During my final quarter at Northwestern University, I organized, designed, and co-hosted The Supper Club, a 5-course, 60-guest guided dining experience with an emphasis on care, connection, and community. Upon arrival, guests were invited to leave their phones in a basket and mingle amidst interactive hors d'oeuvres before sitting down for table-service bread and entree courses, followed by family-style dessert — reflecting a progression from strangers to acquaintances to friends. The evening also consisted of a live jazz trio, conversation cards, hand written letters (from the guests at one service to the next), and gift bags to remember and reproduce the experience by. I was responsible for the ideation and curation of the experience as well as the planning and execution of logistics (securing a venue, acquiring funding, budgeting said funding, delegating timelines, and managing guest communication). Although this was my first endeavor as an event designer/coordinator/host, my background in theatre production and photography equipped me with the organizational, creative, and interpersonal skills necessary to succeed. Emailing venues and vendors is something that I have become extremely comfortable with as a lighting designer. Timing out the courses felt akin to timing out scene transitions as a set designer. And through my experience as a freelance photographer, I have come to deeply value the act of meeting new people and tailoring an experience to their unique character. 

The Supper Club was an original idea never before seen on the Northwestern campus, and it is an example of a time when I delivered results above and beyond expectations precisely because embracing novelty and exceeding expectations was part of the intention. As such, it was a project for which models of creative collaboration, funding, and labor delegation had to be built from scratch by drawing inspiration and pulling resources from the Multicultural Center, Segal Design Institute, WAVE Productions (student theatre group), and the School of Communication Faculty.

The most important part of an event experience is specificity of intention and all aspects of the event — venue, guest list, F&B, dress code, music, giveaways, etc. — cohesively reflecting said intention. Curating details around a clear narrative set as the foundation of the event leads to meaningful and memorable engagement where in attendees feel like they play an integral role in the experience — because they do!

Aligning event photography with brand messaging requires pre-event communication and preparation. I like to have a conversation with my client about how they intend to use the photos and what emotion they want them to evoke so that I can use the information to develop a shotlist, know how much direction to give (i.e. posed versus candid), and tailor my editing style!