"No one can be lonely who has a book for company." ~ Nelle Reagan

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Book Review: Reflections of a Successful Wallflower by Andrea Michaels

Reflections of a Successful Wallflower
Author:  Andrea Michaels
Copyright:  2010
Publisher:  Outskirts Press, Inc.
Pages: 310
Genre:  Biography/Business
ISBN 978-1-4327-4909-5
Source:  A complimentary copy was provided by Andrea Michaels and Bostick Communications in return for a review.  This in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

Available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

http://www.outskirtspress.com/andreamichaels/

Extraordinary Events web page:  http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/ee_main.html

From the back cover:  Who is Andrea Michaels and What Does She Know That We Don't?

Andrea Michaels is literally one of the backbones of the special events industry.  Launching her business when there was no formalized or defined marketplace, she was and still is a trailblazer, pioneering the way for others to follow.....

Reflections of a Successful Wallflower can only be compared to reading Andrea's diaries.  This first inductee into the industry Hall of Fame shares, openly and candidly, not only the public wunderkind but the inner woman.  Discover the workings of one of the foremost event producers in the world.  You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll be in disbelief and fascinated at the same time.  She is a storyteller, and her stories and her life are great lessons for everyone.


My thoughts:  Reflections of a Successful Wallflower:  Lessons in Business Lessons in Life by Andrea Michaels is a visit to that wonderland of the special event industry.  The events her company, Extraordinary Events, organized include none other than the grand opening ceremonies of BC Place in Vancouver, Canada; corporate merger events; NASA space shuttle three-day conference and trade show; corporate holiday events; opening of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas; incentive trips; and even the award show gala for her industry.  Andrea Michaels conjures up images spectacular to the mind including laser shows, pyrotechnic displays, grand staging, performances and so much more that you wish you could be there in person to witness it all.  Not only does she write of these events that her company staged; but she includes challenges, solutions, side notes and lessons learned along the way.  Some lessons are professional, some personal and some both.  Andrea loves what she does and in Reflections of a Successful Wallflower she shares her tips to keeping her cool under stress, like the time their tour bus was run off the road and bandits, high on drugs, robbed the passengers at gun point.  Andrea had the forethought to remove her passport, credit cards, ID, some cash and necessary items before the gunmen boarded the bus and she calmly handed over her purse without harassment.  How many people can keep their cool in a situation like that and have the forethought of mind to make sure she maintained her necessary papers and cards?  She, incidentally, was the only one on the bus to have retained her passport and necessities.

Reflections of a Successful Wallflower has invaluable advice for the event planner, the business person and the average reader alike because most of what she shares can be transferred to our daily lives.  She is inspirational, humble, smart and funny and writes an incredible memoir/guide that will have you laughing and shaking your head in disbelief.

Reflections of a Successful Wallflower is an entertaining read for all; well worth your time for the lessons and the entertaining value therein.

Highly recommended  4/5/5 







About Andrea Michaels



Andrea Michaels, an international meeting and event producer, is the President/Founder of Extraordinary Events and winner of 33 Special Event Gala Awards. She is the first inductee into the Special Event Industry Hall of Fame and a winner of both the SITE Crystal and MPI Global Paragon Awards, among many other recognitions. All of these are for impeccable and innovative meetings and events. Prominent events include the openings of Las Vegas' Venetian Hotel and that city's Town Square, Lumiere Place in St. Louis and G.M. Place in Vancouver, and international road shows for The Hong Kong Tourist Board, as well as a variety of clients globally. Additionally her seminars on Creativity, Sustainability, The Profitability of Doing Business and Anatomy of an Event have earned her international kudos. In a few words, she sets the trends; others follow.


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