Showcase Showdown

‘Tis the season to get organized. And if attending a Bar/Bat Mitzvah showcase in your area is something you’re considering to help jumpstart your Mitzvah planning – kudos to you!

Undoubtedly, a showcase can be a very valuable venue to gather a lot of information in one fell swoop. However, a showcase might also feel overwhelming. To help understand how to best navigate a showcase, we decided to catch up with Elyse Davis, one of the co-founders of Celebrate! Party Showcase. Elyse and her business partner Flora Smithline have been in the Mitzvah-planning business for more than 20 years. Here are four simple suggestions Elyse shares with us:

1. Have a game plan. “Know what you are looking for and seek out those vendors,” Elyse suggests. If you know what you are looking for – a DJ, a florist, a photographer, entertainment, favors – then you can stay focused and visit those vendors related to what you need.
2. Create a budget. “There is nothing wrong with having a working budget in mind before you attend a showcase,” Elyse says. If you budget a certain amount for a DJ, for example, then don’t waste your time talking to one that costs twice what you’re allocating.
3. Involve your child. Elyse always reminds parents to let their children be part of the planning process and definitely bring them along with you to the showcase. Let your child weigh in on the different elements that make a Mitzvah what it is. She suggests you even let them understand that a budget is part of the planning process so that they learn what it means to be fiscally responsible.
4. Print labels ahead of time. This is by far our favorite tip! Elyse suggests that instead of writing your name, number and email over and over again for each vendor at the showcase, you take along pre-printed labels and hand them to the vendors you are interested in keeping.

Thanks Elyse! So helpful….