Sarah Lynn Email and Phone Number

Black Star Fund is an early stage innovation fund focused primarily in the United States & Africa. We invest in innovators – those who see new enterprise as the gateway to a world that is more abundant, balanced and productive.

•Led team in curation of SXSW’s top-tier Keynotes and Featured Speakers, serving as primary liaison between speakers and internal stakeholders•Managed logistical processes for 400+ Keynotes and Featured Speakers annually including session promotion and marketing, legal agreements, content curation, scheduling, security, travel, A/V, VIP services, etc. •Executed high quality, personalized customer service for leading figures in society and industry including CEOs, national-level political leaders, military generals, rock stars, musicians, actors and actresses•Spearheaded evaluation of Keynote, Featured Speaker and registrant feedback post-SXSW and implemented new processes to improve speaker and attendee (70,000+ attendees) satisfaction year over year•Created and led a task force of employees focused on identifying and problem solving areas for improvement within the programming team’s workflow•Transformed inherited highly manual process into streamlined operation utilizing Airtable for increased efficiency in progress tracking and cross-functional collaboration•Collaborated on the conversion of SXSW to a virtual event, managed logistical elements, session flow and Q&A moderation•Successfully promoted from Interactive Featured Speaker Coordinator to Conference Programmer to Lead Conference Programmer to Senior Conference Programmer increasing number of speakers personally managed from 100 in 2015 to 400+ in 2020

•Led all components of Construction & Transportation Awards, First Look for Charity and Health Leadership Awards including budget management, event logistics, volunteers, etc. raising $400,000 which produced year over year revenue growth of 20% for Construction & Transportation Awards, 20% for First Look for Charity and 25% for Health Leadership Awards towards overall special events fundraising goals•Led table sales, auction and logistics for Signature Chefs Auction and Comcast SportsNet Sports Awards raising $900,000•Developed and managed Illinois Chapter’s inaugural Young Professionals Board consisting of 30 members and exceeding revenue goals by over 67% in first fiscal year•Recruited and managed Executive Leadership Team for Health Leadership Awards and Construction & Transportation Awards, resulting in 20 members raising $245,000, and worked directly with CEO of ComEd to secure her as Keynote Speaker for 2015 event •Developed and grew prospects and networks within the local community for potential revenue streams, event sponsorships, volunteer opportunities and to increase March of Dimes visibility and brand awareness

•Effectively managed personal and professional calendar and provided general administrative, home and personal life maintenance•Acted as first point of contact for email, mail and phone calls•Booked and arranged personal travel and accommodations and compiled detailed itineraries for each leg of trip•Upheld the utmost discretion and confidentiality while handling private matters, both personal and professional, including legal, financial and medical documents•Maintained a flexible schedule to be available on a situational basis for requests or needs

•Worked closely with all hotel departments to create the desired meeting or event to meet clients’ needs through active communication, planning and team leadership•Provided innovative set-ups, menus and functions for groups by utilizing MeetingMatrix and working closely with Chef on pricing speciality menus•Led and actively participated in daily and weekly meetings with hotel operational departments to review BEOs and detailed group resumes•Monitored group room blocks and pick-up and made minor changes in Fidelio or Opera•Provided overall direction, coordination and ongoing evaluation of operations through the detailed execution of all BEOs•Consistently participated in the re-booking of repeat business by having a track record of long-term client relationships

•Primarily responsible for maintaining communication with group contact throughout the planning process, from contract turn-over through meeting and/or event conclusion, to successfully finalize all meeting and event details•Assisted and advised group contact in budget process, program agenda and the assigning of the appropriate space•Served as liaison between client and other hotel departments in order to maximize guest satisfaction and provided any assistance possible to ensure the smooth operation and success of the meeting•Communicated group’s meeting specifications, contracted concessions, amenities, room upgrades and VIPs by creating detailed banquet event orders and group resumes for all relevant hotel departments•Effectively planned and managed over 275 group meetings and room blocks in first year as CSM while maintaining an average meeting satisfaction survey score of 96.1/100 for client’s satisfaction

•Served as primary point of contact between client event planner and all Louisville Marriott Downtown hotel staff and departments while working especially close with Event Managers to guarantee guest satisfaction•Supervised and managed event set-up staff in order to ensure correct customization of the room set in accordance with the banquet event order•Reviewed, verified and ensured banquet event order accuracy with regards to group posting, event times, guarantees, menus, messages, audio/visual set-up, lighting and temperature controls, etc.•Awarded multiple gold keys of excellence from clients in recognition of exceptional level of service provided throughout their events•Named Associate of the Month for February 2010•Ranked 6 of 250 in comparison to all other Marriott properties in event satisfaction survey responses for Event Concierge for 2010 and increased ranking from 21of 282 to 5 of 282 from June to December 2009

•Assisted CEO, event producers and account executives with pre- and post-production for numerous events while also assisting throughout events•Successfully managed the company's location database by contributing new venues and updating previous venue information through site visits and communication with venue owners and operators•Contributed valuable information to CEO and account executives with thorough research regarding new clients, venues and event ideas