Day in the Life | Necoya Tyson
Welcome to our “Day in the Life” series! We feature wedding and event planners from around the world with many different levels of experience. If you would like to be featured, download our questionnaire here and email your responses and photos to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature Virginia wedding planner Necoya Tyson today!
Name: Necoya L. Tyson
Business Name & Location: All About You Event Management, LLC. Alexandria, VA
Years Working in the Event Industry: 13
Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 8
Website: www.aayouevents.com
Business Facebook Page: All About You Event Management
Instagram: @aayouevents
What is your typical day like?
My day usually starts at 6:00 am. I have a little one (he’s 5 years old and just started kindergarten), so I try to get up early and get a head start to the day before he wakes up.
I start my day by finding an inspirational or funny quote that I can use throughout the day. Most times I post it to my personal social media pages to either motivate others or make them laugh. I believe that laughter is such an important part of one’s life! Once I do that, I look at my to-do list for the day and decide what should be tackled first, by order of importance/event.
My time is split between my home office and my office in Old Town Alexandria. I also do contract work for an association in Arlington, VA, so sometimes I’m there as well.
No matter where I am, I make sure to take some sort of break; even if it’s for only 15 minutes. Whether it’s to eat, take a walk, pray/meditate, or just BREATHE. Those of us in the events industry are always on the go and have a tendency to work nonstop until we’re too exhausted or burnt out. But we have to remember that those breaks are necessary for our sanity.
My afternoons are spent reviewing contracts (or negotiating contracts), completing timelines or set up documents and really just making sure that things are running smoothly and in order. Afternoons are also spent catching up on emails, voicemails and making follow up phone calls with clients or vendors.
Most days end around 6:00 pm and home by 7:00 (don’t you just love that Northern VA/DC traffic?) Unless there’s a happy hour with my name on it! But now that my son is in school, I make it a priority to be home in a timely manner so that he can tell me about his day and I can be there to read his bedtime story and put him to bed.
How did you get started in the industry?
I started working in the events industry as soon as I graduated from college. My first job was for an association in Durham, NC where I worked as a Community Development Coordinator. In that role, I was responsible for planning the company’s 10 Year Anniversary celebration and I’ve been hooked ever since.
I currently hold two designations: CEM (Certified in Exhibition Management) and CGMP (Certified Government Meeting Professional). I’m also a CEM faculty member, where I teach CEM courses to those in the exhibitions & events industry.
I started my business in 2009 when the company that I worked for laid off several people. My first thought was that my job (meetings & exhibits manager) is one that could easily be outsourced….to someone just like me (a contractor)! So I pulled out all of the “How to Start an Event Planning Business” books that I’d purchased from Barnes & Noble years prior, and the rest is history. I’ve always had a love for event planning and design. So it was an easy segue from corporate events to weddings. For me, it’s all about the logistics.
What inspires you?
Some great sources of inspiration for me: WeddingWire and Style Me Pretty. I love their websites and blogs. Very informative and I share a lot of information from them with my clients.
Target is my favorite store. Sometimes I go there just go get ideas on ways to set up a unique seating area for an event/client. Or to see what color palettes go well together.
I love the water. So any place near a lake, ocean, creek, river, etc. makes me happy and gives me great ideas. There’s a creek that flows through the back of my condo building and some days I’ll just bring my laptop to the back porch and work there while listening to the sounds of the water flowing.
I also love teaching/mentoring those who are just starting out in the business. I enjoy sharing my experiences with the hopes that those that are up-and-coming planners can learn something from my successes as well as my mistakes.
What are your favorite online resources for your business?
The Knot, Wedding Wire, Virginia Bride Magazine, and of course The Planners Lounge.
Aside from wedding and event planning, how do you spend your time?
Reading is my favorite pastime. I own hundreds of books from self-help, to fiction, to murder mystery. I also enjoy writing in my journal. It calms me and puts things into perspective. Most of my free time is spent with my family when I’m home.
And when I’m not traveling for work/business, I’ll enjoy an extended nap. LOL!
Necoya, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and a day in your life. If you are an event planner and would like to be featured, download our questionnaire today and email it to us along with a photo. If you aren’t sure about being featured, take a few minutes to read how it can help your business.
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