These movers and shakers aren’t just pillars of the meetings and events industry-they’re zealous about their craft almost every hour of the day.
Whether the role asks them to impress guests with inventive décor or to ensure several hundred attendees have the time of their lives at a remote destination, our 2010 Hall of Fame honorees all provide us with one essential testament:
When they share their experience in meetings and events, we’d all do well to listen.
>>Lifetime Achievement Award
Gary Chichester
Event Producer at Event Architects
Even while orchestrating the on-site details of Oprah’s 300-person “Ultimate Australian Adventure,” Gary Chichester manages to take a phone call from nearly 10,000 miles away and make the conversation seem like the most important task at hand. But then again, what more could you expect from someone so skilled at making people feel at home anywhere in the world?
Chichester, an event producer at Event Architects, has completed many an industry duty-everything from event design to nightclub management. He’s also coordinated some of the world’s most exclusive sporting events, like the Kentucky Derby. Chichester, who got his start as a waiter for a catering company, finds the people-centric nature of his work nothing short of fascinating. It’s one of the many reasons he’s eager to mentor industry up-and-comers.
“If you hold your knowledge to the chest, you’re going to strangle the industry. It’s vital to bring fresh talent up, to keep our industry young, current and vibrant,” he says. A longtime freelancer, Chicago native Chichester met his match when he joined Event Architects full-time. “Being part of a team that can make any request, issue or situation happen is extremely stimulating,” he says. “We bring people together, and that’s marketing at its highest point.”
>>Best Special Event Planner
Pattie Monahan
Senior Account Executive at Chicago Is… Inc.
“I always wanted to be the hostess of a great party,” recalls Pattie Monahan. Today, as a senior account executive at Chicago Is, Monahan gets her wish-again and again. She plans large corporate events for companies that travel to Chicago for conferences or meetings and handles destination management services for off-site events as well. Whatever the venue, Monahan concentrates on creating a stellar guest experience.
Instead of simply buying out the Art Institute’s Modern Wing for a 500-person high-end event, she invented an experiential twist by hiring a celebrity chef and noted sommelier to discuss the menu and mingle with guests. Transformative approaches like this example are enough to take events from tired cocktail party to buzz-worthy evening.
When Monahan first eyed the fledgling special events industry 17 years ago, however, her current role didn’t exist. Succeeding in an industry without a clear-cut career path meant looking for opportunities in line with her endgame.
“I took jobs that would ultimately lead me in the right direction, even if it meant taking a pay cut or taking a step backward,” says Monahan, who first debuted as a waitress. In an industry that’s suffered from the AIG-effect, she says it has been reassuring to see a recent uptick in the number and scope of special events: “There are always people who see the value in meeting and interacting face-to-face.”
>>Best Supplier
Randy Mariani
Founder of VIP Valet
VIP Valet founder Randy Mariani has a simple, but effective formula for success: Get customers what they need, and quick. But Mariani’s business wasn’t built on speed alone. In fact, his idea of complete customer service ensures that guests-the ones professional planners work so hard to court-are satisfied from pick-up to delivery. “We greet guests properly and make sure they have a great experience until they’re delivered,” he says. “It’s 90 percent personality and 10 percent doing the job.”
Today, VIP Valet, which also offers coat check and transportation services, has more than 15 locations throughout the United States, including the Prairie State. And, Mariani’s never waivered from his early commitment to customer service. The only thing that’s changed, in fact, is the company’s dance card, which now includes 300-plus events a year and private parties. All this success has Mariani banking on his good name: “My mother always said, ‘You have one name. Make sure you protect it.’”
>>Best Meeting Professional
Sarah Dunn
Sr. Meeting & Event Specialist at Wrigley Co.
Sarah Dunn’s foray into meeting planning was only meant to be temporary. After earning a degree in interior design, Dunn attended the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago with her eye on a career in catering for special events. After graduation, though, she took a short-term appointment as a meeting planner-and it stuck. “I’ve been in the industry ever since,” she says.
Today, as a senior meeting and event specialist at the Wrigley Co., Dunn plans and executes more than a dozen functions annually and for up to 2,200 attendees at a time. Along with site survey and selection, and hammering out travel and agenda logistics, Dunn oversees production direction, brand sponsorships, onsite staff management, contracts, budgets and billing.
She also manages the company’s tradeshow participation, which includes up to eight industry shows or conferences yearly, as well as leading internal efforts to launch new products and introduce teambuilding activities and other events. The diversity of tasks allows Dunn to tap into her creative side, as she notes,”I embrace the challenge of putting new life into recurring events and adding innovation whenever possible.”
>>Up-and-Coming Special Event Planner
Jamie Orr
Event Manager at On The Scene
Jamie Orr may be relatively new to the special events industry, but she understands its remarkable recovery. “Our industry is different than before, but we are seeing it thrive again. In the last few years, I have seen industry professionals-competitors and coworkers alike-come together to rebuild what was lost. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it,” she says. Orr, an event manager with On The Scene, a destination management company, works with large corporate and association clients.
The position allows her to field everything from proposal writing and event design to transportation logistics, and she’s quick to embrace a challenge. “We live in a creative world and our clients are always looking for something they haven’t seen or done before,” she says.
Orr also recognizes the importance of networking through organizations like the Greater Chicago International Special Events Society chapter, where she volunteers as the vice president of programs and education. “It’s made a huge difference in my career. I have gained business and vendor relationships, friendships and knowledge from my peers,” she says. “My industry involvement continues to help me to grow as a professional.”
>>Up-and-Coming Meeting Professional
Karyn Costigan
Association Business Manager at Leo Burnett
Karyn Costigan is a relentless networker who finds herself breaking into an industry slow to launch fresh jobs. Costigan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2007, was offered a position at Chicago’s Leo Burnett to turn her temporary internship into a full-time position.
Today, as one of the advertising agency’s associate business managers, Costigan’s responsible for generating spec packages and reviewing bids from vendors, as well as managing project finances. And, she’s got a new plan: implementing an internal meetings and events team at the agency.
After responding to calls for volunteers within the agency to work on various company events, Costigan earned a reputation as a “go to” for top-notch events. “I now have people coming directly to me requesting my involvement on events before I even know of an upcoming project,” she says. “I’ve learned that volunteering is a strong way to build experience and a specific skill set.”
>>Up-and-Coming Supplier
Clint Paton
Founder of Revel Décor
“We give clients not only what we say we’re going to give them, but we go above and beyond,” says Clint Paton, who in 2008 founded Revel Décor to offer event décor services as well as the floral arrangements for which he is known. And, Paton’s value-added mentality is proving to be a win-win for the supplier and his clients. “There’s always stress on the client side when there’s an event, so if we can say [to the customer], ‘All you need to do is show up, we’ll take care of the rest,’ they appreciate it,” he says.
With three full-time employees and a stable of freelancers, the company’s goal of “staying lean and mean for the first few years” has been a good one. “We’ve been able to really do quite well. In this market, if you can survive this [economic] period of time, you can pretty much survive anything,” he says. And, as it turns out, a widespread economic downturn has a bright side for plucky start-ups. “Clients are looking beyond just the names; they’re looking for inexpensive alternatives, and with that we’re given a chance to shine,” he says.
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