Cheryl Cecchetto Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique Interview

Cheryl Cecchetto Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique Interview

Cheryl Cecchetto drew from her 25 years at the top of events when she delivered her keynote seminar Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique – the Hollywood Way at tradeshow, Sydney's Event Showcase on the 14th of August 2013.

Cheryl Cecchetto, Founder and President of Sequoia Productions, is globally renowned in the world of event planning. Ms Cecchetto manages and directs prestigious events including G'DAY USA Australia Week (10 years), the Emmys® Governors Ball (16 years) and the Oscars® Governors Ball (24 years), in addition to regularly masterminding special events throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Ms Cecchetto's 90 minute presentation will reveal how, after years of experience, she continues to raise the benchmark and set the standards for innovation and unrivalled production value. She will share her tips on successful and effective event production and describe how she and her team keep their ideas fresh and unique.

'I've been working on the G'Day USA Event in Los Angeles for 10 years, through which I have developed a love affair with all things Australian! I am very much looking forward to talking to the Australian event industry, meeting as many of my fellow event colleagues as possible and sharing some of my experiences."

'I'll be talking about some of my work, and how I believe the role of an event producer is to create experiences - ones that live on in the memory of the guest long after they have gone home, and more importantly, how to do that successfully year after year," said Ms Cecchetto.

Sydney's Event Showcase, and co-located Australian Business Events Expo, will be held on the 14th -15th of August 2013 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.
To view the full line up of the 2013 Event Seminar Program: sydney.eventshowcase.com.au

Interview with Cheryl Cecchetto Founder and President of Sequoia Productions

Question: Can you tell us a little bit about the main messages from your seminar -Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique – the Hollywood Way'?

Cheryl Cecchetto: I talked about inspiration in my seminar -Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique – the Hollywood Way' and one of the quotes I use from Paul Smith is that 'You can find inspiration in everything (and if you can't, look again)". I personally don't get my inspiration from the internet, I'm very much inspired by an environment if that is a bookstore, colours or a museum.


Question: What is the most important part of an event?

Cheryl Cecchetto: I think that the most important aspect about an event is outdoing yourself and really looking for the wow factor; I explained in -Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique – the Hollywood Way' that is what Hollywood wants. Hollywood wants to make sure that when people walk in, they're excited to see what is next and that can be accomplished through so many levels including a fabulous new star!

This year at the Emmys® Governors Ball we had Judith Hill perform who made it to the top six of The Voice contestants. Judith Hill is a fabulous talent who everyone was so enamored with.

At the Sydney's Event Showcase, at the very end, as a complete surprise as only 2 or 3 people knew about it, I had Jessica Mauboy in the audience and she performed with a hand-held microphone and we threw a track on and she sang - she did not even rehearse. The surprise element is what the guests will go home talking about!


Question: Can you talk us through a day of an event producer in regards to event preparation?

Cheryl Cecchetto: Our events are prepared for six to eight months out from the event and a day of event preparation for me involves hovering around the events that are underneath my domain and they are the Emmys, the Oscars and the G'DAY USA Black Tie Gala. I handle the stage while my Vice President handles the Food and Beverage.

A day for me includes going from meeting to meeting to meeting. When we produce an event we have a pre-production timeline and we balance with the timeline to maintain. In my meetings we discuss what we've realised; I have a team that accounts to me and I look at their list and what they need to keep on track and of course make sure they're on track.


Question: Can you talk us through what your role entails, once you're at an event?

Cheryl Cecchetto: At the event itself I do nothing but troubleshoot, 100%. I don't give myself a task, I run around talking to the clients and the VIP guests to make sure there aren't any issues. If something does crack and there is an issue then I handle it however I do not assign anything to me on the day of.


Question: Does each event get easier, of do you find creating a new and unique event harder, each time?

Cheryl Cecchetto: I'd love to say that it gets easier but it doesn't! What's harder is to find the time to find a fresh idea. I have to lock up my set schedule to leave, contemplate and get down time – that is what's harder, the down time. I am restructuring my office right now and I'm a control freak which would have been conveyed in the -Keeping Events Fresh, Innovative and Unique – the Hollywood Way' presentation; I have to let go of some areas in order for my mind to be available to new ideas and inspiration.


Question: What originally inspired you to take this career path?

Cheryl Cecchetto: I went to the States as an actress; I've been on several shows as an actress including Golden Girls and LA Law. I was raised in hospitability service with an Uncle who had a huge event location and I worked with him from the age of 15, I had always been surrounded by huge events at my home and it was my part-time job whilst studying. I have a theatrical background with a lot of stage training and one thing led to the other; it wasn't my intention to go into this business but I was running the floor, the catering portion, for a catering company and I was picked out of the crowd by the academy because the person I was answering to never showed up so I was pushed into meetings where I would give suggestions. It was the academy controllers that asked me to come and represent the academy; at that time events were much different as they were really tablecloths and flowers – not the full production they are now.
I realised by accidently falling into the role of events that it was something that I was good at and loved and after my dear Italian father gave me permission to divorce my acting career (as that's why he had sent me to school to train for), one thing grew into another and it began. If you do one thing good somebody else finds out about it and then you work for them afterwards.


Question: What advice would you give someone who was looking at starting in the world of events production and management?

Cheryl Cecchetto: There are great courses at University now where you can train as an Events Producer or Events Planner. What I think is most important is gaining experience, interning. I hire 50% of my interns, which is incredible. 50% of my staff are not interns but 50% of my interns, I hire because they show up and get the job done. I have an intern now who is in her second year of University and she is so fast!

I think you need to gain experience because if you want to be an event producer look at all the elements of the events and go intern in each element for a couple of months.


Question: Do you have a website?

Cheryl Cecchetto: Yes! On http://www.sequoiaprod.com you can like us on Facebook, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest.


Interview by Brooke Hunter