We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke Geis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brooke, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
After Graduating from my undergrad I have always found myself volunteering to lead employee engagement responsibilities and roles. Looking back at my career. I have over ten years of digital marketing experience, but I am the most proud of the work I have done with employee engagement and event planning. I have always had a passion for planning events that help employees feel more engaged in their workplace along with events that have help the companies I have worked for with sales through create memorable experiences.
I have always felt a magnet pull toward planning events to get people together, and after the Pandemic I had a passion to get people gathered and hosting in their homes again. I started an event planning company in Cincinnati, OH. After working with a few clients I quickly realized my passion for events was fuel with food design and Grazing tables.
I noticed a lot of people spent a lot of time planning the details for their events and left the food for the end and it was coming up short, so I would volunteer my services to make it look pretty. And that is how The Borrowed Table was born. I now have a passion and purpose behind food design and Charcuterie in Cincinnati, OH.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The Borrowed Table is an event planning company that helps local host or business owners with Food Design, Charcuterie or Grazing tables. This last year I have hosted some Charcuterie classes for non profits and individuals that want to have a fun night out while learning the art of Charcuterie.
One of my favorite offerings is Rent a Host. I love to do all the work for you. How many times do you want to throw a party and your exhausted with the prep and then you don’t get to enjoy your party being the host. That is where I love to come in and make sure the flow of the part is going smoothly and then also I take care of the clean up. All you have to do is show up for your party.
My passion comes from Food design. matching the colors to your themes with fun fruits of vegetables, or event corky themes where you have tomatoes as your table runners or charcuterie down your tables for an edible center piece. I have always had a love for art and when I get to incorporate it with food its even better!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the most impactful qualities that has fueled my journey has been my ability to network. All of the roles I have had out of college have included either sales or community outreach. My husband and I have had to move quite a bit with his role at GE and so I have quickly learned how to grow my community around me. One of the best things you can do is learn how to talk to people and be a good network for the people around you.
Right out of college I was thrown into a pretty intense outdoor sales role. Even through is was an awful work environment it taught me how to talk to anyone, CEO, President, secretary etc. It showed me how every roles within a department was vital and it pushed me into my masters of Organizational Leadership where I learned about how to build teams and employee moral.
My event planning experience helped me to be quick on my feet and fast to respond to situation. You can usually find a way to pivot out of any situation that comes up no matter how intense it might feel in the moment.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Cincinnati, OH has blown me away by the amount of incredible creatives in this area. I have met so many business owners and those partnership are honestly the number one way I have been able to grow my business. This year I have learned about styled shoots and those have been not only fun but incredibly successful for my brand.
I really enjoy partnering with venues, Cincinnati creatives, wedding vendors and then also individuals who love to host themselves.
This year I have been excited to launch Day of Brunch Boards and Tables. This is a beautiful brunch spread for Brides and the bridal parties to enjoy on their big day. If you have a venue that that is looking for an elevated experience for your brides or events I would love to partner with you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theborrowedtable.com
- Instagram: @the.borrowed.table
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-geis/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-borrowed-table-cincinnati
Image Credits
Photo credits Kate Klymenko
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
