Presenting

Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 59 Porch Parties Shawna Yamamoto, of Shawna Yamamoto Event Design in Brea, Calif., usually has a full calendar of luxury corporate events and glamorous A-list celebrity bashes dotting her calendar. But COVID-19 spared her no grace last year. To keep her team busy and business afloat, she launched "Porch Parties" as a new socially distanced service for her party-enthused clients. Yamamoto's over-the-top outdoor home events caught on with clients and the local media. Her Porch Parties now represent at least 50 percent of her current revenue. It's not a perfect solution or ideal for every florist, but read on to see which elements you can extract and apply in your business. Party On "People think it's great," Yamamoto reports. "ey feel like they can still have a party and do something meaning ful to celebrate with their family and friends." She launched the Porch Party idea by hosting and promoting her own "Grads at the Pad" event in 2020. It was a social media hit. Her outdoor events are bringing Hollywood-set-quality design to her clients' front porches, backyards and driveways, for Instagrammable photos. Tap Your Entire Network Yamamoto's Porch Party events are a combination of design genius and collaboration. Yamamoto teams up with her partners in related industries to add creative lighting, photography, music, outrageous entertainment and goodie boxes to her larger-than-life spaces. "We try to include all of our 'friendors' [other vendors with whom she regularly works] to make amazing events for our discerning client base," she shares. "It benefits everyone." Her team has created home-based party magic for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, quinceañeras, graduations and prom pop-ups across Orange County. Safety First While many clients are initially wary of event-host backlash, Yamamoto's team prioritizes the safety and welfare of event attendees and her team. "Once clients see how it works, they are delighted. Porch Parties are a cool new experience for them, and they don't have to miss a celebration," she notes. But Yamamoto has found that home event safety requires new thinking. "We keep the same team on a job from start to finish," she explains. "We reduce exposure by limiting the number of people in the studio and on site. at way, if there is a problem, it's isolated." She also requests that clients limit additional vendors or, at least, schedule them for setup hours that are separate from her team. More personal space is always better. She's even found that safety can lead to special surprises and client add-ons. "We've started offering custom-themed attendee masks, playfully orchestrated hand sanitizers, and even stylized signs for the party attendance rules," Yamamoto says. A glitzy prom party pop-up in a client's driveway. Photo by Maya Meyer Photography

• Cover