Silvia Zamora shares her work philosophy.
Silvia Zamora recently joined Dallas-based Associated Luxury Hotels International as vice president of meeting design and experience. The career-long planner—and self-described lifelong learner—shared her experiences with us, as well as some sound advice.
What drew you to your career?
I have a bachelor of science degree in advertising. To pay for college, I worked at Motorola in one of their fabrication plants. They had this great college tuition reimbursement program. If I worked 36 hours or more a week and earned a C or better in my coursework, my classes were paid for. I would work 12 p.m.– 12:00 a.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then would attend classes Monday through Thursday, completing internships along the way.
As I got closer to graduation, I would study the job boards during my lunch breaks. There was an opening in the global events marketing department, and it intrigued me. I applied and landed the job! I loved that the events department was fast-paced and that no two days were ever the same. It could be structured but also unpredictable. I was hooked!
I felt like everything in my life prepared me for this career: multi-tasking, time management and being creative. I loved that events were a way to promote a brand, idea, service or cause.
What advice would you give someone first entering the industry?
Remember what a great gig this is and to have fun. Enjoy the moment. Of course, logistics, documentation, budgets and templates are important, but even this type of work comes more easily if you’re having fun.
We have an opportunity to bring people together and create memories for them. We use experiences to market brands, services and goods. We change mindsets and motivate people into action. We get to travel the world and work with people of different nationalities and cultures. We try different foods when making our menu selections and experience different customs all over the world. And it is all part of the job. How many people do you know can say that?
