HOW IT STARTED

I’ve had a long, fruitful career. After I graduated college I was young, free, and not quite ready to plunge into corporate America, not yet anyway. So why not move to a ski resort and play a little longer? I packed up my VW Passat with everything that fit inside and headed West to Keystone, Colorado from North Carolina. I started in Reservations for Vail & Beaver Creek Ski Resorts the fall after I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The job was a blast. I was able to design dream ski vacations for people and as it turned out, I was pretty good at sales too. I quickly became one of the top sales agents on the team.

I always knew I loved events and eventually found myself running events for Keystone Ski Resort - pond skims, post season photo shoots, village concerts. But all good things come to an end and I was yearning for something that provided a bit more stability…something more serious. I left the mountains and found myself in Denver.

ENTER SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I landed my first position in sports & entertainment as a Guest Relations Assistant Manager at Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena) in Denver. Live events, wow! Who knew you could have a full fledged career in this? I transitioned into an Event Manager role three years in, and eventually became a Senior Director of Venue Operations overseeing the Guest Relations, Experience and Events teams. What did I like most about my role, you ask? The relationships. SO many DIFFERENT types of relationships to curate. I worked closely with the local fire and police departments, with the arena conversion and production crews, with tour managers, professional sports teams, and security directors managing artist movement and any perceived threats. I LOVED it and I was HOOKED.

A GLOBAL PANDEMIC…WHAT NOW?!

Covid hit the live entertainment industry hard…I had assembled a team who I was passionate about leading but it all came to a screeching halt. We were holed up at home with all events on hold and the future was uncertain. Fortunately, I was never furloughed, but enter a former colleague and friend of mine who previously oversaw Corporate Partnerships at the arena. “Any interest in building something from the ground up?” he asked. “Oak View Group is investing $1.2 Billion dollars into an arena renovation and a new NHL team is slated to play there too.”

How could I refuse?! The opportunity to open a new arena is something people only dream of. But to do that AND be involved in the start of a new expansion NHL team? THAT OPPORTUNITY DOESN’T COME KNOCKING OFTEN.

THE PNW CALLS

So off I went to Seattle. I was hired as the Senior Director of Event Services; the 15th employee to round out the Senior Leadership Team. I spent my first year combing through blueprints and working with the construction management firm and architects who designed the space; 800,000 square feet to be exact.This would be the world’s first net zero carbon arena…the rainwater from the roof would be used to build the ice that the Kraken would soon play on. I worked tirelessly with our corporate partners to bring the arena to life; Amazon One (Amazon’s palm payment technology)? No arena has used it…but let’s get it going. New state of the art metal detectors? Well, the leagues haven’t approved it but let’s show them that it’s safe and worth changing the status quo. Just Walk Out food & beverage concessions concepts? Well we sell alcohol…so how do we manage that concept within state & league alcohol policies. The learning curve was steep but the reward to get everything to the finish line before opening was immense.

I built my team from the ground up. We hired 1,500 staff in the months prior to opening. And before we knew it, we were in the building…two days of building occupancy before pulling off a week of straight events, ranging from Foo Fighters to Coldplay to the Seattle Kraken’s first hockey game.

The days and weeks were long but the years were short. And before I could blink, the pandemic was coming to an end and I began to reflect. This has been an incredible experience. I’ve learned so much…but now that we’re open, I’m back to what I was doing in Denver. Spending my nights, weekends and holidays running events. After 13 years in the business, the glitter and glam of it all started to wear off, and what was I left with?

And then it happened…I got pregnant. By choice, I might add. But still…what does this mean for my career? How can I raise a child and still keep these hours? 18 hour days in the events industry isn’t foreign…but doing so with a baby? Is that sustainable?

A NEW CHAPTER

I made the decision to return to Denver when I was 5 months pregnant. I left the dream job. I left Seattle. And I left feeling confident that if this was the farthest my career in Sports & Entertainment allowed me to climb, then that was a pretty good run.

My baby boy arrived in October of 2023. Today, he is 18 months old (1.5 years for those of you who don’t have kids). And I have spent the last two years ruminating, reflecting, and growing. What do I want to do next? What’s important to me now? What am I passionate about? I need to find a career that is not only sustainable, but allows me to spend evenings and holidays with my family. What does that look like?

TRANSITIONS

It took me a little while but I’ve finally narrowed down what it is I’m looking for. I’m passionate about people and relationships. I’m passionate about industries that push the envelope, and I’m passionate about service. But how do I transition careers when I’m 13 years into an extremely niche industry? This is my challenge. And it’s nothing groundbreaking, I know it’s been done before…but how do I get there?

GOALS

I know where I am headed. I want to work in tech. I want to work with clients, and I want to solve and resolve product issues to take customers to the next level of value realization and adoption. I have the skillset, but I need the connections to make the jump. I know I will land the right job with the right company…and I know it only takes one company that is willing to invest the time into teaching me the tech and take a chance on someone who on paper isn’t perfectly aligned with the role. You can’t teach a passion for learning, you can’t teach soft skills…and you can’t teach drive. THAT is what sets me apart. SO! If you’ve made it this far, and you’re willing to think outside of the traditional candidate box for Client and Customer Success positions. I’m here, and I’M READY.