- Meetings & Conventions: People Section January 2002
People - Carol Lewis, president of C. Lewis Consulting Inc
Terence Baker
Coffee With... Carol Lewis
Carol Lewis is president of C. Lewis Consulting Inc. (parent company to C. Lewis Shows, Meetings & Events), a corporate event management company in Troy, Mich. Lewis also started a social-event division last May. Among the clients she and her team of five have planned for are BASF Corp., Compaq Computers and General Motors.
When did you start your company?
Eight years ago. Before that I was the executive director for the American Cancer Society. Working for a nonprofit is a perfect way to start a planning career, as small budgets demand that you be creative. Also, you have to fight for every dollar.
Has business been tough of late?
The number of events being planned dropped off immediately after Sept. 11, but it is steadily picking up. I have worked in this business for 20 years, and I have seen many ups and downs.
Does any event you planned stand out?
We recently organized a "Race and Recuperation" event in Las Vegas for American Honda. We designed a section of highway where you entered into a ballroom containing video racing games and relaxation areas that mirrored places in the world where Honda has staged events. For example, a Japanese area had fountains and calming massage stations.
How do you relax after an event?
I am a big fan of mountain biking, but in my part of Michigan it is rather flat. What I really need is a winter home, in a place such as Colorado, where the cycling is more demanding.
Any advice for new planners?
Always keep improving and learning. Even though there is less money for events right now, the need for hospitality will not disappear, as events equal relationships, and relationships equal clients.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Cahners Business Information
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
- LET PROS HANDLE YOUR PARTY
Detroit News, Shortcuts section; March 25, 2003
Metro Detroit chefs relish chance to cook private dinners -J ane Rayburn
Excerpt of article:
"…One may go a different route altogether and hire a professional events production company. One such is C. Lewis Shows & Events of Troy.
While the company has produced mega extravaganzas, such as Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's inaugural parties as well as the bash that welcomed Gov. Jennifer Granholm at Ford Field, very small-scale events held in restaurants are not out of the ballpark, either.
Second-wedding parties, wine tastings, strolling dinners are just some of the kinds of intimate gatherings the company has orchestrated, says Carol Lewis, president and chief executive officer.
"We act as your liaison," Lewis says. "A restaurant might not take all the time in the world with an unfamiliar customer." But, she adds, a well-connected, professional planner can create themes, scout your perfect location, work directly with the chef, design invitations -- even provide entertainment.
"Once, we hired a "plant," Lewis recalled, an actor who interacted at the table as if he were a guest -- unbeknownst to the other guests, of course.
"Every now and then, you have to shake things up a little."
Copyright (c) The Detroit News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
- THEME INTERPRETATION
Special Events Magazine; August 1, 2001 - By Natasha Garber
GALAXY FEST
Troy, Mich.-based corporate events specialist C. Lewis Consulting based the design of an event entitled "2001: A Plastics Odyssey" on Stanley Kubrick's legendary film.
We try to play off a popular, current theme and correlate it with the industry," says C. Lewis Consulting's director of operations Diana Ninowski about the development of the theme for the Society of Plastics Engineers' awards ceremony event.
Space-themed linens dressed tables set in front of a stage with an elaborate hand-painted intergalactic backdrop. A video of skits highlighting the evening's theme appeared on two large screens and featured plastic products incorporated into the "2001: A Space Odyssey" story.
|
|
