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.”