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Meeting Pros: Marna Friedman with Mpressive Solutions, Sharon Hochdorf with Button It Up, Inc., Lorri Blake McQueary with Destination South Meetings & Events

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Marna Friedman with Mpressive Solutions

Marna Friedman is a Business Strategist… helping businesses understand and learn how to leverage technology. She has implemented numerous systems throughout several industries that have resulted in better efficiency and profitability. After years of working for non-profits and corporate entities, Marna is skilled at helping you understand how to use technology and save money, while improving your business.

These experiences also led to the development of a series of books on how to get started in your own small business, titled “The Small Business That Could™” and “The Small Business That Could™ For Women”; as well as “The Social Launch Toolkit” and “EVENTually Perfect”. Her books offer insightful websites, tips, resources and products to help businesses with startup information, social media and technology.

She holds a BS in Business Administration and an MA in Media Studies/Communications. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who Among Emerging Leaders in America.

Sharon Hochdorf with Button It Up, Inc.

Sharon Hochdorf grew up in Miami Florida.She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee.She started Button It Up in 1987 It was a perfect business to have while raising her 2 young children.Her husband Robert has been a partner in the company for 4 years.Button It Up has grown tremendously in the 26 years it has been in business.

Lorri McQueary with Destination South Meetings & Events

Lorri McQueary has been applying her creative approach to meetings and special events since 2002. In this time she has produced attention-getting events ranging from intimate gatherings to parties for 12,000. Her background in advertising as well as visual and performing arts allows her to deliver concepts for guest experiences that are dynamic, message driven and right on target with the client’s identity and goals.

She has worked closely with both entrepreneurs and international corporations to create successful brand and event identity through collateral design strategies, custom event concepts, award winning product launches,theatrical meeting openers and a wide variety of entertainment and breakout sessions.

Lorri has been an active member in the International Special Event Society, Atlanta Chapter, since 2004. In this time she has served in both committee and director roles. In 2010, she was named to the executive board as Vice President of Communications and was honored with the President’s Award in 2011. In 2005, Lorri was honored with an ADME Rising Star Award. She was also profiled in the 2010 summer issue of Atlanta Occasions Magazine as one of ten “Most Influential Planners in Atlanta.”

At her events, Lorri is most likely to be found hoping to ditch a headset and join the back-up dancers.

Meeting Pros: Tammie Wilson & Kathy Thompson with The Party Girl Events

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Tammie Wilson & Kathy Thompson with The Party Girl Events

Tammie Wilson is the owner and founder of The Party Girl Events in Roswell Georgia. Born and raised in Texas she studied art history and hospitality management at Texas Tech then moved herself and all her talent to Georgia over 20 years ago.

Tammie founded the company 10 years ago out of her love of hosting fabulous events in her home! An invitation to a party at her home was the hot ticket; all invited knew that whatever was planned was sure to have the “Wow” factor. Word spread quickly and Tammie was asked by friends and organizations to plan their events because of her past successes. The word around town was if you needed help with your party or event call Tammie…..you know, “the party girl”!

Her passion, perfection and personal touches have been the success of her growing company in a sea of cookie cutter events. Tammie gets to know her clients on a personal level and then can translate that into an event that is uniquely theirs. When the event is over she has made new friends for a lifetime. A true measure of her success is the number of repeat clients.

Tammie is also involved in volunteering in the community with charities, schools and organizations lending her skills to many events. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two teenage children. When not planning events she spends her time reading, playing tennis, traveling, cooking, entertaining and enjoying a great glass of Chardonnay.

Meeting Pros: Sean O’Keefe with Sean O’Keefe Events, Larry Greene with Greene Worldwide Transportation/GaMPI, Jasmine Burke with Atlanta TV Festival

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On this Episode of Meeting Pros:

Sean O’Keefe with Sean O’Keefe Events

Sean O’Keefe Events is an Atlanta based full service event planning and design business with a focus on creating and building nonprofit signature charity events.  These signature events, created to increase a non-profit’s profile and expand their donor base within our community, have included: The Child Development Association’s Down Home Derby; Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance’s Shaken, Not Stirred Gala; Equestrian Aid Foundation’s Tetrathlon and Who Reins Supreme?; YES!Atlanta’s Night of Lights; Fall Fiesta Atlanta in support of Cooperative for Education; The Great Grilled Cheese Challenge; Atlanta Steeplechase Chairman’s Tent; and Polo in the Pines to benefit MD Anderson. Since the inception of Sean O’Keefe Events in May 2010, we have helped raise more than $2,000,000 for our charity partners.

Larry Greene with Greene Worldwide Transportation/GaMPI

Greene Worldwide Transportation has been in business for 25 years. We are a 24/7 transportation company with someone in our office 24 hours a day to help you with  your every need. Whether you need leisure, corporate or group transportation, we have a large, late model fleet of sedans,5 passenger suvs, vans, 6,10,14 passenger stretch limousines, 31 passenger minibuses and 56 passenger motor coaches to fit all of your needs.

 

Jasmine Burke with Atlanta TV Festival

Jasmine Burke is a Producer and Actress who studied Business and Theatre at
Kennesaw State University. After writing spec scripts and developing ideas for other production companies, Jasmine created her own production company with a mission to produce positive &realistic reflections of Urban Youth & Adults in main stream media.

In 2009 she wrote, executive produced and directed her first film “Lucky Lotto” which won recognition at the 2010 Women In Film and Television International Short Film Showcase. As Jasmine creates, she juggles a thriving acting career where she is known for her roles in films like “The Secret Life of Bee’s”, “Big Momma’s House: Like Father, Like Son” and the indie hit “Mississippi Damned”. Jasmine is also no stranger to the small screen having snagged recurring roles on some of TV’s hottest shows such as The CW hit, “Vampire Diaries” and Lifetime’s “Army Wives” as well as made for TV movies like “Disney’s: Let it Shine” and Lifetime’s “Acceptance”. Jasmine is proud to be Co-Founder of the “Atlanta TV Festival” which will give the opportunity to bridge the gap between the content creators and content distributors.

Twitter @thejasmineburke / @ATLTVFestivalFacebook @actressjasmineburke / @atlantatvfestival

 

Meeting Pros: Alan W. Urech with 200 Peachtree / 200 Office, Jimmy Economos with EEP Events, Ellie Westman Chin with Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

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Alan W. Urech with 200 Peachtree / 200 Office

Mr. Alan W. Urech is a Sr. Vice President at 200 Peachtree, 200,000 sq foot special events, conference center and co-working space located at 200 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, GA. He leads the expansion of 200 Office collaborative workspace (www.200-Office.com) by implementing dynamic programs to help small growth businesses expand into significantly larger organizations.

His background includes HBO & Company where he was part of a team that expanded the organization from an initial start-up with under $3 million dollars in revenues to over $180 million dollars in revenue within a 12 years period. During this period, Mr. Urech was instrumental in developing and implementing very successful healthcare product lines which significantly expanded the Company’s overall growth and profit margins. HBOC was sold in 1998 for US $13.8 Billion to McKesson Corporation, beginning their current information technology division. His background also includes expanding a Roman Catholic lay ministry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society. As a volunteer president, he lead a team which expanded this organization from a small staff of three people in an 1,800 square feet facility with 1 program to a staff of 24 people in a 20,000square foot facility with over 8 programs. The organization provides an audited 92% of revenues received back into direct aid to its clients. He also worked at the Vatican on Internet initiatives from 1999 – 2004.

Mr. Urech is an Instructor in Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. He instructs multiple Graduate and Undergraduate level programs in entrepreneurship and family business at the Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship. He is on numerous corporate and non-profit Boards including TAG Health, Georgia State University Health Advisory Board, Digitainment Georgia and theStage2 Business Accelerator.

 

Jimmy Economos with EEP Events

Jimmy Economos, an Atlanta native and recipient of a 2011 Allie Award for the production of his own wedding, began his career at 16 working as an Entertainer and Emcee.

In 1996, Jimmy was chosen to perform in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games which propelled his event career.​

​Establishing himself nationally as an entertainer in high demand, Jimmy created EEP after mentoring for several years under two prominent Entertainment and Audio Visual Production companies in Atlanta, gaining valuable experience and national production exposure.

​Jimmy has had the privilege to work with many of the world’s top talent such as Russell Simmons, Elton John and John Paul DeJoria (CEO/Founder Paul Mitchell) while servicing some of Atlanta’s local celebrities including Kevin Rathbun, Pano Karatassos and Tony Conway.

​Jimmy has held a “chair” seat on numerous event committees including the National Association of Catering Executives and The International Special Events Society, working on the Allie Award Steering committee as Production Chair, Entertainment Chair and Co-Chair of the 2012 Allie Awards.

Jimmy’s fields of expertise are in Audio Visual Production, Lighting Design, Entertainment Management and Event Logistics.

 

Ellie Westman Chin with Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Ellie Westman Chin is vice president, business development and corporate events for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB.) She has been with ACVB since 2006.

Westman Chin is responsible for corporate development, producing ACVB’s Annual Meeting and the Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame and overseeing the membership staff including sales, service and member events. In addition, she supervises ACVB’s three visitor centers located at Underground Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Westman Chin has enjoyed a 15 year career in marketing and event management. Prior to joining ACVB, she worked for Empire Force Events in New York City as an account director. In this role, she managed event programs and served as day-to-day contact for corporate clients including NYC2012, Johnson & Johnson, Sony Electronics and Volkswagen.

In 1993 Westman Chin moved to Nashville, Tennessee to assist in creating the Nashville Sports Council for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB). As associate executive director of the Council she helped secure both the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) and the NHL franchise Nashville Predators. Additionally, Westman Chin was director of operations for the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and produced the first annual Music City Bowl. She also served the NCVB as director of convention services

Westman Chin serves on the the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee for Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), on the Local Organizing Committee for the 2013 NCAA Final Four and on the advisory board for the Atlanta Foodservice Expo. In 2009 and 2011 she was named ACVB Leader of the Year. In 2012, Westman Chin was awarded the Community Citizenship Award by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Georgia Chapter.

Meeting Pros: Helen Taffet with Sensational Baskets, Inc., Eric Wolff with TEP Catering

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Helen Taffet with Sensational Baskets, Inc.

Since 1988, Helen Taffet has served as owner of Sensational Baskets, one of the largest gift basket companies in Georgia. Prior to starting her own company, Helen served as Director of Public Relations and held other marketing positions at Peachtree Software, a leading supplier of business accounting software. With a focus on service,creativity and the corporate and hospitality markets, she started Sensational Baskets in the basement of her home. In an effort to grow her business, last year Helen bought Dolce, Inc. another gourmet gift basket company headquartered in Dunwoody, Georgia.

 

Eric Wolff with TEP Catering

Eric was born and raised in Franklin, LA. Franklin is a small town in South Louisiana about 30 minutes north of the Gulf of Mexico/Louisiana coastline and nestled between Lafayette and Morgan City. Being raised by the people of south Louisiana instilled a core understanding of what it means to live life to its fullest. He developed a great appreciation for family, fine food sand hospitality.

Eric contributes his love for entertaining to the “Laissez Les Bon Temp Rouler” mentality of South Louisiana. Eric says “these folks will form a second line parade to celebrate the life of a loved one or host a festival for a catfish”. My maw maw Susie was a school cafeteria cook in a very rural area of Louisiana, so I credit her for being a bit of my inspiration to cook for a living. Her yeast rolls and monkey bread were to die for.

Eric tried the four year traditional college and never found that fulfillment that he was looking for. Early one morning he sat straight up in his bed and he had his answer, he would go to culinary school and become classically trained in the culinary arts. At that time, Atlanta was in the running, but still too far away from his home town, so he decided to attend The Arts Institute of Houston.

Upon graduating from culinary school, Eric began working with EatZi’s Market & Bakery. This would be how he ended up in the great city of Atlanta, where he was a member of the opening team that opened EatZi’s in Buckhead.

After opening several store for EatZi’s, Eric began looking to experience more in his culinary journey. This is when he would be introduced to the off-premise catering industry. And as anyone in this industry knows, you either fall in love with it or you don’t. Well we all know how this story goes, Eric found his labor of love. He began his catering career with Bold American Catering, then on to A Legendary Event and finally on to Dennis Dean Catering. While working with these caterers, Eric would learn what it means to create high quality food, operate efficiently and maintain attention to detail in a catering environment.

In 2004, Eric began putting all of that acquired knowledge in place as the conception of TEP Catering would begin. Eric has built TEP Catering on a couple simple concepts, prepare his food from scratch, flawless execution, always listen to the client’s needs and anticipate the details that they did not think of. Eric is proud to say that they are going into their ninth year and experiencing great growth.

 

Meeting Pros: Omer Dar with SocialBox, Tim Lundy CSEP with Distinctive Design Events

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On this Episode of Meeting Pros:

Omer Dar with SocialBox

Omer Dar was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Surrounded by an entrepreneurial atmosphere (after all it is a “Startup Nation”), he started doing small businesses since he was 12.

During his time in the army he commanded an infantry unit and learned the value of leading as opposed to commanding. After his release, he went for a long backpacking trip the world over and visited over 10 countries in 2 years. He learned new cultures and the differences in the ways those cultures interact with each other.

It was only natural for him to decide to study for his bachelor’s degree while in Europe. While studying he worked for a multinational pharmaceutical company but after 2 years, deciding he wanted to do it his own way, and established his first company, a bio-tech company. In the same year he also established a restaurant that later became a small chain.

Excelling in his MBA studies, he received a scholarship to study at Goizueta Business School (Emory). Not wasting any time, he created a wide network within the school and outside of it to prepare for the next big thing.

After establishing SocialBox with his two partners: Itai Peer and Avner Moratt, he quickly pushed forward to bring SocialBox to the attention of the big corporations. Currently working with companies such as Sun Trust, Kinder Care and Philips Arena.

Tim Lundy CSEP with Distinctive Design Events

TIM LUNDY CSEP, brings to the event table 34 years of combined training and experience for culinary planning and event design. Classically trained chef from New York and award winning event designer, from personal wedding flowers to high-impact environmental designs, making each wedding event specialized. Tim is a wealth of knowledge for the contemporary Bride & Groom, on menu design, event décor and wedding planning.

From coordinating the initial graphics piece to designing your wedding look and creating the balanced menu design complete with transportation, entertainment and custom event rentals; Tim’s event expertise will be you’re biggest advantage.

Mr. Lundy is an international professional speaker on the subjects of Culinary Design, Event & Wedding Planning, and Event Design & Décor for the Association of Bridal Consultants, The Special Event, American Rental Association, International Caterers Association, Event Solutions Expo and International Special Events Society. Tim has produced his first published book called, “Inside the Recipe Box of the Catering Chef”, which was launched February 2009 in Las Vegas at the Catersource Conference.

Allie Awards

In 1988, when Tim Lundy, CSEP, first envisioned the Allie Awards, those were the guiding principles he had in mind. He knew the city of Atlanta was fast becoming one of the stars of the event industry and wanted to create a platform for the local event industry to not only showcase their talents, but also drive them to produce events that could compete on national and even global levels.

 

Meeting Pros: Sparrow Marcioni with BlueShift Wireless and Linux Labs, Sammy Blue with Georgia Legacy Foundation Inc.

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Sparrow Marcioni with BlueShift Wireless and Linux Labs

Founder and CEO of Internet Passport, Inc an Atlanta based Internet technology company that developed solutions for satellite Internet access and security. Internet Passport was successfully sold to Franklin Telecom.

Ms. Marcioni then founded Netsentinel Inc and developed one of the first successful solutions for online managed security. She later became CEO of CET Networks, a high speed network services provider.

She now holds the position of CEO of Linux Labs International who’s high performance super computers are used for many of the Universities and Government entities throughout the U.S.

She also holds the position of CEO of BlueShift Wireless a software development company that is responsible for developing community enabling WiFi devices ,tablets and other wireless devices.

Sparrow also founded The Center for Higher Knowledge, a non-profit organization that provides physical shelter for animalkind and educational assistance to humankind. (www.centerforhigherknowledge.com) Most recently I launched a new Internet broadcasting company called NetMix Broadcasting which owns NetMix.fm.

Specialties: Custom design of high performance computing clusters and high speed network services. Management of highly diverse software developers and architects who create things no one has ever heard of…yet.

Sammy Blue with Georgia Legacy Foundation Inc.

The Georgia Legacy Foundations mission is to recognize, protect, preserve, and promote Georgia’s Roots music artists and to do so with a historical, ethnic and regional perspective.

Our vision is to create an environment of greater appreciation for and acknowledgement of quality artists who continue to create exceptional music of historical content, yet have not achieved commercial success, industry acceptance, or adequate public exposure.

Some of the ways that the Georgia Legacy Foundation is helping these deserving Georgia musicians include:

The Players Care Program, which provides medical referrals and help with medical expenses.

The Legacy Concert Series and Workshops, which will include fundraisers as well as showcases for the artists.

The Legacy Loves Kids Program, which provides assistance to musicians’ families and also works to use music to help children with special needs. The program also works with schools to develop music and art programs,

The Legacy Instrument & Equipment Program, which provides instruments and equipment to musicians in need, low-income children, schools and institutions.

Meeting Pros: Yvonne Druyeh Dodd with Evi D. Consulting, Michael Walsh with Amp’d Atlanta

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Yvonne Druyeh Dodd with Evi D. Consulting

Yvonne helps motivated individuals, entrepreneurs and nonprofits who struggle with wanting to take things to the next level and don’t have the time, resources or know-how to get there. They want a clear strategy to achieve goals, tools to manage the day-to-day, and a professional image/brand.

Having over 10 years of experience in various settings, knowing exactly what her clients are going through. With her background, she brings empathy and passion to her practice that helps in reading between the lines and hone in onthe root cause of the issues holding her clients back from reaching their true potential.

Because of this, her client’s receive proven, mission-aligned strategies to gain confidence, clarity and focus to achieve their goals and increase brand recognition.

As a result they save time, money and energy in their quest to be seen & heard and create lives and businesses they love.

Michael Walsh with Amp’d Atlanta

Born and raised in Atlanta, Mike started his music journey in the 7th grade when he picked up the bass guitar. Fast forward to 2004, Mike began his DJ career. At first it was the occasional party, entertaining groups and then it was the clubs.

After moving to Florida, in 2005, Mike started working at some of the top nightclubs including Shephard’s Beach Resort. Another famous spot was Excalibur in downtown Chicago!

Since moving back to Atlanta, Mike started Amp’d with a vision to offer outstanding service to any client planning and expecting nothing less than a spectacular event.

In his off-time, Mike enjoys training in jiu-jitsu and muay thai as well as staying in shape. An occasional night out, although not common in our industry, is always on the list.

Meeting Pros: Kelly Treadway with EventCurious, Lindsay Pitt with TOAST Events, and Tracy Stuckrath with Thrive! Meetings and Events

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Kelly Treadway with EventCurious

With 15 years in the special events industry Kelly Treadway has seen her career curiously come full circle. Her experiences in sales and marketing led her into the areas of events entertainment, venue management, catering sales and equipment rentals. In early 2013, after a year of ghost writing, concept building and strengthening connections, Kelly took the leap and launched EventCurious – a micro agency specializing in online marketing and public relations for special events and hospitality companies.
EventCurious balances a corporate image with grass-roots style efforts as they service clients by being their online listeners. Kelly is currently VP Elect for the International Special Event Society (ISES) Greater Atlanta chapter. She has a natural passion for connecting event profs and the dots that build a stronger industry. You can connect with her online via Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest @Kelly Treadway and on Twitter @EventCurious.

Lindsay Pitt with TOAST Events

Lindsay is the owner and lead planner of TOAST, a wedding and event company based in Atlanta. Lindsay has been a prominent figure in the Atlanta event industry for over twelve years. She holds the esteemed Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) designation, the hallmark of achievement in the special events industry, which she obtained at just 27. She also spent three terms on the Board of Directors on the International Special Events Society and is Regional Director for Wedding Industry Professionals Association. Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University.

Tracy Stuckrath with Thrive! Meetings and Events

Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, founder and chief connecting officer of Thrive! Meetings & Events, is an event planner who is one of just 295 people in the world to hold a designation as a Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP). She’s also one of 15 million people in the U.S. with food allergies. Combining her more than 20 years of event planning experience, her food allergies, and her education from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (2009),Tracy helps clients successfully and safely feed guests with special dietary needs through menu design, kitchen assessments, hands-on training and workshops. When planning events, she believes delicious, healthy food and environmentally friendly meeting practices should be a part of every event and work in unison to deliver the biggest return on the client’s investment. With her niche market, Tracy has been able to create a name for herself and her company, and was named a “Meeting Pros to Watch in 2012″ by Convention South Magazine and speaks regularly at events nationwide on how to accommodate guests with special dietary needs.

 

Meeting Pros: Elizabeth Hogan with Juice Studios

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Elizabeth Hogan with Juice Studios

Elizabeth is a forth generation Atlantan with a passion for her city and special events. That coupled with over nine years of extensive experience in the hospitality industry. More specifically in destination management. Elizabeth is an expert in both sales management and event logistics. Elizabeth is one of our destination management gurus and specializes in on-site and off-site events,dine-a-rounds, VIP tours and VIP transportation services. She has worked with hundreds of Fortune500 companies with groups ranging in size from 10 to over 4,000 attendees.