Endorsements

Gloria has gathered the umpteen moving parts of planning and delivering critical business events and engineered them into a blueprint for your organization to perform as a well-oiled machine. Clear, concise, and uncompromisingly complete, Gloria’s book, The Art of Professional Connections: Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining, patiently guides readers through every crucial aspect of creating a successful event. From considering the purpose, to creating a theme, to all the meticulous logistics, to post-event strategies, Gloria has crafted a chapter to cover each detail. Laid out in an easy-to-use format, including comprehensive checklists, readers can choose to examine the entire process or dive directly into the aspect of events that interests them most. I only wish this book was available when my teams hosted Hollywood celebrities, presidents and royalty. Everyone involved in organizing events could use this supporting guide for the essential details, keeping in mind Gloria’s point: the goal of any event is to create a memorable experience that demonstrates appreciation, builds goodwill and loyalty, and treats each participant like the royalty they are to your organization.
─Dolores McKay,
President, The Leadership Firm, international award-winning experience designer

Gloria Petersen packed Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining with advice and resources for anyone appointed with the unexpected task of planning an event. It’s a guide for putting together a meeting or event that provides insights on everything from hiring the caterers to hiring the speaker. Reading this book gives you a point of reference and leaves you free to create an event with your own special touch. Plus, you will feel more informed when dealing with meeting professionals and bureaus.
─Rob Carsello
Lecture Agent and President,  Speaker Resource Center

Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining is a must have for any well-stocked business reference library. Graduates, new managers, executives and their spouses, event planners—this book is for you! Gloria presents the clear guidance, tools and resources essential to successful business entertaining. From a framework of time-tested, fundamental protocol, Gloria has masterfully woven in current social trends to deliver a relevant and powerful guide. As an experienced professional event sponsor and social hostess, I find the comprehensive approach Gloria presents a fantastic refresher and a recipe for success.
─Tina LaCroix-Hauri
Director, Enterprise Risk Management and Operational Risk, Discover Financial Services

Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining provides readers a great foundation for what it means to be a planner or a guest at major business events and provides useful strategies, tools, and templates for making a favorable and memorable impression. Meetings, social and business-oriented events, celebrations, and even trade shows present unique face-to-face opportunities with clients, prospects and contacts. Event Strategies shows you how to build relationships and connect with others in a broad spectrum of social situations.
─Nancy Sanders, MBA
Founder, Three Dog Marketing, A strategic marketing, sales and communications firm

Gloria has compiled an easy first-step checklist to consider and follow when presented with planning any event.  As a 30+ year veteran meeting planner, I especially appreciate the advice on invitations, what to do with uninvited guests, and the protocol that every meeting planner needs to know. Every meeting planner is a protocol officer and this book gives the reader, no matter what stage of experience they have achieved, a good checklist to consider when producing any type of event or meeting.
─Cynthia W. Lett, CPP,CEP, CTP
Executive Director, The Lett Group, and the International Society of Protocol & Etiquette Professionals

Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining is an essential tool designed for young professionals to seasoned executives who entertain prospects, clients and employees. Gloria’s comprehensive approach not only allows the host to have a successful event, but in turn allows the guests to enjoy a memorable experience that will solidify relationships for the mutual benefit of all involved.
─Nicole Roberts
Corporate Event Planner