hey, I'm bennell!
...a college degree, 13 law school applications (and subsequent rejection letters), an economy in shambles (thank you financial crisis of 2008), and suddenly all my years of hard work to head to law school had seemingly vanished overnight.
With the job market tanking and post graduate jobs being the furthest thing from a guarantee, I had two (not so great) options. 1) rack up six-figures worth of student loan debt for graduate school OR 2) completely pivot away from the career goal I'd been working towards my entire life and try something completely different and pray to the high heavens it all worked out.
Cue the dramatic music.
the law career that wasn't...
My journey to becoming an event planner didn't start out in any sort of conventional way. As I sat in my living room in 2010 contemplating my life choices — as I devoured a bowl of Truffle Mac and Cheese — this career path was the last thing I imagined I'd end up doing.
Shortly after learning that law school wouldn’t be an option for me and being diagnosed with cancer a mere 6 months after landing my dream job
(…talk about a major plot twist), I decided to pivot in the most unexpected of ways. Taking the skills I’d cultivated over the years in logistical planning, project management and event design and production, I decided to launch a full-time career as an event planner.
You're probably thinking by this point, okay great Bennell, but what does any of this have to do with event planning?
I’m a firm believer in the idea that you can exist in a world of AND. You don’t have to choose between being a phenomenal planner or spending time with your family – you get to have both. Sound too good to be true? I’m living proof that it’s not.
I was doing everything I thought I should be doing to run my business but barely having any profits to show for it. I knew I was great at my craft but didn’t know how to price my services to align with the value I delivered to my clients. That was until, I learned the tools I needed to get to the next level.
That’s why I’m committed to coaching and helping other event planners borrow the lessons I learned the hard way, so they create an events business that is not only fulfilling but profitable and sustainable. You work too hard, sacrificing so much time away from the things and people you love to not have a bank account that reflects the true value of the absolute artistry that is event planning.
I can’t wait to connect with you to help you have the business you’ve always dreamed of having.
now, i help other event planners do the same.
it wasn't always this way though. FIVE YEARS AGO, I WAS OVERWORKED, OVERWHELMED, UNDERPAID AND RUNNING ON FUMES…
After battling cancer twice and gaining an entirely new perspective along the way, I decided I didn’t want to plan ordinary events. Instead, I wanted to create a brand that delivered experiences that were as exquisite, luxurious, and stunning as the events I grew up attending and being inspired by growing up in New York City.
ICED CARAMEL COFFEE
can't live without
CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Favorite Event Design Movie
PLEASE, HELP IT MAKE SENSE!
Favorite Phrase
LUXURIOUS SCENTS
Obsessed With
early mornings
inconsiderate people
bland food
small talk
poor grammar
deep conversations
window over aisle
color coding
travel adventures
food truck tacos
The year when a bowl of Mac & Cheese, 13 law school rejection letters and an unexpected cancer diagnosis took my career path from courtrooms to ballrooms. My introduction to event planning, however, would come in an unconventional way.
Deeply steeped in the world of nonprofit work and celebrating a clean bill of health, I took on a role that had me traveling every two weeks, over 65,000 miles a year and planning over 10 events each quarter. This role would shape my love for and skill in, event planning and logistics.
Living out of a suitcase for 3 years was exciting until it wasn’t, and a calmer, less stressful way of life was in order. Right as I was getting ready to transition into a new role…PLOT TWIST! Cancer diagnosis #2 (relapse) happened and turned everything on its head.
The official medical tally was now Bennell – 2 Cancer – 0. A renewed clean bill of health and a new role that saw me designing and producing record-breaking galas for nonprofits, I began to envision launching a company that would produce unique event experiences for private clients.
Spain - the solo trip that changed everything. Between endless tapas, far too many photos of the Sagrada Familia, and countless God whispers that provided confirmation of what my next big move should be, the idea for LaPorte & Company was birthed in Barcelona. Two weeks after my return to the States I officially handed in my resignation.
A mere eight months into the launch of LaPorte & Company, the entire events industry was brought to its knees with 5 letters and 2 numbers…COVID-19. Gripped with global uncertainty, this year proved far too eventful, in more ways than one, for our company. Biggest realization? Virtual events are NOT our jam.
With more events to plan than there are days in the week to cover them, I can’t wait to see what magic we create next. We’re just getting started…