Cookie Reyes has been a performer for most of her life. Her desire to take a more active role in the event planning side of dance competitions lead Cookie to the Entertainment Business Management program at VFS.

And it looks like that year of intense work is paying off. With the help of her classmates, Cookie recently organized a successful event for Hip Hop Dance Canada, which then allowed for her to take part in the “Olympics” of hip hop dance in Las Vegas: the World Hip Hop Championship. And the momentum is still building.

She gave us some insight into what inspired her to start a career in event planning, and her role in these world-class dance events.

Hi, Cookie. Could you start off by talking about your background? What lead you to this field?

Cookie: I have been primarily a dancer for the past 15 years, and a choreographer for the past 8. I’ve always loved the stage and performing. Back in high school, my main career goal was to become a professional triple threat performer. That all changed when I became the Youth Communications Program Director for my youth group, CFC-Youth For Christ (CFC-YFC). We needed to create a fundraising event that would create awareness for the organization that we support, ANCOP (Answering the Cry Of the Poor) International Canada, and draw the attention of youths in the Lower Mainland. Since my background was in dance, I proposed a dance competition, and the event became an annual fundraiser for CFC-YFC.

I was also very much involved with my aunt’s dance school, Praise TEAM, where I taught dance and eventually started helping out in an administrative role. During this time, I was trying to find ways in which I could help the dance school grow, so I enrolled in the Entertainment Business Management program so that I could be more informed on how to run an entertainment business.

How did you first hook up with Hip Hop Dance Canada?

Cookie: Hip Hop Dance Canada (HHDC) is an affiliate of Hip Hop International. Every year, HHDC organizes the Canadian Hip Hop Championship to name qualifiers for the World Hip Hop Championship in Las Vegas. This year, the event drew in teams from 25 countries all over the world, with 23 Junior teams, 41 Varsity teams, and 50 Adult teams competing. I call it the “Olympics” of hip hop dance.

I’ve been a big fan of the dance group Blueprint, whose choreographer Steve Bolton is also the president of HHDC. In an attempt to make my CFC-YFC fundraiser bigger, I wanted to bring in some professionals from the dance industry to give the competition more credibility. That’s when I asked Steve to be one of my guest judges. Afterward, he was impressed with how organized it was, the great turnout, and the success of the event. Since he was also looking into expanding HHDC to the western region of Canada, he called on me to organize the Canadian Hip Hop Championship here in Vancouver.

Can you describe what your responsibilities were in organizing the Canadian Hip Hop Championship?

Cookie: When I was asked to organize the event in Vancouver, I had two months to pull it off. For events like this, it usually takes 6 months to a year to prepare, but luckily it came at the same time that I was in the Event Planning Course in EBM, so it all worked out. With the help of my team (who were also the organizers of Catwalk for Cure) and support from the rest of my classmates, we were able to create a successful event.

I spearheaded the team as the Event Manager, making sure that each responsibility was being fulfilled, stepping in where needed as well as making sure that we were not going over our projected budget.  Since we only had two months, I had to ask favours from other people who had helped me out in the past.

The biggest challenge was trying to get teams to compete. Earlier, I mentioned that it takes 6 months to prepare for an event like this, mainly because it takes time for teams to put together a routine and perfect it. Luckily, the event had been getting quite a buzz around the West Coast, so we had a pretty good turnout. I’m hoping that, for next year’s event, we can double or even triple the number of teams, and even have some teams from the other provinces to come down.

If it wasn’t for all the help from my classmates, it would’ve been impossible to pull off an event like this. I am truly thankful for their efforts. I’ve never been in a class that is so supportive of one another and will help each other out when needed.

What were your responsibilities at the World Hip Hop Championship?

Cookie: I was there as a co-representative for Canada with Steve Bolton. I had to make sure that the teams from Canada were fully informed on what was going on during the event. Part of my job there as well was to observe and see how the event is being run so I can create a similar atmosphere for the next event in Vancouver. I attended the directors meeting where I was able to network with other directors in each country, and share notes on how they organize their events.

It was very educational for me in terms of knowing what the hip hop market is like in that country and how they were able to overcome some challenges. I also had the opportunity to meet Howard Schwartz, executive producer for America’s Best Dance Crew and Event Director for the Worlds. He was very helpful in giving me some advice in organizing the event for next year and how to create a more memorable event. I’m hoping that for next year, I can become a part of the planning committee for the Worlds.

Now that this event has passed, what does an “Event Business Manager” like you do to keep busy and working?

Cookie: Having just graduated from EBM, I am trying to start my own event planning company. I have started preparing for next year’s Canadian Hip Hop Championship and networking with event organizers in other provinces to bring in teams to compete. I have been asked to organize a Vancouver version of “The Carnival” – the largest choreographers showcase in L.A., N.Y., Tokyo, and Sydney. I am currently doing some market research to see if the Vancouver dance community will respond to this. In addition, I am also doing research on an idea for a 3-day hip hop touring festival across Canada that would showcase the elements of hip hop:  music, dance, design, and clothing.

Thanks, Cookie. And best of luck with your future events!