The Connect_Winter Iss 2017 HiRes

FEATURE
Real Events. Real People. Real Style
WRITTEN BY: VIVIUNA BROWN
WITH AN ARRAY of unique details, opulent glamor,
and sophisticated style, events designed by Phoenix
Forrester truly capture the essence of Hollywood
glam. Because of this company’s ability to reflect
Hollywood glam in an accurate manner, artists such
as Little Richard, Mary Mary, Biz Markie, Debra Cox, and Kirk Franklin
are just a few of the well-known clients for whom Phoenix Forrester has
produced spectacular events. Considering the meticulous and innovative
planner behind the success of each event—Krystal Bonner—it’s no wonder
that the company has created wonders for celebrity parties along the way.
Nevertheless, Krystal stresses the fact that no matter the status of the client
or type of event, her company is efficient in producing designs that fit the
stylistic and financial needs of everyone. With clients’ satisfaction in mind,
the creative team of Phoenix Forrester strives to achieve the goal of creating
real events, for real people, with real style.
Before plunging into the main interview questions, I had to have
one question answered right away—who is Phoenix Forrester? Krystal
explained the name of her company enthusiastically, saying that it’s a
combination of two aspects that represent her and what she does. “The
phoenix [bird] represents transformation, and what I do is transform
spaces, experiences, and how people have a celebration. That was a perfect
representation of me.” She went on, explaining the meaning behind
Forrester stating, “Forrester is actually the street I grew up on in when I
lived in Memphis.” Krystal further expressed the fact that she did not want
to use her name because she wanted something that was transferrable in
case she decided to grow her business. “I wanted to use a title that was not
just about my name, but more about my work.”
When asked about her decision to start working in this particular
business, Krystal explained that she didn’t choose this career path, but
rather, it chose her. She recalled watching the movie Boomerang and
having a moment of realization about her purpose in life. “When I was
very young, I saw this movie Boomerang [with Eddie Murphy, Robin
Givens, and Halle Berry], and although I didn’t really know what they were
doing, I loved the perception of it. I realized later that they were marketing
executives, responsible for putting together ad campaigns, and that was
what I felt like I wanted to do—work with creating ads, work in retail, and
in the entertainment industry.”
Krystal recalled a moment of devastation at the beginning of her career
that she felt was the end of her dreams. While attending college, she was
interviewed by a retailing company; she thought she had the job, but
found out the week of graduation that she had not been hired. “I was
devastated. I didn’t know what I was going to do; I didn’t know what
else I was good at.” During her trying experience, one moment changed
her life, propelling her onto her dream career path. “One of my mentors
from college was on the board of the National Opera, and she said, ‘Hey!
There’s an open position here for an Event Director; I know you’ve never
done this before, but I feel like you have the natural skill set to excel in this
business.’” Krystal, having no current job proposals, agreed to the offer.
Soon after being hired, she was planning high-end intermission events for
the company’s board members, destination events in New Mexico, black tie
galas at the Belle Meade Country Club, and other events.
Not realizing prior to being hired that jobs such as this existed,
Krystal fell in love, engulfing herself into the position even more by doing
additional research of the industry. “I self-taught myself about wine, started
studying catering menus thereby learning about different dishes. The more
I learned, the more I realized this was what I was born to do!” Krystal
ended by confirming her previous statement. “I have a ton of other talents,
but they all lead back to one thing--creating experiences for people.” After
working with the Opera, she transitioned into the field of Public Relations
and expounded upon the experience she already possessed. Soon, her
company Phoenix Forrester was launched, and her creative journey began.
Regarding her process and how she (and her team) manages to
consistently satisfy clients, Krystal emphasized the importance of detail and
thinking of long-term goals. “We always start by profiling our clients to
understand who they are, what they want out of the experience, and who
their audience will be; after we understand all that, we develop a task list
and budget.” Krystal explained the fact that she upholds the satisfaction
of clients by assessing the initial plans, communicating efficiently, and
creating vision boards throughout the process. “We revisit our task list and
budget every couple of weeks so our clients know where we are from a
planning perspective; we create vision boards for clients to make sure our
ideas line up; from there, we put our design team together to bring the
event to life in our unique way.”
Phoenix Forrester has hosted events for diverse clients, with varying
budgets, doing so in phenomenal ways—the company has even gained
the attention of top notch entertainment mediums such as Ebony,
Munaluchi Bridal, and Nashville Bride Guide. When asked where she
draws inspiration, Krystal simply answered “People.” She expanded on that
thought saying, “I draw so much inspiration from people that I’m actually
changing my tagline; you’re the first person I’ve said this to, but my new
tagline will be Real Events. Real People. Real Style. I want to emphasize the
fact that all my clients can have what is considered an A-list event.”
With a desire to blend “lifestyles and milestones” together, Krystal
has mastered the art of bringing unique details, opulent glamor, and
sophisticated style to any event for any individual. As Krystal’s new tagline
suggests, Phoenix Forrester is all about…Real Events. Real People. Real Style
THECONNECTMAGAZINE.COM WINTER 2017 | THE CONNECT MAGAZINE 43