EVENTS

I own the strategy, planning, and execution for Live Events at Reddit, including the US leg of the Moderator Roadshow event series in Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Denver. This is a 0-1 effort, building the modern Mod Roadshow strategy from scratch after years of these events being on pause. I organize the internal communications with executives and employees and work across multiple timezones to inform travel logistics, host pre-event briefs, communicate post event statistics, and work cross functionally with the Code of Conduct, Safety, Communications, Marketing, Lifecycle, and Community teams to ensure a safe and successful event.

Additionally, I manage the budget for the event series, handle reporting of expenses, book venues and photographers, make food and beverage selections, manage the rsvps, curate the guest lists, develop the copy for communicating with guests, send pre and post event communications to guests, answer questions, and so much more.

The results have been exciting, with increased sentiment toward Reddit among the moderator and employee community, an average 5/5 event score, and feedback from attendees saying they feel more energized than ever to be a Reddit moderator and contributor.

These types of events often involve months of planning, organization, and careful marketing promotion. I executed many moving parts for these types of events multiple times per year, including: Securing PR spots, content creation, planning paid and organic social media posts, creating event RSVP pages, in-app messaging, working with Creative to develop on theme digital assets, writing all communication to the community to promote the event, managing the RSVP list, securing sponsors and vendors, set up and break down, training support staff, booking entertainment, and so much more. The result? Increased signups, engagement, community members, reviews, and customer relationships.

This series featured dozens of makers in the Richmond area whose businesses centered on unique handmade items. These hands-on workshops were a huge hit among the community and were open to all yelpers, not just the Elite Squad. We built a relationship with a local cidery that provided the venue and also secured food sponsors for each event.  This was also considered a Large Scale Marketing Promotion with special swag, marketing plans, communication, content, social media, and more.

I secured Yelp sponsorships every month and planned our brand activations at the sponsored events. All sponsorships were arranged via marketing trade and I managed, initiated and handled contract negotiation. Brands that we have worked with include: Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Seaworld Entertainment), Virginia Wine Expo, Broadway in Richmond, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Jurassic Quest, and more.

Yelp Fit Club was a year long series of monthly events that highlighted local fitness studios on Yelp. These studios ranged from small, Richmond-owned yoga studios, to working with major brands like PureBarre and Row House.  These events resulted in increased engagement, new user signups, brand loyalty and excitement. 

Yelp Elite Events are private events planned by myself and my team and put on for the Yelp Elite Squad super user community. We pull out all the stops for these events in terms of theme, entertainment, marketing, content, food, drinks, activities, and more. For many Elite Events, members were able to bring guests, which increased our reach, engagement, brand awareness, and loyalty.

Building a results oriented team culture that is supportive, empathetic, human-centered, and based in active listening is my highest priority! I nurture a healthy team culture by regular 1:1s, team calls, and fun activities like dinners, holiday parties, virtual games, cultural events, show and tell, scavenger hunts, and more. I organize team events according to their needs, so I will often send out surveys and plan an activity calendar according to those responses. 

Highly skilled in executing virtual events via a variety of platforms, including Zoom. I have hosted, moderated, planned, scheduled, and troubleshooted hundreds of virtual events since the pandemic. From virtual charcuterie classes (pictured), to sound baths and DIY terrariums, virtual events are the perfect way to reach a larger audience without the constraints of time zone or geography.