Why That Name?

How Valley & Oak Events Got Its Name

| This industry is very much word-of-mouth and all about who you know. Creating a name that would stick with people as well as be a statement of “who I am” was MUCH easier said than done. In all honesty, I probably overthought it.

Many hours were sent on the breakdown of words, what each word makes people think of and their meanings. It started with lists and lists of words that made you think ‘hey- I think of Kate when I hear that word’, and then morphed towards ‘what shows who I am.’
Some of the words that made the list were:

Pineapples                            Green                                Peony                                Lake Michigan                       Gold

Bad-ass                                 Power tools                                   Genuine                                       Jeep

Bubbly                              Hospitable                                    Outdoors                                     Pearl

     Caring                                   Smartass

As you can see, they were all across the board and pretty spot on for me as a person. However, none of them or any combination of them were THE name.

Psychologist Adam Alter states “There’s evidence that a good name is a simple name.” Hearing that statement lead me to the short-syllables formula. Short, sweet and to the point.

Which leads to the next question- What the heck IS my point?! I wanted to ensure that my name, my company that I’m attached to is a true representation of me and my hard work. As someone who always does a task 110% and wants to see the things I’m a part of succeed, I wanted to make sure that was conveyed in THE name.

Oak trees and oak wood have always held a special place in my heart as a symbol of strength and longevity. (That Amish oak table has clearly stood the test of time!) Oak was also a part of the store my parents owned while I was growing up. The store put food on the table, gave me a place to go after school, took us on works trips disguised as family vacations and showed me that it’s ok to change direction sometimes.

Lily of the Valley has a sweet scent and meanings of good luck, humility and a ‘return to happiness’. There’s always been a large colony of the white bells and lush greens in my parent’s back yard, and their appearance always meant summer was just around the corner.

I am determined, I am tough, I am stubborn (sometimes to a fault), but I am also caring, understanding and heartfelt. I believe there is good in almost all people, places and situations.

Working for myself has always been a terrifying idea. What if I failed and end up in my parent’s basement, **cough** again **cough**. However as many great achievers know, the only way to succeed is to try.

And that’s why, to me Valley & Oak Events embodies those contrasting characteristics of myself and leads the way to my ‘return to happiness’.