Gianna's Gem: Champagne Wishes, Bud Light Budget? I got you covered.

hi there,

I’m launching my annual summer AMA - send me your burning questions about events, strategy, leadership, wellness, and everything in between. Drop me an email and I’ll be answering one each month over the summer in an abbreviated version of Gianna’s Gems. (I’m calling these shorter form Gems “Gianna’s Glimmers”).

This Week’s AMA asked by a good friend who runs content strategy for some of the top brands in the world.

“How do you approach situations where your boss or client wants champagne on a beer budget?How do you frame it, and what do you say to keep the peace but still set reasonable boundaries and expectations?”

I love this one, and yes, I have many examples. Let me introduce you to the phrase my father, a former CTO and engineering leader, passed down to me early in my career. It has saved my sanity more times than I can count and Executives respond to it well because it’s logical, simple and reasonable.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately with founders, product marketers, and recently attended the 2024 Engineering Leadership Conference. All of it has me coming back to this idea again and again, so this week’s Glimmer is all about trade-offs and stakeholder management for event planning.

“Cost, Schedule, Features. Pick Two.”

This concept is well-known in project management and product development (my husband’s profession). It’s called the Project Management Triad or the Triple Constraint. Here’s how I translate it for events:

• Cost: The budget and resources allocated to the event.

• Schedule: The timeline and date for planning and execution.

• Features: All the bells and whistles, i.e. gifting, sessions, demos, you name it.

The theory is simple: you can optimize for two of these factors, but doing so will always affect the third. Instead of saying “no” (which rarely lands well), I walk clients through the trade-offs. Most stakeholders understand that cheap + fast + fully-featured isn’t realistic… they just need someone to show them why.

The Three Scenarios

Scenario 1: Prioritize Cost and Schedule

Keep the budget and the timeline. Something has to give; fewer attendees, fewer keynotes, no live stream, a simpler app. The event still happens; it’s just leaner.

Impact: Features take the hit.

Scenario 2: Prioritize Schedule and Features

Full feature set, same timeline… budget climbs. Rush fees, premium vendor rates, and more labor all add up. I use this one constantly: when clients keep adding requests, I say “yes, and here’s what it costs.” That usually does the trick.

Impact: Budget takes the hit.

Scenario 3: Prioritize Cost and Features

Full bells and whistles at your set budget… but the planning window stretches. Early-bird venue discounts, more time to negotiate with vendors, no rush premiums. Think: planning a wedding on a Wednesday instead of a prime Saturday.

Impact: Timeline takes the hit.

This framework doesn’t just help you push back — it gives your client or boss a concrete choice. They’re not being told “no.” They’re being empowered to decide what matters most.

Pretty simple, right?

Cost, Schedule, Features - Pick Two.

Happy prioritizing! 

XX,

Gianna 💎

What I’m Loving This Week - Dejama Bird Boxes

I first experienced this delightful item in my mom’s bathroom! An interior designer with impeccable taste and a sharp eye (and ear) for details, she used this simple little device to create a moment of pure surprise and delight.

The Dejama Bird Box creates birdsong when someone passes by.  Think: entering a bathroom, a hallway, or a quiet corner of an event space. It’s motion-activated, under $50, and requires zero effort to install.

For event planners and hosts, this is the kind of low-cost, high-impact detail that guests remember. It doesn’t shout for attention, it surprises you when you least expect it. That’s the magic of a well-placed sensory detail.

The Gem: You don’t need a big budget to create a moment. Sometimes a $50 bird box in a bathroom does more for your guests’ experience than a $500 centerpiece.A great room is a decision, not an accident.