20th January – 24th January 2025
We are so excited to release our 2025 Ivy & Bleu Academy Learning Retreat.
This year we are changing things up – offering a rotation of subjects & courses throughout our 5 day program allowing those with differing levels of experience or interests to tailor build the course around not only what they are wanting to learn but also their existing skill set. Choose between custom built courses in florals, watch hands on floral demonstrations, learn about styling layers & textures, sit in on real life consultations or continue your business growth journey with 30 minute planning/business rework sessions with Mandi (limited spaces available on a pre booking basis)
Focusing on fresh new content for our returning Academy crew and bringing it back to basics discussing growth strategies, marketing and the daily struggles of owning, running or starting a business in the events industry that we all share together.
Styling & Customer Contact
The Initial Contact, How to Run a Consult, Building your Style, Warehouse & Inventories, Styling Check List, Mood Boards, Setting a Table
The Planning Process
Planning & Coordinating a Real Wedding, Vendors & Budgeting, Organisation, What does a Wedding Planner/Co-ordinator do, Communication, Run Sheets & Rehearsals.
Floralise
Floral Selection, Sourcing & Preparation, Arranging a Hand Tied Bouquet, Working with Foam and/or Foam Free, Large Scale Installation and/or arbours in a group environment.
Business Management & Social Media
Building your Brand, Finding your Target Market, Working with Venues, How to Price Yourself, Marketing (logo, website, email & external marketing) Styled Shoots, Business Logistics, Systems, Instagram versus Facebook, How to create engaging stories, reels and content and build an aesthetically pleasing feed.
Learn all about how our Creative Director Mandi built & branded her business & create & learn alongside the Ivy & Bleu Creative Team.
Learn about finding a niche in the market and building your personal brand style, how the Ivy & Bleu Events floral department, quickly grew to become of Australia’s most well known floral suppliers for creating stunning hand tied bouquets and whimsical floral work.
Due to property location classes are kept small to ensure all attendees have the opportunity to openly discuss their own business paths and goals, and are in an open forum to discuss any questions they might have.
Each attendee will have the opportunity to prep their own flowers and arrange into a romantic hand tied bouquet, along with working alongside our florists creating centrepieces, arbours & more as required based on shoot concept if building your floral skill isn’t where your growth path is at sit in on phone consultations, planning meetings or styling sessions with our in house planners & stylists or book a 30 minute session with Mandi to focus on your own specific business path.
Together with some of Australia best wedding industry vendors we will bring our concepts together over multiple epic styled shoot & content creation opportunities, from which content can be used for your own social media channels. Build imagery for your brand with professional headshot’s, behind the scenes photos of the team working and learning throughout the course.
Wrap it all up by joining your creative team for a gala dinner amongst your beautifully styled & floralised space.
After the success of our 2024 Gold Coast Retreat we have made the decision to keep her on the Sunny Gold Coast and the birth place of Ivy & Bleu Events to allow us easy access to our own extensive inventory & creative team, along with our insane network of contacts to maximise the experience for all attendees. Whilst we have not confirmed this property as yet we are looking at The Retreat – Located 30 minutes from Coolangatta Airport “The Retreat” is a beautiful property location in Tallai. Keeping her in our home town means even bigger and better things, unlimited creative opportunities and a bringing together of some of the best that the South East Queensland wedding industry has to offer.
Students staying onsite at The Retreat will stay in the stunning rooms with options for sharing or private spaces. We have booked the entire estate for exclusive use. Daily light breakfast & lunch, Sunset Beverage & Dinner is included.
We will have limited spaces available for students staying off site.
Class starts at 9:00am Tuesday- Thursday with lunch & refreshments provided. Class aim’s to finish around 4:00pm to allow those staying onsite to read, chat with your attendees, relax around the pool, enjoy the sauna or venture out and enjoy the Tweed Coast.
We will also look at group activities like yoga classes, spa treatments etc for those who wish to partake. Due to the intimate style accomodation and wanting to encourage more networking, bonding and industry related friendships we have made this a student only retreat.
Property subject to change locally within the Gold/Tweed Coast Region*
In addition to the above, all students will receive a welcome pack & copy of the “Little Bleu Book”, hand died silk & all other floral tools required.
Our workshops are designed for all levels: those new or interested in the industry, as well as those currently working in the amazing world of weddings & events wanting to further their skills and grow their business – we have changed the program for 2025 to allow you to select each afternoon from a variety of course offerings. If you are interested in growing your self esteem & business goals we aim to give you a great investment, as well as growing your skills, meeting amazing like-minded people, and above all having an absolute blast.
To ensure this opportunity has maximum impact for all involved this class classes are to be kept under 15
Arrival 20th January 2025
From 2:30pm:
Students check in to onsite rooms
From 5:30pm- 7:30pm:
Sunset Grazing Platter & Cocktails – get to know your fellow course attendees & the Ivy & Bleu Creative Team. (all course students welcome)
A little chance to mingle & get to know your Academy friends! Cocktails & Grazing – Enjoy a gorgeous Gold Coast sunset and drinks with your new friends!
Day Two
9:30am – 4:00 pm with light lunch provided
Morning Program – Welcome & Introduction:
A little behind the brand of Ivy & Bleu, Team introductions & background including going into detail and what your expectations are from the course and how we can cater the learning journey to everyone’s specific needs. Theoretical content and overview of “The Little Bleu Book” (full components as above) with open forum for discussions & questions and business planning sessions.
Afternoon Program –
Option 1 – “Floralise Me” Hands on floral education in flower prep and hand tied bridal bouquets
Option 2 – “The Styling Sessions” Covering everything from layering, textures, working with or custom designing different materials, stationery design and selection
Option 3 – “Grow Me” 3 x 30 minute one on one Business Power Sessions available with Mandi
Day Three
9:30am – 4:00pm with light lunch provided
Morning Program – Social Media & Business Management, Crm & Operating Systems
Delve deep into social media, algorithms, understanding your analytics & insights, content creation, running & operating a successful business and using professional crm & operating systems to streamline your processes.
Afternoon Program –
Option 1 – “Floralise Me” Hands on floral education foam & foam free centrepiece design & demonstrations in other larger scale installations from arbours, installs etc dependant on final design brief
Option 2 – “Book Me” Working through the booking process from quoting, to consultation, to quoting and designing mood boards and table layouts
Option 3 – “Grow Me” 3 x 30 minute one on one Business Power Sessions available with Mandi
Styled Content Creation in the afternoon with a In-house Movie Night
Day Four
Shoot Me Portfolio
9:00am – 3:00pm
Morning Program – Planning & Co-ordination – Talk through the differences between planning and co-ordination and how to best add or extend these services within your business. Go through tools and programs to assist in streamlining this service in your business and reduce the time required per client to increase the profit and serviceability.
Afternoon Program – Work together as a team on the provided design brief discussing the styling flow and details to watch to ensure a effortless end result for our gala dinner setting.
Finish and return at 6:00pm to dine amongst your creations under the stars with your Shoot Team.
We may have a hair & makeup team available onsite if you would like to book this service at a additional cost.
Day Five
Check Out
Room Check Out 9:30am
Investment
Option One: Double King Room with ensuite $9000 (2 x Attendees – split cost $4500)
5 days, 4 nights accomodation in private King Room with ensuite + welcome party, 3 day course & celebration dinner. Includes breakfast, light lunch, dinner & daily sunset cocktail (friends/team members are welcome to share this room with max 4 to the room if participating in the course only this is at $3600 per person additional inclusive of meals and course cost etc)
1 rooms available
Option Two: King Room with ensuite $5600
5 days, 4 nights accomodation in a private King (or twin singles) + welcome party, 3 day course & celebration dinner. Includes breakfast, light lunch, dinner & daily sunset cocktail (friends are welcome to share rooms if participating in the course only this is at $3400 ($4500 split cost)
2 rooms available
Option Three: Queen Room with shared bathroom $4500
5 days, 4 nights accomodation in a queen room + welcome party, 3 day course & celebration dinner. Includes breakfast, light lunch, dinner & daily sunset cocktail (friends are welcome to share bed if participating in the course only this is at $3400 – split shared cost $3950)
3 rooms available
Option Three: Twin Shared Room with ensuite $4200
5 days, 4 nights accomodation in a shared twin room + welcome party, 3 day course & celebration dinner. Includes breakfast, light lunch, dinner & daily sunset cocktail (room will be shared with another student)
1 room (2 spaces) available
Option Four: Own Accomodation $3500
Course & additionals only – Find your own accomodation or Air BnB in the local area. Includes welcome evening + 3 day course with light daily refreshment + celebration dinner & cocktails.
3 spaces remaining
Prices are inclusive of gst. Workshops and retreats are not a high profit making exercise for us here at Ivy & Bleu Events. We genuinely love teaching and helping you all to grow, and the income from these courses allow us to create epic content and share this with you all in addition to building and encouraging a community driven industry. Places are not refundable under any circumstances – if required you may onsell or transfer your course to another however at your own discretion and advertisement. Payment plans are available.
Further information regarding dietaries yoga, massages & daily therapies to be provided 2 months prior.
To secure your Academy spot contact us now!
Payment plans are available with a split 30% deposit (15% on booking & 15% a month later) with final payment due 2 months prior to start date – Contact [email protected] to book.
10% Discount offered for courses paid in full up until 2 months prior.
Courses are sold first in best dressed, please note if you are wanting a 30 minute business planning session with Mandi on booking due to mini spaces available
We look forward to creating with you in 2025!
