If there’s one skill that event planners have had to master in the past couple of years it’s this: flexibility. From having to push back dates or scale things down or go fully virtual, we’ve seen even the best planners put to the test to pull off incredible events with massive headwinds.
2022 is bound to bring its fair share of surprises. So if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you navigate the year ahead, here are nine influencers you should follow in 2022:
1. Akeshi Akinseye
Follow her: @keshevents
A full-service luxury planner, Akeshi, capably caters to her discerning clients servicing everything from floral design to destination weddings. With over 64,000 Instagram followers, Akeshi focuses on providing expert advice and inspiration to the event planning community. Check out her magazine, The Art of Celebrating, and her bi-weekly podcast, The Akeshi Akinseye Podcast, for her perspective on the latest industry trends and guest interviews. Akeshi even has some online courses if you’re looking to level up on skills like tablescaping.
2. Mindy Weiss
Follow her: @mindyweiss
Over the past 30 years, Mindy Weiss has built an event planning empire that includes vintage wedding accessories, best-selling books, and calming candles to help you relax on the big day. Based in LA, Mindy and her team balance impeccable attention to detail with calming energy draws in celebrity clientele. She is a party planner extradoiner to big-name stars including the Kardashians.
3. thestyleco
Follow them: @thestyleco
The event design team behind Melbourne, Australia’s spunky firm, The Style Co, is a brand that’s actually fun to follow on social media. You’ll see a nice variety of event inspiration from birthday bashes to weddings to corporate events and doozy dinner parties. The Style Co is an excellent example of a brand that has personality and uses it to attract its target audience. With 107k followers, they’re clearly onto something.
4. Calluna Events
Follow them: @callunaevents
Step outside of the city for a fresh look at all that Colorado event planning has to offer. Colorado’s Calluna Events is an example of a boutique event planning firm doing it right. With almost two decades of experience, Calluna specializes in customizable packages and authentic occasions. This is not just a local brand, nearly half of Calluna’s clients are from out of state and they have been named to BRIDES’ list of Best Wedding Planners in America for three consecutive years. Follow them for inspiration for rural weddings with plenty of glam.
5. Shannon Leahy
Follow her: @shannonleahyevents
Shannon Leahy and her team have accolades including being named as a top wedding planner by Harper’s Bazaar and Martha Stewart Weddings. Specializing in venue transformation, their website has a fun “best and after” section that shows you how dramatically Shannon and her team transform their venues. With the slogan “East Coast elegance and West Coast cool” the Shannon Leahy Events Instagram is a relaxing scroll of jaw-dropping bouquets, pristine table settings, and elegant invitations. Enjoy!
6. Lisa Vorce
Follow her: @lisavorce
When it comes to destination celebrations many event designers have a shortlist of destinations that they specialize in. If you’re looking to expand your destinations, look to Lisa Vorce for inspiration. From North California to Tuscany, from Barcelona to St. Barts, from Vietnam to Indonesia, Lisa and her team thrive on events in new destinations. She embraces new cultures and challenges with curiosity and wonder that makes her spaces swoon-worthy. It’s no wonder that celebrities like John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have turned to Lisa to plan their flawless wedding.
7. Kara
Follow her: @karaspartyideas
Looking for a break from all the wedding posts? Kara’s party ideas blog and social media are a breath of fresh air with cute kids’ parties, baby showers, holiday parties, and more. What we love about Kara’s site is that it’s really built to be a resource for readers. You’ll find literally millions of party ideas, recipes, tutorials, and free downloads for every imaginable event type. Trust us, you can spend many happy hours going down this charming rabbit hole.
8. Helena Paschal
Follow her: @helena_paschal
If you’re ready to take your event planning to the next level and strengthen your entrepreneurship skills, Helena Paschal is a must-follow. Recognized by Forbes for her leadership chops, Helena will pop up in your feed with helpful videos and pep talks to help you start taking your business seriously. She also has free trainings on everything from budgeting, vendor relationships, and more. Learn from her hard-won knowledge and gain the confidence you need to succeed in a challenging industry.
9. Sasha Souza
Follow her: @sashasouzaevents
Sasha Souza has 25 years of experience as a CEO in the events industry and close to a decade of experience as a professional mentor and coach. If you are looking to find community in the event industry, learn from top experts, and position, yourself online as a leading event designer yourself, Sasha’s mentoring might be exactly what you need to kickstart your growth. Start by listening to her free podcast, The Podcast for Creatives, and if you like what you hear consider joining her premium education portal, digital marketing trainings, and monthly Q&A with industry leaders.
Ready to take on 2022?
With some new inspiration in your social feeds, some new blogs to subscribe to, and podcasts to listen to, you have everything you need to make this year your best yet. Follow the experts to stay on top of the latest trends and learn some new skills.
Be sure to come back and read more articles on the EventUp blog too! We’re here to help.
