For those of you who don’t know Ruth Moyte, let me make the introductions…
As the Vice President of Production, Ruth is genuinely the “core” of LA-based Extraordinary Events. Ruth not only manages 30 full-time employees, up to 200 subcontractors and every element of their work from sales to production, EVERYDAY, she also coordinates over 50 clients at a time, analyzing their budgets to bring them on target – on top of it! It is hard to imagine there is time to be creative; however Ruth never fails to write proposals that are anything less than innovative, branded and message driven. Accomplishing these daily tasks with efficiency, good humor and accuracy, all with clientele in several international time zones, sleep is not an option!
I met Ruth for the first time, in person, at the Special Event Show last January. I’m a huge fan of Ruth’s work, her flawless reputation and her approach to collaboration. Just a few weeks ago Ruth picked up the Event Solutions Spotlight Award for Event Planner of the Year. It’s my pleasure to have had the opportunity to ask Ruth a few poignant questions that will give us a glimpse into the mind of an innovative event planner.
What impassions you about your job?
Being able to express my creativity through so many different mediums is a constant motivator for me. I get to fulfill the side of me that likes to make people laugh and smile. I get to help people figure out ways to creatively communicate messages that are integral to the success of an organization. It’s an ever changing industry and I just can’t get enough of it. I also adore the people that I work with…they truly are my heart and I could not do my job without them. When you are surrounded by an awesome team, it doesn’t get much better than that. I get to see the world, and experience so many different cultures and lifestyles. And lastly, I get to educate and teach people through seminars about writing, creativity, motivation…so I get to satisfy the need to be on stage from my performance days as a child. Now that I’m thinking about it…there’s not much that I’m not passionate about when it comes to this profession, except for last minute deadlines when I’m already buried with 10 others….and my team thinks I can be QUITE passionate about those.
What was the biggest challenge you faced? How did you overcome it?
Learning to trust my little creative voice and instincts. Not pushing it down inside or thinking it’s just silly. I remember sitting in meetings when I was younger and wanting to speak up and say something…and I didn’t, and then after the meeting I would mention it to someone else, then they would put it out there and take credit for it…Now I speak up with all my ideas…even the ones that I wouldn’t consider super-creative…sometimes it just the traditional things that work for some clients…so I listen to the client and what they want….then figure out how to make that happen in the most “creative” way for them…sometimes its what I call simplistic genius thoughts…the ones that don’t have to be over the top and ultra cutting edge…sometimes being cutting edge creatively is just listening and delivering what works best and most successfully for that particular client!
You’ve done some of the biggest, most over-the-top experiential events in the world – what’s next?
As a company we are always looking for that client that will allow us to step out of the box, and create a mind blowing experience for their next program. We all have dreams of what that could be, but it always depends on what the client needs as opposed to what we want to do. We have some pretty interesting over the top stuff coming up in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!
We love working with clients/corporations that are interested in community service related events and really get into social responsibility when putting their programs together. As companies become more and more aware of sustainability and the “green” campaign, this is quickly becoming a specialty area for EE since we’ve been doing “events with a purpose” for years.
Personally for me, my next step is stepping into more of a promoting and educational role for the company. I would never stop creating and writing—I love it too much. But I do want to educate and teach within the industry.
If you could share one piece of advice with others in the event planning industry, what would it be?
Get. It. In. Writing. Everything needs to be in writing. It avoids misunderstandings, ensures that you are communicating clearly, and also provides your clients AND vendors with what you have agreed to, as well as what you are expecting from them. I am not suggesting that written word replace verbal conversations, however, once agreed upon, it needs to be memorialized. In the long run it protects you, your client, and the relationships that we need to sustain our existence in the industry.
Sorry, I know you said one…but there is a second, and it’s UNDERSTAND the demographic of both the client and their attendees. This is probably the single most important initial step in putting on ANY event.
What do you think will be the biggest trends/innovations in the event industry in the next couple of years?
I think that the industry will continue to focus and narrow in on efficiency and ROI for our clients. Of course as world events evolve, they too will have an effect on what, where, and how we do events. Greening and sustainability will continue to grow; and focus on these two important issues will become everyday practice and not just the latest trend. Ideas will have to continually expand and be come more and more productive in their overall outcome, as we increase the use of developing technology to “wow” and impart knowledge to the attendees. Our industry sustainability, I believe, will still be achieved by our ability to evoke an emotion by whatever event experience that we provide. I’ve always believed that creativity and imagination and being able to use them in innovative ways truly dictate the course of our visions…no matter the time, or place.
Where do you go to find ideas & inspiration?
I find inspiration in the funniest places…sometimes its from a magazine…watching traffic, in a foreign country, from a dream, a flower, a candle, a combination of colors, interesting architecture, food… brainstorming…an expansion on a not so original idea…I’m never in the same spot when it strikes me…it’s all about being aware enough to catch the moment when it happens…Andrea taught me to keep a notebook by my bed at night so that if I have an idea I write it down, otherwise I usually can’t remember it when I want to.
What are your 3 favorite things right now?
1. Edutainment and philanthropic concepts.
2. Creative yet simple solutions to production challenges. Not EVERYTHING has to be cutting edge, sometimes simple is all you need.
3. Lush environments that have a live effect added to them so that they change throughout the evening. I love experiential effects, they are a cost effective solution/tool to add “wow”.