Neighbors: Juliette Beer

Juliette Beer considers herself one of the oldest event planners in the business. With more than 40 years of experience under her belt and a word-of-mouth client list that spans the country, she’s put her unique touch on more than a few weddings and bar mitzvahs. Despite her impressive track record, Beer says she didn’t always have the opportunity to put her creativity to use.

Beer attended New York University, where she trained to be a medical technician. When she moved to Miami in 1971, she took her first step toward event planning when she and a few friends started working in the gift-basket industry.

“That got my creative juices flowing,” Beer says. “It was a rediscovery for me. I didn’t know I was a creative person before that. I look back on some of the things I did as a kid, and I realize it’s just a part of who I am.”

Without any formal training, Beer says she learned the ins and outs of event planning by trial and error. Soon, she had built a loyal following in Miami before she moved to Sarasota six years ago. Her efforts to maintain relationships with her clients, as well as her ability to personally create many of the decorations and centerpieces used in the events, helped set her apart in Miami and continue to do so in Sarasota.

“I try to really cater to the customer’s taste,” Beer says. “I want to give them something creative and original, so I try not to repeat myself. It can be hard, but I like that a lot. It keeps me young.”

Beer’s line of work doesn’t offer the most regular schedule, and she sometimes finds herself working 15-hour days for events that range from weddings and bar mitzvahs to elaborate quinceañeras and volunteer jobs for nonprofit organizations such as Girls Inc.

Despite the hectic and sometimes demanding nature of her job, Beer says she gets a lot of satisfaction from her work, especially the relationships she builds with her clients.

“I like knowing I’ve made people happy, and they tell me time and time again,” Beer says. “I have friends that tell me they can’t believe I’m still doing this, but the older I get, the more I realize how much satisfaction I get out of it."

Learning Experience
Hands-on experience is the best way to learn a job, but it doesn’t come without some lessons learned the hard way. Beer remembers an order she received while working in the gift-basket business in Miami.

Xerox wanted an order of 500 balloons with the company’s name on them, but without enough time to have them made, Beer and her associates quickly went to work, blowing up 500 balloons and using permanent markers to label the balloons themselves.

Upon arriving, the doorman stopped Beer to inform her that the company’s name was not, in fact spelled, “Zerox.”

“We had no choice but to go back and blow up 500 more balloons,” Beer says with a laugh. “It was pretty embarrassing.”