Her Story
About Sarah
I went to college as a vocal performance major because I thought I wanted to be a singer. I got about 2 years into college and realized that I needed a job, and I probably was not going to be the next big singer that everybody knew about. I ended up getting a part-time job at my last company - it was just supposed to be a summer job so that I could stay in town. I spent that first summer loading and unloading trucks, doing grunt warehouse work, but I got my first kind of taste of that live events industry. I ended up staying on part-time through the rest of my college career, and then they ended up hiring me in full-time once I graduated. When I first moved into the office, I was the executive assistant to the vice president, and he was my first real mentor. I learned a lot about live event production and client relationships, and I started to understand the full breadth of the live events industry - that it's not just equipment, it's people, and it's a very emotional industry. He was really the first person that helped show me what all of the options were. Every 4-5 years in my career, I've been like, okay, I need the next thing. All of those phases suited me very well for where I was at that time, but I had outgrown where I started, and I had outgrown what I was going to be able to accomplish in that role.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say it's definitely a passion for this work, hard work, and curiosity. Those are the key things that have driven my success in this industry.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the things that I struggled with somewhat is, you know, did I really have the skills for this? And the best advice I received was essentially that no one is going to be a bigger champion for you than you. You have to believe in yourself and your capabilities, or no one else is going to take you seriously and be willing to give you those opportunities. That really stuck with me. I also recently read something that said, 'you're allowed to outgrow what once fit,' and that is something that I absolutely relate to. Every 4-5 years in my career, I've been like, okay, I need the next thing. All of those phases suited me very well for where I was at that time, but I had outgrown where I started, and I had outgrown what I was going to be able to accomplish in that role.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to remember that a career worth having is worth fighting for. It's not going to be easy, but it is going to be rewarding and fulfilling if you just stick with it and believe in yourself. You need that perseverance, and you also need to allow others to believe in you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
This is a largely male-dominated field, and one of the things that I appreciate about the company that I'm with currently is that they are very interested in giving women a seat at the table, which is part of the reason that I'm here now. Challenges are definitely, in this current environment, cost perception. Everyone wants to do more with less, and that is very challenging, especially in trying to get clients to understand the value that our type of organization can bring. But the opportunities are so many. I mean, the opportunity to meet new people all the time, it's a new place, I just get to experience guests and attendees at events, I get to experience the joy and the inspiration that they take away from events that we support. And that is the key motivation to continue doing that, to see the effect that these events have on people. It's just so fulfilling.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say honesty and compassion are probably my biggest two values, both in my work and personal life.
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