Baby Shower Themes

I am extremely far away from being pregnant, but in order to prepare for when that time comes, I am already looking at baby shower themes. Not just to prepare but also because there are such cute ideas. Most of the ideas I love come from the Hostess with the Mostess. If you haven't explored that blog yet, you are in for a treat. I could devote and entire blog to the ideas that I now love, all thanks to that blog.

Some of my favorite theme ideas that I have found include:

1. "Welcome Charlotte" - I not only love this one because it's so cute, but also because I would love to name one of my future baby girls 'Charlotte'. Enjoy some sampling of the event spotlighted here.

Another cute idea that a lot of people are using is using a children's book as a "guest book sign in". What a conventional idea that isn't a burden to store.

For this event, the host had everyone sign "Charlotte's Web".

2. "Vintage Bloom" - I love the classy-soft look of this theme. The table settings are totally DIY-able. You can find the post here.

3. "Oh How Tweet" - Okay, how blasted cute is this idea? It kind of reminds me of the idea of "Feathering her Nest". I like how the decor in this spotlighted event is not so overwhelming. It is soft and welcoming. The bird and birdcage idea is so cute and easy. If you don't have any birdcages or birdhouses, you could get the pre-made ones at craft stores and paint them to match your theme. Below are some samples of the post found here.

A Memorable Take-Away

In the past, attendees of the Spouse Program have gotten a small take-away from the conference; one year it was a small bracelet another it may have been a candy bar, etc. However, this year, the attendees were fortunate enough to each get a copy of the book "Love Life and See Good Days" by Emily Freeman.

I went to Tai Pan Trading and bought some bright orange ribbon that matched with our color theme. I also purchased some textured scrapbooking paper. We cut the paper in thirds (12'x4' pieces) and wrapped it around the books, we then wrapped the orange ribbon around the books and tied a bow in front. It was so cute! Such a great gift idea for any book you're giving away.

The ladies loved the gift. I think that it made them feel like they were taking a little bit of the conference away with them, in a very physical way. Take-aways are great for that reason, not only does it create goodwill about your organization, but it makes paying for and traveling to a conference seem more worthwhile when you get something. If you are interested in this book, it can be found here.

Marketing the Spouse Program

One of the biggest changes that I made in this year's Academy of LDS Dentists Spouse Program was to create a postcard that portrayed the excitement and happiness that Rebecca M. and I had about the program. In previous years the only advertising done for the Spouses' was something like this:

As you can tell, the program was in desperate need of a major face-lift. After working several weeks with the stellar Visual Communications department of Continuing Education, we came up with this:

FRONT SIDE:

BACK SIDE:

It was a huge difference. I cannot believe the amazing feedback that Rebecca M. and I received about this postcard. We did two mailings. One in May, which consisted of about 6,000 postcards sent to our largest compiled dentist lists. The second mailing was sent at the beginning of July, and we only sent out about 800 to past spouse attendees and future prospects.

Working with this conference has taught me how important it is to market. Our registrations were up about 10 people total. However, we had more than 10 first time attendees there, which meant that the change in marketing this year made a difference.

The Academy of LDS Dentists

I bet that you didn't know that there is an Academy of LDS Dentists, I know what you may be thinking, but before you think any further let me tell you what they're about. The Academy was established by world renowned dentist surgeon, Gordon Christensen, for the purpose of providing humanitarian dental service to individuals in other countries. To read more about their organization visit their website.

Every year the dentists have a conference, hosted by BYU Conferences and Workshops. It's actually like four mini conferences all tucked into one organization. The different sections of the conference include: a dentist section, where they learn new techniques, etc.; a spouse section, similar to a mini Women's Conference; a youth section (ages 6 to 11); and a teen (ages 12 to 18) section. It is a huge weekend for our office, and requires 'all hands on deck.' This year I was lucky enough to have been able to plan the entire spouse section. I started planning for August 12-13, 2011 in November of 2010. I worked with the President of the spouse program, Rebecca M., to establish a theme, a color scheme, a stellar schedule, and a dynamic line-up of speakers. It was amazing to me how conscious conference planners must be to the little details.

Over the next several posts, I will be discussing different aspects of the conference.

Another Year

I can't believe that summer is over and the rigors of a new semester have already begun. This semester will be extremely overwhelming with all of the different group projects that I have along with upcoming conferences at work. While there won't be as many conferences going on as do in the summer at BYU Conferences and Workshops, I have been finding a lot of fun party or event ideas including the food, the decor, and the activities, all of which I would love to tell you about. Buckle your seat belts for all the fun ideas that may come your way!

To be honest, I love this upcoming season and all of the holidays it involves. I am already working on my Christmas gift list, are you? My husband and I just completed most of our traveling for the rest of the year, which means that we may be doing our own Thanksgiving. The idea of hosting our own Thanksgiving dinner just makes me excited...I will finally get to try out new recipes that have been on the shelf for years. But then again, we may be coerced into traveling for Thanksgiving. Either way, I think that I will put on my own 'feast' this year.