{"id":18988,"date":"2020-10-21T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/?p=18988"},"modified":"2020-10-21T07:00:11","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T12:00:11","slug":"event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir","title":{"rendered":"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"overflow: auto;\">\n<div class=\"half-1\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Student-Feature-Headshot-Template-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18989 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Student-Feature-Headshot-Template-1.png\" alt=\"event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir\" width=\"444\" height=\"543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Student-Feature-Headshot-Template-1.png 444w, https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Student-Feature-Headshot-Template-1-245x300.png 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"half-2\">\n<p><strong>Name<\/strong>: Carmella Smeir<\/p>\n<p><strong>Location:\u00a0<\/strong>Jerusalem (Israel) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates)<\/p>\n<p><strong>QC Courses you&#8217;ve taken:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/online-event-courses\/event-and-wedding-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Event &amp; Wedding Planning<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Your website: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.carmellitaevents.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.carmellitaevents.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CarmellitaEvents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CarmellitaEvents<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carmellitaevents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carmellitaevents\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>YouTube:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy2tUy7i9L-jItiirQ-hmfQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy2tUy7i9L-jItiirQ-hmfQ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>TikTok: <a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZS948XX2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZS948XX2\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Tell_us_a_little_bit_about_yourself\" >Tell us a little bit about yourself!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Why_did_you_decide_to_pursue_career_in_professional_event_planning\" >Why did you decide to pursue career in professional event planning?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Your_business_Carmellita_Events_is_family-owned_You_operate_as_both_the_Founder_and_Creative_Director_Your_mother_and_business_partner_Rose_Smeir_is_the_Detail_Designer_In_your_experience_how_has_it_been_launching_and_running_a_business_alongside_a_family_member\" >Your business,\u00a0Carmellita Events, is family-owned. You operate as both the Founder and Creative Director. Your mother and business partner, Rose Smeir, is the Detail Designer. In your experience, how has it been launching and running a business alongside a family member?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Why_did_you_decide_to_attend_an_online_event_planning_school_over_a_physical_school_to_earn_your_professional_certification_and_why_did_you_ultimately_choose_to_enroll_with_QC_Event_School\" >Why did you decide to attend an online event planning school over a physical school to earn your professional certification, and why did you ultimately choose to enroll with QC Event School?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#You_graduated_from_QC_Event_School_back_in_2018_In_what_ways_have_your_professional_training_and_certification_benefitted_your_event_planning_career\" >You graduated from QC Event School back in 2018. In what ways have your professional training and certification benefitted your event planning career?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Your_business_offers_a_wide_range_of_services_to_your_clients_such_as_event_planningstylingdesigning_digital_design_and_marketing_services_and_home_and_office_stylingdesigning_In_your_professional_experience_why_do_you_feel_that_offering_this_larger_array_of_services_has_brought_your_company_greater_success\" >Your business offers a wide range of services to your clients, such as: event planning\/styling\/designing, digital design and marketing services, and home and office styling\/designing. In your professional experience, why do you feel that offering this larger array of services has brought your company greater success?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Youve_been_growing_your_online_presence_quite_nicely_especially_on_Instagram_What_is_your_1_piece_of_for_aspiring_event_planners_looking_to_establish_a_name_for_themselves_on_social_media\" >You\u2019ve been growing your online presence quite nicely, especially on Instagram. What is your #1 piece of for aspiring event planners looking to establish a name for themselves on social media?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#You_just_released_the_official_commercial_for_your_shopoffice_This_is_very_exciting_What_has_this_process_been_like_so_far_and_what_do_you_hope_this_commercial_will_achieve_for_your_event_planning_business\" >You just released the official commercial for your shop\/office. This is very exciting! What has this process been like so far, and what do you hope this commercial will achieve for your event planning business?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#What_wasis_the_most_difficult_part_about_starting_and_then_running_your_very_own_event_planning_business\" >What was\/is the most difficult part about starting (and then running) your very own event planning business?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#What_has_been_the_proudest_moment_so_far_for_you_in_your_event_planning_career\" >What has been the proudest moment so far for you in your event planning career?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Why_would_you_recommend_QC_Event_School_to_anyone_with_dreams_of_working_professionally_in_the_wedding_and_event_planning_industry\" >Why would you recommend QC Event School to anyone with dreams of working professionally in the wedding and event planning industry?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\/#Whats_in_store_for_Carmellita_Events_in_2021_and_beyond\" >What\u2019s in store for\u00a0Carmellita Events\u00a0in 2021 and beyond?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tell_us_a_little_bit_about_yourself\"><\/span>Tell us a little bit about yourself!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My name is Carmella Smeir. I was born in Jerusalem and then raised in Dubai, where I lived for 24 years. My family and I moved back to our home country, Jerusalem, to start our own business in <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/03\/maximize-your-time-at-home-by-getting-an-event-planning-certificate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">event planning<\/a> and <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/09\/4-perks-youll-only-get-from-an-online-wedding-planning-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wedding planning<\/a>. I finished a bachelor&#8217;s degree in Marketing Communications from the American University in Dubai. I then started working and gaining experience in that field, but it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n<p>I looked for schools that offered both event <em>and<\/em> wedding planning in one course. That\u2019s when <a href=\"\/about-qc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">QC Event School<\/a> came into my life and made me the internationally-certified planner I am today! We now own a small business &#8211; <em>Carmellita Events<\/em> &#8211; in Jerusalem. We not only offer planning and designing, but many more services that fit our customers&#8217; and clients&#8217; needs.<\/p>\n<p>I love learning new things every now and then. I have recently started sketching and painting courses as well. I\u2019m a very artistic person who enjoys good music, romantic movies, good vibes. I love creating new things and styling around the house. Flowers have been my passion ever since I was a little girl, so that is one big aspect that I love the most in my work!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CF_3EjihN2A\/?igshid=1dhawfywni9a9\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CF_3EjihN2A\/?igshid=1dhawfywni9a9<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_you_decide_to_pursue_career_in_professional_event_planning\"><\/span>Why did you decide to pursue career in professional event planning?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As I mentioned, my love to styling, designing, and planning started at a young age. My love for flowers and decorations has been there for as long as I can remember, too. When I started working in the marketing field, I felt there was <a href=\"\/blog\/2019\/11\/5-obvious-signs-you-should-become-an-event-planner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">something <em>more<\/em> in me<\/a> than a person who sits behind a desk. I needed to be out on the field, making magical events come true!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_business_Carmellita_Events_is_family-owned_You_operate_as_both_the_Founder_and_Creative_Director_Your_mother_and_business_partner_Rose_Smeir_is_the_Detail_Designer_In_your_experience_how_has_it_been_launching_and_running_a_business_alongside_a_family_member\"><\/span>Your business,\u00a0<em>Carmellita Events<\/em>, is family-owned. You operate as both the Founder and Creative Director. Your mother and business partner, Rose Smeir, is the Detail Designer. In your experience, how has it been launching and running a business alongside a family member?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Launching a family-run business has been challenging. My mother and I have very beautiful connection. I\u2019m an only child. Therefore, my mother has not only played her role in that, but also became my best friend <em>and<\/em> sister throughout my life. Building this business with her has been challenging, of course, but where\u2019s the fun in something that&#8217;s easy going?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, we argue over details and how we want to do things around the business. But by the end of the day, we both need each other to complete a magical event. I wouldn\u2019t have done it without her support, help, and creativity. We encourage each other to be better. We always find new challenges that can help us both grow &#8211; not just with the business, but closer to one another.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_you_decide_to_attend_an_online_event_planning_school_over_a_physical_school_to_earn_your_professional_certification_and_why_did_you_ultimately_choose_to_enroll_with_QC_Event_School\"><\/span>Why did you decide to attend an online event planning school over a physical school to earn your professional certification, and why did you ultimately choose to enroll with QC Event School?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Honestly, I wanted to attend <a href=\"\/blog\/2019\/03\/choose-online-wedding-planning-courses-over-in-person-wedding-planning-classes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a physical school<\/a> originally. However, the circumstances that I had didn\u2019t provide me with a good chance back then. I have no regrets now, though! I have 2 amazing certifications with me. One is in marketing communication, which helps me with running the business. The second is QC&#8217;s <a href=\"\/online-event-courses\/event-and-wedding-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">International Event and Wedding Planning Professional&#x2122; (IEWP)<\/a> certification, which really just completes the picture for me completely.<\/p>\n<p>I found many schools for event and wedding planning. However, they&#8217;re two areas that typically require separate courses. Luckily, I found QC\u2019s website after a long search. It fitted what what I needed and more! It offered me something that was really just like a missing puzzle piece.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B5UdopNA0hf\/?igshid=10c1n2tdk9okh\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B5UdopNA0hf\/?igshid=10c1n2tdk9okh<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_graduated_from_QC_Event_School_back_in_2018_In_what_ways_have_your_professional_training_and_certification_benefitted_your_event_planning_career\"><\/span>You graduated from QC Event School back in 2018. In what ways have your professional training and certification benefitted your event planning career?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There have been countless ways! Mostly, I&#8217;ve benefitted from knowing how to create public vs. private events. Now I know many holidays and religious ceremonies, as well as how I should design them. I know how to better <a href=\"\/blog\/2018\/09\/advice-from-athena-how-to-start-an-event-planning-business-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">run an event management company<\/a>, and how to do my budgeting techniques. It even helped me get in touch with some of the greatest event companies back in Dubai, where I met some incredibly talented people who still inspire me to dream and think big day after day.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_business_offers_a_wide_range_of_services_to_your_clients_such_as_event_planningstylingdesigning_digital_design_and_marketing_services_and_home_and_office_stylingdesigning_In_your_professional_experience_why_do_you_feel_that_offering_this_larger_array_of_services_has_brought_your_company_greater_success\"><\/span>Your business offers a wide range of services to your clients, such as: event planning\/styling\/designing, digital design and marketing services, and home and office styling\/designing. In your professional experience, why do you feel that offering this larger array of services has brought your company greater success?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>All of these services are correlated in some way. When you can style and design a whole event, looking at a small space becomes like a fun puzzle that you want to put together. My digital designs and marketing services have also helped develop many social media accounts, so that other businesses can grow and become better. What I love in both of my fields is that they go hand-in-hand. When I learn something in one, it benefits me in the other, too. I have such endless opportunities to <a href=\"\/blog\/2015\/01\/deal-rush-new-clients\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">grow my client base<\/a> and do even more!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Youve_been_growing_your_online_presence_quite_nicely_especially_on_Instagram_What_is_your_1_piece_of_for_aspiring_event_planners_looking_to_establish_a_name_for_themselves_on_social_media\"><\/span>You\u2019ve been growing your online presence quite nicely, especially on Instagram. What is your #1 piece of for aspiring event planners looking to establish a name for themselves on social media?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Going through many event planning companies\u2019 profiles made me realize how messy pages like ours can get. Each event requires special colors, effects, and more. Therefore, I have decided to use a technique where I have it fixed up through each event and its corresponding colors. I find that setup attractive and easy for the eyes to follow. This way, my clients have an easier way of viewing my work. They can can see all of the details <em>without<\/em> collapsing one event into another.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/CDTP4xHA7D4\/?igshid=zmz06t7h5y7v\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/CDTP4xHA7D4\/?igshid=zmz06t7h5y7v<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_just_released_the_official_commercial_for_your_shopoffice_This_is_very_exciting_What_has_this_process_been_like_so_far_and_what_do_you_hope_this_commercial_will_achieve_for_your_event_planning_business\"><\/span>You just released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JjSp6KRJHBU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the official commercial<\/a> for your shop\/office. This is very exciting! What has this process been like so far, and what do you hope this commercial will achieve for your event planning business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This has been one of the most exciting things I have ever done (after opening our shop)! As we have all witnessed the crises of <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/07\/how-to-become-an-event-planner-during-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the pandemic this year<\/a>, everyone all over the world has been suffering greatly. I took this opportunity to work on my office\/shop and open it just in time after the lockdown. The video is our official company\u2019s video, mentioning all the important details and services <em>Carmellita Events<\/em> has to offer. It will not only be a way to reach our clients and to let them know that we are open now &#8211; it&#8217;ll give them the <em>right<\/em> information of what we are here to do, and what we want to create with every client.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_wasis_the_most_difficult_part_about_starting_and_then_running_your_very_own_event_planning_business\"><\/span>What was\/is the most difficult part about <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/08\/4-reasons-why-you-should-start-an-event-planner-business-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">starting (and then running)<\/a> your very own event planning business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s very stressful and challenging; knowing all the payments that needs to be done, and the very small details that you have to always keep an eye out for. I would say that money-wise, that&#8217;s been the most difficult part to control. Everything else is simply a challenge for me in terms of how I can make my way to clients, grow a good base, etc.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_has_been_the_proudest_moment_so_far_for_you_in_your_event_planning_career\"><\/span>What has been the proudest moment so far for you in your event planning career?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Every day is a proud moment. When I hold the key to my office and open the door to a new day, I always have a new opportunity to grow. However, my proudest &#8211; or lets say,\u00a0 my <em>happiest<\/em> moment &#8211; is after I finish an event and know I have done a good job. Looking at my clients\u2019 smiles and happiness is the best part.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B5fra2PAToy\/?igshid=2l3sb15clmxi\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B5fra2PAToy\/?igshid=2l3sb15clmxi<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_would_you_recommend_QC_Event_School_to_anyone_with_dreams_of_working_professionally_in_the_wedding_and_event_planning_industry\"><\/span>Why would you recommend QC Event School to anyone with dreams of working professionally in the wedding and event planning industry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It was something very useful and helpful to have, in order to grow in this field. The way <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/02\/how-to-excel-in-your-event-and-wedding-planning-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the courses<\/a> are designed is so user-friendly. They help students achieve what they want without technical difficulties. It has interesting topics and lessons to teach students that are going into this field. I believe it is the perfect foundation, and the first logical step for <em>any<\/em> person looking into this industry to take.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_in_store_for_Carmellita_Events_in_2021_and_beyond\"><\/span>What\u2019s in store for\u00a0<em>Carmellita Events\u00a0<\/em>in 2021 and beyond?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Hopefully bigger and many more events to come. Fingers crossed! First we must make it through this rough pandemic, so we can start building more beautiful events for our clients day after day.\u00a0My goal for next year is to <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/09\/5-secrets-for-boosting-your-event-planner-salary-in-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">build a stronger client base<\/a>. I want to get closer to people around Jerusalem and become better known to them. I want to show the world what <em>Carmellita Events<\/em> truly has to offer!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B4HSa3Ggvro\/?igshid=1efdb6qztmdtv\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B4HSa3Ggvro\/?igshid=1efdb6qztmdtv<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Ready to start YOUR event planning journey? Until October 30th, 2020, <a href=\"\/fall-into-planning-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">get THREE professional courses for the price of ONE<\/a>!<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Name: Carmella Smeir Location:\u00a0Jerusalem (Israel) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) QC Courses you&#8217;ve taken: Event &amp; Wedding Planning Your website: www.carmellitaevents.org Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CarmellitaEvents Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carmellitaevents\/ YouTube:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy2tUy7i9L-jItiirQ-hmfQ TikTok: https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZS948XX2\/ Tell us a little bit about yourself! My name is Carmella Smeir. I was born in Jerusalem and then raised in Dubai, where I lived for 24 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":18992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[342],"class_list":["post-18988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-features"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir - Pointers for Planners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir. She shares how she got into the industry, why she pursued her training online, and what her business is up to!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir. She shares how she got into the industry, why she pursued her training online, and what her business is up to!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointers for Planners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QCEventPlanning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-21T12:00:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"672\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Cavanagh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Cavanagh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\",\"name\":\"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir - Pointers for Planners\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-21T12:00:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192\"},\"description\":\"Meet event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir. She shares how she got into the industry, why she pursued her training online, and what her business is up to!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png\",\"width\":672,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pointers for Planners\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192\",\"name\":\"Sarah Cavanagh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e7e627e8ed93941f7782051800dcd054\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Sarah Cavanagh\"},\"description\":\"Sarah Cavanagh is a seasoned writer with more than 20 years of experience and a background in English Literature. She has been part of the QC team since 2019, where she manages social media and crafts blog content across multiple schools. When she\u2019s not working, you can find her writing her debut horror\/romance novel, Hollowed Ground.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/author\/sarah-cavanagh\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir - Pointers for Planners","description":"Meet event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir. She shares how she got into the industry, why she pursued her training online, and what her business is up to!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir","og_description":"Meet event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir. She shares how she got into the industry, why she pursued her training online, and what her business is up to!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir","og_site_name":"Pointers for Planners","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QCEventPlanning","article_published_time":"2020-10-21T12:00:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":672,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Sarah Cavanagh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sarah Cavanagh","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir","name":"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir - Pointers for Planners","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png","datePublished":"2020-10-21T12:00:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192"},"description":"Meet event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir. She shares how she got into the industry, why she pursued her training online, and what her business is up to!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-20.png","width":672,"height":300,"caption":"event planning graduate, Carmella Smeir"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/event-planning-graduate-feature-carmella-smeir#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Graduate Feature: Carmella Smeir"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/","name":"Pointers for Planners","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192","name":"Sarah Cavanagh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e7e627e8ed93941f7782051800dcd054","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg","caption":"Sarah Cavanagh"},"description":"Sarah Cavanagh is a seasoned writer with more than 20 years of experience and a background in English Literature. She has been part of the QC team since 2019, where she manages social media and crafts blog content across multiple schools. When she\u2019s not working, you can find her writing her debut horror\/romance novel, Hollowed Ground.","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/author\/sarah-cavanagh"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":342,"user_id":18,"is_guest":0,"slug":"sarah-cavanagh","display_name":"Sarah Cavanagh","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg"},"author_category":"1","first_name":"Sarah","last_name":"Cavanagh","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":"Sarah Cavanagh is a seasoned writer with more than 20 years of experience and a background in English Literature. She has been part of the QC team since 2019, where she manages social media and crafts blog content across multiple schools. When she\u2019s not working, you can find her writing her debut horror\/romance novel, Hollowed Ground."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18988"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=18988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}