We recently connected with Gabriella Maenza and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gabriella, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Starting in the event industry at the age of 15 truly empowered me to learn and withstand so many components that can come up when planning and executing any type of event.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
We specialize in weddings and special events mainly focused on full planning and partial planning. I have a deep love for making other people happy and bringing their visions to life. Being creative and hands-on to create lasting memories and exciting experiences for all of my clients.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My love for events and making special moments come to life started at a young age with planning my family talent shows. Once I truly started working as a young teen, I worked for a kid’s bounce house place that hosted birthday party events and the owners went through a “Chick-fil-A” hospitality course and incorporated so many tools that became very impactful to my career.
Three points that have stuck with me from that very first job were: 1: always know the name of your guests/clients, 2: learn the preferences and background story of your guests/clients and 3: always go above and beyond what is expected!
Some advice for those early on in this industry would be to always be self-aware and listen to those who you are working with/for and take a little something you learn from each person.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents instilled in me was getting a job at a young age and sending me off to another city to go away for college. This allowed me learn so many skill sets at a young age and propelled me to start my own business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ellaeventsbygm.com
- Instagram: @ellaeventsbygm
- Facebook: ‘ella events by Gabriella Marie
Image Credits
Alex Michele Photos Stephanie Lynn Paula Jackson Photography Melissa Piontkowski Eloi Photography Meghan Caitlin Photography Michelle Lawson Photography
