Graduate Feature: Zoe Thouki
Name: Zoe Thouki
Location: Limassol, Cyprus
QC Courses she’s graduated from:
QC Courses she’s currently taking:
Her Website: www.vitavenir.com
Social Media:
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I am an island girl who loves summer, animals, and traveling. I was born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus. I studied General Business in Cyprus and Spain, and earned my Master’s degree in International Tourism Management and Hosting Businesses.
Then, I decided to focus on starting an event planning business. I am the owner of VITAVENIR. From a very young age, I wanted to have my own business, a business that I would do the things that I love. My passion for decorating and planning in combination with my creativity helped me launch VITAVENIR two years ago, at the age of 25.
Why did you decide to become an event planner?
Being in love with details and decoration, becoming an event planner was very easy. I am a very organized person, which is a must in the event and wedding planning business. When I was younger, I remembered drawing plans and programs for even the smallest things in my daily routine.
At the beginning stage of my wedding planning career, I was working part-time as an employee of a wedding planning company. It was there that I decided that event and wedding planning was the job I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Being an important part of people’s special events and seeing their smiles at the end is the biggest reward.
Having graduated from QC’s Event and Wedding Planning Course and the Event Decor course, do you find your expertise in both has afforded you many opportunities?
Attention to detail makes the biggest difference, especially in the event decor industry. In QC’s online event planning courses, I learned about all the aspects of planning an event:
- How to speak to your clients
- How to handle difficult clients
- Everything about pricing your services
- Marketing your wedding planning business
- Event decor
- Collaborating with wedding vendors
I offer both wedding planning and event decor services. But most couples in Cyprus, especially in the wedding planning industry, request only the Event Decor Service. Cyprus is a really small place, and most of the couples plan the wedding themselves. To do wedding planning in Cyprus, you’ll mostly find work in luxury wedding planning and destination wedding planning.
I want to focus more destination and luxury wedding planning because I find it more challenging.
Being based in Cyprus, how has the large tourism industry affected your wedding planning business?
I offer destination and luxury wedding services. Cyprus is a very warm island with a great combination of mountains and beaches. Every city in the country has its own beauty. In the summer season, thousands of tourists vacation in the country. This has helped my event and wedding planning business because many couples choose Cyprus as the setting for the best day of their lives.
Do you have any advice for new professionals who are struggling to land event planner jobs?
Difficulties are in every industry. You will find difficulties in every decision and action you make. But so what? If it was easy, we would all be business owners. But if you set high and difficult goals, you’ll have to accept that the path to success will not be very easy.
Do you really want a successful event and wedding planning career? How much do you want it? Can you not imagine yourself doing anything else? Are you a hard-working person? Do you have patience? Do you have talent?
If you say yes to all those, then you have nothing to fear. Sometimes it’ll come late, but success will come.
Why did you attend wedding planner school online to earn your wedding planning certification?
Working and studying at the same time is not easy. Especially if you are living alone and do everything alone. I was working full-time until 7:00 pm and then attending university for my Master’s degree until 9:00 pm at night. After that, I would cook, clean, study, etc. My routine was really difficult!
When I finished my Master’s Degree, I decided to study event and wedding planning. The only event school we had in Cyprus was in the city capital. And it required me having to spend the whole day there. It was impossible to do so when I was working full-time an hour away from the university.
So, I started looking for good online wedding planning courses. After researching many event planning schools, I found QC Event School. It was the best decision I made for my start as an event planner.
Can you tell us about your favorite event so far?
As I am still in the beginning stages of my event and wedding planning career (and also as I am very strict with myself), I don’t think I have planned the best event of my career yet. I only know that I give 100% of my effort for every event. I want to give my clients the best results.
My favorite event so far was my last wedding. You can see some of the photos in this article. But in general, I love all the events I’ve planned. Each one had different factors and challenges to consider.
What’s next for your wedding planning business?
Something good is coming! I’ll soon be offering consultation services! As I mentioned, most couples prefer to plan their wedding themselves. For this reason, I want to guide them and help them make the right decisions!
