By Sara Kennedy
One of my favorite galleries in the Museum is the Meissen Gallery, located just outside our historic ballroom. Over the years, it has become one of my favorite spots. If you wander in from the Teel Family Pavilion, it serves as the entrance to our vast ceramic collection. The beautifully organized porcelain is so delicate and has always reminded me of my family. My father is a ceramist and my grandmother collected antique china. Working from home and being away from the Crocker for an extended period of time has me missing many things about the Museum, including the opportunity to escape into this gallery.
As a member of the events department at the Crocker, I work hard with my teammates to execute our clients' visions. This includes reimagining how Museum spaces can be transformed, how the event feels, how the lighting appears, and conjuring up the entire flow of the experience. I love how the small details come together to create the big event! Even the simplest details can have a big impact.
I love how the small details come together to create the big event! The simplest event details can still have a big impact.
An early spark of my interest in the events industry came from tea parties with my grandmother. It would just be the two of us sitting in her kitchen, using her mother’s china to serve tea, sandwiches, and cake. It felt so special to have this alone time with my grandmother. My mother would help me get dressed up for the occasion, and my grandmother would even let me wear her jewelry and a fascinator. We’d sit together and sip tea, snack, and talk.
With Mother’s Day approaching, our current stay at home orders, and being away from my mom, I thought to have a tea party in celebration of the women in my life. Though my grandmother is no longer here, I do have her tea set and feel lucky that I can carry on with our parties.
I think the best take away an event professional can hope for is that a client or an attendee remembers how the event experience made them feel. Those childhood tea parties made me feel loved. A virtual cheers to my mother and grandmother, who were my first event planners and inspired me to become one!
The next time you visit the Museum, I encourage you to explore our beautiful Meissen Collection in the historic wing and discover what it means to you!
Top Image: Sara Kennedy's inherited tea set.
About the Author: Sara Kennedy manages internal and external facility use as the Crocker's Event Manager. She has over 15 years of experience in the wedding and event industry, including museum operations, and event consulting. Sara studied photography and studio art at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and the University of Nevada-Reno.
