‘Game time’ in the planning for duo

William Hamilton

05/24/2009

For Jill Lazar, there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as the days and hours leading up to an event she and her business partner, Allie Crowder-Schaefer, have planned.
There are the big issues of finding locations, coming up with the right entertainment, working out the logistics of packing and unpacking equipment. And the senses are heightened further when the party begins.
“I just get such a rush,” Lazar says. “It’s like ‘OK, it’s game time.’ ”
It’s that rush, in part, that led Lazar and Crowder-Schaefer to launch Everything Events in 2007, after meeting at Johnson & Wales University while each was studying for a master’s of business administration in hospitality.
The company is an event-planning business, with just the two of them assembling everything from weddings and corporate outings to monthly speed dating get-togethers.
One of their most recent assignments: The Providence Phoenix’s Best of 2009 party last month; a funky affair at The Prov nightclub that attracted numerous local notables such as former Providence Mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci, Jr.
The event featured airbrush tattoos for the partygoers, girls dressed like 1950s pinup models milling in with the crowd and a statue of Caesar that was actually a living person who remained mostly motionless throughout the party.
“We love being creative and taking a fresh approach to make a one-of-a-kind event, even if there’s just a small budget,” Lazar says.
Although the business is less than two years old, both women have been involved in the event-planning industry for much longer.
Lazar got her start as a birthday party planner at an amusement center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the early 2000s. She was hooked and moved to Rhode Island to attend Johnson & Wales University, earning a degree in event management.
After graduating, she landed a job at Atrion Networking as corporate event planner and marketing associate. She still holds that job, while operating Everything Events and wrapping up her MBA studies.
Crowder-Schaefer also had some early experience in event planning before earning a communications degree in Texas. She then enrolled at Johnson & Wales University more than three years ago, and has an MBA in hospitality with a concentration in event leadership. The two met when they were paired for a class project at the university. At some point, Crowder-Schaefer told Lazar about her plans to start her own business. She even had business cards with the company name One of a Kind Events.
Lazar liked the idea of launching a new business and thought they could team up. One problem: She didn’t like the name Crowder-Schaefer came up with.
When they agreed on a new name – Everything Events, “because your event means everything to you” – a partnership was born.
With little money, the duo set out to forge relationships with vendors that could help them establish their business.
In early 2008, they organized a showcase at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket that featured area event vendors, such as lighting companies, florists, ice-sculpture companies and even an oxygen bar.
It was a hit.
The event introduced them to companies such as Boston Boogie Heads, which uses video special effects to record partygoers lip-syncing to songs with their heads placed on other bodies. (Lazar and Crowder-Schaefer hired the company for The Providence Phoenix shindig last month.)
“That showcase really helped us jump-start our credibility,” Lazar says.
With new connections, Everything Events assembled a “Things to do in the Ocean State” expo at Twin River last summer. About 400 families attended, Lazar said.
Then there was a bridal event at Waterplace Restaurant in Providence in January.
Crowder-Schaefer says she’s drawn to the variety of the work she’s doing.
And Everything Events has managed to pick up some steady work, such as running monthly speed dating events at Temple Downtown Restaurant & Lounge in Providence for Cupid.com.
And recently, Everything Events was hired to coordinate a Mobile Spa event for Covidien employees, which meant Lazar and Crowder-Schaefer were responsible for figuring out how to herd hundreds of people through 30 spa stations in an orderly way.
“I definitely get a rush during these types of events,” Lazar says. “It’s exciting. We have such a passion for the industry. I think that’s why people are willing to join us for the ride.” •

COMPANY PROFILE
Everything Events Co.
OWNERS: Jill Lazar and Allie
Crowder-Schaefer
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Event planning
LOCATION: 80 Doyle Ave., 2L, Providence
EMPLOYEES: 2
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2007
ANNUAL SALES: WND