Starting Over: A Winning Strategy
Diane Taylor -- Tradeshow Week, 6/6/2008 11:48:00 AM
In March, when Laurie Travis was given a Woman of Distinction Award in the category of gaming hospitality by the Southern Nevada chapter of the Natl. Assn. of Women Business Owners, she gratefully accepted her award, noting, “Three years ago, I didn’t have a dime to my name.”
Contributing Editor Diane Taylor talked to Travis about how far she’s come since then and the event company she founded, LTeventions.
Question: How did you get into the event business?
Answer: Among my early jobs in Las Vegas, I was a banquet server at Caesars Palace. I noticed how much money corporations were willing to spend on special events, and I seemed to have a talent for making the rooms look better. At the time, balloon decorations were a big thing, so I started a balloon company.
Q: What happened three years ago?
A: I had been in the event business for 12 years. Three years ago, let’s just say a business partnership ended suddenly, and I left the company. I had no money, no office and no inventory – a scary time. A friend loaned me office space, and my first employees waited for their paychecks, but we started from there.
Q: How did customers find you?
A: I’ve always done a lot of business on my cell phone. I kept the same cell phone number, and everybody had the number.
Q: How many employees do you now have?
A: (We have) 138 full-time employees. They are my family, literally and figuratively. My son is our general manager, and my son-in-law is our production manager.
Q: How have you grown so quickly?
A: We are experts in event planning, and we give customers a creative approach, whatever their budget. We have our own inventory in two warehouses, and we have in-house fabric and floral shops, so we aren’t outsourcing those aspects of our work to others. Also, early on, I was lucky.
Q: How so?
A: Four years ago, I had weight-loss surgery and started a training program. My trainer became my friend, and he happened to mention my name to another client, an executive at Harrah’s. That conversation led to us being able to compete for Harrah’s event business. Today we are one of Harrah’s preferred vendors. We did all the parties when Harrah’s and Caesars Palace joined forces.
Q: How much of your business is related to meetings and conventions versus events?
A: About 65 percent (meetings and conventions), and we are working on increasing that percentage. Through the association with Harrah’s, I was introduced to the Women’s Business Enterprise Natl. Council and the Women in Business conferences. At these conferences, we meet with companies interested in working with women-owned businesses. Those conferences have been very helpful in soliciting new business for us and in promoting Las Vegas as a meeting site.
Q: What has been your largest job?
A: A pharmaceutical party for 25,000 people.
Q: Has the slow economy affected your business?
A: Not so far. May was the best month in our history.
Q: Does your firm do jobs outside of Las Vegas?
A: Yes. We even have something coming up in Macau. We’ve been told to bring to Macau some of the vibe of Las Vegas.
Q: Does business allow you to have a personal life?
A: I’ve been divorced for a number of years, and so now I guess I’m married to my work, which I love. I was a very young wife and mother, so divorce was heaven for me; I could be my own person. I have two children and six grandchildren, and nothing pleases me more than to spend time with them. I try to set aside time for Sunday evening family dinners, though that’s not always possible.
