Influential Woman · Events

Shari Lucas

National Senior Director, Event Sales, Meow Wolf

Henderson, NV

2Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Cal State University Northridge - Cinema Television Arts (Major) Degree Theater Acting and Directing (Minor) Degree Cal State University Northridge - Business Administration Degree Harvard Business School Online - Leadership Management Certification Cert Leadership Management Certification from Harvard Business School Online

Her Story

About Shari

I've been in the events industry for 18 years, and the journey hasn't been linear - there have been ebbs and flows, but it's been exciting and rewarding, though it doesn't come without its challenges. I've had the opportunity to work for amazing brands, building out their event sales departments and sponsorships departments, and working with their teams to build out experiential moments with brand partners and marketers. Currently, my day professionally looks like tapping in with all of the sales managers across the exhibitions that I oversee in Houston, Dallas, Santa Fe, Denver, and Las Vegas. My role is to provide the foundational support that the sales managers and group sales managers need to effectively sell our experience to corporate, social, nonprofits, and individuals looking to experience our attraction. That support can be training materials, developing SOPs, helping them with events that need additional support operationally - pretty much making sure the infrastructure that supports private events is solid so that my team can perform at their top capacity. What I love most about the industry is that we have the opportunity to create lasting moments for our guests. When you think about the moments that made you most happy, it's usually a birthday party, a celebration, when you got engaged, when you graduated - it's a celebratory moment in your life. I have had the opportunity across all of the venues that I've operated in to create those moments for people, whether it was their wedding, engagement, graduation, company celebration, or christening. I have been able to create memories that people will remember for a lifetime.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Shari

01What do you attribute your success to?

I would attribute my success to my family, who set the foundation for my success. My parents stressed the importance of education and hard work, and they did not only say it, they showed it in how they lived their lives and the things that they did. I had family and a village and a community of people who were not just telling me to work hard - they worked hard. They weren't just telling me to get an education, they had an education. So I do what I do out of respect and to honor what they did for me.

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

Some of the best advice that I received was, don't chase the dollar, chase the dream. Do something that you are passionate about, something that you love. When you are performing in an industry that you love, doing something that you are passionate about, if you are an ambitious person, if you work with integrity, if you lead with love, a person like that will never have to worry about money.

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

Be a girl's girl. Don't gatekeep any knowledge. If you see someone in an industry, in a role that you used to be in, tell them what you did to get into the next role. Share best practices, share tips. If you see an opportunity that you think would be great for them and you have influence or know a hiring manager, send them a referral. I would say there is opportunity for all of us. We don't have to gatekeep. We are stronger together, so my advice would be look out for your fellow woman. Be a girl's girl.

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

Some of the challenges that we face is competition, not just competition on the venue side, but competition with social media. People - there's so many ways to entertain people. So many people are on their phone, there's films, there's watching content all day. And then there's just so many event destination venues and attractions that are popping up. There's no shortage of what to do this weekend. There's just so much to do.

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

I'd say integrity and authenticity are two important values in my professional and personal life. People can tell when you're inauthentic. People can tell when you are just saying anything to make a dollar. When you lead with authenticity, when you sell with integrity, not trying to bleed your client dry or maximize on the budget because it benefits your sales goal for that month - leading with those two attributes have helped me in my career to foster lasting relationships, to build trust with my teams, with the community, with our clients. So I would say authenticity and integrity.

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