Win big by sharing your event sourcing insights.
Complete our latest survey on event location selection for the chance to win a cutting-edge VR Headset!
Take the survey.

Poll: How Will California's Gay Wedding Surge Impact Corporate Events?

Since new legislation took effect in California last week, gay couples are accounting for a surge in weddings in the state. We asked industry players for their thoughts on how corporate event planners may be affected.

“The legislation is great for everyone. Our whole events business will prosper. A lot of couples that come to us want to get married fairly quickly so we're trying to find venues for all the weddings now. Supply and demand dictates that if there is a need for more vendors and venues, more businesses will open. I think that couples who want to get married and find hotels are already booked now will end up booking more nontraditional venues for their weddings, such as museums, studios, and other places that we'd generally associate with corporate events.”
—Mindy Weiss, owner, Mindy Weiss Party Consultants

“I don’t think there will be an influx of weddings to the extent that venues and vendors will be unavailable for corporate planners. Just as heterosexual couples prefer to host their weddings on weekends, homosexual couples will follow suit in most instances. ... It will not have a negative impact on the corporate event market. There has been a decline in the number of events based on the weak national economy, and this legislation will energize the revenues for some venues, offer some relief for available vendors, and provide a new revenue stream for capable and willing planners.”
—Karli Tanner, special events and weddings director, Simply Mumtaz Events

“I think hotels and on-premise locations will be booking heavily during times that might have been their off-season, which means fewer hotel rooms will be available overall and hotels will be less willing to negotiate with corporate planners on room blocks and meeting room rates. It will be a huge boom for the industry. From the writers' strike to the slowing economy, I know many vendors are feeling the pinch. The legalization of gay marriage may offset these losses and make the total gross of the industry bigger than 2007. It’s hard to say which venues will be slammed since some couples may want to hold a reception at a location and have a planned wedding with catering, flowers, and so on. For other couples, they may get married at the justice of the peace and then meet at a local restaurant to celebrate with family and friends. I'm not yet working on gay weddings, but I would love to be.”
—Kelly Oshiro, owner, Kelly Oshiro Events

“It will have little impact [on the corporate event planner] because ultimately, the corporate world and the wedding world are different."
—Amanda Ma, co-owner, Fresh Events Company

“We've done same-sex unions in the past, [and the surge] will impact the industry in many ways. There will be an increase in business. There will be new products, new services, and opportunities. Many corporate planners also do private events, so this will mean more business for everyone.”
—Michael Miner, vice president of marketing, Classic Party Rentals

"Honestly, our [corporate] business has not been affected at all by the increase in gay weddings. We have not found any kind of rush on spaces or effect on the corporate side of things. From what we can see is most gay weddings are city hall affairs with perhaps a dinner with close friends/family afterwards. There may be larger-scale gay weddings going on but we have not heard much buzzing about that from our vendors and associates."
—Cara Kleinhaut, owner, Caravents

“There are a variety of venues to choose, and availability should not be an issue. We feel it will impact our industry as many more destination-type weddings will occur.  We view it as very positive for our industry.”
—Lisa Bailey, director of marketing, Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village

“I think it will affect independent event planners more than corporate event planners. It’s a very different market—I don’t really see it affecting corporate event planners because private affairs are treated differently. This brings out a whole bunch of new opportunities. Weddings will be brought to a new level; we will see more avant-garde style weddings. Traditional wedding ivories and whites versus something more cutting edge, modern, and over the top. I am extremely excited about this because there is nothing more exciting to a designer than having the freedom to design outside the box.”
—Young Martin, owner, Wildflower Linen

“I already see the impact of this legislation on the hospitality and event planning business overall. My phone is ringing. They're making plans. Some of them never ever thought this could happen for them, and there's an excitement in the air. The current economy isn't the best climate for event planning overall, particularly at the corporate level. Of course, living and working in [gay-friendly] West Hollywood has definitely had an impact.”
—Denise Flachbart, owner, La Petite Soiree

“We feel this is an opportunity that will positively impact the event industry. We are currently looking into advertising in gay and lesbian magazines, Web sites, etcetera. As far as impacting corporate event planners with social business, it would boost their revenue being that we are mostly dealing with couples with double incomes and no children.”
—Benita Karroll, co-owner, Moondance Events & Entertainment

Page 1 of 33
Next Page