Event Planners on Tech: Nicky Wyman, Founder at Collective

When it comes to New York’s new venues, restaurants, clubs and event spaces, ask Nicky Wyman and she'll have no problem filling you in on the next big thing. That’s the business she’s in.

Collective helps new venues launch, using events as a key tactic to turn new locations with no exposure into uber hip hotspots. “We make it a point to give a select handful of curated guests an organic taste, and then strategically introduce the space through targeted media placements so you as the customer are aware of it from multiple trusted sources”, says Nicky, who orchestrates her venue launch campaigns out of her office on Broadway in SoHo. “It’s important to expose people to the space gradually, so you keep the excitement and curiosity building.”Nicky is a professional when it comes to curating audiences. She started in-house learning from world class event designer David Monn, oversaw PR events at Nadine Johnson, and educated herself on the venue side of the business at Morgans Hotel Group. In her years as a planner, she ran the velvet rope for such names as Chanel, Prada, and the MLS All Star Team. At Collective, she now draws from all these experiences, and adds her own special touch. Nicky is the kind of driven, organized event planner who's also a bit of a dreamer - constantly on the hunt for a wild new idea to make her next event shine.

What do you like the most about being an event planner?

Watching the experiential elements of a specific event that we’ve conceptualized over the course of a project come to life. A lot of these things start out as seemingly wild and slightly absurd ideas, and we refine them until they are the most impactful. Watching a guest’s surprise and delight while interacting with these experiences we dream up is the most rewarding part of my job.

What else fascinates you about events?

Events offer an experiential and physical manifestation of a brand. They allow us to introduce an idea through the five senses, and every element from the ingredients in the cocktails to how a space smells, are tailored to develop a narrative. It’s a challenge but if it’s executed properly, the guests leave and take a piece of that brand with them, which is extremely satisfying. I think every good day is an excuse to have a party, and I get to do that for a living.

What other events do you create besides launching new venues?

We often have to find ways to re-introduce a space that’s been open for a while, and hosting an event is a great way to do just that.

What is your biggest event nightmare?

Prior to using a rock-solid guest list app, it used to be large guests lists not printing properly. It’s impossible to run a smooth door when your list is a mess. Now I think the biggest nightmare is when Mother Nature literally rains on your parade. Unfortunately we can’t control the weather and events are often subject to the ability of your guests to get to them. We worked for weeks on a 500 person Halloween party scheduled for October 31st, 2012, then Hurricane Sandy hit.

Are you using any tools to manage your entire planning process, if so which ones and why?

We use Google Sheets for budgeting, and have an internal event checklist that we work off of to ensure that all of our bases from catering, to staffing, to security, are covered.

"zkipster is our go–to on event days. The ability to manage seating plans, have a copy of the invitation on hand for our check in team to see, and use their guest picture integration to identify guests makes it a one stop shop."

What applications are you using to stay organized on event days?

zkipster is our go–to on event days. The ability to manage seating plans, have a copy of the invitation on hand for our check in team to see, and use their guest picture integration to identify guests makes it a one stop shop.

What websites, applications or services are you using to find event venues and what do you like about them?

I’ve always relied heavily on BizBash to see what’s new, and we love working with the team from Space in The Raw. We regularly work with brands who produce pop-ups, and they always have new and interesting spaces for us to see. We also list some of our more unique venues on The Venue Report, which is a resource for beautiful unconventional venues from all over the world.

What’s your favorite application or service for marketing your events and why?

Many of our events are private, so we are strategic about who we market them to. For those that are public, we rely on a mix of targeted media placements and partnerships with social media influencers to spread the word.

What applications are you using to engage your event attendees and why?

We encourage our guests to interact with our brands on social media throughout the event, so we work a social component into every event or campaign. Whether it’s a simple hashtag printed on a cocktail napkin, or a photobooth activation like Bosco, which allows guests to share images from the event, along with corresponding hashtags, directly to their social pages.

How have you used technology to add a special or unique touch to your event?

We’ve worked with several technology brands including Samsung, Dell, and Microsoft. We’re often asked to integrate their technology into the event in a seamless and often unexpected way, whether it’s screening winning films at the SHNIT Short Film Festival Awards Ceremony on tablets in the Microsoft Screening Room, or using an app on a Samsung Galaxy to transform party guests into Zombies for the World War Z Premiere. Many of our events are private, so we are strategic about who we market them to. For those that are public, we rely on a mix of targeted media placements and partnerships with social media influencers to spread the word.

Now for the rapid fire round! Tell us which application or service you’re using for:

Event registration:Fetcher, a new email management tool for PR and event professionals, manages our guest list database and sends out personalized invitations.Ticketing:Splash! It’s great to be able to create visually stunning homepages for each event.Guest check-in, seating, name badges, staff and guest alerts:zkipsterMeeting scheduling: I recently got a virtual assistant from x.ai! His name is Andrew and he schedules all of my meetings. We also use UBER Conference to keep our calls organized.Team and/or staff management: A mix of Dropbox, Google DrivePresentations:PowerPointSpace/floor plan design:SketchUp or Floorplanner

What applications or services are you using after your event to help you evaluate its success?

We use our guest list tool to manage attendance at the event, alert us in real-time when media check in, and track social media metrics. We then use Meltwater to monitor all mentions about our events in the press.

Finally, what piece of event tech can’t you live without?

This may seem like a silly answer but my iPhone. It’s operations HQ for Collective – now that every tool we use has a corresponding app, I can be simultaneously monitoring guests as they arrive in real time, uploading images from our event to our Dropbox so someone back in the office can distribute them, and responding to emails from clients. Come to think of it, a mophie to keep my iPhone charged 24-7 is the tech I can’t live without. Without my Mophieon event days, none of the above is possible!Photography: Nora Becker