I love making lists. As an event person, having the complete TO DO list is an essential part of planning a great event.

New Year’s is typically the time of year for another kind of list…the list of TO DON’TS…the list of resolutions…

Stop eating bagels and cream cheese for breakfast

Stop finding excuses to avoid the gym

Stop going to Amy’s Bread for Monkey Cake

The list is endless of all the resolutions I could make going into the New Year and quite frankly, it’s not a particularly inspiring list. Instead, some years back, on New Year’s Eve, I’ve started to create a list of all the places I want TO GO.

I know that with work, if I don’t write it down on my list, it won’t get done. And I feel the same way about all the things I want to accomplish in my life…. especially all the places I want to go. If I list them on paper, I feel that I have made a commitment to doing them.

I’ve got about 20 places on my travel list that I am eager to see. I’ll update it again tonight, crossing off places I got to visit this year, adding some new destinations to the list. And I will carry the updated list with me all year round in my briefcase, every day. Periodically, I’ll take a look at the list and I will make sure that I have some sort of plan to get to that destination and have that experience.

I’ve applied this TO GO list theory to other areas of my life and business that I have wanted to improve. And for me, it works. I guess it’s my version of creative visualization. Some years back, I wrote down what I wanted my life to look like — especially the parts of my life that I spent at the office. I carried that list around as well, periodically checking to see if I was doing the things I had committed to and over time, I’ve been able to get there.

So as I go into this New Year, I’m thinking less about resolutions and more about continuing to add to the experiences I want to have in my life and business — the series of events I want to be a part of. And, I’ll make sure I update them from time to time — sometimes over a piece of that delicious Monkey cake from Amy’s.

Happy New Year!

I’m just back from a trip to Casablanca, Marrakesh and Istanbul. I spent many hours allowing myself to get lost in the streets of Casablanca and Marrakesh and an incredible day catching up with an old friend in Istanbul who I found on Facebook.

Casablanca — not at all like the movie — not at all what I expected. And that’s often the best part about traveling. I stumbled upon Jnane Sherazade (www.jnanesherazade.com) and since it was after the lunch hour, I got to enjoy their beautiful dining room all to myself. With the owner himself fussing over me — I had a feast. I was glad I had allowed myself to get lost, otherwise, I never would have found my way to this great experience.

Getting lost is even easier in the medina in Marrakesh. Within the walled city, all sense of direction is gone and you are quickly absorbed in the fun and chaos of this exotic locale. We found ourselves staying at the absolutely perfect Riad Farnatchi (www.riadfarnatchi.com) where the extraordinary staff’s singular goal is to help you fall in love with Marrakesh. This was easy to do.

But the highlight of my trip was found in the final destination — Istanbul. My Dad was born there (back when it was Constantinople) and our home was filled with my grandfather’s paintings of the spectacular domed city. I have a connection to Istanbul — as anyone in Turkey was quick to notice – as my last name Kalpak translates to “tall sheepskin hat.”

It’s always a treat to return to a familiar place – to find your way back to your favorite restaurant or shop or in this case — to get to catch up with an old friend. I hadn’t seen my friend Erdal in over 25 years. We had worked together on a cruise ship, became fast friends and then, over time, fell out of touch.

Through social networking, we found each other picking up right where we had left off. Erdal ended up in Special Events as well –(www.catalystturkey.com) — and getting to spend the day with him was wonderful. He and his wife Serap live just a few streets away from where he grew up — on the Asian side of Istanbul. So, I found myself living a local’s life. Tea at their favorite place, a tour of the residential side of things and some of the most delicious Turkish food I’ve had. It was a true insiders experience.

Life is a series of events, and sometimes allowing yourself to get lost (whether in new cities or on Facebook) is the best way to find your way to unique experiences.

It’s been a busy month at BKA. Since Oct 1, we’ve had programs in New York, Alabama, Budapest, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Vienna. This week, a client asked me, “how do you all go from event to event to event?”

We’re certainly driven and energized by the work, but also driven and energized by our team.

I’m thrilled that two of our team members, Michael Reese and Adam Suellentrop have been recognized for their hard work by being named finalists for the BizBash Readers Choice Awards.

Michael, a finalist for Event Designer of the Year, has been with BKA for the last seven years. He’s the VP of our design + multimedia department – supervising all production design as well as video and graphic design. There’s rarely an event we produce that doesn’t involve Michael in one way or another. Combined with his vast theatrical background, he’s a prolific and award-winning scenic and lighting designer.

Adam, a finalist for Event Producer of the Year, joined the BKA team 5 years ago and in that time he’s become the head of our Production team. Clients are thrilled with Adam in the lead. He immerses himself into their brands and knows that even the littlest details in execution make or break the big picture objectives.

So, please join in my excitement and cast your vote for Michael and Adam.

Click here to VOTE

BKA also has events that are finalists for Best PR/ Marketing Initiative, Best Scenic Design and Best Fresh Idea. We’re keeping our fingers crossed when the winners are announced on October 27th.

Life is a series of events and being recognized for the work you do is an honor.

It’s US Open Time in New York — my favorite sporting event. I got to the Open last week — Blackberry in hand — and enjoyed watching the incredible tennis in between responding to email. It was the true mix of business and tennis.

I’ve had many great tennis instructors — my Dad was my first teacher — and he always said that tennis would be good for my business career. Today’s blog features tennis tips I’ve learned from my great coaches (Berj Kalpak, Tim Mayotte, Olivier Morel, Elena Jirnova and Nick Sousanis) and how they apply to business.

TENNIS TIP:  Follow through on your strokes.

BUSINESS TIP:  Follow through on everything you say you are going to do.

TENNIS TIP:  Keep your eye on the ball.

BUSINESS TIP:  Stay focused.

TENNIS TIP:  Don’t change your mind mid-shot.

BUSINESS TIP:  Be decisive.

TENNIS TIP:  Make good use of the change over to rest and refocus.

BUSINESS TIP:  Make good use of any down time to recharge from work.

TENNIS TIP:  When in doubt, call it “in”.

BUSINESS TIP:  Always give people the benefit of the doubt.

TENNIS TIP:  If you can’t make the shot in practice, chances are you can’t in a match.

BUSINESS TIP:  Learn how to do what you need to before you have to do it.

TENNIS TIP:  Consistent players win more matches.

BUSINESS TIP:  Consistent delivery of service wins more business.

TENNIS TIP:   To improve, play with players better than yourself.

BUSINESS TIP:  Learn from the experts by meeting and talking to them.

TENNIS TIP:  If your strategy isn’t working, change it.

BUSINESS TIP:  If your strategy isn’t working, change it.

TENNIS TIP:  Develop an arsenal of different shots.

BUSINESS TIP:  Develop many skills so you can offer full service to your clients.

TENNIS TIP:  Never stop training and drilling.

BUSINESS TIP:  Never stop learning.

TENNIS TIP:  Read your opponents strengths and weaknesses.

BUSINESS TIP:  Understand your competition.

TENNIS TIP:  Don’t tighten up on your strokes.

BUSINESS TIP:  Stay calm under pressure.

TENNIS TIP:  After you hit a great shot, get ready for the ball to come back.

BUSINESS TIP:  You are only as good as your last event.

TENNIS TIP:  Always practice good sportsmanship.

BUSINESS TIP:  Always practice good sportsmanship.

Life is a series of events, and it’s all a matter of what you do when the ball is in your court.

I have attended hundreds of meetings.  Those that we plan and produce for our clients and those that educate and promote the growth of our industry.  I’ve learned a lot at these meetings. But, I have to admit; one of the most inspiring meetings for me is our own BKA Mid-Year Meeting.

Every summer, we gather our entire team for a couple of days outside of the office (and outside of the city) to communicate our strategy and illustrate the big picture on where we are as a company, where we are going, and most importantly– how we are going to get there.  The agenda is chock full, but we also make sure there is some time for us to relax and enjoy each other’s company (and check our emails, of course.)

My favorite part of the meeting, by far, is when we announce the recipient of the Dramatically Different Award.  The Dramatically Different Award recognizes and honors the BKA employee who has best embodied our values during the past year.  It’s our chance to acknowledge the person whose diligence and good humor make the work we do that much easier and that much more enjoyable.  They always seem to put others before themselves.  Their positive attitude, kind spirit and generous nature shape who we are as a company and who we would like to be as individuals.

The best part is that the staff determines who will win the award.  A ballot is sent to everyone with open-ended questions about the candidate of their choice and the winner is kept secret until the presentation.

This year, we invited past winners to help present the award by sharing their thoughts about the current winner.  And, with genuine appreciation and grace, Laura Peña, from our design team, accepted the award.  Congratulations again, Laura.  You help make us who we are.

Life is a series of events, and I’m grateful that I have dramatically different individuals surrounding me for mine.

Laura accepting her well deserved award.

“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

Change. I’ve been thinking about it… a lot. On an everyday level, I look at the world we live in now and how quickly things are changing around us. On a personal level, I am watching my parents, now in their mid-eighties, having to leave their home of 50-odd years to move into an assisted living facility. Everything around them is changing their health, their environment, their friends. And, as I find us reversing roles -me the parent, they the children- I have been thinking about what it means to accept change.

Human beings by nature resist change. Remember the first day of summer camp -terrified, calling in tears, begging your parents to bring you home? But of course, two days later, as you sit happy and prune-ey fingered in the swimming pool with your newly found BFFs, you don’t even think to call home at all.

Why is going from the known to the unknown so frightening to us? It shouldn’t be. The truth is we are changing minute-by-minute with each breath, each movement, each thought. Who we are today is not who we were yesterday and certainly not who were last year or ten years ago. The cycle of change is part of the cycle of life.

Easy to say, but harder to accept when potential life changes are staring you in the face! There will always be an element of sadness. But, if we can take a moment, meditate on the situation, step away from the knee jerk reaction and genuinely listen to our heart and our collective experiences with change, we can learn to see it as something positive.

Life is a series of events. And embracing change will ultimately allow us to experience these events with more joy, more grace and more peace. And, just as important, it will allow us to see the possibilities in each situation so that we can make the best choices as we face life’s challenges. I don’t recall who said it, but I think this may be my new philosophy . . .

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what is for what could be.”

Oh, by the way, I’m told that my parents, after a week of disorientation and asking when they could “go home,” are at the moment sitting happily with their newly found friends, participating in a sing-a-long. Just like the days of being a kid who’s having a blast at camp, my dad didn’t even think to call…

This week’s post is by guest blogger, Lynnette Barkley.

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.