The Monopoly Plan That Left Dave Shook

Summary

Cecilia Romero, San Francisco event planner who pivoted from supply-chain director to running Miss Seven by Seven, walks Rachel through the lessons of working both sides of the logistics chain. The standout stories: a 2,000-person Monopoly-themed holiday party at an electric car factory with no permanent power yet, a mobility conference where she dropped table heights for guests in wheelchairs, and a launch event where she had to call her personal house cleaner at 9:45 the morning of because the client's office had never been dusted.

Key takeaways

1. Events are logistics with a dash of creativity — Cecilia's supply-chain rule is never single-sourced. Multiple bartending vendors, AV vendors, caterers. When the caterer's rental subcontractor no-showed Monday, Plan B was caterer-picks-up Tuesday, Plan C was disposable flatware already in her trunk.
2. Build for the audience you have, not the one your spec assumes — A mobility and accessibility conference Cecilia ran lowered table heights, mixed high-boys with low-boys, and accommodated guests who were deaf, hard of hearing, or in wheelchairs. The keynote said it was the first such conference run by non-disabled organizers to actually land.
3. The grand entrance is also the wheelchair entrance — Candles and flowers up stairs look beautiful and exclude half the room. Whatever the dramatic moment is, the accessible path needs the same one. If it doesn't, you built it for the wrong people.
4. Pipe-and-drape can be the set piece — At a Monopoly-themed party for 2,000 in an electric car factory with no permanent power, Cecilia laid the floor in colored bays so each walkthrough landed in a different board section. Live Community Chest and Chance actors, casino games, banker giving out fake money.
5. Trust but verify — Three words from a former boss that Cecilia lives by. She evaluates a vendor from the first interaction, has hired security and florists she met at restaurants, and always sends an email to confirm what the call agreed to. Communication is the verify.

Transcript

00:00 With over 33 years in the mobile bartending and service industry, he is the guy who brings the party and the joy wherever he goes. She's a seasoned event planner and producer with more than 20 years of experience in sports, corporate, nonprofit, and private events. Together we are Hot Mics, Cold Drinks and Untold Disasters of the wild, hilarious and unforgettable moments in the world of events.

00:27 This is the Event Talk podcast with Dave and Rachel.

00:31 Hi everybody. Welcome to the Event Talk podcast. We are here today with a sorority sister friend, I've known her forever. Cecilia Romero. She's an event planner — we were in the same sorority in college, then she started working for U of A athletics when I was there. She has a company out of San Francisco called Miss Seven by Seven, a full-on event planning company. Welcome.

01:52 My event career started with Arizona Athletics in the fall of 2006. I interned for Arizona Athletics for three years, then moved back to the Bay Area, executive assistant for different startups while planning their internal corporate events. Then I pivoted completely into supply chain — sourcing food, beverage and packaging for a restaurant tech startup, then mechanical and electrical parts. I quit my job November 3rd, 2023, as director of supply chain. On one of those many walks with my dog around San Francisco, the concept for Miss Seven by Seven came to me. I didn't officially file my LLC until April 2024.

04:46 Now you're an event planner on your own. What's wild — I'm still working with vendors today that I worked with from 2011 to 2013. When you find good people, you stick with them. Favorite location in San Francisco — it depends what the client's going for. There are over 4,000 bars and restaurants here. But I just did a launch event at a client's office and a big conference in June at their office. Sometimes you work with the constraints you're handed.

07:05 Difference between Arizona and San Francisco events — no snow, but fog, wind. I've yet to do an outdoor event in the last year and a half, everything's primarily inside. Biggest difference — having a golf cart in college to cart everything around. With the PGA tour it was like ten points to hit the person in front of you going two miles an hour. I never hit anybody on purpose.

08:29 Most unexpected thing — two come to mind. One, the big conference in June, included building out their registration website. It was a mobility conference — all attendees were either hard of hearing, in mobility chairs, or deaf. I tried to put myself in the mindset of catering to an audience that isn't catered to day to day. I didn't have standard bar heights, I did lower tops, a combination of high-boys and low-boys. A keynote speaker said it was the first conference not put on by somebody with a disability that was the most successful event they'd attended.

10:00 Second — a European-based client launching in the US asked, do you have experience with billboards? I said no, but I can figure it out — let me ask my PR team. I learned so much about billboard sourcing. When a billboard is available you can place a three-day hold, and within those three days you decide if you sign or it goes to the next person. Each billboard has its own demographics, a lot of data behind where it's placed.

11:15 We did the Event Talk a couple months ago at ability360 here in the Valley — everything from special sound. As a planner I always want to make sure, is there anybody who will need a special accommodation. In the event space we need to talk about it more. Even a grand entrance lit by candles and flowers — what if somebody needs a wheelchair and can't walk up the stairs? Make sure that accessible area has that same grand entrance.

12:26 Something that went totally sideways the guests didn't know about — this happened recently for the launch event. I got to the office the day of for setup. It's not a typical office, there's automation and robotics. It's 9:45 in the morning, guest arrival at 4 p.m., first vendor already setting up. I don't know the last time they physically cleaned their office — dust everywhere. I called Angela, who's cleaned my place for years — can you send people to this address? Two people there within the hour, cleaning for 2.5 hours as decor was set up. There's no way I can present the office that way for a launch event.

14:45 Vendor totally cancel or no-show — the caterer subcontracted out the rentals, glassware, plates, and that didn't deliver. Event Tuesday, delivery window Monday, didn't show. The caterer also has their own flatware, worst case we go pick up from the rental company before the event. Plan A is what we ordered shows up, B they go pick it up, C I'd already procured nice disposable flatware and called a former client whose event I did to borrow plates. The caterer ended up picking up the morning of.

16:56 I had to tell a vendor no. Two weeks ago, a movie night out in the middle of an orchard. Food vendors pay to be there and keep all their money. I said setup is 5:00, doors at 6:00, you have to wheel everything, you have to be here. He calls me at 6:05 after I emailed, texted, called — "I'm on site, I can't find it." Too late. Gates were open, it was a liability. I'll probably comp his next one. Vendors have to know it's a time commitment. I have an event where food vendors have to be there at 6 a.m. for an 8 a.m. start because we have load-in of cars and dogs.

18:36 Strangest over-the-top request — years ago I worked for a certain electric car company and planned a 2,000-person holiday party at the factory. 30,000 square feet, but no power, nothing, because the infrastructure was being built in parallel. Hand in hand with facilities — will each column have power? On the way out there was a non-working escalator, so people were taking cardboard boxes and sliding down them at the end of the night. Fortunately no one was injured. Three-day load-in, two-day load-out.

20:33 Fun themed parties — Monopoly. A company where I had full range on the holiday party and the theme was always a secret. Live characters — a Community Chest character, a Chance character. You played into all the colors of the board — a set piece above the food station in yellow with mailboxes. A banker, the old guy with the beard, fake money, casino games. The board projected on the wall. The pipe-and-drape laid out so each bay was a color — walk through and you're in the green section, look right it's all green, 30 feet over it's yellow.

24:16 Fire and Ice party — half Winter Wonderland, half fire. On the ice side I brought in a huge block of ice and had someone come in with a chainsaw and carve a chair, then laid a pad down. It became a photo moment. The chair design was taller than me. I'm a huge advocate for interactive components in events — that's what's memorable.

27:09 AV fails — the accessibility conference, up to five breakouts at any point, hybrid. I'd log in online to check. I saw chatter in one that sound wasn't coming in. I immediately went to the AV team — something they had to switch on the back end. When there are breakouts, especially hybrid, make sure someone's going into the rooms to double check.

28:53 Funny story not normally public — at one of the holiday parties, the CEO was offering some mushrooms, people asking around. Mushrooms are having a moment. The higher-ups were asking. That same party — you get to see every single photo booth photo. Back in the day they gave you a disc. I have a disc I could use for blackmail. A former boss I would never have expected.

33:32 Another one — a company I worked for getting acquired, I had to discreetly plan three events in less than two weeks. At the after-party someone comes up — I would like to order 100 oysters. Definitely not sober. You are not getting my corporate card. Go ask so-and-so. They did, the executives handed over their card. I already spent $18K on this party. There were 100 people, everybody got one.

35:36 Biggest lesson — this is from supply chain: events are logistics with a dash of creativity. Never single-sourced — multiple bartending vendors, AV vendors, caterers. Three words I live by from my former boss: trust but verify. I evaluate a vendor from the first interaction. I have a knack for finding talent at bars — I've hired security and a flower vendor I met at a restaurant. Communication is a big part of the trust. I'm a communication major, I cater my style to the other person's preference — text, email, phone — but I always send an email as proof.

39:09 So good catching up. It brought me back to college. Everybody check her out — come up for Cool Off in Style, the second Tuesday in June. Thank you for joining, nice to meet you. Subscribe, comment, thumbs up, share.

40:01 Thanks for tuning in to the Event Talk podcast — Hot Mics, Cold Drinks and Untold Disasters where every event has a story. A big thank you to our guests for their laughs, stories, and lessons. If you loved this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with your fellow event pros. Until next time.