The title says it all! Dan asked The Eventure team to write company blogs and honestly, the thought stresses me out! But I’ve always loved a challenge, so here it goes!
I’m Kaitlin; and if you’ve worked with Eventure, been by our office, or seen us on events then we’ve probably met!
I didn’t write in my elementary yearbook that I wanted to be an event planner when I grew up, I wanted to be a dentist. For reasons, I cant really explain except that I wanted to make people smile! Nice, No? Yeah! … until I was writing my first chemistry midterm at John Abbott College and I realized that this was nothing close to what I wanted. So, I walked out mid exam, called my mom and said “I want to be an event planner “. Without really understanding what that meant, I knew that it was what I wanted. So, I switched out of sciences into commerce, worked my way into JMSB and started volunteering on Strangers in the Night with the Starlight Foundation.
People closest to me say I’m impulsive, but it was by far the best impulse move I have ever made.
I spent 5 years on the set of Strangers in the Night, first as a volunteer and then the last 3 years as On-Site Executive Producer working alongside Larry Day. I managed the installation of the fencing, tenting, the needs of 80+ restaurants, signage, washrooms, VIP entrance…the list goes on…6 months of pre-production turned into 17-hour days on site for setup and a 7 hour event. Can you imagine how much my feet hurt from walking in a parking lot for a week straight!? It wasn’t glamorous. BUT I LOVED IT! Every minute of it…And all I wanted to do was do it all over again the next week.
I was finishing my undergraduate degree at JMSB and was hoping to find an internship for 3 months. Eventure came up on my google search and lead to a conversation with Steve Merling about what I wanted to accomplish from my internship. I didn’t mention that I wanted a job in 3 months when I finished school, but that was my plan.
Long story short, I just never left. I felt deep down like Eventure was where I belonged and it was where I intended to stay. I interned from October 2013 to April 2014. 7 Months, I made little money, I learnt a ton and when Dan asked me why I was still coming in every day, I said I wasn’t leaving until he gave me a job. (Honestly, I was just SO excited he knew my name! lol!) Side note: for all those out there looking to get into the event industry, I believe that an internship at a reputable company is the best way to start. Put in the hours, ask questions along the way, be humble, work really damn hard and have some grit. It goes a long way.
So, here I am – year 5 with The Eventure team! I’ve been a part of the company’s growth and in turn I’ve grown. From intern, to event coordinator to now; VP of event operations and managing new business development. I’ve been the lead coordinator on major events, I oversee the execution of all our events and work with our technical, catering, bar and design divisions to ensure synergy. And then, the rest of my day is spent meeting prospective clients, pursuing new business, brainstorming innovative ideas and working with my team on new projects. Add in the same green salad I eat every day for lunch and my new interest for event design ( a post on that soon!) and there you have it – what I do at Eventure.
I think it’s pretty cool, I hope you all do too!
The goal is to keep writing blogs; about the projects I’m working on, my thoughts on the event industry, the challenges and victories that come with new business development and being a rising star in the Montreal (and Ottawa) event scene.
If there’s anything you’d like to read about – send some inspiration my way!
XO,
Kaitlin