Liz Popescu: The story of an Event Expert who shapes experiences and redefines industry standards

Being an event expert means living at the boundary between emotion and strategy, building invisible structures that support unique moments, and acting as the discreet link between a client’s dream and the reality of a successful event. In this intense and sophisticated universe, Liz Popescu stands out—a professional with over 17 years of experience, who has grown alongside the industry and has managed to turn every project into a demonstration of vision, rigor, and dedication. Below, we discover the full story of the person behind the Beautiful Events Romania brand.

How did you discover your passion for event planning?

I discovered my passion for event planning at the age of 16, when I started volunteering. By the time I was 20, I was already hosting events on large stages with hundreds of people, running meetings and agendas, coordinating dozens of buses with participants, and obtaining permits for installing banners around the city. Only in my final year of university, when I had to organize my own graduation ball, did I realize how much I truly loved doing this.

How long have you been active in the field and how have you evolved professionally during this time?

My professional journey began with the decision to embrace entrepreneurship 17 years ago. My evolution has been strategic, focusing on accumulating technical expertise in related fields that optimize the event organization process. This multidisciplinary approach has led me to a complex level of expertise, materialized in the six or seven roles that I manage simultaneously.

Here is a breakdown of the key roles that define my status as an event expert today:
• Event Director: I ensure strategic coordination and senior management for complex corporate events.
• Wedding Planner: I manage the full planning and execution of weddings, with a strong focus on efficiency and details.
• Civil Ceremony Officiant: I contribute to the personalization and officialization of key moments during civil ceremonies.
• Host/MC: I ensure the flow, cohesion, and dynamics required for festivals and events.
• Event Producer & Designer: I am responsible for the overall creative vision, from concept to technical implementation.
• Florist: I design, create, and integrate floral design as living art within event décor, ensuring full aesthetic coherence.
• Trainer: I structure and deliver specialized courses in event management, contributing to the training of new generations of professionals.

My ability to learn quickly and adapt comes from the solid experience gained through volunteering (a stage I strongly recommend to any young person at the beginning of their journey). This foundation provided me not only with a strong work ethic, but also with a deep understanding of operational requirements, allowing me to set clear and precise standards for my team and collaborators.

What was the moment or project that confirmed this was the right career for you?

The decisive moment was when I managed, on my own, a massive event with thousands of participants and extremely complex programs, and everything went flawlessly. In 2009, at the Palace of Parliament, I brought everything in from outside—from teaspoons, chairs, and tables, to setting up a serving line, convection ovens, and bar areas, ultra-secure access, and massive technical riders. That mix of pressure, energy, and final satisfaction convinced me that I was exactly where I needed to be.

What types of events do you enjoy organizing the most and why?

What I love most is organizing weddings. Although I started with ceremonies and graduation balls, weddings allow me to build emotional stories, create intimate and perfectly personalized moments, see dresses during fittings—and for me, having also studied fashion design, this is an absolute pleasure. I adore dress fittings, flowers and floral design, event graphics, and a wedding has all of these in abundance. Moreover, it is an immense responsibility to hold someone’s special day in your hands, because you are creating memories for a lifetime.

How do you manage stress and pressure at large events?

Through well-thought-out backup plans prepared in advance—and C, sometimes even D, not just plan B :)—through clear procedures and a great deal of tactical experience accumulated over years of events with thousands of participants. I have learned to anticipate problems before they arise, to prioritize efficiently, and to maintain impeccable communication with the team. When you know what you are doing and you’ve been through hundreds of scenarios, stress becomes just another ingredient of positive adrenaline. For example, at a wedding organized by a lakeside, the weather forecast showed rain starting at 6:00 PM, right in the middle of the religious ceremony. We built two ceremony areas simultaneously. At 6:00 PM, strong winds started, immediately followed by rain. We had everything doubled: microphones, sound system, décor, chairs, the priest’s table—everything. Prevention eliminates stress.

What are the essential qualities of a professional event organizer?

Ethics, humanity, rigor, resilience, creativity, fast decision-making ability, problem-solving orientation, caution, and excellent communication skills. In addition, I believe that a professional event planner must also have empathy (the ability to put themselves in someone else’s place in order to truly understand them)—for the client, for the participants, for the team—and a clear vision of the experience they are building. Everyone wants what is best for themselves, but a good event manager wants what is best for their client.

Is there an event that marked you in a special way?

The most impactful were the massive ceremonies with thousands of participants at Sala Palatului or Sala Polivalentă, with dozens of technical milestones that had to synchronize perfectly. They shaped me professionally, disciplined me, and taught me how to coordinate pressure, emotion, and logistics at a level that few events require.

You are preparing to launch courses for those who want to enter the industry. What motivated you and what can future participants expect?

The courses are varied, aimed both at women who want to become the perfect host at home, à la carte restaurants, juniors who are flirting with the industry, or brides and marketing professionals who want to organize their own events themselves. The motivation comes from the desire to professionalize the field and to pass on to the new generation the experience accumulated over 17 years of massive, complex, and extremely varied events. Participants can expect a practical, hands-on program, without unnecessary theory—real scenarios, concrete examples, tools, procedures, and everything involved in organizing an event from A to Z. I want to train professionals who are ready to enter the market with confidence and real competence, offering in practice what I wish had existed when I was just starting out.

Liz Popescu is an experienced Romanian event expert with over 17 years in the industry, starting from large-scale volunteer events to weddings, corporate conferences, and complex ceremonies with thousands of participants. She thrives on creating emotional, personalized experiences, especially through wedding planning, and emphasizes ethics, empathy, precision, and teamwork as core industry values. Her ability to manage high-pressure situations comes from extensive preparation and strategic thinking. Looking ahead, she plans to strengthen her personal brand and launch practical event-management courses designed to professionalize the field and prepare new specialists with real, applicable skills.