Tuesday Talk: Larry Van Weigel
April 27, 2021
Featuring Larry Van Weigle from The Perry-Belmont House in Washington, DC
REBECCA: Hi, everyone. We have Larry with us today from the Perry Belmont House. And Larry, we wanted to ask you, you know, with the pandemic forcing most of us to adapt and pivot, what has been this experience for you all as a venue in this business?
LARRY: I don't think we're any different than anybody else, you know? It was pretty devastating. Of course, we lost all of the business. So we just followed the procedures and recommendations from the organizations you know, CDC. And my colleagues, we have a small team here in the office, since this is the world headquarters for my organization. And they're all at risk in at risk categories. So we closed immediately to protect our staff's health until we had a better understanding of things. And then when we were able to open up when we had a, when the restrictions were lifted, where we could do about 50. You know, I had met, it gave a moment to kind of really touch base with all of our vendors, and tighten our vendor relationships, to see, first of all to check in and see how everybody is doing because, you know, physically and mentally it has been a challenging long stretch. And it was wonderful to reconnect with so many vendors, and then start brainstorming and coming up with the micro weddings, which were successful. So that was probably our key in shifting. You know, we would do just not just some of the smaller events, but some days with various event planners, we staggered, you know, two or three different weddings, you know? We utilized specific, you know, vendors, floral or music or what have you, and then rentals. And then we we had it timed out, we broke down we sanitize went through the whole nine yards in between events just so that we could accommodate the clients because you know, they were had postponed their special either their weddings or birthdays, and you know, other engagements. So that that did work. But of course, we're in a pinch right now until the restrictions are lifted.
LAUREN: Yeah, we're all waiting for that, aren't we?
LARRY: Yes, absolutely.
LAUREN: And I so appreciate that you mentioned the relationships. I feel like that's been a common thread, at least a lot of with, with a lot of the people that we've been chatting with, and kind of a lot of our own partners. We, you know, we felt like it was such a good time to be able to reconnect with people or make new connections, or, you know, try and figure out how to get creative, even if maybe you're having a bad day, or, you know, it's not been the best month and we're all just kind of waiting around. You know, last year, it was kind of a wait and see thing, and then we just kept waiting and waiting. So I -
LARRY: That’s important, yeah.
LAUREN: I love hearing that sort of common thread about those relationships and connecting and just trying to, you know, see how we can all get through this together and come out with, you know, better ideas, and hopefully, you know, better than ever once it's time to go.
LARRY: And those were really important because it wasn't just talking shop and in numbers. I mean, we all know that we were devastated by the impact of the virus, but just actually calling to see how you were doing personally, that was really important. And it really lifts, lifts your spirits. And then you know, checking in to see, can I do anything for you? And I, I really treasured that. And then also, I'm not only the Events Coordinator here, I'm the International Headquarters’ Administrator. So I'm in charge of all the preservation and restoration. So I've got a number of hats that I wear. So I was juggling back and forth between preservation projects. But I doubled my vendor list. I started searching and wanted to make sure that I could expand that in in all, you know, from AV, to caterers, to musicians, you know, just to have a better connection with more people. And because, you know, when we're busy, we're locked down nose to the grindstone, you know, having an event, you know, break down to have another event, you know, try to recover. And that kind of limits you during your, your daytime to actually reach out and actually have time to reach out to new people. So, there are some benefits, even though as heinous as the situation has been, there were some little shimmers of hope and joy, you know, throughout it, but it's, it's been touching base with all of the vendors and you know, some new clients.
LAUREN: Mmm, and I love what you said about just checking in to make sure that people were doing okay. Or maybe they're not okay, but how are you?
LARRY: Exactly.
LAUREN: I feel like that sort of sense of community and humanity was something that, you know, maybe we had some of but not quite as much, you know? It's just deeper and harder than anything I think any of us have ever had to deal with in our industry. And, you know, I hope that that continues. And I think some of that understanding maybe a little bit, being a bit gentle, and just realizing that we're all humans, and we're all doing the best that we can. I really have, you know, enjoyed that sort of, bit of a pivot it feels and the way that we kind of communicate with each other.
REBECCA: Yeah.
LARRY: I agree. And, you know, for some of us, you know, I come from a culinary background, and, you know, we pride ourselves on being machines and beasts, you know, working 17/22 hour days, and I know, a lot of the industry family that are, you know, work brutal hours, but instead of a badge, you know, you realize now that is the least healthy thing for an individual physically, without the sleep, you know it devastate your body, but mentally, you know, we're not machines. So I kind of transitioned from, you know, having the thought that I'm a machine for 25 plus years, to realize, no, we need to reconnect with this humanity sight of each other. And, you know, when you get a hold of somebody, and sometimes they're like, No, I'm not okay. And then you're like, wow, and you have that immediate connection and bond, to just help each other instinctually to get through those difficult times. And that's, that's been critical, is the human touch.
REBECCA: Well, thank you so much for joining us today. We really do appreciate it. And we're very excited as we all start reopening and hopefully DC restrictions are going to go up soon. And we can all get together.
LARRY: I’ll bring the champagne. You guys come and play and we'll have a big party.
REBECCA: Yes.
LARRY: We’ll finally get to hug at some point.
LAUREN: We are so ready for hugs.
LARRY: Oh my God. I'm a hugger. So I try to be reserved when I do events, but sometimes you can't control yourself and you're like, torn.
LAUREN: We’re dying!
REBECCA: Well, thank you so much. And we'll all see you soon.