Experience

Aug 2023 –
Present

Event Marketing Consultant

Collaborate with companies on strategic planning, budget management, event execution, and post event analysis. Set companies up for success by creating engaging attendee experiences, leading logistics coordination, and promoting cross-functional teamwork. Recent projects: Client product launch and exhibit at Miami Boat Show.

CyCognito
Nov. 2021 –
Sep. 2022

Director, Marketing Events

Led and executed corporate trade shows and field events for CyCognito – a cybersecurity startup. Drove cross-functional collaboration with executives, sales, product management, and marketing teams. Facilitated large-scale industry trade shows, virtual experiences, and regional events, elevating brand awareness, generating quality leads, and accelerating pipeline growth.

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• Oversaw a $2M annual budget and managed a diverse global events calendar, coordinating more than 50 events, effectively allocating resources, and ensuring alignment with strategic financial goals.

• Collaborated with the demand generation team to develop and implement marketing materials and initiatives, boosting event visibility, engaging target audiences, and reinforcing the company's brand positioning.

• Partnered with regional sales and channel teams to craft and execute targeted event marketing strategies, driving territory-specific engagement and contributing to regional sales goals.

• Established and managed the CyCognito company store, curating a selection of branded apparel and tech gifts that cultivated company culture and enhanced engagement with customers and prospects.

F5 Networks
Oct. 2019 –
May 2020

Director, Events

Successfully transitioned from NGINX to F5 corporate leadership, enhancing the event team’s effectiveness post-acquisition. Spearheaded strategic planning for flagship marketing programs, such as the annual user conference, Agility, and key trade shows, driving lead generation and pipeline growth.

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• Managed an annual events budget of more than $3M, coordinating 10+ large-scale trade shows alongside F5's user conference, optimizing resource allocation for maximum impact.

• Quickly transformed F5’s flagship in-person user conference to a virtual experience in under two months, overcoming Covid-related challenges, and expanding attendance from 3,000 to 8,000+ participants.

• Established and led a cross-functional task force to revamp the user conference agenda, enhancing the attendee experience and strengthening relationships with customers and partners. Pioneered the inaugural call for papers, elevating content quality and diversifying the speaker lineup.

• Continuously evaluated and improved event strategies in collaboration with the operations team, enhancing tracking methods and ROI analysis to guide data-driven decision-making for future events.

NGINX
Oct. 2017 –
Oct 2019

Director, Marketing Events

Strategically developed and executed NGINX’s event marketing strategy, leveraging integrated marketing campaigns, product launches, and field events to engage enterprise, open-source, and internal audiences. Focused on elevating brand awareness, nurturing customer and partner engagement, and strengthening the sales pipeline.

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• Effectively managed an annual events budget of over $1.5M and an events calendar of more than 30 events.

• Worked closely alongside executive leadership to maintain cohesive messaging and branding consistency across all platforms. Crafted compelling agendas for internal, customer, and developer events, as well as large-scale trade shows and conferences.

• Produced dynamic keynote sessions for customer and developer conferences, as well as sales kickoffs, delivering impactful main stage experiences that resonated with diverse audiences.

• Revamped the user conference, NGINX Conf, elevating the event with a revitalized agenda, captivating stage designs, and an engaging attendee experience. Developed and introduced the sales incentive program and created new sponsorship opportunities for technology partners.

Riverbed
Jan. 2006 –
Aug. 2017

Director, Marketing Events

Established and spearheaded event marketing strategy and team from inception, progressing through roles from Event Marketing Manager to Senior Event Marketing Manager, and ultimately to Director, Marketing Events. Leveraged strategies to craft event plans, primarily focused on thought leadership initiatives, trade shows, and field events resulting in quality lead generation, strengthened customer relations, and alignment with corporate goals.

• Managed an annual events budget exceeding $2.5M and a calendar of over 40 internal and external events.

• Continuously revitalized the Riverbed brand through events, initiating and overseeing the design of custom booth builds, ranging from 10x10 to 40x50 configurations, enhancing brand presence and engagement.

• Orchestrated compelling keynote sessions for various conferences and sales kickoffs, ensuring an engaging main stage experience for internal, customer, and partner audiences.

• Oversaw end-to-end event operations, handling everything from event and sponsorship creation and assessment to contract negotiations. Led pre- and post-event marketing efforts, speaker curation, lead generation activities, booth staff training, and the coordination of audio visual and live demos.

• Regularly assessed the effectiveness of event programs, implementing measurable tracking methods and comprehensive ROI analysis to continually refine event strategies and outcomes.