We were lucky to catch up with Melinda Ebert recently and have shared our conversation below.
Melinda, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I have often had to pull myself up after being shoved down. My faith that there is more for me out in the world if I open my mind to look for it has been the consistent factor in pulling me back up. I know I am on the earth for something bigger than just me so as long as I keep my eyes open and keep moving forward regardless of setbacks, I will be in a positive headspace. I may get knocked down but that won’t stop me from regrouping, forgiving and coming back stronger than I was before. Each knock down/out keeps making me stronger as a person and as a person in business. The diligence in my heart is what keeps me moving.
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?
I love what I do…..I create moments that make memories. Every person who attends an event I or someone else puts on has memories of the event. Some are more memorable than others pending the people and the situations. My goal as a creative is to take the event to the next level so it becomes the one memories are made and FOMO kicks in when the next one comes around over events that follow a common pattern and just blend into the many options this city offers. I believe creating memories with emotional attachment is important and I use multiple tried and true methods to do this. I really enjoy seeing people enjoying themselves as a result of my hard work but even more so, I enjoy hearing about it 6 months later when people discuss it like it was last night!
My upcoming projects are working with HOWL at the MOON music festival in Evansville, IN in April 2024 as well as joining forces with HOWL pro wrestling league (2 completely different businesses!) starting in 2024. Come join the fun!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three top skills I have learned are hospitality, human behavior (react and respond), and communication. I believe these three skills/personality qualities are key in event planning.
Hospitality: Learning how to serve others, “read their minds” to know their needs, and prepare to respond to uncomfortable or uncontrollable situations is crucial when it comes to planning events and working with people in general. When you are practiced in how to respond to chaos, it can be lessened and dispelled and not cause a negative response from the guest/customer/client. Being honest and truthful (transparent) is important to help both sides understand and respond better together.
Human Behavior: Learning about basic personality types and how they react and respond to situations is important so you can speak the language of the listener when problem solving as well as when introducing and expressing new ideas and thoughts. If the receiver can’t understand the language you speak, then it is hard for them to comprehend and they will reject it immediately. Knowing who you are talking to is important also for marketing to your target audience to ensure they are excited to be there. It will also help with event logistics and how to create a schedule and pathways to/from locations involved.
Communication: Being a good communicator is important as is being able to do it in multiple forms (written, verbal, pictures) I am an over communicator so not receiving communication from others is frustrating as I am guessing it is for the people you are working with. When you learn the above two mentioned, this point is much easier to do!
My advice for early entrants for this journey, is to learn, learn, learn, and keep learning how people react and respond to situations based on their age, personality, and past experiences…each generation has a history to pull on and each person has a personality to work with. Each event has a target audience to which it is meant, what is the personality of that audience and how to you best communicate with them? Learn to be a chameleon and adapt your style according to audience need.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
In the events industry, it is sometimes overwhelming to have multiple large events happening at the same time all in different stages of development. I find my head spinning with things I need to do and people I need to talk to and it sometimes seems that it all has to happen at the same time. When this happens, my natural instinct is to shut down and sleep a lot. When I see this pattern happening, I immediately go into action. The first thing I do is find something to do with my hands. This forces me to focus on something else for a moment and calm myself down. Next, I do something that makes my brain process in a different manner. Often, for me personally, working in the kitchen making a new dish or making bread or something like that tends to be my go to. This is my natural tendency toward efficiency coming out….I learn something new to occupy my brain as my hand are doing the work. If this isn’t enough or efficiency is not wise, I turn to music and learning a new instrument or new song to play forcing my to make my brain work differently. After a break like that, I am able to better process what is happening in work world and can break down the chaos into a more organized process.
For anyone just starting down this path, first step is recognizing your natural coping mechanisms and determine if they are healthy or not, then do something to change your thought process totally unrelated to your job. This will help your brain refocus so you can move forward. It also boarders on personal care keeping you somewhat sane. (smiles)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.topentertainment.rocks
- Instagram: @topentrocks
- Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaebert/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaebert/
- TikTok @melindaebert That One Place Rocks
Image Credits
I took the photos myself or have permission to use them. These are all from casual settings.
