The event industry was never one of those that would come up in conversation when asked "what do you want to do when you grow up?". It wasn't until 2016 when working for a private health club that I was introduced to the industry hosting small business meetings, children's birthday parties, and assisting with club events.In 2019, I took on a position at Langdon Farms Golf Club as one of their Wedding & Event Coordinators for the venue. A the time I had never run nor been invited to a wedding in my adult years. I was very fortunate that due to the need to fill the position for another coordinator taking a short leave of absence, that if I was committed to learning the in's and out's of planning and running a wedding, that they would be happy to teach me. I started at the beginning of March and after learning how to give property tours, lead clients and couples through detail meetings, shadow how to run a rehearsal as well as lead the day-of timeline for ceremonies and receptions, by the end of May, I successfully led my first wedding from beginning to end. As it was a temporary position, I departed at the end of September and moved onto my next venture in the wedding industry as a Marketing Coordinator for Charlotte's Weddings, a local Portland bridal shop.While at the bridal shop, Covid struck and although the event industry was shut down and many venues and vendors were left to navigate the unknown, the bridal shop continued to thrive as I assisted in the transition of in-person to virtual appointments. During this time I also ran all social media channels, email marketing, and assisted in creating the customer profile and updating the branding guidelines for the store.In June 2021, I returned to Langdon Farms as the lead Wedding and Event Coordinator until October 2022. In my time between the temporary position until I departed in 2022, I helped manage over 150 social/corporate events including galas and fundraisers, and 82 weddings.In November 2022, I transitioned into the luxury side of the event management industry as an Event and Catering Manager for The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Oregon, recently named the #1 Hotel in Oregon and Portland by US News & World Report. I managed corporate groups from small meetings and dinners to larger, multi-day retreats, often working with C-Suite executives of companies most often within the medical and financial fields.While I am looking to continue my career within event management, during this time I am continuing to grow my business, Studio Sotrel, a custom wedding and event stationery studio.