What do you love about your business?
There are so many things to love about my business. I absolutely love the last day of an event or meeting. As a planner you are running on fumes, haven’t slept in days, and have had to be a behind the scenes superhero that most attendees will never know about. It can feel thankless sometimes, but the last day is something magical. In the final moments you witness months or even years worth of work wrapping up. As the final lunch or dinner comes to an end you look around a room and see the lives your hard work changed. Weather they learned something to further their career or they met someone during networking that could help them get to the next step, they have changed. As Meeting Professionals International always reminds us, “When we meet, we change the world.”
What do you get out of being a member of YPN?
YPN has really kept me connected to my community. When I first moved back to Reno I was concerned about the professional network I left behind in Minneapolis. I had really built a strong network of forward thinking, creative professionals. It was amazing to learn Reno Tahoe YPN had built this for me!
What is your favorite special event in the region?
As an event planner I can’t possibly answer what special event is my favorite. Each event has such unique and amazing qualities. I will say that we are so lucky to live in Reno, where there are hundreds of incredible events and entrepreneurs starting new events each year. From balloon races to beer crawls there is something for everyone!
If I weren’t at work right now, I’d be….
Traveling the world with my husband, Brandon. Learning from different cultures, sampling various cuisines, and simply watching the wonderful differences in the world is what I live for.
My favorite time of day is…
10:00 a.m.
because…
My coffee has kicked in and my creative mind is ready to rock and roll!
If you could take anyone in town out for a cup of coffee, who would it be and why?
Hillary Schieve! I have watched her make great strides in our community and would love to sit and chat about the future of the city and tourism. She is also a great business woman, who I would love to learn from.
To me, networking is about….
Meeting new people and being a connector for them.
If you could fix one problem in our community, what would it be and how would you fix it?
Great question! I have many ideas, but the one I think that could be accomplished quickly would be to increase the connection, comfort and walkability from UNR to midtown. Besides getting new sidewalks and working on beautification projects, our community and tourists need to feel safe and excited about how cool this city is. We are working on a solution right now with NEW walking tours in different districts to show off the history but more importantly the future that Reno is building with all the locally owned shops and restaurants. The walking tours are all about the REAL RENO. We hope to have these running by mid June!
What was the last gift you gave someone?
I made my mom a 60th birthday video with images, video clips, and quotes from her friends and family. It was a pretty cool project and the photos from her friends were so funny.
If you had to choose a “walk out” song, what would it be?
That is easy! “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. “Can’t nothing bring me down…cause I’m HAPPY.”
