Tiffany Robinson
Events by Tiffany R.
Happy Wednesday, and Happy October, Golden Divas!
Welcome to the splendor of Fall and all that comes with it. Your girl here has been on a little hiatus, but I’m back with my special guest and partner in creativity today. This ‘Golden Diva’ is so freaking talented her work blows my mind and I am so glad that I am a part of her dream team. As you may know or may not know, I do graphics for ‘Events by Tiffany R.’ This young lady has taken event planning to the next level with God driven ideas and purposeful décor to make any event beyond beautiful, as well as special and memorable. God has shown favor and has anointed this ‘Event Planner’ with the gift of creativity to bring things to life. This EP is pouring down blessings to her clients with her unique style and visions. I had the pleasure of forming a work collaboration and friendship with this event planner, this past January with the introduction of another great Golden Diva by the name of Earnestine Davis. Her name might sound familiar to you, because she is not new here at Club Fifty. Earnestine is the baddest master trainer out there that will snap your body back into shape. If you haven’t already read her interviews at C50, just type in her name in search and you can read all about this fabulous fitness guru and fashionista queen.
Now back to the queen of decor, she is the baddest event planner out there! We instantly clicked when we both realized that we had a lot in common, from being a Christian and thinking out of the box with our creativity. We love the ‘WOW FACTOR!’ The over the top designs that are bigger, bolder and brighter. Our creative juices are overflowing with ideas, and designs to make sure YOU the client is totally happy and satisfied with our works and that your event is no doubt ‘ALL ABOUT YOU! So, Golden Divas & Divos, if you’re looking for ‘THE WOW FACTOR’ my next guest is your girl. If you’re looking for elegance with some bling, she is your girl. If you’re looking for the fantasy décor, she is your girl! Her work speaks for itself! She might be four years in the game but she is well on her way with her mind-blowing creations for all occasions that will have you talking about how can you book her for your next event. If she have to build it, she will. There isn’t anything that her company does not provide to make your dreams come true.
Now, you ladies know I call it when I see it, God has blessed this diva with some great talent and she isn’t afraid to exert it in her creations. He has provided her with ‘spectacular conceptions‘ to bring YOUR vision to life! Ladies, check out all of the intricate details Tiffany put into her work in these videos. This is simply marvelous dahlings!
So, with no further ado, let me introduce you to Tiffany Robinson, the owner of ‘Events by Tiffany!’
This beauty has joined the luminary ladies of C50 who is representing their ‘God-Given’ purpose and craft. You can check them out on the sidebar under ‘Circle of Sisterhood’ and don’t forget to listen to the video, ‘It’s Yours’ by Jekalyn Carr. Talk about getting motivated and taking what’s yours…when God is leading you, you can’t help but to follow HIM to greatness!
Welcome To Club Fifty Tiffany!
MEET TIFFANY ROBINSON
Tiffany has lived in Chicago all of her life. She is a member of New Life Covenant Church under Senior Pastor, John F Hannah. She is 47 years old and will be turning 48 on October 18th. She has never been married and she has one handsome loving son who is 23 years old. Tiffany always had a passion for decorating since she was a child and she use to watch her mother work with her friend Evelyn at Evelyn’s flower shop. She also worked in her teens with a couple who owned a gift shop. They nurtured her talents and gifts. They taught her how to do balloon decor and allowed her to be creative with baskets or anything that she could imagine. She use to decorate for fun but in 2017 she decided to start her business, ‘Events By Tiffany R.’
IN CONVERSATION WITH TIFFANY ROBINSON
C50:Tiffany, tell us about ‘Events by Tiffany R, and how you got started in the world of ‘Event Planning?’
TR: Events by Tiffany R. is an event planning/ decor business that serves Chicagoland and other surrounding areas. We are focused on providing the client with their vision for the event they desire. We provide services for many occasions. Corporate Gathering, Weddings, Bachelorette/ Bachelor Parties, Baby Showers, Birthdays, Prom, Homecoming, Christening, and Retirement parties. You name it; we do it! Each milestone of your life is a moment to remember. We want the client and their guest to remember their event and cherish all that takes place.
I have always had a passion for this since I was a child, and I used to watch my mother work with her friend Evelyn at Evelyn’s flower shop. I also worked in my teens with a couple who owned a gift shop. They also nurture my talents and gifts, all the lawn decor and baskets in anything I could imagine. Over the years, I would do jobs for friends and family members but I never took it seriously until 2017. A friend of my sisters saw her baby shower and the decor I established. She was impressed and asked me to do her baby shower. It just took off from there, and before I knew it, I started a business and got the license and credentials. The blessing behind all of this is I never had to spend money on advertisements. Word-of-mouth took off, and my name just kept rotating in the atmosphere.
C50: Tiffany, what excites you when you create masterpieces for your clients? Are there any events you find particularly interesting or exciting to plan?
TR: What excites me is when the vision comes to fruition. Each event is an original unique experience. Now for the masterpieces. They are all created by God. Allow me to explain! The gift that I have is from God! Sometimes, when I walk in the room and review the room before the event is set up, He will show me what I should do. Sometimes He gives me what the room should look like in a dream. Other times He’ll give me a vision. All the events are different; they never turn out the same. I have tried to recreate events, and even when I try to re-create something, it turns out different or semi-different. LOL! God never allows me to create the same thing twice. If He does then, it would be fine with me because He can do whatever He wants. All the events are interesting. For example, I recently created a Hawaiian luau. I made three bohemian tables for this event. I purchased wood, a drill, a drill bit kit, a saw, nails, and Polyurethane. I am not a carpenter by any means. LOL! But I did go to YouTube and research everything I needed to find to get it together. Literally, step by step, God helped me. Won’t HE do it! All the time, not knowing what this was going to turn out like. The tables were level and beautiful. Also, let me tell you I worked on the tables for two days inside my friend’s beautiful venue called T’Marie, located at 2701 W 87th street in Evergreen Park. Patrice, I love you, girl! I worked on those tables until 5 AM in that venue. I never felt exhausted until I was done. I cried because I could not believe how beautiful everything looked.
C50: How do you prioritize completing project deadlines? What are your event goals?
TR: First I identify which event needs more time to complete. Then I begin to collect all the materials required to make that event spectacular. However, even after doing all of that, I’ve learned that when planning events, you have to be flexible when things go wrong and think quickly. It’s not easy. But the team of people who work with me is aggressive, and I say that with a capital “A” LOL. The young ladies who work with me are so on top of things. It takes a team, and God has sent me some amazing people. Together we get the job done. My goal is irrelevant because the more I continue this business, the more I create to glorify God. He has shown me that the gift he put into me it’s simply to glorify him. Every time I make a plan, He changes it. So, I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t set goals; I just wait on Him.
C50: Do you feel that an event planner must have certain personality traits, skills, and education?
TR: I absolutely feel that event planners must have certain personality traits, skills, and education. Event planners are not just planning. They also have to be calm, build a rapport with the client, collective, respectful, and uplifting. Brides don’t need to be agitated on the biggest day of their lives, so you must stay calm and keep them calm as well. All clients want someone who can give them the comfort of knowing that their event will be elegant and tasteful. As an event planner, our job is to make sure that the client enjoys the process, not that the process is overwhelming.
Event planners need to have a relationship with the client. It would be best to get to know them to provide them with the vision they genuinely want. A high priority is to make sure that your client receives absolutely wonderful customer service. Be respectful to the individual, be patient, listen to what they want, and then direct them because they don’t know all it takes to create what they truly desire. As for education, it doesn’t hurt to take a few classes, but for those who have this as a natural gift and have been drawn into this area, your training ground is the process. That is where true education comes in. I don’t necessarily believe that you have to have a degree to do this. But you do have to have essential skills to help you be the best at this job as possible. You must allow God to lead you, pray on it, make sure that this is what you’re supposed to be doing, let Him give you advice, direct your path, and most of all show you the process of how to do it.
C50: Do tell Tiffany how do you keep up with the industry trends and news regarding event planning and finding the right venue?
TR: This industry is forever changing. So many people are trying to do the same thing, but you have to do something different. God shows me something new all the time, which keeps me thinking outside the box and makes me a trendsetter. For most of the venues, I find I am not looking for them. I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes I’m out, and I am doing something different and just happened to look up and see a space. I look and see the surrounding area and think to myself; this would be a great place to throw a party. Other venues I have seen through clients who found their own space, and when I went to set up for their event, I found the place very intriguing. Recently things have changed. I have had some owners reach out to me and ask if I can look at their business to see if there needs to be some modifications and help them promote their space.
C50: Your work is very impressive. How do you develop your design ideas, and have you ever felt stressed out planning an event?
TR: Thank you! It’s only by God’s hand! YES!!!! I have been stressed out planning and setting up. When the stress is from a client, I have to make sure this was the client I was supposed to assist. Because I learned very early in the game that all money is not good money, some clients could have other issues going on in their life, and it is a trickle effect. The stress that they bring to you starts to fall onto your process. That’s an opportunity for God to step in. Other clients are very disrespectful, and those are the clients that I have the option not to take as for events setup. Most venues only want to give you an hour. Some clients do not want to pay for additional time to set up. Also, there are the inevitable, which are things that happen just because they happen. Something breaks at the last minute and cannot be replaced, or you thought you packed more than enough but come to find out someone forgot something at the storage unit. You can be extremely organized, but little things you’re looking for can’t be found during the setup, but after everything is complete, you find what you were looking for.
Nevertheless, no matter what the stress level is when everything is over, it is impeccable. The guest does not know what happened to get you to that point. As an event planner, your goal is to make sure that everything is tasteful, excellent, elegant, and just what the client wanted without them knowing what went wrong or may have happened behind the scenes.
C50: How do you manage event promotion, bookings, and staying within the budget, and what happens when you go over budget?
TR: Most of my event promotions for clients are done through various promotional vendors’ contacts through advertisement. As far as myself, I have been highly blessed. For example, your club 50 has done some fantastic blessings for me and others who have put my name in the atmosphere via word amount. I also have social media pages established. Bookings are calendar scheduled, and the budget is an old school system. I have an envelope for every event. The total is written on the envelope. Before the event, the client has been advised what all supplies and equipment rental will total out to be. From there, we purchase and rent supplies according to that price. And yes! Sometimes, we go over budget if the cost of materials goes up during the contract and planning process. Or if the client keeps adding more decor and other wants to the event. There is not a practical way to defuse going over budget other than continuing to stay focused. Making sure that the client does not get tunnel focus on the wedding or event of their dreams buy not seeing the different areas will affect financially.
C50: What is the most challenging thing about event planning, and what makes it a successful event?
TR: The most challenging thing for me is waiting for the vision. I get so excited when I have a new client, but I have to wait on God for the vision. I have been in situations where I had no clue what I would do until almost the day of the event. I will say, ‘OK GOD,’ we cut it real close, LOL, but He always brings it together. The success comes when His Glory shines through it.
C50: Tiffany you mentioned that you have an amazing team that you work with at Events by Tiffany R, what is the process to pull everything together to make the event triumphant with your team?
TR: Yes, I do have an amazing team, and they all are so organized. First, they pray with me; then they pray for me; they pray over everything we do, from packing the truck to the setup and even the breakdown. Everything is always triumphant when prayer is first because we welcome God into being glorious through our hands.
C50: I’ve seen how you turned a bland room into a piece of work of art; how do you go about bringing your client’s vision and your vision to life for their event?
TR: Well, I can only say one thing. God! Prov:16-3 ” Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” We plan the vision the client wants and then allow God to establish it.
Bonus Question
C50: What makes ‘Events by Tiffany R’ above the rest of other event companies, and if someone wants the ‘Wow Factor’ for their special event, how can they contact you?
TR: What makes us stand out is our passion for creating and transforming for the glory of GOD. In addition, we provide our clients an experience of enjoyment during the process. My imagination is huge, way outside the box, producing the ‘WOW FACTOR’ and a lifelong relationship with our clients.
Events by Tiffany R can be reached via phone at 773:727-6695 or email at eventsbytiffanyr@gmail.com.
You can also submit a request for a contract through our website www.eventsbytiffanyr.com
There you have it Divas, as you can see the beautiful Tiffany is making spectacular memories with ‘Events by Tiffany R.
Ladies, you need to check her out for your next event. She never disappoints. She is a class act and she gets all of her ideas from the man above. So you know it is on point all of the time.
