THE LAST WORD
Memory Makers By Ian Ramirez
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” but sometimes, it means even more. It was around my birthday when we posted a photo of a father-daughter dance on Facebook, not expecting the profound impact about to happen on my life and someone else’s. That same day, the bride in the photo reached out to us and expressed that seeing the photo had brought a bittersweet smile to her face during one of the hardest times in her life—the passing of her father not the day before. I could tell her message was filled with both gratitude and emotion, and she shared how her family took it as sign that he was still with them, watching over them in that moment of pure joy and beautiful sorrow. That’s when it hit me. We’re not just event planners and professionals; we’re memory makers. At events, we give people a break from their lives, their daily grind. And for a moment in time, they forget about their worries and fears. They laugh. They cry. Maybe drink a little, too. But most importantly, we help them craft the stories of their lives. My path into the event industry may differ than most, but it started in a similarly impactful world: opera. With opera, I learned the power of touching lives through performance and music. Whether it was Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro or Puccini’s La Boheme , music could move an audience to tears, tickle them with laughter, or even make them yell scheußlich at the end of the opera. (Yes, the Germans never hold back how something really makes them feel!) As a young opera singer, I filled my schedule between gigs by helping around my family’s wedding venue, Madera Estates. This is where I found a similar kind
of magic. Both worlds aimed to create unforgettable experiences that left a lasting mark on people's hearts. Events give those that attend them a break from the mundane, a chance to connect, or even a way to experience something new. It could be the laughter at an unrehearsed Best Man’s speech at a wedding, the awe of a captivating story of a keynote speaker, or the excitement of live entertainment at a holiday party. At its core, our industry is all about crafting these moments that later become the foundation to lifelong stories—our memories . But the memories we help create go beyond the event itself. They become cherished stories that people carry with them, embellished around new friends, retold countless times at family gatherings, and passed on to our children and grandchildren. These stories become our greatest gift, a small token of our experiences that define us. As we head into the busiest of seasons, the story of the father-daughter dance photo serves as an important reminder that what we do is more important than we think. Our purpose is not just about executing a perfect event; it’s about crafting moments that touch people’s lives in ways we may never know. It is humbling to know that a picture could bring such comfort to a grieving bride, a true privilege to play a small part in what is perhaps the greatest memory of her life. In the end, if we can touch even one person's life, we've done our job. And just like my days on the opera stage, the true measure of our success lies in the smiles, tears, and memories we help create.
At events, we give people a break from their lives, their daily grind. And for a moment in time, they forget about their worries and fears.
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SPECIAL EVENTS FALL 2024
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