I am often asked if I have made any mistakes along the way and my answer is that I have made enough to write a book called Preston Bailey Bloopers.

Looking back recently through my archive of work, I have found many I’d like to share with you in hopes that you do not make the same design mistakes. However, as I’ve heard, if you make enough errors you might just eventually become an expert.

So, here are a few of my bloopers:

My idea for chair covers circa 1988.

I thought I was being so clever by taking all the additional tablecloths and wrapping them around each chair to create my own version of chair covers.
Blooper: They became undone during the party and folks started tripping over them. Oops! Also, is it just me or does this look a little bit like a wake?

Circa 2002

In this Harry Potter themed event, I used invisible wire to hang all LED candles from the ceiling.
Blooper: There were a few candles that fell around the guest’s heads. (Thank God for my great client who thought it was funny.)

Circa 1992

This was my first attempt at draping fabric in tent walls. Also my first attempt at decorating with trees.
Bloopers:

• Back wall poorly draped with exposed air conditioning vents.
• Have you ever seen sadder trees?
• I was soooo proud of my hand painted ceiling.

Okay, we are being very candid with each other–do you have the guts to tell me a few of your design or service bloopers? And hey, always keep in mind my old mantra, “The best way to improve is by learning from our mistakes.”

Giving comes natural to me and is a very wonderful thing. However, it’s important to choose the charities that are right for you and your business.

Every year, I work with three charities I have chosen and believe in. In fact, I had a fantastic experience working with the Wildlife Conservation Society Committee this year. This is actually the second year I have worked with this amazing group, and last year the chairperson was the fantastic Mrs. Stern, a class act herself.

What I loved about working with this group is, like with any client, they were very clear in what they wanted and was very realistic about how to get it. This year’s theme was “Flights of Fancy,” showcasing the extraordinary world of birds.

It was very easy for our director and event producer Vivia Costalas to make all arrangements with them, making this a very successful event. (Special thanks to Tiffany Reiser-Jacobsen, Director of Special Events at the Wildlife Conservation Society for all your amazing work!)

However, in the past, we have done several charity events that were very close to nightmare experiences. Here are a few issues we had to deal with:

1) They wanted everything for close to free. (This is perfectly okay if I chose the charity.)
2) The committee was a group of several people with completely different tastes. (Very little chance in pleasing them with any design.)
3) They assured me that I’d be getting new business from this benefit. (Good news: yes I have gotten jobs. Bad news: they wanted it to be as cheap as the benefit that I did for almost nothing.)

This is my humble advice for choosing the right charity:

• When you are first starting out, this is a good way to get exposure. However, make sure that you do not spend a penny of your money (except if you want to of course). You should at least do this at cost, and if possible try to make a small profit.
• If you are working with a committee, make sure you only answer to one person, and that this person makes all design decisions.
• If you are doing this event for close to nothing, you need to be very clear about how they are planning to promote you, aside from writing your name in the programs. There is always someone in charge of publicity. Make sure your name appears in all press materials.
• Like myself, choose three or four charities a year that are very dear and special to you, and learn to say no to others. Since these are not big profit makers, you need to be careful not to start losing too much time and money. (I’ve been there.)

As I said, giving is always a great thing, but be careful about those charming committees who may seduce you with promises. What do you think? And what are your top three favorite charities?

I’d like to start this blog by asking a very simple question. What is your hourly rate? And how did you come up with this rate? Did you take into consideration the following:

• How much time you spend with the client either in person, by phone or mail
• How much time you spend researching and designing
• The time you spend executing the job
• The time you also spend after the job is over–breakdowns or follow-ups of any kind

I get so excited while designing a job that I used to forget that, aside from creating a great design, my time is also very valuable. I also used to get so excited about the design itself that I got into a lot of financial problems in the past. I had a tendency to give away stuff to make the job more beautiful (great for clients but not too good for business).

My main reason for designing was never about money (even though, thank God this followed), it was always about creating great design. If you are like me, I had and still do have a very difficult time understanding my own worth. So now, I have a couple pieces of very important advice for all you artists who love your businesses:

• Get someone else to sit with you to discuss and establish your worth.
• Under no circumstances should you discuss pricing and money directly with your clients. (This positions you as always being the artist you are and never haggling about money. Have someone else in your company do this.)

I was lucky enough to find a great comptroller to do this job for many years. That was, without question, my first step into the high-end market. However, you could also ask a savvy accountant, your spouse or good colleague who knows you well in helping you establish your real worth.

I understand that we are all having a challenging time with the economy, but if you don’t plan on giving yourself a raise, no one else will. If not this year, then plan carefully for next year.

When was the last time you gave yourself a raise? Are you aware of your own worth? Is there anyone in your office or family that knows you well enough to help?

I have employed folks with amazing resumes and education; I have even called their old jobs to get references–but these folks turned out to be a big disappointment as workers.

Last week I talked about the importance of taking care of those who work for you, this week I’d like to address what I think makes a great employee. Here are a few important qualities I look for:

• I love folks who are rule breakers, even those who challenge me to break my own rules. If you were a fly on our office wall, you’d hear a lot of very heated discussions (including yelling at times) of my staff defending their points of view. I LOVE THIS. I encourage my folks to teach me things I do not know.
• I need to feel an instinctive connection with my employees. I have met some people for the first time and offered them jobs almost immediately. When I first met my Executive Director Vivia Costalas I knew she was someone I needed on my team. I call her “my secret weapon.” She is a force to be reckoned with and always has the ability to go the extra mile to do a great job.
• Commitment: They need to live, breathe and love the event industry. One of my most committed folks is my CEO Xoua Vang. Since many of our businesses are in different time zones (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Europe, the Middle East), Xoua will be in the office until 2am working most days. That is what I call commitment.
• Fun: I tend to be very laid back with my life in general, and I love folks around me who are not afraid to stop and make a fool of themselves and have a good laugh. I have had the biggest laugh with Karell (my online Goddess), Jee, Camille, Rae, Merv, Nikita, Sanaw, Luiz, Duda, Junior, Anne and Iqbal.

The event business can be rather stressful at times, but we can survive anything with a good laugh. So, for me, no college degree or suits are required–just good ol’ fun creative folks.

If you were applying for a job in our company, what attributes do you think you could add to our group? Let me know.

My wonderful staff decided to throw me a surprise party for my 61st birthday. Here are some pictures from that day.

Because my business has my name, I often encounter folks who think I am doing the events all by myself. No, I am not. In fact, I rely on an amazing and talented group of people to bring these huge events to life.

My job is strictly to design these events, present and sell them to my clients. (I still love doing this after many years.) Besides being the boss, I see myself as being (at times) a friend, counselor, or whatever they need me to be. I attribute most of my success to this very dedicated group of folks with whom I work.

My Creative Director and CFO.

A few members of my amazing floral design team.

So, what I do not understand is why some people resist taking proper care of their employees. For me, it is very simple. My clients are technically my bosses. I expect respect and proper compensation from them, which is the same thing I then give my employees.

If you have a company or staff, here are a few suggestions (some are must-do’s–I’ll let you decide which ones) to keep your employees happy:

• Pay them properly. I sincerely believe that salaries should be higher than just bare minimum. We should all remember that we get as much as we give.
• No micro-managing. If you have the right folks for the job, you need to give them a lot of room to be creative. Of course, this will be a huge benefit for you too. (Less time on your part, and higher quality results from your employees.)









• Don’t forget that you generally spend more waking time with your company than with your family. Treat them accordingly and you’ll be surprised at the results.
• Trust them. Your employees should always be trusted to represent you with the same care and concern you give your clients.

The hardest thing I find is losing one of my valued folks, except, of course, when they are moving on to start their own journey like the fantastic Sean Low. Next week we’ll discuss what to look for in a great assistant.