Welcome to/What's with DiY Event?

Hi, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of you visiting this site.

Let me tell you a little bit about this Blog, myself and my motivation (personal and business) for starting it.

What to expect?

I'll be posting each week, if time permits. The articles will include everything from references and links to articles, which I think would be useful to DIY brides and "eventers" to original content based on my own experiences in the industry, to information about specific vendors whom I've either worked with or who I feel deserve my recommendation based reviews, reputation, and comments from industry professionals.

Visual Design by JMVisuals, www.jmvisuals.com

I'll also try to include plenty of eye candy of everything ranging from event spaces to actual events. Since there are numerous excellent Blogs showing awesome/stylish/hip (and frequently unaffordable, for most of us) events from here to Fiji I'll try to narrow my focus to subjects that DIY community would find both interesting and useful, such as which top venues have the best winter deals,  DIY success stories (and their back stories), and new resources and technologies for finding vendors and managing events.  I'm fortunate to know some great people in the industry, and will be profiling them as well. 

As I live and work in the NYC area and most of what I post will involve local people, places, and events. While I hope to provide content relevant to all users, wherever they might reside, New York and a few other major US cities present their own special set of challenges for people looking to hold events. Prices are simply stratospheric, expectations are just a high, time is too short, and the reliability, transparency, and basic ethics of vendors are questionable at times. I hope that these posts provide you with the resources necessary to navigate these rough waters so your event will be smooth sailing (and so you'll still have some money in your pocket for the cab ride home).

About me

I've been a trial lawyer, written for and performed in original rock bands, done some copyrighting, produced food for top caterers, hotels, and gourmet food stores in NYC, operated a 105 seat restaurant in South Beach, which hosted live bands and events, and was COO of an Internet gourmet food website. I'm currently a Partner in a graphic and web design firm. I live in NYC in the East Village---about 3 miles from where I was born. 

Why this Blog?

My firm is planning to launch an Events Services website specifically designed to help DIY eventers from vendor selection and negotiation through the event invitation, promotion, and remembrance stages (for example the site has software to launch your own photo/video album and upload images and videos from your event). 

The site will also feature complete events packages at popular and iconic NYC events venues, such as Midtown Loft and Terrace and Divine Studios, complete with caterers, design professionals, and other events services providers at fixed and, hopefully, affordable prices.

Our goal is to negotiate the best deals we can with these vendors and put these deals out there. The packages show all taxes and service charges and any other fees that get added on (like plate and linen rentals). This will help remove uncertainty about pricing and tell people exactly what they're getting right up front. 

So, clearly, I have a business reason for creating and promoting this Blog---to make my new events services and packages website a success. I am stating that up front to be as transparent as possible. I also have an equally compelling personal reason for doing so. I want to change the Byzantine way the events services industry functions, and eliminate all the mystery and uncertainty one encounters when dealing with events services vendors. I want to empower DIY people by providing timely and relevant information which will help them navigate their way through these sometimes dangerous waters.

I look forward to your feedback and hope that this Blog proves to be a valuable resource for all of you.

Happy Eventing!

Warren Friesner---aka DIYguy