By Katie Nord, Events Manager, Arlington Chamber of Commerce
I am originally from Baltimore, MD, and decided to spread my wings and join the "Big Ten" family by attending The Ohio State University. Graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English, I had my heart set on becoming a high school English teacher. However, when my uncle decided to open a hockey-themed restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, I decided to move and work as their Events Manager.
For three years, I planned and executed weddings, holiday parties, corporate happy hours, baby showers, and social gatherings. In the restaurant industry, I had the flexibility to use what I had learned from my co-workers and Chefs to create the vision that my clients wanted. With each event that I planned, I learned something new and applied it to my next event. Nevertheless, it was when I realized that my heart belonged back on the east coast that I decided to not only move back to the Washington, D.C. area but also focus more on corporate event planning.
For three years, I planned and executed weddings, holiday parties, corporate happy hours, baby showers, and social gatherings. In the restaurant industry, I had the flexibility to use what I had learned from my co-workers and Chefs to create the vision that my clients wanted. With each event that I planned, I learned something new and applied it to my next event. Nevertheless, it was when I realized that my heart belonged back on the east coast that I decided to not only move back to the Washington, D.C. area but also focus more on corporate event planning.
I fell in love with corporate event planning when I started working for Avendra, LLC, a hotel procurement company that Marriott, Fairmont, ClubCorp, and Hyatt owned. I had responsibilities that allowed me to work with such an eclectic group of people from the hotel industry to vendors such as Pepsi and Verizon. I planned tradeshows on a national level and could do what I loved, which was being in front of people and planning events. After a few years of corporate event planning in the DMV area, I still didn’t feel a sense of community, and I wanted to establish roots. I was looking for a company that gave me a sense of accomplishment, a company that allowed me to learn just as equally as I was contributing my expertise.
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce has done nothing but exceed my expectations. I applied to this position earlier this year in hopes that I would finally find a place where I was able to plan events on a large/small scale, foster relationships with members of the Arlington community, and help grow the Chamber. There is nothing more satisfying than receiving an e-mail stating you did a good job or hearing from a member that the event you helped plan was beneficial to them in some way. I truly enjoy planning events and being part of a team that makes me feel like part of a community with like-minded goals.
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce has done nothing but exceed my expectations. I applied to this position earlier this year in hopes that I would finally find a place where I was able to plan events on a large/small scale, foster relationships with members of the Arlington community, and help grow the Chamber. There is nothing more satisfying than receiving an e-mail stating you did a good job or hearing from a member that the event you helped plan was beneficial to them in some way. I truly enjoy planning events and being part of a team that makes me feel like part of a community with like-minded goals.
RSS Feed
