Notable event planner, media personality and “America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru,” Steve Kemble, was recently selected to be the inaugural Chairperson of the volunteer Leadership Advisory Board (LAB) for the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA). Providing the unanimous vote of confidence for Kemble were other noteworthy LAB Members, Marcia Blum, Sean De Freitas, Cheryl Fish, Jonathan t. Howe, Esq., Tim Lundy, CSEP, Lena Malouf, CSEP, AIFD, and Darcy Miller-Nussbaum – all recognized masters and innovators with nationally & internationally acclaimed expertise in the wedding profession and/or non-profit association management.
Well-suited to lead the LAB, Kemble, a past-president of the International Special Events Society (ISES), has received over twenty-five industry accolades, including Special Events magazine Gala Award for Lifetime Achievement, Event Solutions magazine induction to the Event Industry Hall of Fame, Event Solutions magazine Event Planner of the Year, the ISES International Volunteer of the Year award, and the Meeting Professionals International Planner of the Year Award. A centerpiece of WE TV’s marquee block of bridal programming, Wedding Central, Kemble has also appeared on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Wedding Edition,” Style Network’s “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” and “Married Away.”
Serving as WIPA emissaries around the industry, the LAB will provide guidance to the Member-elected WIPA Board of Directors to assure the steady, solvent growth of WIPA in accordance with its Vision and Mission Statement. As a body, the LAB Members represent different geographic areas, are exposed to U.S. and global affairs on a daily basis, and in touch with wedding industry trends, regulations and best business practices.
Achieving non-profit incorporation status in June, 2008, WIPA is the first national (501c6) trade association created specifically for providers of wedding products and services. Its purpose is to promote the wedding industry, educate the public in the value of employing qualified wedding specialists, set and monitor professional standards of performance of Members, and provide Members with opportunities to enhance their professional growth. Members champion four core values – knowledge, integrity, quality and education – thereby delivering the best business practices to their clients and each other.
“The founding Board of Directors recognized the need for higher level education and professional growth opportunities for those employed in the burgeoning wedding industry,” states WIPA President, Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP. “This is the cornerstone of the organization”
Appealing to experienced wedding professionals, a requisite for WIPA membership is proof of legal business status and business insurance coverage. “This is something every bridal couple should request before ever contracting with vendors,” confirms Becker. “Because of this benefit, brides, grooms and their families will find the added value of working with a WIPA Member.”
“The industry has risen to professional status only in the last 25 years,” Becker informs. “Considered recession-proof, many unskilled planners and suppliers are starting new wedding careers at a rapid pace. There’s an overdue need for a strong code of ethics and WIPA has set the standards of performance for all,” she says.
For more information, please contact Director of Membership, Neil Adams, neil@blueprintstudiocollection.com, or President, Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP, joyce@eventsofdistinction.com. Additional information about WIPA can be found at www.wipausa.org.
