RELATED WORK
As many people find throughout their tenure within a company, their roles shift and morph over time. After leaving the fashion industry, I took my fabric knowledge and was hired to be simultaneously a sales consultant and the protégé of the matriarch and linen manager of a family owned event rental company. Two weeks later, she announced her retirement -effective immediately, and I was left to figure it out on my own.
I was hosting our clients in the showroom for design meetings, and in between was meeting with fabric vendors from all over the country. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was conducting user research right there in our showroom. I was able to get first hand data from our users as to what they are seeking and identify the gaps in our inventory. I was able to translate our casual anecdotal conversations during the design consultations and build a successful new line of specialty linens that were selling at double and triple the price of our previous basic linens. More importantly however, our customers were excited about our new options. Their events were more unique and they felt their styles were reflected in the new collections and their experience with the company was fun and exciting and creative.
Quickly, the need for new, fresh items expanded from linens to other product lines like chairs, china, flatware and glassware. Before buying trips, I would have meetings with the sales team to discuss what other repeated requests they had heard. I even went as far as to create a spreadsheet for the sales team to fill out if they received a request for a product we didn't have. Monthly I would collect the data, if there was a significant enough percentage of need, we would seek to add it to our inventory.
When I started learning more about UX design and what it truly meant, being an advocate for the users, learning their needs and making the experience better for them. It all struck me that it is parallel to what I already have been doing with my career in events. With both the Commander's Mansion and Peterson Party Center, I was inadvertently acting as the researcher and designer. Now that I can put a name to what I have been doing all these years, I feel as though I am on the right path to satisfy more users in a greater capacity than just events.
This photo is an example of a networking event I spoke before in 2016 discussing trend reporting for the upcoming events season.
KIND WORDS
"Gina, Tammy and the entire team at the Commander's Mansion made our wedding truly exceptional. From their warm, friendly approach to planning to their candid, open communication throughout the process, we never felt out of touch or confused about when and where things needed to happen. They made us — and made all of our guests, too — feel cared for, heard and valued. We almost want to get married again if it means we get to plan another event with Gina and Tammy — they are simply that good."
-Nick & Luke 10.1.23
"We worked primarily with Gina, who is a gem of a human being. She is warm, responsive, helpful, and sincerely cares about helping you make your day what you want it to be. I wish I could work with her every day!! She guided us through the whole wedding planning process and took care of so many details that allowed us to relax and really enjoy ourselves. We love her (and her dog Beans)."
-Matt & Becca 7.2.22
"I worked primarily with Gina, who is an absolute gem. She answered every question I had, and on the day of my event, took such good care of me. Because I didn't have a wedding party, I didn't have anyone to help me make things run smoothly. Gina was kind, warm, organized, and ready to lend a hand however I needed her. She checked in on me, made sure I was happy with things, and did it all with a smile on her face. We absolutely adored her."
-Katie & Roger 9.19.21