When putting on meetings and events, creating a memorable experience is everything, and planners serve as key strategic advisors and connectors for their clients. It takes a lot of effort, skill, and knowledge to plan, design, and execute the many kinds of gatherings, ranging from corporate summits and conferences to conventions and cocktail hours.
Other essential factors for success include strong communication and people skills, attention to detail, creativity and organization, good relationships with vendors and venues, and the ability to work closely with clients to bring their visions to life. To curate an experience that attendees won’t forget, planners need to be up to date on the latest technology and trends to enhance on-site experiences for eventgoers, while at the same time, adding their own special touch to every occassion.
To illustrate this planning prowess, Northwest Meetings + Events highlights five notable industry professionals with extensive experience and knowledge. Here, they share their distinctive stories and career journeys, best practices and advice, and favorite events that reflect their meetings know-how.
Attention to Detail
Andrea Beauchamp got her first taste of events while working at Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns, a hotel in Australia, where she helped set up large-scale functions around major race events, like the Melbourne Cup horse-racing competition.
“I was fascinated by all the layers that went into producing a great experience—
the catering, decor, floor plans, logistics, and atmosphere,” says Beauchamp. “After that, I spent several years traveling and working in hospitality and other industries, but
then naturally found my way back to planning events because it combined everything
I enjoy: organization, creativity, people, and storytelling.”
Prior to her work at the Shangri-La, Beauchamp lived in Seoul, South Korea, where she taught English after graduating from Saint Mary’s University in 2011 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and international relations.
During the summer of 2017, she also spent five weeks training Muay Thai (a martial art and combat sport) in Thailand, and says that these diverse international experiences allowed her to develop skills that she applies in her work today.
“My time spent living abroad in different countries, navigating new cultures, and
sometimes working in different languages, has made me adaptable, observant, and
creative in how I design experiences,” says Beauchamp.
For the last 3 1/2 years, Beauchamp has been the experience manager for e=mc²
events, an event management and production company headquartered in Calgary,
Alberta, with additional offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario.
The organization offers turnkey event production and management services to deliver
effective strategy, design, production, and oversight for meetings, events, conferences,
galas, or incentive programs of any size and style.
“For me, success comes down to hospitality and attention to detail,” says Beauchamp. “I’m always thinking a step ahead—what might an attendee need before they even realize it? Anticipating these needs, paying attention to small details, and genuinely caring about the attendee experience makes all the difference.”
Problem-Solving
Michael Shockley spent 15 years working in sports and entertainment, primarily in sponsorships and hospitality for various teams in the MLS and the NBA, and before that he managed facility and event operations at Rice University in Houston. In September 2023, he became senior director of events and sponsorships for Acumatica, a cloud-based software-development company in Bellevue, Washington.
“Our flagship event is Acumatica Summit, which we held in Seattle for the first time
earlier this year at the aptly named Seattle Convention Center Summit building,” says
Shockley. “While Acumatica Summit is far and away our largest ‘first-party event’ [hosted by Acumatica in which it oversees all programming] with nearly 3,500 attendees, we also will do another two or three of these smaller ‘first-party events,’ in addition to 12 to 15 ‘third-party events’ [hosted by different organizations that Acumatica attends, exhibits, sponsors, or speaks at], like trade shows, throughout the year.”
Acumatica Summit has earned top ratings for sustainable event leadership from MeetGreen (a sustainable event management agency in Portland, Oregon) and EcoVadis (an online platform for eco-friendly solutions), and Shockley and his team work throughout the event to identify ways to minimize its environmental impact.
“Acumatica Summit 2026 here in Seattle was special,” says Shockley. “We had held
the event in Las Vegas for the previous six years, and it was a big change to go from the Wynn Las Vegas and its shared convention center/hotel model to one where we use a standalone venue and a network of partner hotels. While the framework of the event and its agency were nearly identical to those of previous summits, what we learned was that we had effectively created an entirely new event. The Summit building was a beautiful backdrop that also provided us a canvas to bring our brand to life in ways we had not been able to in Las Vegas, and partnering with area companies allowed us to lean into Seattle thematically and incorporate our host city throughout the design of the event.”
One of Shockley’s secrets for success is finding and maintaining a healthy level of skepticism throughout the planning process, so he can test and uncover all the ways in which a plan might fail before it actually does.
“From there, we build in the appropriate redundancies so that if ‘Problem A’ arises
during the event, the prescribed solution is already in place for deployment,” says Shockley. “It’s basic stuff, but being able to solve an issue either in the moment or quickly thereafter can have an outsized impact on someone’s enjoyment of your event.”
Educating Clients
In 2008, Natalia Barwegen was wrapping up her anthropology degree at the University of Colorado Boulder while interning at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science when she saw a gala being set up, which piqued her interest and planted the idea that a career in event planning was one she was intrigued by.
“I got curious, poked around for more information [about planning events], and scored an interview at a golf course [for a sales and events position] before graduation,” says Barwegen. “I haven’t looked back since. I worked for Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver for about a year [working with corporate events] and then Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton, Colorado, for four years. I moved to Oregon in 2011 and worked for Rogue Ales as their events manager, then at Bridal Bliss [an event-planning company serving Washington and Oregon], before joining Urban Restaurant Group in 2017. I’m on year 18 in my career, and, to this day, I learn something from every single event I do. I love that aspect about this industry. Things are always keeping me on my feet.”
Barwegen is still with Urban Restaurant Group (based in Portland, Oregon), a multi-
faceted hospitality business that operates a catering company, more than 20 restaurants, and three private venue spaces throughout Oregon. She began with the company as manager for The Foundry, one of its event venues in Lake Oswego, and currently
wears multiple hats as Urban Restaurant Group’s director of marketing.
The company also cohosts five major community events with an area nonprofit partner each year where all net proceeds are donated to the chosen nonprofit. Past events include Chowder Fest with Make-A-Wish Foundation; Tacos & Tequila with Youth Villages; Three Amigos’ Golf Tournament with Brian Grant Foundation; Blues, Brews, and BBQ with American Cancer Society; and Taste of Portland with Oregon Food Bank.
“This past year we brought back Taste of Portland [at the World Forestry Center in Portland], and it was singlehandedly the biggest event I have planned in my career,” says Barwegen. “We gathered 14 different restaurants and 10 beverage companies under one roof last October. We had over 250 people attend and were able to raise around $7,000 to donate to the Oregon Food Bank. … It was a blast—so much work, but so rewarding.”
Barwegen’s pro tip for planners is to not only listen to, but also educate clients on what will work best with their vision. “There are many different ideas that float around, and every venue is different logistically on what can and cannot be done,” says Barwegen. “I love the collaboration part, but also guiding the client on what will work best with their meeting or event to ensure success for all.”
Inventive Touches
Autumn Kozimer opened Events by Autumn in 2013. Based in Stevensville, Montana, 30 miles south of Missoula, her company specializes in event design services for everything from trade shows and conventions to themed galas and fundraisers. “I’m a full-service, fine-art event producer,” says Kozimer. “I offer professional planning services including budgeting, inventory lists, and vendor recommendations, [and] I’m also an artist. I fabricate decor and create customized stationery for my events as well. I own sister businesses, Made Rentals and Winter Paper Co., which people can book without locking in planning services.”
During an initial consultation, Kozimer walks through the “senses of the event” with her clients. “That means they’re telling me what things sound, feel, taste, look, and smell like,” says Kozimer. “It’s a creative way to get clients to daydream with you, and maybe pick up on some elements that they normally wouldn’t consider adding to their list of must-haves.”
A memorable event for Kozimer is one she has worked on every year since 2024: Mass Timber Summit, a wood products conference for Denver-based Mass Timber Group that takes place mid-summer at the Denver Art Museum. Every year, she adds various fun elements that make a big difference for attendees.
“I [have] sewed custom log round pillows for networking lounge areas, and I built a round bar in 2024 using the company’s timber wood that I used for last year’s summit, laser-engraving the company logo into the wood panel on the front of the bar,” says Kozimer. “I’ve created decorative trees and letters out of the wood products themselves, and displayed them throughout the spaces. I used wood plates on the buffet one night, wood straws in specialty cocktails, and custom napkins with facts about the products and who to speak to at the conference to learn more. … It’s the little things that make people realize you thought of their every need. Now, that group sells out their conference every year,
and I’m still their go-to planner because I always add something unique.”
