Rhode Island native Bryan Rafanelli’s firm last year planned 5 of 2010’s most prestigious weddings, most notably Chelsea Clinton’s. The firm also produced a series of official inauguration events in Washington D.C. for President-elect Barack Obama’s donors.

The seemingly unflappable Rafanelli spoke to a packed room in Boston, sponsored by Millennial Branding, headed by personal branding expert and bestselling author of Me 2.0, Dan Schawbel.

Adopt Bryan Rafanelli’s tactics to grow your brand

• Rafanelli’s best customer is sitting in the room, but isn’t just the current client or his/her relatives
• Rafanelli carries a laminated card with names of event guests who he’s researched and wants to meet
• To connect to high-value individuals, find the people who will intro you to the people and sell the story
• It’s not just a matter of right time right place but your business model needs to put you in the right place

What you may not know about Rafanelli Events

• Paid events like Chelsea Clinton’s wedding enable the company to do more nonprofit work
• Rafanelli Events works with perfect people (read high-performing and highly effective) & needs to deliver perfection
• Rafanelli Events seek to reflect you, your brand: “How do we represent who you are?”
• Rafanelli Events goes from design to execution: “How can we correct the snags that crop up?”

Bryan Rafanelli believes

• Basic common sense is a guiding force within the company and how it interacts
• The whole business is based on great people and great relationships
• How you handle imperfection can lead to perfection
• In addition to perfection, clients want the next best thing
• Is a “big believer” in content and making connections

Nonprofit events aren’t just for the sake of throwing a party: Apply a business plan

• Rafanelli neatly ties the stories behind his nonprofits to donor-clients with meaning
• Auctions need to comprise great packages that speak to them: Need to know what will get them excited
• Auction recipe = at least 2 couples to bid and those couples to be well-respected

A bit about Chelsea Clinton’s wedding

• The venue for Chelsea’s wedding was announced only days before the event
• In Rhinebeck he interacted with neighbors using basic common sense, sending bottles of wine
• The village of Rhinebeck “let me be” until after the wedding, although he had spent a lot of time there
• Rafanelli tried to source locally,* including special mints Chelsea really wanted

*Disclaimer having been to Rhinebeck dozens of times, this couldn’t have been easy

Rafanelli values “common sense, consensus-building, really smart people, events degree is not required.”

Watch the video of Rafanelli’s talk, truly engaging.