“Shouldn’t we put the word ‘event’ in there somewhere?” I asked.

“What about meetings, incentives or entertainment?” Lynnette asked, “or should we just keep it simple?”

“How about your last name, my last name and another word for anyone else we’ll get to work with. And…your last name sounds better before my last name….so let’s go with that.” I suggested, “Barkley Kalpak Associates.”

“I think we sound like a law firm but maybe it will just sound professional and it will allow us to be flexible. We can always explain what we do,” Lynnette added.

“What ARE we doing anyway??” we both wondered.

Good question.

20 years ago, my friend Lynnette Barkley and I marched ourselves down to the Hall of Records and registered the name Barkley Kalpak Associates. Next, we went to the bank and with a $5 bill, opened a checking account. That was the beginning. We were theatre people — creative types who thought we could bring something new and different to the meetings, incentives and event industry. BKA was going to be a side job, an endeavor to support us in between our directing careers.

Our first job lead to the next….and the next. Some great press (thank you Successful Meetings Magazine!), word of mouth and referrals kept bringing us more business. Before we knew it, we were BKA-ing more and more. The opportunities presented themselves and we seized them eagerly and appreciatively. The part-time side job was transitioning into a fulltime business.

Back then, it was just the two of us doing everything ourselves. We worked out of Lynnette’s living room, then my bedroom and then sometime later, a real office. We were writing, directing, casting, costuming, booking travel, carrying props, climbing on ladders, calling the shows…whatever it took to get the job done right.

Today BKA has evolved into a full team of the most fantastic people I could ever imagine working with. We have an impressive list of clients. And people actually know that we aren’t a law firm.

We turned 20 this year. And without much fanfare we’ve found ourselves in an industry that has changed faster than you can say experiential marketing.  We’ve grown up in this industry. We’re proud of being a part of it. Thrilled that we were so welcomed by it 20 years ago and honored that clients still want to have the BKA experience today.

You never really know where your life is going to take you. I had no idea that the $5 investment we made back in 1990 would bring us this successful company.

Life is a series of events and if you stay flexible, you may just end up producing a lot of them…

Our Very First Event

This Sunday I’ll be directing the 55th Annual Drama Desk awards show –celebrating achievement for all New York theatre — Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway.

It will be my 15th year directing the show and I’m honored that they keep asking me back.

We have had incredible artists participating in the show over the years. From the hosts — Tony Randall, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Lily Tomlin, Harvey Fierstein (who has hosted many times), the cast of [title of show], Kristin Chenoweth, Rue McClanahan, Chita Rivera and this year’s Patti LuPone — to the hundreds of presenters, to the terrific musical talent that has performed.

Me and Patti LuPone at a past Drama Desk Awards. Photo by Scott Wynn.

The show has changed a lot in the last 15 years and the production team is always keeping an ear to what the audience wants and what the nominees want. Our show is open to the public and can be watched live on theatremania.com. So while we always strive to create a show that keeps the nominees as top priority — after all this is THEIR night! — we work to ensure an equally fun experience is had by the audience, both in the theater and online.

Through the years of working on this event it is interesting to see how the desires of the talented stars from the theatre, so perfectly parallel the needs and wants of the corporate clients I work with at BKA. And this isn’t just applicable to the talent or client. The same rings true for the audiences we entertain, whether it’s the theatrical community or the corporate awards show spectators we entertain at BKA:

1. Keep it moving.

2. Make the attendees feel special.

3. Prepare the presenters so they know exactly what they are doing on and off stage (including how to pronounce the names of all the nominees!).

4. Make sure the entertainment is relevant (and short!).

5. Eliminate fake “award show banter.”

6. Don’t put pairs of presenters on stage together unless they have a connection to each other.

7. Humor goes a long way. Warmth and authenticity go even further.

8. Keep the elements of surprise and suspense.

9. Walk up music matters — it keeps the pace of your show.

10. Rehearse. Then rehearse some more.

Congratulations to this year’s nominees. I hope we bring you a show that gives you the recognition you deserve….and that we bring it in under 2 hours!

I’m just back from an extended stay in Dublin. I was scheduled to be there for a two-day site inspection. I ended up there for nine days. The Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash was responsible. Who knew an unpronounceable volcano tucked away in Iceland could have such an impact?

I was certainly looking forward to the Ireland visit. I just like to travel on my own terms. I’m a planner both professionally and by nature, so I need my lists, my agendas, my timelines. However, there was no chance of that happening this trip.

After the third day of spending hours on the phone trying to reschedule flights and make alternate plans, it finally sunk in that there really are some things that you just can’t control. So, instead of relentlessly trying to determine how to get OUT of Dublin, I decided it was time to just get IN to Dublin.

Granted, I was due in Shanghai for another site inspection. And then Raleigh for an afternoon of presentations -both of which I have to reschedule- but the time I was essentially forced to take in Dublin was invaluable.

Primarily because I got to spend that time with my clients. Not just running around looking at venues, but time just being together. Developing a solid program requires time. Time to see a lot of different options. Time to really beat up all the choices. Time to simply talk to your clients about what matters to them. The volcano gave me the gift of time I didn’t realize I needed.

Unlike many travelers, I was fortunate. I was with people I like. I was staying at The Merrion hotel. And it was sunny. In Ireland!

The staff at The Merrion took great care of us — and most of them knew me by name on day two. Tommy, the doorman always had a smile (and a twinkle in his eye) and Sean, the concierge, is the most patient person I’ve ever met. He knows every great restaurant from casual to fancy and doesn’t mind when you ask the same questions over and over again.

Dublin is a great city. It’s walkable, friendly and a fine mix of charming and gritty. No one says “Top of the Mornin” but you can have a Guinness at the local pub (FOLEY’S was our pub of choice), enjoy fantastic fish and chips (check out THE CELLAR BAR) and shop till you drop (GRAFTON and HENRY STREETS among others).

The city has wonderful venues (which I can personally attest to as I’ve now seen most of them) and is a terrific option for a global meeting or incentive trip. The new convention center is a gem and the airport is just a short ride to the heart of town. And, if you find yourself there with clients who care about the success of their program as much as my clients do, then you really have found the luck of the Irish.

Life is a series of events and sometimes you just have to tear up the list and go whichever way the wind blows. In my case it just happened to be the direction of volcanic ash…

I just got back from a trip to India.  Being there was beyond my imagination.  It was a trip of extremes, that ended up being the most emotional vacation I have ever had.

I found myself in tears at 3 different points of the journey, for 3 different reasons.

I fought back the tears after we left a tiny village en route to Jaipur from Agra.  It’s impossible to avoid the poverty that pervades many areas of the country.  We were told that one way to give back was to offer supplies such as pens, pencils, crayons and markers to school children.  We asked our driver, Santosh, to take us to a school where we could give out the 200 some odd writing implements we brought from home.  He knew of a small village school that was in need.  I was humbled by the children’s excitement, awestruck by their beautiful faces and shattered by the reminder that we have so much more than we need.  I got to hand out the pens to each of the students.  We got back in the car and the tears flowed.

I teared up for a different reason when we arrived at the Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur.  Quite simply, the finest hotel experience I have ever had.  The beauty of the place took my breath away.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  It actually got me choked up when we were escorted to our suite and I saw the splendor of this magnificent property.  And, the service we encountered the next five days was even more stunning.

I lost it one last time on the way to the airport in Mumbai to get on the plane to come home.  I called our ground agent, Saleem, from India Travel Promotions Ltd., to thank him for the incredible arrangements he made for us.  We had postponed our trip twice due to ever changing work schedules — Saleem had to rebook our full itinerary three different sets of dates. The entire time leading up to the trip I was blown away by his kindness and patience.   And, once in India, we felt cared for even more.   Every member of Saleem’s staff was more impressive than the next — from the efficient airport greeters, to the intrepid drivers, to the passionate tour guides.  I wanted Saleem to know how much we appreciated everyone.  After I thanked him, in true Indian fashion, the call ended with him thanking me.  ”Thank you for the honor of allowing us to show you our country.”   I hung up the phone, and wiped away more tears in realizing my two weeks in India was coming to a close.

I fell in love with India — the difficult things to witness, the dazzling things to see and the people throughout the country who touched us in a profound way.  I urge you to visit.  I will happily point you in the direction of great experiences.  No photo or movie or blog entry can capture its essence.

I leave you with this thought…

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” –Samuel Johnson

The funny thing is, when you return from a trip where you have witnessed the way things are, rather than regulated, your imagination is unleashed.

I just got back from working on a Global Meeting for one of our top clients.  We spent a considerable amount of time at the hotel — both in advance of the project and of course, during the actual program dates.  We pushed the hotel hard.  As is the trend these days, our lead time was short and many details came together right at the last minute.  We really needed the hotel to deliver for us — and they did.

We like to speak directly to the wait staff at our events — and always request the opportunity to be part of the briefing the banquet manager and captains have with the staff before they go out on the floor and serve our guests.  I believe it is important for the staff to know what makes this particular special event, special. Who are they serving, why are our guests gathered in the first place, what are our particular requirements for service?  And, we want to get the staff excited about the level of service we are asking them to provide for us.  We typically end the talk with “Shine and sparkle!”

Sometimes during the pep talk I wonder what the staff really is thinking, “Why is this guy trying to pump us up, when it’s just another banquet to us?”  ”I don’t care who these people are, I just want to get through this.”  ”I know how to do my job, why are they telling me how to do it?”   I never really know what is going on in their heads, but I still hold on to the idea that bringing people together and giving them information, building excitement (and adding some humor to the talk) will have a positive impact.

After this past gala night, I thanked the captains and sat down and had a bite to eat in a corner of the ballroom as the waiters finished their strike.   I was content that all went well and watched the hotel staff scurrying to head home.   One of the waiters came over to me and asked if I was happy with the way things went.  I told him I was and thanked him for his work.  He smiled broadly and said, “We just wanted to impress you.”   His sincerity really touched me.  And, I was glad that our pre-event gathering had an impression on him.  I loved that he was so invested in the outcome of the event.

Thank you to the Embassy Suites in Cary, NC for being our partners in delivering an impressive experience to our clients. And thanks Doug (our exuberant member of the banquet team) for proving that while life is a series of events, each special event really can be made special.