Colorado Meetings + Events is pleased to present a top-notch 2011 Hall of Fame. Our editorial advisory board, comprised of 18 professionals from the meetings and events industry around the state, nominated and selected this outstanding group.
We recognize three seasoned professionals, three talented up-and-comers and a lifetime achievement winner.
>>Lifetime Acheivement
Gary Schirmacher, CMP
Senior Vice President-Strategic Account Services, Experient
“Having a great family behind you makes everything fun,” says Gary Schirmacher when explaining how he has the energy to be on the road 110 days a year and manage a staff of 150 that is located all over the country. He feels fortunate to work near home to see his wife, Julie, and three kids as much as possible.
With more than 25 years in the business under his belt, Schirmacher is no stranger to volunteering, speaking at industry gatherings and making sure others in the field have a chance to work their way up the ladder.
“Hard work has to be a habit. People have to push themselves to get out of their circle to attend things you might not usually attend,” he advises. While earning a degree at Arkansas State University, he discovered a knack for planning formals for his fraternity Sigma Pi, which led to a job as convention coordinator for the national office.
Traveling extensively, he took note of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and landed a job offer in Dearborn, Mich. He worked for Hyatt in Dearborn and Chicago for more than a decade before joining Experient in 1996. In his current role, he leads Experient’s Strategic Account Services Department.
Schirmacher is a member of PCMA, MPI and CSAE, previously serving as president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of PCMA and recently fulfilling a three-year term on the PCMA Education Foundation board of directors.
He was chairman of the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado for many years and serves on the Metropolitan State College of Denver Hospitality School’s advisory board. The industry veteran’s passion for community causes helped launch the Experient Classic Event to benefit the Kid’s Café of Denver, a program of the Food Bank of the Rockies, in 1999. The event has transitioned into Pack for Impact, where clients donate items and volunteers stuff 1,000 bags for the Kids Café.
The feeling you get when volunteering or planning a successful meeting is what keeps Schirmacher coming back for more. “I’m really about the unexpected; I like to fix problems, find solutions and be an ideas person,” he says. “When you can turn a tough situation into something you can be proud of, I enjoy that.”
>>Up-and-Coming Meeting Professional
Lauren Farrell
Account Manager, DSC Inc.
“I was born in Australia and raised in Vail, so I guess you could say I have basically been on vacation for the majority on my life!” says Lauren Farrell, who works in client services for the Denver office of DSC, a destination management company.
“Growing up in Vail, a resort town where most income is stemmed from tourism, customer service and satisfaction have always played a large roll in my life.” Teaming up with with many high-level clients such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Best Buy, AT&T, Hewlett Packard, Exxon Mobil and American Honda, Farrell has planned meetings and events for 50 to 7,000 people.
“I would rather plan an event for 7,000; it’s the same amount of work!” she shares. “Meeting and event planning can be stressful, and I have found that it’s important for me to keep a sense of humor about things. Keeping a positive attitude will get you a long way, especially when working with your industry partners. Keep smiling and keep laughing.”
Not only does she attend a variety of industry association meetings, she helps plan and execute DSC’s annual Jingle Bell Bikes, an event dedicated to the Boys & Girls Club of Denver. Farrell notes, “I enjoy building relationships with new people and helping them work towards their vision. I love helping them navigate potential challenges and solve issues by thinking creatively.”
>>Meeting Professional
Debbie Welsh, CMP
Director of Event Management, SMG/Colorado Convention Center
“It’s not a cliche to say that ‘every day is different’ at the Colorado Convention Center. Each event presents its own unique set of challenges and rewards. The pace is fast and never static!” says Debbie Welsh, director of event management since 1994.
Not only has the facility doubled in size, events at CCC over the course of Welsh’s 20 years with the venue have run the gamut, including the high-profile World Youth Day, Summit of the Eight, 2008 Democratic National Convention and presidential and vice presidential visits.
“I really enjoyed World Youth Day and all the children that came to Denver and how the city came alive,” she recalls. “For the Summit of Eight, it was fun working with the different countries and the requirements they needed.”
Prior to arriving at CCC, the Regis College graduate’s diverse history of jobs ranged from commercial real estate closer and oil and gas lease analyst to operations manager of a health club. “Oddly enough, there are similarities between the health club industry and the hospitality industry,” she notes.
Welsh has been an active member of the Professional Convention Management Association and Association of Convention Operations Management. As someone who manages a staff of 11, she appreciates younger employees “opening my mind to new things” such as how to integrate iPads into her department’s operations. “I have to stay youthful with them and stay flexible and willing to change.”
>>Up-and-Coming Supplier
John-Paul Maxfield
President & Founder, Waste Farmers
With an economics degree, family ties to agriculture and a heart for making good use of the earth’s resources, John-Paul Maxfield emptied his IRA account and established Waste Farmers in early 2009. His intent was to help organizations reduce waste in a cost-effective manner. “In college, I wrote a series of goals. One was that I wanted to start a company that makes a profit while also doing good.”
Noting that the restaurant, hospitality and event industries were producing large amounts of waste, much of it organic and compostable, Maxfield started developing a plan. “This sector was very open to our services and eager to implement sustainability programs,” he says.
Waste Farmers has six employees and works with clients to alleviate waste, from making purchasing decisions and working with vendors to training volunteers and hauling away compostable waste, which is currently processed by a third-party vendor and incorporated into products such as potting soil, worm castings and compost tea.
Prior to starting Waste Farmers, the University of Colorado graduate founded the “The Inspired Economist” in 2005, a blog that covers the people, places, ideas and technologies inspiring positive change and redefining capitalism. He also served as an associate at MBH, a private equity group, and an analyst with Alvarez and Marsal.
“Find something that motivates you and provides passion beyond financial gain,” he advises. “Find a niche that provides value and stick to it.”
>>Supplier
Robert Mackenzie
Senior Account Manager, Fastlane Productions Inc.
When you first meet Rob Mackenzie, you probably can’t begin to guess some of the people and places he has seen during his nearly three decades of working in the entertainment and event production industries.
At the young age of 15, he began helping bands load in and load out and soon landed a part-time job at an audio company. By age 18, he left Detroit and began working for a large production company in Los Angeles, finding himself on the lighting crew for the Van Halen tour three months later.
Mackenzie toured around the world with bands and megastars such as Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Billy Joel and Pearl Jam before calling it a wrap as stage manager for Metallica and planting it full time at his place in Denver 14 years ago.
Joining Fastlane Productions in 2001 allowed MacKenzie to get off the road and continue using the knowledge base he acquired along the way. “At Fastlane, your lifestyle and job are not quite so intertwined. When I’m done with work, I can walk away and go home,” he says. “You have no choice on the road, and when you are on the road life goes fast.”
While he misses the financial freedom and travel that were part of touring with bands, he searched carefully for a city to finally call home. He confirms, “Ninety-nine percent of my schedule is in Denver. I really, really like that.”
>>Special Event Planner
Kelli Kindel
President, Kelli Kindel Events Inc.
For the past 28 years, Kelli Kindel has experienced events from all angles. Since starting her business in 1994, Kindel has managed events and provided event marketing services to numerous nonprofits, universities and corporations and recently Gov. John Hickenlooper’s inaugural dinner and dance.
Previously, she was the community affairs director at KMGH-TV (Channel 7) in Denver and special events and telethon coordinator for United Cerebral Palsy Association of Denver. Instead of telling you she is president of her own firm, Kindel may introduce herself as “event guru and gopher,” a jack-of-all-trades.
“Obviously, you’re not in this business for 27 years without having a deep passion for what you do. When my name is tied to an event, small or large, I give 300 percent.” One of the big changes she has noticed in recent years and with a more challenging economy is that organizations, suppliers and planners are working smarter. “What’s exciting is that people are still doing events; we just have to be more accountable, which is awesome,” she says.
A self-proclaimed work-alcoholic, Kindel started a second company in 2009, Rum Cakes By Kelli. People raved about the rum cakes her and a friend made for fun, and a business idea was hatched. She also finds time to serve on the board of Project Pave and to contribute to Escuela Gudalupe.
“I’m a firm believer in karma-what goes around comes around. I try to treat my client as if they are my only client,” Kindel says. “Keep your integrity; ethics are huge in this business.”
>>Up-and-Coming Special Event Planner
Sidney Stoper
Director of Catering & Conference Services, Magnolia Hotel Denver
Sidney Stoper grew up working in customer service-related jobs, so it was only natural that the hospitality industry struck a lasting chord with the Houston native with his first job out of college in the rooms division at The Eldorado Hotel and Spa in Santa Fe, N.M.
A move to Denver to work at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, eventually propelled him into conference services and catering, positions he currently holds at Magnolia Hotel.
Stoper is in his second term as president for the Greater Denver Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE), an organization he helped establish. “It’s great to see the hard work pay off. We sat around a board room in the fall of 2007 to get the chapter off the ground,” he recalls. “It’s great to see how far we’ve come in a short time.”
He represents NACE on the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado and enjoys working with talented colleagues, counting his blessings for stability in staffing. “We are fortunate (knock on wood) not to have had any turnover in two years-and that’s unheard of in hospitality.”
He advises those new to the meetings and events industry to “attend monthly professional association meetings and build a strong alliance with peers within your competitive set. Seek advice from a prominent event professional, and then share your wealth of knowledge and experience.”
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>>Colorado Meetings + Events’ 2011 Best Of Award Winners
