The Wedding Biz – Episode 449 SUSAN KIDWELL: Tenting 101 & Space Transformation
Today’s guest is Susan Kidwell, the general manager with Hensley Event Resources! For the last thirty years, Susan has continued to raise the bar when partnering with planners and designers to create unique ways of transforming space. Susan truly enjoys the creative process of hearing a design concept and then breaking it down into production elements for her team to fabricate in multiple mediums.
Susan touches upon various topics such as what got her interested in party rental and tenting, the pros and cons of tenting, the differences between transforming a ballroom and transforming a tent, how she creatively turns cons into pros, her approach to building a team, what she has coming up in the future that she is excited about, how she defines success, and much more!
Andy really appreciates Susan for her time on the podcast, and it has been so informative for him because tenting is an aspect of the weddings and event industry about which he didn’t have much knowledge. If you enjoy his conversation with Susan, he would appreciate it if you would share this episode with a few people you know who might also enjoy it and would also be grateful if you were to subscribe to the podcast if you aren’t already so that you never miss a new episode! Be sure to also leave a top review wherever you listen because that really helps out the show and helps people find it!
This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads – all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create your free listing at www.zola.com/andy.
Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don’t forget about Sean Low’s podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.
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Time Stamps
[0:00] – Today’s sponsor is Zola.
[0:42] – This episode’s featured guest is Susan Kidwell of Hensley Event Resources.
[1:56] – Susan was a competitive ice skater when she was younger.
[3:27] – What got Susan interested in party rental and tenting?
[5:40] – Susan discusses the pros and cons of tenting.
[8:11] – Learn about Susan’s approach and process.
[10:37] – Susan touches upon the collaborative aspect of what she does.
[11:50] – Are there differences between transforming a ballroom and transforming a tent?
[14:06] – Susan provides us with a recent story.
[17:46] – What is Susan’s approach to building a team?
[20:28] – Susan enforces the idea that every problem has a solution.
[21:19] – Susan identifies team management as her greatest challenge.
[22:43] – Susan advises planners to be clear and transparent.
[24:02] – What about the future excites Susan?
[25:44] – Susan reveals how she defines success.
[27:00] – Susan’s Tenting 100 presentation is on her website.
[27:39] – Andy shares Susan’s contact information.
RESOURCES
The Wedding Biz – Transforming Spaces with Laurie Arons, Susan Kidwell, and Sarah Winward
Tenting 101 & Space Transformation Presentation
Tenting Gallery
Find Susan:
Hensley Event Resources – Website
Hensley Event Resources – Instagram Page
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Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.
Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & Zola.
