Influential Woman · Tourism Marketing

Kaitlyn Lawson

Marketing Director, Three Bears General Store

Pigeon Forge, TN

1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's Degree in Communications Degree 2018 Cert AI-powered Performance Ad Certification Cert Shopping Ads Certification Cert Google Ads Creative Certification Cert Google Ads Certifications

Her Story

About Kaitlyn

I started my marketing journey about 10 years ago in high school, doing social media marketing for our volleyball team to get more attendance to our schools and getting people involved in the community. I also did social media marketing as a resident assistant in college. After graduating with my bachelor's degree in communications in 2018, my first job out of college was actually owning a business - I connected with the sipping plant and opened up a second location in Kennesaw. It was a BYOB craft studio, and getting to share expression with our community was so much fun. That was an amazing journey where I got to learn so much and connect with a lot of people, though I changed endeavors after COVID. Now, I'm a director of marketing for Delozier Enterprises, a family business where I handle marketing for all of their businesses including Three Bears General Store, Pigeon Forge Gem Mine, Sawyer's Farmhouse, and Honey Bear Hideaways Luxury Cabin Rentals. I've been in this role for 3 years. My focus is gaining direct bookings, allowing guests to find us, and creating a good connection between guests and our staff. We always have new guests coming in every week here in the Smoky Mountains, so just letting people know that we're here and we're ready to welcome them is key.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Kaitlyn

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to just connecting with people. I think people are everything. You have to have guests, and you have to have an awesome team to make everything happen. It's all about those human connections and building strong relationships with both the guests we serve and the team members who help make it all possible.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is that a steady handshake and a good heart goes a long way. This has really stuck with me throughout my career and guides how I approach both my professional relationships and my work in general.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say the world is your oyster. There are so many different avenues in this field. There will always be people to connect to, and I highly recommend this field for anybody. The opportunities are endless and the ability to build meaningful connections makes it such a rewarding career path.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest challenge in my field is that we always have new guests coming in every week here in the Smoky Mountains, so just letting people know that we're here and we're ready to welcome them. It's about constantly reaching new audiences and making sure they can find us when they're planning their visit to the area.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The most important value to me is to just be a person. Be a person first, and understand that we're always connecting as humans to humans in marketing. That's the one value I put most of my values in. It's about remembering the human element in everything we do and treating every interaction as a person-to-person connection, not just a business transaction.

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