Kristi Johnson on Transforming Moments into Memories

By Sarah Karnish

Planner Kristi Johnson never imagined her path would lead to a career where she could turn moments into memories.

“When I was in college, I didn’t know there was such a thing as an event planner,” she reflects, recalling the simpler, more modest gatherings of her youth — weddings held in church basements or at the local VFW hall.

Like countless others in the hospitality industry, Johnson started her journey to event planner as a server at the North Star Hotel in Minneapolis, where she worked her way up to event manager.

“I started doing special events — weddings, brunches — and I fell in love with all of that,” she recalls.

The Marcus family managed the North Star Hotel as well as the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, and through that relationship, Johnson came to Grand Geneva in 1995.

PINTEREST-WORTHY PLANNING

Over the last 30 years, Johnson says she’s witnessed many industry shifts, with the influence of social media standing out as one of the most significant.

“[Before, event planning] was more of an order-taking position. There was no Pinterest, no Instagram. People didn’t have all of these ideas — they had to rely more on their own creativity,” she recalls. “We had basic menus, not custom. Things kept evolving as social media evolved.”

Technology itself was another big game changer, she adds.

“I used to handwrite all my orders and notes, and my assistant would fax them to wherever they had to go,” she says. “Email changed my world. Having a laptop changed my world. Now I’m available whenever a client needs me, which is both good and bad.”

WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES

The fast pace and dynamic atmosphere of planning events means every day is different, and no day is boring. Johnson shares a few key lessons she feels would benefit new planners:

“Many new planners are not used to picking up the phone and calling someone, but response time is huge in this industry. You want to let people know you’re working on it and will have an answer for them,” she says. “People are afraid to say they don’t know, so they don’t respond.

“I would also tell new planners to ask questions [for events]: Why are you coming here [to this venue]? What do you want to do here?” she adds. “The more questions you ask, the more information you’ll know. There are no stupid questions. Ask those questions of clients so we can put you in a better spot for success.”

And finally, “Wear comfortable shoes,” she says. “We’re spread out on this property — we’re not a hotel. I once had an intern walking around the property with me, and on her first day, we put in 40,000 steps.”

MORE THAN JUST A PARTY

Johnson is quick to say planning events is not just planning parties. Event planning is much broader in scope, with far more details.

“Party planning is not on a grand scale — it doesn’t usually involve transportation, lodging, flights, contracts,” she explains. “[Event planning] has long days. It can be incredibly stressful.”

But in the end, Johnson says, she loves the work because it’s about nurturing connections and helping people make memories.

“Building those relationships is the key to success with clients, coworkers, and vendors. I was married 10 years ago and many of my clients came. The personal relationships matter.”