This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket Live at Cavallo Point on January 13, 2016 with special guests Ryan Bell, Founder of Periscope Community Summit, Carolyn Gerin of WedTech Summit and Sandy Hammer founder of AllSeated. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different.
Photography by Kien Pictures
Sound by Spencer Weddings & Entertainment
Sponsored by AllSeated , Cavallo Point , Smart Crowdz , Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants and Association for Wedding Professionals International.
Cavallo Point in Sausalito, CA
Special Guests:
Ryan Bell, Founder Of Periscope Community Summit
Ryan A Bell is the most connected human in live streaming. He builds strategies and partnerships for brands, celebrities and streamers. As Founder of @PeriscopeSummit, and Creator of @ZeroModeration he bridges live streaming with the mentality of community and philanthropy. He has been recognized by The Presidential Office for his volunteer work with Special Olympics and youth mentoring programs.
www.ryan.live or www.periscopesummit.com
Carolyn Gerin, WedTech Summit
A quiet storm amidst the social media milieu, Anti-Bride, the reality-driven, bestselling 3-book series was the first voice in the alterna-bridal pop cultural space — since 2002, the longest selling bridal title in the history of Chronicle Books — inspiring countless blogs in its wake. Carolyn Gerin is the Anti-Bride series creator, and introduced the notion that a one-size-fits-all wedding is a thing of the past, while innovation and personal style is the future. She also served as Sr. Editor of Destination I Do, the #1 international romance travel magazine for a decade.Today Carolyn is focused on wed-futurists with the first-to-market WedTech Summit conferences + community: providing the access point to the wed-market by uniting innovative wedding vendors, brands, influencers, platforms, players, investors, technologies and startups pivoting the space, all pointing to the digitally engaged wedding couple. Mission: to build the community, educate and innovate the wedding industry, and foster partnerships in a deal-making environment. .
Sandy Hammer, Co-Founder & CMO AllSeated
Sandy comes with her own entrepreneurial experience of having started two businesses, and has over twenty years of Marketing/Business Development experience in the publishing, art, and high tech industries. After 10 years of corporate planning for a high tech company – Sandy founded conferenceART a company that produces corporate conferences, seminars, forums and brokerage events around the world for customers such as Orange Global, Telefonica, and O2 UK, as well as many start-ups in Israel and the UK. Today Sandy is busy running AllSeated and loving every single minute!
Q1: How did you get involved with #WedTech ?
Ryan Bell: In my spare time I was writing about marriage and fatherhood and met the lovely people at WedTech. I just wanted to be involved so I volunteered… I always love being involved in other people’s awesome.
Carolyn Gerin: I am the co-founder of #WedTech Summit. We saw a need to highlight the tech, that drives the 300B wedding industry with an emphasis on saving time for WedPros. Wedtech showcases tech that solves problems + saves time for the digitally engaged couple.
Q2: What types of trends are you seeing in weddings and wedtech ?
Ryan Bell: Ha! Live streaming is something. Virtual visiting maybe we should call it.
Sandy Hammer: Movi, live event camera is cool, Polaroid snap is back but really different has recording, very cool have a look. Wearable tech is big the ring especially it projects. Robots that live stream your wedding and a mini camera in your bouquet.
Carolyn Gerin: Just in time menswear ‘rent the runway’ for tuxes @menguin . Virtual dressing rooms – your bridal party can team shop try it all on, online @weddingreality.
Q3: What #wedtech companies are making the biggest splash?
Sandy Hammer: 3D prining The sugar lab for wedding cakes. AllSeated is cool technology allowing for 3D floor plans!
Carolyn Gerin: Incubate. Open your wedding to your attendees: use your hashtag and it will show up on your dedicated event website/projector wall. Everyone contributes to your digital scrapbook @TINT.
Q4: Where can companies get ideas on where to begin before they start their wedtech biz?
Ryan Bell: Copy the people that are crushing it. Go to conferences like WedTech Summit. Ask the people they want to be like.
Carolyn Gerin: Look at the apps and platforms who have presented at past two @wedtechsummit. @Honeybook @Jetaport @TheBach @WeddingtonWay @AislePlanner @Manservant all getting funded and scaling. Look at the apps and platforms who are presenting at the upcoming @Wedtechsummit. @Menguin @AislePlanner @WeddingReality all getting funded and scaling @TINT.
Q5: What is the #WedTech Summit?
Carolyn Gerin: @Wedtechsummit 1st to market wedding/technology summit + community that showcasing innovative ech driving 300B industry. @wedtechsummit conferences plus community provides the access point to the wed-market by uniting innovative. #wedpros, brands, influencers,founders, tech + startups pivoting the space. @wedtechsummit helps brands + businesses reach the digitally engaged consumer through breaking tech.
Q6: How do #wedtech #startups obtain funding?
Sandy Hammer: They say always start with friends and family and then once you have a demo try for angel investing a good article to read. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/52742
Carolyn Gerin: Friends/Family/Angels + In kind services/trade + killer board + good media connex: build your MVP + launch then get another round like @Tint @WeddingReality @CoPromote @Menguin.
Q7: How is #wedtech changing thewedding planning process?
Carolyn Gerin: Real planners like @Blissful2B love @AislePlanner @Honeybook to run their back office + events to save save time+money. Real planners like @Blissful2B love @Freshbooks for accounting it’s @Quickbooks light save time+money. Real planners like @Blissful2B love @Clover platform at BofA to save time+money.
Sandy Hammer: Everything is immediate, everything is time saving, making you more efficient not sure about saving you money but there are a lot of products that are free. AllSeated is!
Q8: How long does it take for most #startups to get off the ground?
Sandy Hammer: They say 5 years but it can take you 2 year to build your technology you have around 3/4 years to get it in the market that is what they say today! Here is some inspiration if your thinking about it. http://www.inc.com/jeff-bercovici/2016-great-year-to-launch.html
Carolyn Gerin: It has taken us exactly 2 years + 3 events to get to this level of market traction with coverage @RandiZuckerberg http://wp.me/p3b52K-2oK . It has taken us exactly 2 years + 3 events to get to this level of market traction with coverage @Inc http://goo.gl/i5UmP9
Q9: What is your favorite #wedtech platform and why?
Carolyn Gerin: @AislePlanner @Honeybook for planning @Tint for social scrapbook @Menguin for menswear. @WeddingReality for virtual dressing room.
Q10: How are brides using platforms or app for planning their wedding?
Sandy Hammer: Not to keep pushing my company but brides today need good apps, they are DIY’s and need to be organized. Find check lists apps, timelines, guest lists, seating arrangements, floor plans and in 3D to show space and an app with reports would be great.
Q11: What #wedtech platforms can be useful to wedding pros?
Carolyn Gerin: @Allseated @Amazon Prime @AislePlanner @Clover platform @BofA @wedtechsummit.
Q12: What is @AllSeated ?
Sandy Hammer: At last! We are a event platform with tools for guest lists, seating arrangements, timeline, 3D, reports, scaled maps. We make you organized, save time, its simple makes it fun an most important we are FREE!
Q13: Who can use @AllSeated ?
Sandy Hammer: Anyone, DIY brides, Venues, Caterers, Vendors, Planners anyone that wants to make an event. Did I say its free.
Q14: Is there a fee to use the @AllSeated platform?
Sandy Hammer: Nope we are totally free!! Ask me why.
Q15: Where can they find more information on @AllSeated ?
Sandy Hammer: Www.allseated.com just go and register and start no download its a cloud base so you get a username and password.
Q16: In the year of video streaming how will #Periscope transform weddings?
Ryan Bell: Your attendees will skyrocket. Aunt Edna and Uncle Fred will be able to be there virtually even though they don’t fly. It will be a way to share your beautiful day with the world.
Q17: How can wedding pros use #Periscope to increase business?
Ryan Bell: Show what they’re doing to a new audience and utilize the content to connect with who engaged. They can be a leading expert in a very new landscape.
Q18: Should wedding pros purchase special audio equipment for their Periscopes?
Ryan Bell: Yes. It’s the same as making good video with a non-phone based camera. MXL microphones make the best mics that are meant specifically for mobile broadcasting. You’ll want a good mic ESPECIALLY if you’re far away from the bride and groom.
Q19: What do you recommend for tripods or mounts to Periscope with?
Ryan Bell: Definitely. I use Arkon Mounts. They have the widest variety and are the best at price point and quality. You DO NOT want to hold a phone through an entire wedding. I once left my tripod during an engagement and ended up holding the phone until my arm went numb. That sucked.
Q20: What makes people successful on Periscope?
Ryan Bell: Content and engagement. I always say that but really you have to define what “success” is. If it’s money then you can quantify that pretty easily… but if it’s a message you’re trying to convey then it’s a different discussion. It’s a lot easier to make money than it is to change the world. I’m trying to change the world and make money.
Q21: What other tips do you have for Periscope?
Ryan Bell: Find good scopers and watch them. Engage with them and ask them questions… share their broadcasts. You can see that there is a skill in crafting a story and keeping on track. Number one tip though is simple: Just Press the Damn Button. Don’t overthink it. Start broadcasting and see where it goes.
Q22: How do you use social media on a daily and weekly basis?
Ryan Bell: My team takes care of most of that. My personal brand isn’t important in the long run. I work on amplifying things that I’ve created with teams.
Sandy Hammer: We spend a lot of time on this use buffer you can set everything up once a week and it sends it out every day at any time you want its great. We’re on Social daily. We use Hootsuite and have a lot of #wedtech platforms reaching out to us on @LinkedIn.
Q23: What type of #WedTech do you think we might see in the future?
Sandy Hammer: Fashion shows with all the wed tech stuff would be cool…
Carolyn Gerin: Happening Now! Wearable Wed – light up heat up cool down fabrics that change color & move (projecting images) @CyrinaHadad
Q24: Where can we find more information about your company? #weddingmarket
Carolyn Gerin: Wedtechsummit.com Feb, 22-23, 2016Maui!
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