Experience

While I was Director of Marketing at Morton's The Steakhouse, I had the opportunity to oversee this once-in-a-lifetime food, wine and fundraising event. It brought over 1,500 dinner guests and three generations of winemakers from the Mondavi family together at the same time, across four time zones!

The Mondavis opened the doors of the historic Carriage House at Charles Krug Winery for a live, satellite wine dinner production.  This one-night event also raised $110,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

This was a  ground-breaking endeavor, as it incorporated social media (which was innovative at the time!) and state-of-the-art satellite technology. Managing the logistics of this event, which included the marketing, public relations and production, was the highlight of my career with Morton's.

This is one of my most fond memories as an event planner. I was entrusted to oversee a very special and intimate New Year's Eve wedding, from start to finish. 

The bride and groom lived out-of-state and led incredibly busy lives. I was asked to create their special occasion and had full control of the theme, the "vibe" and the flow of their wedding. I did not take lightly that they were trusting me with one of their most important days in their lives.

I turned a rental lake home into a cozy, comfortable and classy venue and handled all the wedding logistics...including the food, the ceremony, the photography and the cake.

It was an honor to oversee their event, and it would be an honor to do the same for you.

I have had the honor of planning personal and important celebrations for some very special individuals. 

This includes:

• "Celebration of Life" Memorials
• Baptisms
• Surprise Parties
• Bachelorette Parties
• "Return to Good Health" Celebrations
• Retirement Parties

Whatever the occasion, it is my mission to to provide professional, trusted party and event planning services by creating lasting memories that consistently exceed expectations.

In celebration of Morton's The Steakhouse's 25th anniversary, we commissioned what was certified by the Guinness World Records as the "World's Largest Wine Bottle." It held over 173 standard bottles -- the equivalent of 1200 glasses -- of wine.

The wine bottle made a coast-to-coast tour of 27 Morton's restaurants in the U.S., celebrating the company's 25th anniversary with wine and food receptions. The culmination of the campaign included an online auction with Sotheby's in New York City, with proceeds benefiting Share Our Strength.

It was quite an adventure to oversee the logistics of this event, which included managing the brand ambassadors and the truck that drove the wine bottle from coast to coast (without it breaking!), planning the receptions and coordinating the marketing and public relations efforts. 

I created an elementary school's fundraiser for three consecutive years. Each year, I created the campaign's theme, developed all the content, oversaw all the internal and external communications, managed the relationship with the online donation software partner and coordinated all volunteer efforts.

Collectively, these events raised almost $100,000 and funded items including new playground equipment, rollerblades for the Physical Education department, storage sheds and flexible seating throughout the school and classroom libraries.

This event brings me back to the very start of my professional career. As a Corporate Account Supervisor for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, I was charged with overseeing an inaugural event on behalf of one of our largest sponsors. 

The objectives for the "Great Basketball Dribble" were to bring exposure and excitement around the brand new WNBA team, and to raise money for breast cancer research, It was an incredibly exciting challenge to manage this fun family event that invited fans to walk, dribble and chat alongside their favorite Lynx players through the streets of Minneapolis. 

The event included games, food and finally, a special invitation to watch the Lynx scrimmage inside Target Center. I credit this event for helping me realize my passion to create something new, from the ground up, and see it through until the end.