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Grow your brand: From Boston to Clinton, Presidential event planner Rafanelli’s tips and insights

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.

About Suzanne McDonald

Former Boston Globe journalist, New Media Education Expert, founder of Designated Editor: Teaching individuals, educators & companies how to create influential interactions & eliminate social media insanity.

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