Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Coyle.
Jennifer, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After graduating from LSU, my husband and I moved to San Francisco, where I began a career in corporate events. I eventually found myself working on the marketing team as an event coordinator for a large corporate accounting firm. My team and I put on workshops and conferences around the country. The amount of travel became an issue after my daughter was born so I decided to stay home with her. Fast forward a few years and my husband and I had moved to The Woodlands so that we could be a bit closer to home. We now had two small children, but once they were old enough for pre-school, I was able to become more involved in the community. I served on numerous committees and eventually began chairing events in the area. After one of these events, I was asked by a nonprofit if they could contact me to plan their event. I had always dreamed of having my own events business so I took this as a sign that it was time to do just that! Fête by Jennifer Coyle was born three years ago and the rest is history!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Though starting the business was relatively painless, I have run into some obstacles along the way that I have had to navigate. One of those was finding my client base. Though I love a good party and adore planning private events, the niche I have found that I am doing most of my work in is charitable events, fundraisers and galas. Many businesses and non-profits either do not have an event professional on staff or find themselves between employees at a crucial time when an important event is coming up. I have been able to step into these roles and either fill the hole or bridge the gap until the organization can find a permanent event professional. Another challenge I run into since I am working for so many different entities is figuring out where I fit in with the other members of the existing staff. It’s hard to have someone from outside come in so I’ve had to figure out a way to work with many many personality types and learn how various different businesses work. It’s a challenge, but its been a blessing learning to work with so many different talented people. The advice I would give anyone stepping into any position is to listen. I want my clients to give me as much information about the organization I am working for as possible, enabling me to better know how to highlight their brand and make the event most profitable or engaging.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My favorite part of my job is creating specific looks and feels for each client. I have learned how to make maximum impact with minimum budgets and I pride myself in be a creative problem solver. One of the things I am most proud of is that vendors I work with tell me that they enjoy working with me. In fact, one colleague in particular told me that I am his favorite person to work with when something goes wrong! Something is always going to go not as planned, but if you keep your cool and work through it, seldom do the guests or the clients ever even know. I’m also proud to say that I’m a roll up your sleeves kind of girl. There is no job that is “not my job.” The buck generally stops with me on event day so if the floor needs to be vacuumed or something needs to be carried from the loading dock. I’ll do it. There is no job too big or too small!
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I look for inspiration everywhere. I hoard magazines and flip through 20-year-old issues regularly looking for ideas. I also scour the internet and am pretty obsessed with Pinterest. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I do not like to copy anyone’s ideas. I try to make note of every theme that is used for each event in the area so that ideas are not recreated. Nothing is worse in my business than having guests enter a space and think “oh, such and such gala looked very similar.” I want the people that attend my events to be surprised by the different elements.
Contact Info:
- Website: jennifercoyle.net
- Phone: 415-810-7163
- Email: Fete@jennifercoyle.net
- Instagram: @fetebyjc
- Facebook: @fetebyjc
Image Credit:
Jen McDonald Designs
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