"Everyday is a challenge if you have a business" with Valerie Bihet

Valerie Bihet has more than 20 years of experience in the management, design, and production of special events that communicate and achieve her client’s objectives. Her event experience spans high-profile social occasions, non-profit fundraisers, corporate meetings, conferences, product launches, and incentive trips.

Since starting her company in 2004, VIBE Agency has grown the company to nine employees and produced more than 1,100 events throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, East Asia, and South America.

Her clientele includes global brands like Dior, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, LVMH, Coty, L'Oréal, Barclays, Banco Santander, McCain, Merck, Thea Pharmaceuticals, and many more.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Originally from Paris, France, I started in events working as the Public Relations and Special Events Manager at Disneyland Paris and Public Relations Director at Club Med Paris. In those roles, I managed the events teams for many of the two companies’ largest events including Disney’s 5th Anniversary Celebration, Club Med’s 50th Anniversary and The Race, and the world-renowned Tour de France.

While at Club Med, the opportunity in the North American offices presented itself and so I transferred to the Miami office in 2000 as the Communication, Public Relation, and Partnership Director. During the four years in that role, I produced events and managed large production teams for the brand’s high profile events as well as being responsible for all marketing and press events.

Then in 2004 I founded VIBE and have only been looking forward ever since. 

What inspired you to start your business?

A headhunter approached me about taking on a Manager of Special Events position and while I was doing the interview, he reconsidered. He thought I had been too involved in leisure and hospitality rather than luxury, which is what the position lent itself towards, and so I wouldn't know how to do luxury events. I told him I was going to prove him wrong and set out to do just that. 

Later I pitched that same company he was looking to hire me for but did so as VIBE agency and I won the contract. HIs doubt in my ability to do luxury events turned out to be a good thing because it motivated me to take the leap and do it all on my own. I knew I could and so I did.  

Where is your business based?

Miami, Florida

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I would not say I took specific first steps that you normally should when starting a business. You should be in “action mode” and I was actually in “reaction” mode. Usually when you start your plan and really outline the strategy, then you pitch prospective clients. I did it in reverse.

I took a lunch meeting with a prospective client and as we talked I saw the event concept in my head, so I pitched it. They bought into my idea and I sold my first event contract, then pulled the company together after with a business plan, event execution process, marketing strategy, etc. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Most effective for me has been to really create a brand. It has always been about storytelling and branding. My logo is very recognizable and I wanted to be very different from what others are doing. The design, the colors, the website - these are all very different from other meeting planners and what is normally seen as a destination management company. 

From the beginning, I knew I wanted my website to be very strong and we put a big focus on PR to keep the brand and name out there. 

Since COVID19 stopped all of our event plans, I am even using this time to rework my brand map. A good brand map, to me, includes all those elements of design I mentioned (logo, website), messaging, a brand mission & goal, attributes and core values, differentiation factors, and an overall strategy, which outlines your value proposition and big ideas. Staying true to my brand and using our principle of storytelling as a guide for all of our marketing and PR activities has been the biggest way for me to stand out in my industry. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Every day is a challenge if you have a business. In January of each year, you have to reinvent yourself and start at zero.

That being said, 9/11 was definitely a very big challenge for my industry followed by the recession of 2008 and now COVID19. Each of these impacted the event and travel industry massively and forced us to come up with new ideas.

In any major crisis time isn’t your friend. You need to act quickly, evaluate your assets and options, then make a decision. In 2008, the recession didn’t hit Europe until months after it did in America, so I went to Europe (I’m from France) to find my clients. At that time I was able to switch out my U.S. clients for European clients and stay afloat and working.

Now COVID19 is affecting the US and Europe at the same time, so there is no way to switch out the clientele in that way. Right Now we are working through it still. We are trying to get past the challenge. The first thing people cut in a pandemic is events that bring people together, followed by their marketing budgets overall, which is where we fit in. 

Then when things start to reopen, it may begin with businesses and then leisure but events and business travel will be the last to recover. If they recover in September, great. But will it be next January or May 2021? I don't know. We are working on this as a fluid situation daily. 

How do you stay focused?

I don't have any choice. As a business owner and leader in my industry, I have to stay focused. We as business owners collectively have to stay focused, especially when we have staff depending on us. 

So it’s more a matter of, what can we do differently in the future? How can we reinvent ourselves? I believe staying focused is a basic quality of good leadership in general and just being able to survive in business as I have for 15 years.  

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Just like with my own brand awareness, I keep the focus of our company and our events on storytelling and branding. Each event needs to be branded well for the client and tell a story for its attendees. 

I spend about 25% of my week researching trends, reading news, paying attention to new travel destinations and what they offer, and the general flow of the luxury industry. It’s part of what we refer to as the VIBE 361-degree approach. We don’t just look at your event from all angles, but we go one extra step to see how it fits into the larger story of their industry and the experience they can provide for attendees, then bring that to life. 

Also, my team and I have true international experience. Originally from Paris, I brought my experience with European clients to Miami, which is very international in itself, and I think that has really helped me stand out. I host annual events in multiple locations in Mexico, France, and throughout the U.S for both American and European clients. I understand different cultures on a level that many others do not simply because I have lived and worked in multiple countries.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

I take a multi-directional approach, which is what really has worked best. All of them though come back to a single goal: staying connected with our clients and prospective clients or referral partners. We do that in 3 main ways. 

The first focus is social media, but more so for building our brand than it is direct sales. It’s about keeping our name and experience out there. I’m personally doing a lot with LinkedIn right now that is seeing more connections 

I also really believe in blogging, on our own site, and guest blogs, to position VIBE as an expert in the industry. This feeds directly into our SEO strategy and keeps our website updated with valuable information.

And the third way is through email marketing programs. Staying connected with email marketing programs to our clients and prospects as we focus on growing them even more. 

These will not be the same for every business, but knowing where your target clients are will help you refine where you need to be. For any marketing strategy to work, you need to set your goals, budget, and then align your processes to reach your ideal clients where they spend their time.

I know people read articles, so we’ve always included PR in our overall strategy. It’s great to hear from people who say “I saw what you said in xyz article…” 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

When you see that 15 years of your life are coming down to where my industry stands now, wow. You have to be prepared for that. If you're not ready to weather these intense storms, then entrepreneurship is maybe not the best path for you.

So I would advise anyone who is thinking of starting a business to ask themselves this: would they be willing to go through what we are now as small business owners? Are they prepared to handle the staffing, resource, sales, marketing, etc.? If so, then this is going to be a wonderful life and extremely fulfilling.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Honestly, I don’t really have time to read novels or books, but I subscribe to a lot of travel, tourism, and marketing news. I can take a lot of inspiration from travel shows and magazines that spotlight new destinations I can take my clients to (when we can again). It’s really all over the place as far as outlets. I like to really get a diverse sense of what is happening industry-wise in these areas and apply them to my business. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Hubspot. It helps me manage all of my databases, KPIs for sales & marketing, and see what my team is doing and how they're working with clients. We are integrating all of our social media through there as well so it can all be done in one spot. It’s very streamlined, which has made things run faster.

If you want to start a business, get the right CRM immediately. Setting it upright will allow you to gain back so much more time in the future as the business grows.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Multiple people for various reasons. To start, Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay and current CEO of Hewlett Packard. She has great leadership skills and is a strong woman in business. She builds brands and is able to lead them to success. It’s very inspiring to watch her career and how she goes about running her teams.

I also am very inspired by Michelle Obama. I love her style. She may have stood next to her husband while he was President and in the spotlight but she has a very strong personality and she differentiated herself that way. She knew when to move forward and push good programs in this country. 

Richard Branson with Virgin is also so inspiring. He is able to manage haute couture and be innovative.

Also, TK-NAME started Starbucks with no brand and no advertising but truly believing in the business model built around a sense of community. These men and women each have a vision for their companies and that is what’s inspiring to me.

How do you balance work and life?

Honestly, it’s a work in progress. From that perspective, this quarantine has been beneficial for me as I get to spend more time with my family. I still find I can be very wrapped up in my head with ideas for work though and not be as present as I want to, but I’m trying. That’s the best any of us can do I think.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Play tennis with my daughter. I also love to cook because it allows me to stop thinking. I just have to follow directions on a recipe and then get to enjoy the final product. It’s simple tasks that lead to enjoyment.

I also play the piano. They may be the same three or four pieces of music over and over but there is a lot of comfort and relaxation in routine.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Right now I am focused on keeping my business alive and leading my team. I want them to know we are staying in this and we will get through it together. As for client work, that is an unknown at this point.

We are focusing on virtual events where we can, but a lot of education is what will separate us when events do come back. I am trying to provide that education to VIBE clients as well as my team.

I am also looking for which industries will emerge from this and be a potential new focus for us as we get back to a new normal of events and travel.

How can our readers connect with you?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevibeagency/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevibeagency/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-vibe-agency