On 29 May, EO New York hosted a special event at the Jumeirah Essex House with media mogul Rachael Ray, a two-time Emmy-nominated TV personality. Rachael is best known for her talk show, Rachael Ray, and her Food Network programs.

The event came about when our chapter board learned that Go Green Expo’s Bradford Rand—an EO member—is close friends with Rachael’s husband. It took nearly a year to bring the event to fruition, but it was worth it. Working with Rachael’s handlers, Bradford agreed to hold the event as a moderated discussion. Meanwhile, EO member Herta Kriegner of Uber, Inc., volunteered to handle Day Chair responsibilities and convinced the Jumeirah Essex House to provide its space in exchange for an EO sponsorship.

I started the evening off by acknowledging and rewarding the outgoing board, introducing the incoming board and instilling a sense of pride in our fine organization. Also, former EO NY President Chris Bryant had the honor of announcing Mark Schulze as the EO New York Member of the Year, while Richard Humphrey announced that Larry Zogby had won the EO New York Day Chair of the Year award. Rachael was then introduced to a standing ovation before going on to discuss her meteoric rise to fame, her brand and how she guards it, and her business philosophies.

"My life has been a total accident— a very happy, wonderful accident that I didn't and couldn't have planned," said Ray, author of several bestselling books and the magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Despite her growing celebrity, Ray is determined to stay grounded and hold on to her down-to-earth values. Recognizing that a person cannot be all things to all people, Rachael urged each attendee to be true to themselves when running their companies.

“I think the entrepreneurial spirit is all about vision. You have to be able to envision your goal, and you have to love your customer, love what you do. I think it’s important to not try and be all things to all people,” said Ray. “You have to know what you do and focus on that one thing, and don’t try to be too much or too many different things.”

Rachael, who, in 2006 was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, went on to discuss the importance of appreciating hard work, being open to life's opportunities and trusting your instinct.

"I was raised to always appreciate any job I had, and to be very devoted to my customer. [To be successful] I think you have to be humble, you have to be hardworking. You have to keep in mind that opportunities are there for all of us. Also, you have to keep your mind open about what your next step can be, and you have to go with your gut."

Following the discussion, Rachael auctioned off VIP tickets to her show, which resulted in EO New York raising US$17,500 for her charity called Yum-O! Yum-O! empowers kids to develop healthy eating and cooking habits, and it also feeds hungry kids.

The evening ended with Rachael donning a teal EO T-shirt in support of EO’s TEAL theme for FY2008/2009. Teal was an appropriate color since EOtv recorded an interview with her (Technology), the event garnered significant media attention (External Awareness) and Rachael discussed her philosophies for running a mega-empire (Leadership).

The member reaction was overwhelmingly positive. We all felt special to have this unique and intimate opportunity to interact with and learn from such a huge celebrity. It is this type of experience that makes me happy to be an EO member. This is what EO is all about.

***

Rachael wrote about the event in her blog. Read what she had to say about her first EO experience.