Page 24 - BusinessWest March 17, 2025

Emma deVillier has handled events for many notable businesses, including this one for Naples Realty Group.
event-planning scene, not just for private clients planning weddings and showers, but some major companies as well.
For example, a few years ago, she planned the Howdy Awards at the MassMutual Center, an event presented by the Greater Spring- field Convention & Visitors Bureau to recognize top performers in the hospitality sector.
“That was a huge opportunity for me because not only am I in the hospitality industry, but I was also recognizing all of the top people in the hospitality industry,” she said. “Since it was the 25th anniversary, they gave me a little bit of leniency with running with my own ideas. So we did a Great Gatsby theme, which was so much fun. It was a lot of work, but looking back, that was probably one
of my favorite events, just because it was a whole different kind of event for me to plan.”
She also handles all events for MGM Springfield; has planned corporate events at Springfield Country Club, the MassMutual Center, and a host of other major area venues; and has a long-running relationship with Naples Realty Group.
“They plan a corporate event every single year, and it’s gotten bigger and bigger every year,” deVillier explained. “They call it their Naples Summit, and that recognizes not only their successes, but other Realtors in the area, and just brings every- one together. They’re one of
my favorite companies to work with. That event is always so much fun to plan.”
Whatever the event, she added, “the goal has always been to do things the right way the first time. That’s the mantra I live by, and I make sure my clients are always feeling that way.”
All in the Details
The first meeting with a client, either in person or over Zoom, typically hashes out big-picture details like budget, venue, and type of event.
“If they don’t have a theme or specific ideas in mind or don’t even know what goes into planning an event, I’ll walk them through all of those steps,” deVillier said. “People think an event is pretty simple to put together, but it’s not. Obviously, there are many, many factors that come into play, so I’ll help them through picking out all of those factors, and then I’ll create a custom vision board with them, just to pull everything together.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m almost too much for my clients because I love to be so involved with them,” she added, “but I want them to always feel that I’m going to hold their hand through the
“At the end of the day, I’m always going to put my creative spin on it to make it better than they could have thought.”
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