Jenny Blaschke is the owner of and lead calligrapher for Olive + Cedar Designs, a calligraphy company specializing in experiential marketing and live event services. She's based in College Station, Texas.
How she got her start: "The two threads I desire to weave together in my work are calligraphy and making people feel valued. When we began Olive + Cedar Designs almost five years ago, we were a product-based business. While creating customized products allowed me to pursue work that weaved these two threads together, we wanted to find a context in which I could engage in these threads while not adding more time to my schedule. We happened to take on a few local events during this time, and I was hooked. Here, we could serve more people and do a lot of calligraphy in many forms. So, we became a service-based business.
Since then, we have worked hard to connect, learn, and pursue excellence within the industry in order to provide the highest-quality on-site experience for each of our clients. Our goal has always been to provide a memorable experience for both the client and attendees.
In 2022, we focused on brand activations, collaborating with many luxury retailers such as Prada, Cartier, and David Yurman. In 2023, we invested more time with event planners to curate on-site experiences, and even began traveling for events. Attending Connect Marketplace in Minneapolis in August 2023 was a pivotal moment. Just like its namesake, it gave us a multitude of opportunities to connect with those in the event industry. Plus—and a big plus—it encouraged us with a sense of belonging."
"We value providing an all-around memorable experience through professionalism, live entertainment, and providing a high-quality experience for our clients," says Blaschke.Photo: Olive + Cedar Designs
When meeting planners look for a fresh take on event experiences, an on-site calligrapher is always a hot commodity because of the versatility with items we can personalize. It is an easy way to create a memorable night, whether the event is for film/TV, media/PR, or private/corporate."
What innovation means to her: "This is essentially what we do at Olive + Cedar. We want the best for our clients, and they consistently want something fresh and exciting. Without innovation, we could not provide event experiences that fit the theme and vibe of each individual event. Being innovative may certainly mean that we create something new, yet it also includes the ability to re-imagine elements that have already been used and repurposing them in a unique way.
It also means you aren’t afraid to try the unexpected. It’s here where you find the memorable event. I would argue there are several avenues to achieve this, but my favorite is doing the unexpected for your guests. By hiring a live event calligrapher, you can send attendees home with a cool takeaway that they can have customized during the event. This is always a 'wow!' moment during the event."
It’s important to us that each client and event takes on its own approach to utilizing personalization, and this part of event customization is really fun. Every client is a new opportunity to partner and help make a lasting impression for their attendees. Offering an on-site experience like we do, we are constantly thinking of new items to personalize so we can present unique and fresh ideas to clients. Creating a memorable experience and providing customized items make all the difference in making an enduring impression on guests. Live calligraphy is unique entertainment, and a customized item is a significant personal touch that reaches much deeper than that same giveaway item that everyone received. Even if a client desires a very similar experience that another event provided, there remain ways to make the event special, unique, and particular to the client." 
"In 2022, we focused on brand activations, collaborating with many luxury retailers such as Prada, Cartier, and David Yurman," says Blaschke, adding: "In 2023, we invested more time with event planners to curate on-site experiences, and even began traveling for events."Photo: Olive + Cedar Designs
"Live calligraphy is unique entertainment, and a customized item is a significant personal touch that reaches much deeper than that same giveaway item that everyone received," says Blaschke.Photo: Olive + Cedar Designs
What did these events all have in common to make them memorable? They were unexpected. Additionally, the items create a photo op to further market your event or future events."
Her biggest hope for the event industry: "My biggest hope is to see more collaboration between a wide variety of vendors/suppliers and event producers. I would love to see this happen through more people being connectors. This is intuitive and the implication's rather straightforward. Our schedules are quite full, so we may be thinking, 'I wish I could, but where’s the time?' Finding ways to do this efficiently would be wonderful and welcoming. Who knows? Perhaps AI has something in store for us here."
