of Sunday education!

Overnight Accommodations $139+tax (single or double) this rate is good for Friday 3/19 and Saturday 3/20  (while quantities last)

Reservations can be made through this link:

https://resweb.passkey.com/go/quarterlyabc

Discounted overnight Valet only $7 per night

Sunday, March 21^st 

Attire:  Business

7:30am- 8:00am

Registration

8:00am –9:00am

ABC Heartland State Coordinator – Welcome, Individual Intros & Association Business

Full sit down breakfast

9:00am- 10:15am

Keynote Presenter  - Ali Phillips, Engaging Events by ali, inc.  Chicago, IL

This highly exciting and informative session with Ali Phillips of Engaging Events by Ali, Inc. will WOW you with practical and executable Hot Wedding Trends. Ali will empower her attendees to book more clients by providing them with excellent tips and ideas to help make their clients’ weddings WOW! Attendees will be on the edge of their seat as they view pictures of Real Weddings that showcase the New and Hot trends!

Ali is truly a leader in the wedding industry. She most recently was honored by being named one of the Top Chicago Wedding Planners in the March 2009 issue of Chicago Magazine. She also was named Best Wedding Consultant in Chicago by The Knot Magazine, Best of Weddings, 2007 and 2010. Ali is a certified Professional Bridal Consultant™ with the Association of Bridal Consultants

10:25am- 10:40am 

Morning Snack Break

10:45Am- 11:50Am

Keynote Presenter  - Xochitl Gonzalez, ABC    Always a Bridesmaid, New York, NY

in The spotlight with media coverage

The first place a bride turns to after she gets engaged is a newsstand. Shouldn't your name be in her bridal magazines? Editorial coverage in print, online and TV is a fantastic, and cost effective way, to grow a successful consulting business. The question is how to get it? This session will teach you DIY publicity strategies for even the most shoestring of budgets. From creating a killer press kit to generating buzz about your business, this will offer practical examples for consultants who want to grow their revenues and their reputations.

 In December 2006, Xochitl creates Always a Blogsmaid, a wedding blog that takes questions from readers It receives more than 20,000 visitors monthly. In 2008, Xochitl also began blogging for real simple’s simply stated blog team as their wedding expert in addition to her writing at always a blogsmaid.

12:00pm- 1:10pm

Networking Lunch – Enjoy the spectacular cuisine provided by the hyatt, during this sit down lunch. Take this time to meet others in the industry and network. (tentatively scheduled in the Parkview ballroom overlooking the St Louis Arch and arch grounds)

1:20pm- 2:35pm

Keynote Presenter  - Liene stevens  Splendid Communications

Liene Stevens is the founder of Splendid Communications, A social media marketing consultancy specializing in the wedding and event industries. Event professionals from around the world

have credited Liene's strategic consulting with increasing their online brand presence and improving productivity and revenue goals.

Liene is also the editor of the Blue Orchid Designs wedding blog. In less than three years, the Blue Orchid blog has generated over 24 million dollars in revenue for the Phoenix and Washington DC areas. It is also ranked in the top 20 most popular wedding blogs worldwide. Liene's expertise has been

sought out by numerous publications, including The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Bride.

Liene is honored to serve on the board of directors for the Pink Initiative, a non-profit organization comprised of wedding industry professionals dedicated to funding awareness, outreach,education and research for breast cancer.

Social media

Print is not dead and social media is not a fad. Knowing how to effectively integrate social media into your business and marketing plans is a must-have skill set for any wedding company in today's world. In this session you will learn specific strategies on building your brand and your profits through social media. We'll also discuss some of the legal and ethical issues that apply to social media as well as tips on how to best manage your online reputation so that it doesn’t manage you.