The other thing planners really need to consider now is the health of their attendees.
It’s really odd to think back and remember that most planning was done over a conference call, and sometimes a client’s LinkedIn picture was the only way to know what they looked like before meeting on-site. I remember conversations with some of my colleagues about being hesitant to use Zoom to meet with potential clients! The concept of adding video to any meeting seemed unnecessary. Before the pandemic, most planners had little to no knowledge of how a virtual event would work, or even how a virtual component would add value for attendees. I think the biggest, most obvious change has been the shift to virtual and hybrid options. How has the event landscape changed since entering the industry? It was a really challenging moment for so many talented industry professionals, and I feel very fortunate that I found Brandlive so quickly. Unfortunately, when COVID hit, our business dried up, and I was laid off in the summer of 2020. Through this I got really familiar with venues, food and tours from Portland-from the coast to wine country to the mountains.ĭMC work was definitely one of the most fun and rewarding aspects of the job, and I’m so thankful for all of the great people I was fortunate enough to meet. The other side of the business was focused on destination management, which was really selling Oregon as a destination for out-of-state groups. I completed my CMP certification in 2018 and moved to a small, woman-owned corporate event planning agency in Portland where I planned corporate incentive trips, board meetings and leadership summits. My husband and I relocated to Portland in 2015, and I transitioned to the Oregon State Bar coordinating legal education events. My first “real” job after graduation was working as a meeting coordinator for American Express Global Business Travel helping to plan meetings for Merck. I worked in hotels, completed an internship at the Cannes Film Festival, attended a hospitality conference in Dubai and eventually landed my final internship before graduation at a small travel agency in my town, where I hoped to gain experience as a corporate meeting and event planner. Through my degree program, internships and other industry networking opportunities, I was able to gain a lot of valuable experience. I graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in hospitality, restaurant and tourism management.
First thing first: What has your career in the event industry looked like?