In just three months, the inaugural Coterie Retreat will kick off in Tampa, Florida.  With this being our first retreat, we are truly overwhelmed with the response and support and so excited to have our Coterie members and their industry friends join us from all across the US, and even Canada and Nigeria!

While continuing education is a must for any business, it's not always easy to access.  Entrepreneurship is downright hard. And although the benefits of partaking in conferences is high, how can one enjoy the benefits if they aren't in a position to take the financial risk?  It's because of that realization that we decided to offer three scholarships for the Coterie Retreat.  The scholarships include a Full, Half and Quarter scholarship towards registration and were open to any wedding industry professional.  Entrants had to repost the scholarship flyer and submit an essay telling us in 200 words or less why they are deserving of the scholarship, what their goals are for their company, and what they are looking forward to.  The essays were truly thoughtful and we want to thank everyone who took the time out to repost on social media and submit an essay. 

After over 100 entries and a couple weeks of voting by the Planning Committee, we are happy to announce the winners!

Congrats to Krystal Bonner of Phoenix Forrester Events! Phoenix is the winner of the Full Scholarship.

Krystal owns and operates a boutique event design company based in Nashville, TN.  Five years ago, she left her career as a corporate event and tradeshow director to pursue a full-time career as an event designer and never looked back. Krystal is currently taking classes at NYU to expand her boutique company and provide more offerings to her clients.  We are happy to have you join us at the Coterie Retreat!

Congrats to Sophan Theam of Sophan Theam Photography - Winner of the Half Scholarship

 

Sophan Theam is a fine art photographer based out of Tampa.  Her love for photography and art show through her imagery, but she's also a humanitarian.  We love this quote by her, "In my heart, capturing and preserving special moments is  a luxury, one that was not available for my parents or relatives who endured the Cambodian Genocide in the mid-1970's."   We are happy to have you join us at the Coterie Retreat.

 

Congrats to Brian Walker of Brian Keith Productions - Winner of the Quarter Scholarship.

Brian Walker owns and operates Brian Keith Productions, a Houston based Event Planning and Design firm.  He was fearless when he started his company five years ago and is looking forward to growing it to new heights. We are happy to have you join us at the Coterie Retreat.

 

 

 

 

Although many of you did not win a scholarship, we would still love to see you at the retreat if you are able.  Once again, thanks to everyone for applying!