Listen to the Podcast About LB Event Consultants
Podcast Summary
In this engaging discussion between Jake Carter and Lauren Seltzer of LB Event Consultants, Lauren shares her expertise garnered from over 14 years in the event industry. Speaking on current trends and practices, Lauren highlights the shift in event venues, from conventional ballrooms to more interactive settings.
She touches on a memorable event they coordinated, highlighting the importance of catering to the attendees’ demographics. This event also demonstrated the high appeal of interactive performances, such as dueling pianos – a concept that was a massive hit at this LB Event Consultants-hosted birthday bash.
Addressing an intriguing trend they’ve observed, Lauren shares how traditional venues for bar and bot mitzvahs are being swapped out for nightclubs. This shift, Lauren speculates, could be driven by budget considerations and the desire for an element of uniqueness.
During the interview, Lauren also indicates an upcoming rush for holiday party bookings, limiting this rush to November through to January. In this season, colleagues can relax and engage informally, adding a novel dynamic to office relationships.
Through such discussions, the LB Event Consultants strengthen their reputation for being at the forefront of unique, engaging, and trend-setting event planning. Lauren Seltzer’s insights reveal her as an authority in the event industry and cement LB Event Consultants as a forerunner in the space.
Learn more about
LB Event Consultants
This interview was provided by
Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Jake (00:23)
I know that you have 14 years of experience in the event industry, and you ha found like this specific niche between business to business and kind of bars and smaller things. so thank you so much for joining with LB Event Consultants.
Lauren (00:37)
Thank you for having me. I’m so happy to talk to you. It’s it’s nice to see you.
Jake (00:40)
Yeah. I know. Yeah.
So we actually met doing an event too. So that was fun. You guys had a really you had a awesome event. I got to play your event and it was really, really pretty.
Lauren (00:51)
Yes, and
everyone’s still talking about the dueling pianos. That was a
Jake (00:55)
Yeah.
Lauren (00:56)
massive hit. I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not milestones
Jake (00:58)
Awesome. I love to hear that. Sounds we need to do it again. We’re gonna do every year birthday every year.
Lauren (01:04)
anymore, just every year.
Jake (01:07)
I love it. yeah, we had a great time. And I one of the things that like stands out to me at that event is, you know, you do events, we do events, so I you know, we see a lot of the same things. What I
Lauren (01:17)
Mm-hmm.
Jake (01:18)
don’t see every event is people pick other people up on chairs and carry them around the room, especially in their like eighties? seventies. Okay, yeah. Regardless.
Lauren (01:26)
Seventy, seventy. Yes. Yes. We
we just you know the party really got down and it w you know you were a huge part of it. It was it was you know the goal it was a 70th birthday party.
So obviously the average age of attendees was probably in the 75 to 80 year old range. So the music component was really, really important. You know, like we went back and forth between trying to hire either a band or a DJ, and what we realized is we needed something interactive, and you guys just knocked it out of the park.
The birthday boy got on the mic sang ring of
Jake (02:08)
Yeah.
Lauren (02:09)
fire. So it it really it really turned up.
Jake (02:13)
Yeah. I turned up with Ring of Fire. I remember that. I think he sang more than once. I think we played that song a couple times that night. Yeah. Yep. Yep.
Lauren (02:17)
Probably. Yeah. Probably. Yeah. It was an open bar, so who knows.
Jake (02:23)
awesome. So just some stuff that, you know, we can talk through that I want to I’m curious what you’re seeing. So what are like some current trends that you’re seeing in the wedding and event industry? I know that right before we started the recording, we were talking about people coming back and starting to book weddings, kind of in the July, August time and and December and all that.
Lauren (02:39)
Right, right. Well the you know, the event market typically at least in Los Angeles slows down.
Drastically, I would say between June through August, just because you know, in the summer months, it’s really hard to get attendees to commit to events given travel schedules and whatnot. So now that we are mid-August, what I’m really seeing is just a ramp up in inquiries for holiday parties. that’s definitely the hottest thing right now that people are talking.
About and holiday parties are interesting because they sort of start in November and some of them go through January. so that’s like a season in itself, and it’s just always really fun to talk about holiday parties with people, you know, they really get to see their colleagues cut loose.
Which is, you know, special for the workplace, as you can imagine. you know, the other trend I’m seeing which is really funny and interesting is
With the mitzvah market and the location of events. So bar and bot mitzvahs, I would say, traditionally occurred in hotel ballrooms or in people’s homes or at synagogues. and now the location has switched to nightclubs. So we have 12 and 13 year olds,
Jake (04:05)
What?
Lauren (04:06)
yeah, in nightclubs. And it’s interesting to think about it from a budget.
Perspective because when you have an event like that at a synagogue or a ballroom or a private residence, you essentially have to bring everything in.
Jake (04:20)
Yeah.
Lauren (04:21)
What people have started to realize is with nightclubs, everything is there. They have a bar, they have a DJ booth, they have a sound system, they have a lighting system, they have confetti if you want to do a confetti blast. So we have done some really, really cool and creative things. And the very special thing about nightclub mitzvahs is that the kids can leave by
nine thirty or ten PM and then the nightclub can open for service that same night. And so it’s lucrative on on their
Jake (04:52)
wow.
Lauren (04:53)
end as well. Yeah. Yeah.
Jake (04:55)
And this is like what you’re talking about with your business to business kind of filling that gap that that bars and stuff see. That’s wow, that’s crazy. Would have never thought. Wow.
Lauren (05:01)
I know, I know, I know. So we’ve
done, you know, I’ve done creative things, obviously bottle service with Manashevitz and you know, just non-alcoholic mocktails. it’s it’s super fun though. It’s it’s a blast. Yeah.
Jake (05:17)
Wow, that is I I would have never expected that. That’s wild.
cool. so with talking about events and like things that you’ve seen in the industry, this is my favorite question in every interview. What
Lauren (05:30)
Okay.
Jake (05:31)
is the most cringeworthy thing that you hate to see at events?
Lauren (05:36)
boy. this is gonna have to be a song selection, and I hope I’m not breaking anybody’s heart, but I cannot stand the song Sweet Caroline, and I’m sure you can agree.
Jake (05:52)
we talked about this.
Yeah.
Lauren (05:54)
So
I just if if you know there are special circumstances. I have actually done a bot mitzfuss for a young girl named Caroline. So that was appropriate and I appreciated that. However, for whatever reason, that song being designated as the party anthem is instant red flag for me.
I wanna choose my words carefully here because I’ve had clients really want that song and I don’t wanna, you know, offend them, but I loathe that. And you know, Neil Diamond can come after me. I just don’t think it’s a good song.
Jake (06:35)
I
think this is one of these like industry protected things where I am not allowed to say things about this because I have been told that many times that I’m not allowed to talk about my like or apparent dislike for that song. but I love to hear it. I think that
Lauren (06:52)
Yes.
Jake (06:53)
is a such a great and interesting opinion about song celebrities.
Lauren (06:57)
Ha ha ha
Jake (07:00)
yeah, yeah, that’s I
Lauren (07:03)
I’m hoping that the
Jake (07:03)
Gosh.
Lauren (07:04)
younger generations just don’t even know that song is is really how I feel about it. And you I know agree. I know you agree. I know you agree.
Jake (07:10)
I don’t
I think you know, there it’s interesting ’cause I’ve tried to like make assumptions and guesses on like, ooh, this is gonna be the new whatever song with like whatever generation. And it doesn’t seem like it really goes that way. It really seems like the the old standards just continue on and keep hitting and it’s crazy because I’m like, Really? You guys you really that’s it? That’s the one you want? Like
Lauren (07:37)
Yeah, yeah.
Jake (07:38)
You don’t have anything
from your generation. And it’s not any particular generation. It’s just like all of
Lauren (07:43)
Right, right. But you know, I will say on the music front, like you can’t go wrong with any Motown hits. I feel like those are that is a portfolio of music that can get any party really excited and up and running, and it’s just generally crowd pleasing music.
Jake (08:05)
Yeah. I there’s there’s a lot of of great songs and and and
Lauren (08:09)
Yeah, yeah.
Jake (08:10)
yet people continue to pick a a you know a handful. personally,
Lauren (08:12)
Sweet Caroline, which is which is not.
Jake (08:16)
you know, I the other ones that are really common I I really I I enjoy and I think they’re great, but that one is is a is a special is a special time at every event. and I I can’t believe I forgot all about this.
Lauren (08:27)
I know you don’t like it. I know you don’t like it. You don’t have to say it. I will say it for you because
you are in the music space and I know you don’t like it. You don’t have to say it, but just know that I know. Yeah. Yeah.
Jake (08:39)
We all love it. It’s our favorite song. It’s our favorite song. Okay.
So other than that, what’s what’s like a really fun, you know, not nightclubs, not sweet Caroline not happening at events, but like what’s another really fun thing that you’ve seen at weddings or the private events, birthdays? what’s like a unique idea?
Lauren (08:57)
The I d the activations at any type of party, in my opinion, are key. And this this goes beyond, you know, a photo booth. I think that if you have something that just really engages your
guests. It just it it’s a good takeaway. It’s it’s something that the party goers will be talking about for days and months to come. And I would say, you know, recently I’ve really leaned into the mentalist space. I have like three or four contacts. They’re regulars at the Magic Castle and they’re mentalists slash magicians and they are
you know, like David Copperfield level talent and it’s mind blowing. so I would say, you know, having somebody like that roaming a party and just really blowing away guests. And I’m talking you need somebody who has real talent because, you know, I know you’ve seen this, I’ve seen this because we’re in the event space, but when you have somebody who’s like not that good, it just, you know, you start to feel bad for them. It’s like seeing a bad comedian and
It just it makes it so uncomfortable. But if you can find somebody at the top of their league in the like mentalist space, I would even say like tarot card reader readers are amazing. it just it’s really really key to have that guest engagement and if you can find
Jake (10:25)
Yeah.
Lauren (10:25)
top-notch talent, it’s it’s a slam dunk.
Jake (10:29)
I mean I would take, you know, just to expand on what your thoughts are, my personal thoughts on events with that, to add to that is that
I think a lot of people choose to spend money on things for events that I don’t think give them the return that they are really thinking, because it’s like tradition. Like, you know, for weddings we spend so much money on flowers that are gone at the in the four hours, you know? And I had someone that was talking to me about this and they were like, you know, when you’re considering events and considering what you’re spending money on.
The difference per person, like we think about food in a per person, like it’s two hundred dollars a plate or a hundred dollars a plate or whatever.
Lauren (11:10)
Mm-hmm.
Jake (11:11)
If you think about other vendors in the same way, especially like talent-wise, it’s like, well, we could get the five hundred dollar DJ and it costs us ten dollars a person or something. You know, I’m I’m not great at math, I play piano, but you know, you get a five hundred dollar DJ or you get the five thousand dollar dueling pianos or the mentalist or whatever.
Or even if you’re looking at smaller numbers, you know, 4,000 to 5,000 or whatever it is, the change in per person price, a lot of times between those those options that people field is really low. It feels large, but it’s like, you’re gonna spend an extra five, ten, fifteen, twenty dollars per person on this huge event. And I think that those are the places that you really find guest enjoyment and like success in the party.
Is getting those higher tier interactive based activations, vendors, whatever you want to call it. you know, because the difference between like what you said, like a magician that doesn’t, you know, really do this and someone that does on a really high level is gonna be a huge enjoyment difference and people are gonna remember it differently. And it’s like, it’s additional $10 per person, you know? It’s crazy.
Lauren (12:25)
Yeah. I couldn’t
I couldn’t agree more. and I’ve you know, the events that I’ve planned and executed have run the gamut. And one thing that I always just go back to is it’s like there can be so much pomp and circumstance with some events, but if you’re not engaging with your guests and making an event truly
reflective of the host. It’s just another night out and you know it just it doesn’t leave a lasting impression. And you know, I couldn’t agree more with the florals. Florals are incredible. I love flowers. but I don’t think that you necessarily need to spend fifty thousand dollars on flowers for your event to be memorable.
There are other, you know, elements that you can incorporate. You can do it on a smaller scale. It’s, you know, events are just really about the people and knowing who your audience is and just making it so that it’s enjoyable and and memorable for for everybody, all parties involved.
Jake (13:33)
Yeah, absolutely. I will say, you know, speaking of the whole magician thing, it’s interesting because I’ve actually started to see that more, magicians and mentalists, actually at events that we are at. And it seems
Lauren (13:44)
yeah?
Jake (13:44)
like they work. Yeah, it seems like it works. It’s a really good pairing. because they kind of kind of roam around and entertain smaller groups of people during cocktail hours or before our show and things like that. and it kind of it just works really nicely because it’s not something that’s like
a total distraction on either end. You know, it’s like if someone’s
Lauren (14:01)
Right, right.
Jake (14:02)
over at a cocktail table in a different room getting entertained by a magician, great. You know, like
Lauren (14:08)
Yeah.
Jake (14:08)
they’re that’s just added bonus to what’s happening at that event. so it’s interesting you bring that up. That’s yeah.
Lauren (14:13)
I know, and it’s
actually now that we’re talking about this, it’s it’s sort of a full circle moment for me because I’m thinking about my bot mitzvah when I was twelve years old, which was decades ago. And you know, we had a very modest celebration for me, and I remember my
Parents just telling me that, you know, they hired a DJ, there’s gonna be like dancing and whatnot. And I remember asking for a magician at my bot mitzvah because I had seen this really talented magician roaming at in this theme park where I grew up in Pittsburgh, and he was incredible. And I think it just dawned on me. I mean, maybe that’s
Why I work in this field, but I remember telling my mom to hire him. And he was the only source of entertainment other than music at my bot mitzvah. And I have people who attended that who still talk about it. So I think that just we all just want engagement. You know, we’re so busy
Jake (15:13)
Totally.
Lauren (15:13)
on our phones, on social media, behind our screens that having that real interactive piece actually feels somewhat unique now.
Jake (15:22)
Totally. Well, and I think that that’s, you know, a lot of drawing back to the party that we did for you guys, I think that’s like a lot of probably why people talk about it is because of the interaction and engagement with the guests. There was that was a very personal party that we were really, you know, partying with you guys with the the chairs
Lauren (15:38)
Yeah, yeah.
Jake (15:39)
and the people dancing at the pianos and all the stuff. Like it was that was a very personal, you know, time. So I I think that that is really what makes things special in a lot of
Lauren (15:49)
Yeah.
Jake (15:49)
events.
Also because it’s not just partying, you know, there’s not just like someone doing something. It’s like we’re incorporating the audience into the show. And it’s not just about the guest, it’s about or not just about the host or just one person. It’s like we’re getting everyone involved, you know? So
Lauren (16:07)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. So everyone
has a little piece of it.
Jake (16:10)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I think that’s that’s a big part of it. so someone that’s just starting working on their planning journey, what is some advice that you’ve offer them?
Lauren (16:18)
So the number one question that I always get asked in terms of planning is how do you find your clients? Because at the end of the day, I’m a I’m in the service industry. I, you know, have a network of people because I’ve been working in it so long. so my biggest piece of advice is to essentially just always be networking, whether it’s
You know, if you’re sitting in your nail salon and just telling the manicurists that this is what you do, and you know, for me, I get a decent amount of clientele from the parents of kids that go to school with my kids. And just always
making sure you’re engaging with people and leaving a good impression. It’s it’s there’s a real like sales element to this. And it’s interesting because I don’t have a social media presence. I don’t I have a website. I don’t post pictures from events. I mean maybe I will someday because
On my side of it too, I also want my book of business and my clientele to be people that I know or know of or was introduced to. so it’s just for me, it’s always been about relationship building. I think if you’re just getting your start, it might be difficult to immediately go off on your own. So, you know, years and years ago, I freelanced for a wedding planner. I got to meet some of her vendors.
and I just really saw the brass tacks of of the events world. And so I think that there is value in trying to shadow somebody who’s been in the industry and can teach people hands-on, you know, how to execute and plan and budget for events.
Jake (18:03)
Yeah, for sure. What about client wise if they’re just starting? Like what
Lauren (18:07)
Sorry.
Jake (18:08)
what would you advise, you know, clients that are just starting to to plan their event as a planner yourself?
Lauren (18:14)
I think that you need to create a list of priorities for the event.
The top three, in my opinion, you know, depending on what the event is, if we’re talking about a corporate event, I always tell people, corporate or personal, the number one thing you need to do is lock down a venue because they can get booked up quickly. You want to have that as your home base so that you know exactly where it’s going to be, and then you can just build off everything from there. So I usually tell people, let’s figure out the venue, let’s get that locked in.
Then let’s figure out the entertainment, whether it’s dueling pianos or a DJ or a band or a jazz trio and then guest list so that you can figure out how many people you’re gonna have attending the specific event. But like hands down, that’s that’s my top three.
Jake (19:05)
Yeah, for sure. And you know, I I kind of remember I think that you were pretty on it with with getting everything locked in. It was, you know, it was not one of those let’s talk about dueling pianos for a year from now and then we’ll wait six months
Lauren (19:19)
Okay.
Jake (19:21)
and then we’ll talk another two months and then you know, I I seem to remember it was pretty you know, you were like, We want to do this, great, let’s move forward, let’s get it locked in. and I see that a lot.
with people that I and I don’t know the reasoning. Maybe you could help answer this reasoning for me. But people start to plan an event and they’re gonna do it and then they wait months and months and months. And I don’t understand like why you would want that stress hanging over your head. And also the reasoning for waiting so many months to then not be able to potentially get the things that you wanted, you know?
Lauren (19:58)
Do you want me to tell you why?
Jake (20:00)
I would love to know why, actually. This is this is outside of the podcast, I’m just curious ’cause
Lauren (20:05)
Money.
It’s always down to finances. It’s always down to finances. So I was eager and ready to book you because I am a dinosaur in this field. So now it sort of just comes naturally. I’ve been doing this for so long. I know exactly what I want. And I have a general sense of price for certain things. you know, bands can.
Bands come at a certain cost, jazz trios come at a certain cost, DJs come at a certain cost. so I I think that the hesitation amongst people is they’re probably trying to do their own market research to figure out, okay, I wanna hire this dueling piano duo, they’re amazing, and then they get a quote from you and they’re like, my god. And so I think they you know start to shop around, enter panic mode, and then
Realize that you know you really get what you pay for, especially when it comes to music. and then by the time they come back to you, it’s too late. So I always tell people the beauty of having an event planner is that it is, you know, more than me just coordinating your floral vendors and your dance floor and your plateware and invitations. Like I am your personal advisor. I can tell you off the bat a price range for everything. So
There is real value in having somebody who is just budget conscience conscious and has a sense of what the the standards are in the industry right now.
Jake (21:38)
And that’s the consultant side of your your business. That makes sense.
Lauren (21:41)
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Jake (21:43)
yeah, I that makes sense. It is it still is interesting to me that people do things the way that they do. But you know, can’t can’t help it. So
Lauren (21:49)
I know, I know. Yeah.
Jake (21:54)
yeah, that is interesting. so is there anything else that makes your service unique other than all the other things that we’ve talked about since we’re kind of leaning into that question?
Lauren (22:04)
I think that what makes me unique is that because I’ve spent so much time in working for hospitality companies or standalone restaurants and venues, I have both perspectives. I know how much price range you know a venue’s gonna cost off the bat. If you presented me with a venue, I could tell you how much it is before you even presented it to me. and I also have
The knowledge on how to negotiate some of that pricing down, which I’m not gonna say on the air because that’s an industry trade secret that I’ve worked at.
Jake (22:42)
Mm-hmm.
Lauren (22:43)
and, you know, just also living in Los Angeles as you know, being here for 15 years, I really know the landscape of the city. so I can tell you exactly which part of the city you should have your event in.
So I think between all of that it’s just it’s a really special superpower that I’ve honed.
Jake (23:05)
Yeah. Is this kind of, you know, what you were mentioning about the LA aspect of being in this industry or is this does that lead somewhere else?
Lauren (23:14)
No, I would just say that I mean, for me, I I really like to plan events in LA. I’ve done events in other cities. and luckily it’s very easy to research, you know, locations, or if I’ve been there before, I can give pointers on it. the difference now I would say with working with different vendors is vendors are more willing to travel to other cities too. So,
I would say, like years ago, if somebody was planning an event in Hawaii, for example, they would, you know, find a location in Hawaii and then they would also have to source music there, decor there, rentals. And now what I’m learning or what I know is that I could have an event in Hawaii and bring an entire team from Los Angeles. And these are trusted vendors who I’ve worked with who
You know, I know exactly what I’m gonna get with them, and that’s another thing that can just really elevate your event.
Jake (24:11)
Yeah, that’s yeah, that’s a really interesting perspective to to hear about, being that I live in Hawaii. I ’cause I’ve
Lauren (24:18)
Yeah.
Jake (24:19)
seen I’ve seen the the pros and the cons of both. You know, there’s there’s
Lauren (24:22)
Yeah.
Jake (24:23)
one aspect where it’s like, yes, you know, certain things definitely if you know, if you know of a really good vendor, sometimes it’s a good choice to use them versus someone else who isn’t gonna work with you very well, you know, in a
Lauren (24:33)
yeah. yeah. yeah. And
Jake (24:36)
certain location that’s underserved.
But I also sine.
Lauren (24:38)
Yeah, that’s a that’s
a huge advantage, is to like vendor relationships are just as valuable as my client relationships.
Jake (24:47)
Yeah, totally. Yeah. I’ve also I saw a really interesting event that was outside of this and unrelated to Felix. So I think that I can talk about this. they flew in a whole team. This was a crazy event. They flew in a whole team to manage this entire event. The client, you know, flew in all the planners and all of the people that were doing all the things.
a huge team from Miami to Hawaii. And they this team of people, you know, well, I’m sure puts on great events that are very successful all over.
was not really aware of where they came to. and so, you know, they were asked day of the event, it’s like, or day before, well, what do you mean? We we want all of these other things. And it was like, those things don’t exist on an island. Like it’s not you can’t just turn around and just, just let me get the other massive semi-truck full of items that we just have in the back lot. Like and you know, demand it will go get it. It’s like, well there’s
It’s I don’t have it, but no one has it. Like that’s there’s no one you can’t get this here unless you were to ship it out on a container. Like this good luck. Like
Lauren (25:54)
Right, right.
Jake (26:00)
I don’t know what. So I mean there are advantages on some level to like have some boots on the ground and know things, but I also have seen, you know, people bring out their vendors, you know, whether it’s photographers or videographers and things from the mainland, and have really good success and and those things go really well. So it I I definitely see.
positives to that and the vendor relationships because if you have people on the ground and you have those relationships with people in different places, you know, you can get better knowledge of of how things run. So
Lauren (26:27)
Definitely. Yeah. Yeah.
Jake (26:29)
Yeah. Cool. Well, any other things that you wanted to chat about? I know that you had a special offer for this podcast for anyone listening.
Lauren (26:36)
yeah. So I typically will do a complimentary 15 minute consult with new clients, just whether it’s you know assistance with in venue management needs or social events, but I am extending a complimentary 30-minute consult for your viewers.
Happy to talk to any of you about any event needs that you might have. Anywhere in the world. Yes.
Jake (27:02)
Great. Anywhere in the world. Anywhere.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining, Lauren. It was really, really great chatting with you. And I’m sure that we’ll we’ll connect again and see each other soon.
Lauren (27:12)
Thank you, likewise. Okay.
Jake (27:14)
Thank you.
