Kelsey Kulbarsh

I think just working hard, and I'm fortunate enough that I knew for a long time that this is not just what I want to do, but this is what I'm good at. I think when you are truly passionate about what you do, that comes across in your work - both the actual output of the work itself, and in the way that you work with people, and the way you move in the world, and the way you're also perceived. So I think just my genuine passion for events, and knowing that is just what I'm good at, and what I'm meant to do - that's what drives and makes me successful.

If someone really wanted to pursue events and maybe they weren't exactly sure what type of events they wanted to go into - whether it's tech, whether it's weddings - I'd say just to be open-minded to different opportunities. When doors open, grab them, because each experience is a learning experience, and those become stepping stones and a foundation that'll help you build your knowledge and expertise over time. And then one day, next thing you know, everyone's coming to you with 'how do we plan this event,' and your knowledge just comes from all these opportunities that you said yes to. So I think the core of that is: say yes to opportunities, even if it's outside your comfort zone, because one day it will be.

The biggest challenges I face are twofold. First, I work for HP and I'm very much in the thick of the tech industry, which is having some hard times in the economy with ongoing layoffs. We lose key members of teams that are subject matter experts, and those roles or responsibilities don't go away just because the person does. So we end up having to do the job of multiple people and wear multiple hats - the job I'm doing today is not the job I was hired to do. Second, a lot of my job is herding cats. I work with so many different teams, and so many people have opinions on how brands should be perceived, what event messaging should be, what approach we should take. There are lots of decision makers, so I really have to be the one that brings people together and maybe finds compromise between all the ideas, or maybe even I have to make a decision. Having lots of cooks in the kitchen and so many stakeholders that want to have a say in event strategy is one of the hardest parts. On the opportunities side, I think there are really exciting advancements around how AI is helping event strategists. I have to wear many hats and think both strategically and tactically, and with continuous development of AI, it's really streamlined and made things more time-efficient for me - whether it's researching restaurants and venues and providing suggestions, or just a lot of the administrative work. I'm excited about how we can use AI to continue to streamline project management.

The values most important to me are honesty, integrity, teamwork, and authenticity. These guide how I approach both my professional work and my personal relationships.