The air was filled with romance drawn from scenes of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and other Greats walking through the same opulent lobby. The Plaza Hotel is the quintessence of elegance, which was the [...]]]> “If this goes through, Lawrence, I guess they’ll have to shave a few hours from afternoon tea,” giggled Grace.

The air was filled with romance drawn from scenes of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and other Greats walking through the same opulent lobby. The Plaza Hotel is the quintessence of elegance, which was the perfect pairing for Wedding Style Magazine’s New York party on October 15, 2010.

Ed Libby tweeted, “The who’s who of what’s what in NYC are here!!”

I couldn’t agree more – I did a lot of gawking, stalking, and paparazzi-style shooting. Overall, I am humbled and honored that I had the opportunity to partake on this memorable event at such a landmark location.

“I have never seen the Palm Court look so sexy,” was Grace’s opening line. And it was welcomed with unanimous laughter.

This beautiful table set was put together by Ed Libby (recently worked on Lala’s wedding) and Roberta Karsch!

The following table was produced by Golf from Tantawan Bloom.

This wonderful centerpiece was also by Ed Libby.

“Say Yes to the Dress” Star Randy Fenoli and publisher Grace Ormonde!

Pablo from Nuage Designs, Roberta Karsh and Ed Libby!

Here is one of my paparazzi shots of Sylvia Weinstock – the queen of cakes!

Mike Colon and Yanni Tzoumas were chatting it up with the Wedding Style Magazine team.

Others who attended included Colin Cowie, Reem Acra, Ines Di Santo… I was a little star-struck to say the least. Unfortunately, I did not get photos of everyone. It was probably because I was eating…yummy!

The evening proceeded with lots of wine and wonderful conversations. The next morning, I decided to do a little pigeon feeding and HDR fun. Since the Apple store was not too far from The Plaza, I couldn’t resist.

Afterward, Yanni, Grace, Tracy, Mike and I went to a few fashion shows for Bridal Market. That was fun!

Next time I need to bring a 70-200mm and not a 24mm. Bums!

Yours truly,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. I have been to New York over a dozen times now and I keep FORGETTING to eat a street vendor hot dog!! Until next time…

Immediately I got phone calls, text messages, tweets, facebook comments and etc. all expressing interest!

Side note: I’m going [...]]]> Yesterday, I wrote a blog post regarding “2 Simple Ways to Gain Customer Loyalty” and ended it with a question – would anyone be interested in me writing about the psychology behind pricing and packages?

Immediately I got phone calls, text messages, tweets, facebook comments and etc. all expressing interest!

Side note: I’m going to Grace Ormonde‘s New York party hosted at The Plaza this week. I’m also hanging around for the opening of Bridal Market. All in all, Thursday to Sunday.

If you want to have a quick chat over drinks, please comment below and I’ll stick around.

Gramercy Park Hotel
Thursday, October 14th – 3pm
2 LEXINGTON AVENUE
NEW YORK NY 10010

Concerns

I will try to gather my thoughts on my flight tonight to New York, but I would appreciate your help! What are your concerns about pricing and packages?

I know that many of you shared some thoughts on my Facebook wall, but I’d like for you to post them here via comment.

Comment what you want to know via post (not Facebook) if you want private updates. I can’t have a private dialogue with those on Facebook because I won’t have your email.

It’s okay to repeat too. I will put more emphasis on more relevant topics.

Ask. Away. Below.

P.S. Pricing – there is no formula for what’s right or what’s wrong, but there are some techniques that are more effective than others. I will also focus on the psychological stimuli behind each premise. Fun stuff!

P.P.S. What are you worth? How do you get people to see that too?

P.P.P.S. It’s totally cool if you share this via Tweet or Facebook with your friends, so that I can get more input. Thanks in advance!

Click HERE.

I am honored and humbled by the number of attendees who signed up [...]]]> Strategic online marketing was the crux in my business success. I have owned and operated a couple of other businesses before wedding photography [and Tofurious] and neither have compared to the results yielded by what I shared with my workshop attendees.

I am honored and humbled by the number of attendees who signed up for my strategic marketing workshop. Best wishes to you all!

For those who did not get a chance to attend, there will be a digital download in the near future. The only difference is that I will not be able to give customized attention along with a few other things (that I will discuss later on).

Miami

Roy Llera Photographers – a fun team of Miami wedding photographers
Todd Good – is good
Lydia Shannon – spunky girl who recently cut her hair
Doreen Kline – not from Miami but close enough – Naples

Miami is a trip – the ocean is warm! Also, there are albino pythons everywhere!

Thanks to the Photogene App on iTunes for the good times.

Washington DC

It’s Capital Hill ahh! Too bad when I went it was rainy, so that means:

• Segway Tour
• Smithsonian
• Lincoln Memorial
• etc…

Jan Michele Photography – loves having all of Washington DC as her studio (lucky!!!)
Meaghan Elliot Photography – a chocolate connoisseur
Rodney Mickle – art and fashion wedding shooter

New York

The Big Apple! My week in NYC was quite interesting. I met so many interesting people!

Sunday

• Arrived and went straight to meeting at Mandarin Hotel with Yanni and Grace Ormonde; thanks Mike for connecting us!
• Went to have dinner with Jason Groupp and Susie
• Went to have drinks with Mike Colon, Ray Santana and Tracie

Monday

• Concept 2 Execution Workshop with Jason Groupp and John Michael Cooper

An inspirational image they used as an example:

Tuesday

• Day 2 of Concept 2 Execution
• Guest speaker for online webinar with Showit Web

Wednesday

• Tofurious SEO and Strategic Online Marketing Workshop
• Jason Groupp’s Pre-PPE party with One Light stickers by Zack Arias

Thursday

• Photo Plus Expo (PPE) – it’s like WPPI except for non-wedding photographers too!
• Went to Tweet-Up!

Friday

• Took train to Rhode Island to meet with Grace Ormonde, Yanni and Wedding Style Magazine team
• Made presentation and strategic marketing planning
• Had delicious dinner at Spain – I got baked swordfish with risotto. Yanni shared some of his veal with me and Grace gave me half of her lobster; I was stuffed.
• Dessert at Pistachio
• Dessert 2 at hotel – I got creme brulee
• Knocked out in hotel room chair

Saturday

• Took train back to New York
• Caught last part of PPE and met up with some cool peeps
• Had dinner with some old NYU buddies

Sunday

• Caught flight to Dallas then to Hotel Zaza

NYC Workshop Attendees –
Jason Groupp – NYC’s most awesome wedding photographer
John Michael Cooper – very different wedding photography
Seshu – Connecticut documentary wedding photography
Shannon Kelley – Knoxville, TN wedding photographer
Tim Dinofa – modern south NJ wedding photographer with very neat handwriting
Steven Young – amongst the most awesome NYC peeps
Willi Wong – NYC modern and lifestyle type of guy
Jacobus Photography – Jared + Rachel Jacobus!
Jason Miller – Washington DC guy but missed the DC workshop I guess
Jim Altieri – CT!
Tina Jay Photography – Philly!
Kim Percival – just Kim (leading a double life)
Darren Squashic – fresh and fun blog
Ahmetze – NY and NJ awesomeness

Dallas

The Dallas Hotel Zaza was not as good as Houston’s…just sayin’. Nevertheless, the attendees were great!

Meegan Weaver – needs a WordPress blog!
Scott Pickering – tried his hand in other things but now trying something new – photography
Table 4 Weddings – THE Southern Ninja Photographers
Jason Huang and Andrew – Sit in Table 4 because that’s where the cool kids hang
Catie Ronquillo – loves red velvet cake, big earrings and weddings

Nationwide Tour Ended

The other cities were mentioned in other posts. All in all, what a surreal experience. I have so many people to thank for helping me make this happen. You all know who you are – thank you so very much!

See you all in Tofu House,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. New England seafood is soooooo gooooooood. Maybe it’s because West Coast has more pollution and floating diapers [in Santa Monica]. Anyway, this workshop has been pivotal.

P.P.S. So who’s going to WPPI? You should. I will be offering literally the ultimate giveaway(s). Nothing’s permanent, but lots of good ideas are flying. I might need some helping hands too – any offers? Thanks in advance! xoxo

Sorry for being so ambiguous; it’s part of the game. So straight from the airport, I contacted a buddy whom connected me with the lady below. We chatted it up for many hours at Mandarin Oriental [...]]]> I just arrived to New York. It was cold. It was very cold. It was very very very cold.

Sorry for being so ambiguous; it’s part of the game. So straight from the airport, I contacted a buddy whom connected me with the lady below. We chatted it up for many hours at Mandarin Oriental Hotel – love the view from the lobby!

We took a picture to see if you all can recognize her If you can guess it right, I will give you an e-hug!

I look very calm in the picture because it was freezing outside, but inside I was jumping around!

Comment your speculations below,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. For a hint, follow my Twitter feeds @tofurious

For those who are following me on twitter (@tofurious) or subscribed to my mailing [...]]]> Oh nelly! For those who do not know, (which is many of you) I have a condition I like to call “whimsical lactose intolerance.” I call it whimsical because my stomach will act up when it feels like it.

For those who are following me on twitter (@tofurious) or subscribed to my mailing list, you would know that I am doing a nationwide Coffee Tour where I buy local photographers coffee and answer questions about my SEO workshop.

SEO Workshops – Orange County DONE

First Stop – Chicago

Having drunk so much coffee in the past weeks, I decided to pull back for a while. I enjoy my deep sleeps and caffeine does not help. Rather than ordering decaffeinated coffee on my very first Coffee Tour stop in Chicago, I decided to drink hot chocolate. Boy, was it good! Boy, did I PAY FOR IT!

Dollop Coffee Co.

After my coffee meet with local phenomenal photographers, Bob Davis invited me to his house to chitchat. Dawn and Bob are such sweet people. Hearing that I had little to eat because of my hectic flight schedule, Dawn immediately warmed up some chicken noodle soup, which was delightfully seasoned – YUM!

Midway while talking with Bob and Dawn about blogging practices (2nd part of my SEO Workshop), my stomach started to growl. O-M-G. I was like nooo…please nooo…not now! First impressions are very important. And this was a terrible first impression. I was a time bomb on the brink of explosion. I tried to coax it with stomach pills and tiny prayers, but my stomach was in no mood. I’m just happy that Dawn and Bob were super understanding.

“We’re human, so it’s natural,” Dawn said soothingly. “Just in case, the restroom is around the corner.”

You can imagine my face lighting up red while beads of sweat forced themselves through my pores. I won’t continue on how the evening ended, but let’s just say that Dawn and Bob are the bestest…

New York

Ah the Big Apple! New York City is like no other, seriously. I have trekked through NYC many times and it is always an amazing experience. Once I landed to JFK, I hopped on the tube which took me right into Manhattan. Upon stepping out of the subway and onto the street, I had a flood of memories surface.

As Julie (@bullysaurus) and I ran to our next coffee meet location, I saw many fashion boutiques still open for business. What was really awesome was that there were loads of models inside the stores and photographers were everywhere snapping away. I was one minute away from whipping out my camera to start shooting too!

I later learned that Anna Wintour was hosting “Fashion Night” or something to that effect. Fun times!

Housing Works Bookstore Café

After the coffee meet, Jason Groupp, Rob Ninja Nicholson (coordinator of PhotogShootOut), Julie and I went out for dinner at a nearby burger bar. I never have to Yelp anything while in New York because every corner has a gazillion award winning restaurants.

Burger + fries + beer + friends = good times.

Houston

My first time in Texas was greeted with Texan hospitality! Christine Tremoulet picked Julie and me up from the airport and took us straight to our next coffee meet.

The Coffee Groundz

Coffee Groundz is a wicked location! They have free wireless, beer and sandwiches! What was most amazing was the fact that Coffee Groundz is on twitter! That’s so gnarly!

As much as I wanted to stay longer to explore Texas, another city was calling – Dallas!

Dallas

Before I even left for Dallas, Catie Ronquillo offered to pick us up from the airport! How sweet of you! When we landed, it was just beginning to rain. I later learned that there was a storm. Good thing I was gone by then lest delays in flight.

Starbucks

I try to support local coffee houses, but Yelp said that this Starbucks was huge. Sure enough, it was HUGE! While talking about blogging practices and marketing strategies, the local photographers suggested I host a workshop in Dallas. At first, I was hoping everyone would go to Houston, but that might change in the near near future.

Additionally, I might host the workshop at Hotel Zaza which is supposedly a super swanky place. Offer still stands for local Dallas photographers / attendees – If I book the place, you can use it to do a bridal / boudoir photo shoot!

Washington DC

Good ol’ Capital Hill. I have never been to DC before and I was like WOAH! I have only seen that spike in textbooks – Washington Monument. As much as I wanted to venture off and visit all of the tourist spots, people were waiting for me at my next coffee meet.

Ebeneezers Coffeehouse

Julie picked Ebeneezers Coffeehouse because it is a church owned facility that raises money for activities and charities. Overall it was a pretty neat place! The date for Washington DC is going to change, so those interested should hold off. Tentatively, it is going to be switched to October 16th.

After the coffee meet, Jan Michelle took Julie and me to her favorite Thai restaurant – simply divine! For starters, we had crunchy edamame and fried tofu (both served with a sweet and sour sauce). For dinner, I had Pad See Yew. Once I plowed through it, I started nibbling on Julie’s chicken curry. I normally don’t eat this much, but please understand that it’s so much better than airport food.

Next Locations

Tonight I am going to be visiting Seattle! Find me there!

SEATTLE
8:30PM – Monday, September 14, 2009

Espresso Vivace Roasteria
532 Broadway E
(between Mercer St & Republican St)
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 860-2722
www.espressovivace.com/intro.html

FORT LAUDERDALE
9AM – Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Brew Urban Café
209 SW 2nd Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310
(954) 522-6156
www.brewurbancafe.com

DENVER
9AM – Thursday, September 17, 2009

Common Grounds
1550 Wazee St (on Wazee in between 16th and 17th in the Millennium Bldg.)
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 296-9248
Thanks Autumn Burke for the update!

BOSTON
8PM – Thursday, September 17, 2009 (Yes, that’s Denver & Boston in the same day!)

Boston Common Coffee Co.
97 Salem St
(between Bartlett Pl & Hull St)
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 725-0040
www.bostoncommoncoffee.com

SAN FRANCISCO
7PM – Friday, September 18, 2009

Starbucks Coffee
442 Geary St
(at Mason St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 922-9086
www.starbucks.com

SALT LAKE CITY
12PM – Sunday, September 20, 2009

Salt Lake Roasting Company
320 E 400 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 363-7572
www.roasting.com

Hope to see you at a local coffee house,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Milk is evil.

@tofurious | subscribe to mailing list

Like the video? Embed it to your own blog:
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Like the video? Embed it to [...]]]> Okay, wait no longer. The curtains are about to open.

@tofurious | subscribe to mailing list

Intro

Details About Workshop

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More Kind Words

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Want to watch older videos / testimonials?
http://www.tofurious.com/category/search-engine-optimization/

Intro
Jasmine Star
Mike Colon
Gene Higa – Keats Elliot – Catherine Hall
Dane Sanders – Sara France – Jose Villa
Robert Evans – Doug Boutwell – more from OC

SEO Workshop

What is traffic if you cannot convert inquiries to clients?

1. Part 1: SEO and all you need to know to drive traffic to your website
2. Part 2: Blogging Practices – learning how to convert inquiries into clients

I get an average of 2.4 bridal inquiries a day and have a traffic of 24,000 unique visitors a month (all achieved in a short amount of time)

Check Out My Daily Wedding Inquiries:

Check Out My Traffic Stats For My Blog

Official Workshop Dates And Locations

Got a studio you are willing to lend? Contact me!

SALE ENDED :: CONTACT FOR AVAILABILITY

DISCLAIMER:

• Purchases are not refundable (even if acts of God prevent you from being able to show up)
• Tofurious reserves the right to refuse service to anyone
• One purchase equates to one seat (not couples/companies/partners)
• Workshop only offers tools for SEO; bonus stuff like admission to Tofu House (SEO community) and link building is offered at the discretion of Tofurious to maintain a network of credible websites

ORANGE COUNTY – $2000
Monday, September 7, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: Costa Mesa Hilton
Sale Ended

CHICAGO – $2000
Thursday, September 24, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: TBA

SAN FRANCISCO – $2000
Monday, September 28, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: TBA

SEATTLE – $2000
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: TBA

HOUSTON – $2000
Monday, October 05, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: TBA

DENVER – $2000
Thursday, October 08, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: TBA

MIAMI – $2000
Monday, October 12, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: TBA

WASHINGTON DC – $2000
October 16, 2009
Friday, 1pm-5pm – Location: TBA
EMAIL ME – tofulawrence@gmail.com

NEW YORK – $2000
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
10am-3pm – Location: Jason Groupp’s Studio (lunch provided)

DALLAS – $2000
Monday, October 26, 2009
1pm-5pm – Location: Hotel Zaza!!! Concept Room – Far East
Potential model shoot afterwards

City Not Listed

Email me for details about getting your city listed. If you can get 5 people, I can host a semi-private workshop. You can be the Satellite Tofurious Director! Rad title, eh?

I am willing to do 4 more cities before I take a long vacation in Orlando, FL at Disney World (childhood dream)! My availability is:

• November 09, 2009
• November 12, 2009
• November 16, 2009
• November 19, 2009

Hope to see you at the Coffee Tour and SEO Workshop!

Best wishes,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Today I was Dane Sander’s interviewee. That guy ROCKS! And it’s not because he drives a Vespa, which does give him extra brownie points. He is overall a pretty cool guy.

It is a chance for me to answer all questions and to meet everyone in person. I will buy the first 20-30 people coffee and share some powerful blogging tips