GLOBAL EVENTO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR, CLIENT and BRAND COMMUNICATIONS
AS DIRECTOR, CLIENT AND BRAND COMMUNICATIONS, Ashley works to bring clients the absolute best items and experiences for their gifting needs. A natural listener and synthesizer of information, she creates personalized proposals that wow clients with their creativity.
Before joining the Global Evento team, Ashley held various roles in buying, merchandising, and product development. She honed her customer service orientation while working in her family's restaurant growing up. She loves seeing clients light up because of a gift or reward experience she helped bring to life.
A DIY lover, Ashley can be found working on her home or spending time with her husband and two boys when she is not researching gift ideas. She also loves music; classic vinyl is always spinning in her house.
Job Titles:
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE
PRIOR TO JOINING GLOBAL EVENTO, Blake spent more than 12 years in the sales industry. Through it all, he never lost sight of his end goal: making sure his clients were always satisfied and taken care of.
Blake brings this unmatched enthusiasm to his role with Global Evento. He enjoys cultivating a superb customer experience - a passion he is excited his team equally shares! Blake's favorite project (so far) was putting together an organized sales process for a client to improve the way they manage and communicate with their prospects and current customers. His attention to detail ensures our clients' needs never go unmet.
When he's not at the office, Blake can be found golfing, dabbling in cold water therapy and visiting his family in Colorado, where they take advantage of the beautiful scenery to hike and snowboard. Blake and his wife have a little Poodle mix and welcomed their first child in summer 2023!
FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES, Christine has dedicated her professional life to the seamless experiences of others. Passionate about helping people, she brings detail orientation and logistics acumen to the operations manager position at Global Evento.
Christine's entire professional career has been spent in the hospitality industry because she thrives in a fast-paced work environment where she gets to collaborate with teammates. Her intense work ethic, innovative problem-solving skills, and dedication to timelines and client service helps Christine delight all clients.
When Christine is not working, she enjoys walking her dog, hiking, traveling, and cheering on her favorite teams at sporting events.
Courtney enjoys spending time at home with her two teenage girls and two dogs, as well as snow skiing and mountain biking.
GIFTING IS DANIELLE'S LOVE LANGUAGE. Her 20 years of experience in upscale retail management has only added to her innate ability to turn ordinary experiences and gifts into something truly special. Her motto? "Too much is just enough!"
As Operations Manager, Danielle delivers unmatched customer service where creativity and quality are prioritized from start to finish. Her enthusiastic support for teammates and her knack to accommodate any client request make her an instrumental part of our team. Helping one-of-a-kind ideas come to life is her specialty!
When she's not working, Danielle is usually at home with her husband, Mark, taking care of their three critters: Rosie the Japanese Chin, Maddie the Chihuahua, and Rita the cat (who is an impressive 22 years old … give or take). Her passion for creativity extends to their Glendale home, fondly referred to as the "Dollhouse," which you can find adorned with over-the-top holiday decor inside and out. Her favorite color is glitter!
DAVE IS A PEOPLE PERSON who thrives when solving problems and creating unique experiences. For almost two decades, he has excelled in the incentive/gifting space by listening to the needs of his clients and then delivering innovative solutions.
Prior to joining Global Evento, Dave held senior positions in customer service, technical support, and operations. He is enthusiastic about working with company founders to exceed customer expectations on every program, proposal, and interaction. He brings the ability to translate goals into creative, yet practical solutions to each relationship.
Dave was a D1 college swimmer and still loves to swim today. When he is not expanding Global Evento's sales reach in the incentive gifting space and expanding his sales team to increase the company's national footprint, Dave enjoys playing softball, golf, watching his three sons play sports, and spending time with his wife of 23 years.
Job Titles:
- MARKETING and DESIGN COORDINATOR
Emma's creative skillset is put to use each day, making custom designs to elevate our clients' incentive gifts to something truly memorable. She also crafts compelling social media content and marketing materials for Global Evento.
As Marketing and Design Coordinator, Emma translates our clients' words into attractive, dynamic art for corporate gifts and on-site experiences. Her favorite project to date involved designing stickers based on four incentive trip destinations. She researched landmarks and notable characteristics of the cities to represent them in a visually striking way.
When she's not scrolling for inspiration, you can find Emma lost in a good book, watching sports, or going to concerts. She loves to travel and experience new cultures, and credits her time studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, for this passion. Emma enjoys being a tourist in her hometown of St. Louis, too!
AFTER MANY YEARS IN THE NONPROFIT sector, Jane wanted a change of pace and joined the Global Evento team. As an Account Executive, Jane's creative eye, organization and problem-solving abilities ensure a seamless execution of our programs, gifting and events for a variety of clients. She enjoys working for a company that is just as committed to their customers as they are to their people.
One of Jane's favorite projects to date was a top-secret gift box given to nearly 4,000 landlocked influencers who couldn't make it to the christening of a new cruise ship. The boxes were filled with items meant to be enjoyed while watching the livestream of a special celebrity's on-board concert.
Jane enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants and traveling with her husband, Mark. Together, they have twins, Myra and Sam. Jane is also part of a 16-year tradition with her girlfriends, where they meet once a month for themed dinner parties.
WHILE GROWING UP IN THE MILITARY, Karla developed a love for travel and a natural ability to respond to quick and frequent changes. Karla's flexibility and exceptional leadership skills from her role as an Onsite Travel Director and Resource Manager at Maritz helps her excel at Global Evento.
Karla enjoys Global Evento's role in rewarding people for their hard work. At Global Evento, Karla provides operational excellence, assists in growing our team and determines opportunities to cross-utilize talent throughout the organization.
Karla loves working and exercising with her teammates, as well as spending time with her vivacious children, Sebastian and Elianna. When Karla and her spouse retire, they plan to rent a luxury RV and travel the U.S.
KAYLA FIRST DISCOVERED HER LOVE for the hospitality industry through an unforgettable internship in the event department at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. From there, Kayla graduated from Missouri State with a degree in event management.
Kayla joined the Global Evento team after gaining several years of experience in hospitality and events at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and Centene Corporation. As Account Manager at Global Evento, Kayla's go-getter personality, love for meeting new people and enjoyment of a fast-paced work environment all help her succeed in leading projects from start to finish and serving as the primary point of contact for clients.
While Kayla is not working, she may be found enjoying brunch, trying out a new restaurant in the St. Louis area, traveling, or spending time with her friends and family. She and her husband, who happens to be her high school sweetheart, have a daughter and Great Dane named Louie.
Job Titles:
- PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
KELLY DISCOVERED HER PASSION for hospitality during her years working as a hairstylist and in a restaurant. It was in these roles she cultivated a mindset to always do her best to make sure her clients and customers were satisfied with their experience. Kelly's team player attitude makes her a great addition to Global Evento, where we thrive on collaboration.
Kelly helps to create and format proposals for our clients, researching luxury brands and trending products and experiences. Her favorite proposal she's put together is undeniably the one when she found amazing locally sourced products in Bali for a client who wanted to spoil their guests on an incentive trip.
Outside of work hours, you can find Kelly at a concert, taking in a sporting event or out and about in St. Louis. She is also an avid hiker, regularly goes to the driving range and enjoys paddle boarding at Creve Coeur Lake.
FOR KRISTEN, THE BEST PART of her job is giving people a bit of happiness and seeing the product of hard work come to life.
Kristen brings her experiences from studying abroad in Alicante, Spain, and working in Maritz's Guest Services Department to her role at Global Evento. She is excited to be part of a fast-growing company with ambitious teammates.
Outside of work, Kristen loves to explore new places and dine at local restaurants. She also enjoys her part-time work on a Hawaiian food truck.
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE
- PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
IF YOU THINK OF GLOBAL EVENTO as an orchestra, Kyle would be its conductor. As the Executive Project Administrator, she ensures everything is coordinated and everyone stays connected. With passions for helping, solving, and staying organized, she supports the sales and executive teams as they continue to innovate for clients.
Prior to joining Global Evento, Kyle spent a decade in the education industry followed by a decade in domestic and international marketing. She thrives in fast-paced environments where she is given free rein to solve challenges and exceed expectations.
When she is not at work, Kyle enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and two sons. She speaks French fluently and has lived in both France and Belgium. She collaborates with a dedicated team of genetic genealogists to help individuals find family members; she has helped over 120 individuals to date. Kyle also loves a good taco and a good book.
Job Titles:
- MANAGING DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS
MARY GAINED VALUABLE COMMUNICATION SKILLS, patience and the ability to stay cool under pressure in her prior professions as a journalist and a high school teacher. When Mary was ready for a career change, she contributed those skills to her role in the creative services and guest services at Maritz.
After five years at Maritz, Mary decided to continue her career in the travel and leisure industry as the Managing Director, Operations at Global Evento. Mary's love for making others happy motivates her to go the extra mile for clients.
Outside of work, Mary enjoys making pies and attending rock concerts. She also spends time at home with her husband, three children, one dog, one cat and one tortoise. An interesting fact about Mary is that Mother Teresa was once her babysitter.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR, LOGISTICS & BRAND PARTNERSHIPS SY BRANDS
PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE, COMMUNICATION, and organization, Nate spent over a decade in the logistics industry before joining the Global Evento team as Director, Logistics & Brand Partnerships SY Brands. In his role, he is responsible for inventorying, organizing, and shipping anything coming into and out of the company.
Clients receive what they need when they need it because of Nate's meticulous planning. He loves working on a team where everyone has the same goal: exceed client expectations. Nate thrives in a fast-paced environment where strategic decisions matter.
When he is not making sure everything is where it is supposed to be, Nate enjoys playing golf and going on adventures with his wife and their two dogs.
PATRICK WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO the hospitality industry as a 5-year-old, thanks to his family's business. He eventually worked his way up to Account Executive at Maritz Global Events, where he gained valuable experience in all aspects of event services.
While at Maritz, Patrick saw an opportunity to improve the gifting solutions for client programs. He believed gifting could be a more impactful part of each program, because these mementos live on after an event or initiative ends. One of Patrick's favorite Global Evento gifting projects was the Build-A-Bear program, where each guest designed a bear, provided a special message and donated the bear to a children's charity.
From being a fisherman in Alaska to a professor in Spain and a nine-time Running of the Bulls participant, Patrick finds new, exciting opportunities no matter where in the world he is located.
With more than five years of experience in the corporate events world, Sara has learned the importance of being an expert communicator and a strong collaborator. Before joining Global Evento as an Operations Coordinator, she managed events for major tech companies, such as Google, Stripe and Meta, where she continually refined her skills to deliver exceptional results. Her professional experience, customer service background and industry know-how are a welcome addition to our team!
Sara's favorite aspect about working at Global Evento is being part of a close-knit team, where everyone is always willing to offer a helping hand.
Her famous party trick is that she can identify every country in the world on a map! In her downtime, Sara also enjoys reading, discovering new music, and watching the latest horror movies. She is a huge cat person (despite being allergic to animals with hair) and loves to spend time with her two cats, Simon and Poppy.
FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS, Sarah has curated her organization and communication skills that make her a pro at reading between the lines of what our customers need. Her ability to turn their ideas and goals into tangible solutions is the perfect addition to our team!
Sarah's favorite part about working at Global Evento is collaborating with wonderful, thoughtful and talented people who share her passion for growing the company in a positive and impactful way.
When she's not demonstrating her love for spreadsheets, Sarah enjoys visiting her local farmers market, attending festivals and shows, going to the theater, hiking and river floating. She also loves spending time and cuddling with her dogs and pet mouse named Cow. Her favorite tv show? Mash, which she's watched upward of 4 times through!
Job Titles:
- PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
SHELBY IS AN EXPERT AT DISCOVERING up-and-coming brands and on-trend gifts. She brings 8+ years of experience in the corporate gifting industry to her role as Proposal Development Manager, where she builds invaluable relationships with suppliers and brands to ensure gifts, products and experiences consistently meet the evolving needs of our clients.
One of Shelby's favorite things about Global Evento is working with and meeting genuine people. Her passion for helping others shines through everything she does, including her favorite project to date: executing an extremely detailed European group travel itinerary. From finding high-end travel items to narrowing down delicious cuisine options, Shelby made sure their trip was unforgettable.
Shelby stays busy at home with her husband, Andy, as they keep up with their toddler, Rosie, and their dog, Chipper. Shelby also enjoys hanging out with friends and exploring St. Louis' best local bars and restaurants. And traveling, of course!