We’re bringing back our Creative Partner Spotlight series and showing some love to our fellow industry professionals! First up, we’re shining a well-deserved light on Marlene Fahrenkrog, the Executive Director of Sales for Beets Hospitality Group.
Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?
Worked in the hotel industry for 26 years and wanted to learn something new!
What do you love about your job?
I love the team at Beets the most – we call ourselves Beets Peeps. 🙂 I also love our clients and the amazing events that come together with all of their creativity shining through!
If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?
Be true to yourselves in all decisions you make during the planning process. This is your big day and everything should be focused on the two of you and what makes you happy!
Marlene is a delight to work with and we appreciate her commitment to fulfilling clients’ event visions. Cheers to you, Marlene!
This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Casey Hahn of The Palm Event Center
What has been your favorite part about quarantine? All the additional puppy cuddles, time with my hubby, and getting creative in the kitchen! I’ve also been following all of the “quarantine trends” — I have yet to make banana bread or create geometric chalk art though! But my paint-by-number is really coming along!
What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Not seeing family and friends, cancelled baseball games and two baby showers for my Godson and my first nephew has really been a bummer.
How have you been spending your time? Beside Netflix and chilling… taking lots of walks, committing to live online workouts, working on my tan in the backyard, and listening to music.
What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from?Kawa Sushi is always my first go-to, but recently I’ve been craving some Taco Bell 😊
What have you been binge watching? Besides Tiger King, I’ve been Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Beverly Hills Housewives, and American Idols.
What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Looking at a different 4 walls! HA!
Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine?How did you do it? Easter and my Sister-in-Law’s birthday were both celebrated by Zoom chats with family and ‘cheers’ from afar.
Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? I am looking forward to Rachel Hollis’ Rise Conference this weekend! It is all about leadership and understanding a growth mindset. As soon as my paint-by-number is done I am looking forward to getting started on more scratch art! It’s like scratching a lottery ticket, just with no money at the end and instead you are left with a cool picture.
Is there anything else you’d like to add? Looking forward to seeing all of our couples AND vendors when we can convene again!
What has been your favorite part about quarantine? All the family time!
What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? All work cancelled for the foreseeable future, and the poorly executed SBA/EDD disaster of a system for financial aid.
How have you been spending your time? A mix of family time, major yard work (fallen tree and building a veggie garden), and re-hauling the office and music room. For the latter, I’m making it video friendly with pro audio gear and starting to build a recording music studio!
What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We’ve been enjoying all home cooked meals!
What have you been binge watching? American Horror Story and Schitt’s Creek. Highly recommend both!
What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Playing live music for audiences- I miss it desperately!
Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? Not yet! Our birthdays are September through November, so we’ll see…hopefully we will be back to celebrating in person by then!
Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Turning my black thumb into a green one! Once my studio is more functional, I will learn more about being a legit recording engineer. My other plan is to also start some major video editing work. Lots to keep busy with!
This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Karey Ronnow of Hazy Lane Studios
What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Baking and making fresh pasta! Both require time, which I’ve got quite a bit of these days!
What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Postponements of weddings – makes me so sad for my couples. I’m happier when I’m working.
How have you been spending your time? Helping my kids and my students (teacher here too) navigate distance learning. We’ve also watched all of the Marvel movies in chronological order.
What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? Sauced. Peasant and the Pear. Mexxis. Pizza Bello. No chains! Only family owned businesses with big tips!
What have you been binge watching? Marvel Movies! Tiger King! Better Call Saul! Ozark!
What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? WORKING! I’m a big introvert-extrovert. I LOVE being home, but I love being social (in limited quantities of course).
Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Nope! All the time in the world, but no time for that! LOL My girls (9 and 12) are learning to play the guitar though, so it’s been fun to experience that through them.
Is there anything else you’d like to add? I just want to go to Disneyland!
This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Jinger Leonard-Norton of The Flower House!Â
What has been your favorite part about quarantine? I have my children home with me! I would be pretty upset if I knew I could not take care of them. I have been having fun connecting to my daughter more than just business. I am also excited as I have wanted to remodel my back yard for 10 years and we made it a family project. We took out two trees, fixed the sprinklers in the lawn, and are building raised planter boxes to grow my own vegetables. I am not sure how it is going to go as I am not the best gardener!
What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? I struggle with the gym! That is really the only thing that is frustrating as I was working out so hard and dieting for my wedding… then I stopped. The weight is pouring on and feel horrible but mentally challenged about working out by myself, no music, etc… And I miss going out to dinner and alone time with my new husband Barry.
How have you been spending your time? I am feeling really blessed to have the time to work on my business. Updating the website, our brochure, organizing our photos, creating templates, resetting a lot of items for work. I have also participated in every educational webinar available. So thrilled about learning items to make me rethink a few things and reinvent and pivot my business. Remodeling the backyard, walking the dogs and cooking a million meals. I have also become a great bartender!
What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We have 5 adults in the house, so I have been mainly cooking to keep costs down. We have splurged on Strings, Strizzies, Brunos, Anitas.
What have you been binge watching? All American, Tiger King, Love is Blind, and Disney Fairytale Weddings
Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Michaela and I have discovered Tik Tok! I have always worried what people thought of me and this silly app has helped me realize that I want to have fun, create memories with my daughter, and show my clients and vendors I know how to laugh at myself and not take everything so seriously. I guess I am relaxing as I mature!
What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? I really love my job, creating beautiful things, pushing my limits and having work for my employees that I love so much. Going out to dinner and our Sunday Brunches, wine tasing, lunch with my girlfriends, I love taking care of me, so hair and nails are the first things that will happen.
Is there anything else you’d like to add? I am appreciative of the opportunity to rest, reset and prioritize my life. As I am dying to get back to work, I know I will not go back to the same way as I lived it so for that I say Thank You.
This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Ann Ogden of Wente Vineyards!Â
What has been your favorite part about quarantine? My favorite part has been getting out in nature more. I was enjoying cooking at first but now I am ready to go out to a restaurant!
What has been your least favorite part about quarantine?My son is a senior and watching him miss out on so many experiences has been heartbreaking.
How have you been spending your time? Well…I have stripped and stained my deck (something I’ll never do again), cooking, taken my dog on more walks and hikes than imaginable, touched up all the walls with paint, and power washed everything possible.
What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We have been ordering from our favorite Japanese restaurant Meiko.
What have you been binge watching? Embarrassing but Love is Blind and Too Hot to Handle
What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Seeing friends and family in a normal setting
Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? Not yet but my husband’s is coming up on the 5th. Don’t think he would be down with the whole parade thing, so I’ll need to come up with something!
Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Staining a deck and dog grooming 🙂
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