2023 NACE Evolve Conference

Delores Crum, President and Chief Culture Officer of a highly successful Texas-based special events rental company, is a recognized leader and award-winning contributor within her professional community. Passionate mentor and teacher, Delores has a gift for sharing thoughts and ideas that promote personal and professional growth and facilitate positive change. Achieving financial goals, building a lasting legacy, cherishing her family, and loving life are Delores' priorities. Her personal and business success prove it's not where you start in life, but where you're going - not what you have, but what you enjoy that matters.

OFD Consulting owner, Meghan Ely, CWIP (Certified Wedding Industry Professional), combines in-the-trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR to empower her clients to take their businesses to new heights. Her team’s publicity efforts are regularly honored by the Public Relations Society of America, and was 2021 NACE Speaker of the Year.

Sarah James, CPCE has worked in the catering and events industry for over 16 years. She’s led multi-million-dollar hotel catering departments, guiding her teams to success and winning many local and national awards. Going back to her roots in writing, paired with her communication and marketing experience, Sarah now works as a freelance copywriter, consultant, and speaker. She works with companies to increase their website traffic, engage with customers to increase sales, and save time, all in their unique brand voice.

Hustle + Gather is a training and consulting firm that is on a mission to inspire others to take big leaps, dream big dreams, and create amazing teams that grow profits and enjoyable (but productive) culture within business. They specialize in the hospitality industry and have coached and trained businesses to increase their profitability while creating a kick-ass team along the way. Over the past 15 years, Courtney Hopper and Dana Kadwell, CPCE have built and operated three successful businesses in the Raleigh North Carolina area. Starting off from ordinary, they paved their way by sheer grit and tenacity splashed with some therapy and coffee along the way. They are on a mission to inspire others to take big leaps, dream big dreams, and create amazing teams that grow profits and enjoyable (but productive) culture within your business.

With over 25 years of experience, Tom Kokinakos is a native Chicagoan who specializes in full-service event management/production and creative menu planning. Currently the Senior Sales Manager at Inspired Catering & Events, he has worked with over a hundred different venues throughout his city, creating events for up to 7500 attendees. He is also the current Vice President of the Chicago NACE Chapter.

Stephanie Olivares, CPCE, has been in the catering and events industry since 2011. She currently serves as Sales Manager for The Red Berry Estate, overseeing all venue and catering sales for the historic, luxury property. After attending the University of Texas at Austin, Stephanie began working with various sports teams and programs, finding a passion for planning and executing special events, leading her to a career in the catering and events industry. Stephanie has been a member of NACE since 2013 and has served NACE in multiple capacities on both the local and national levels, currently serving as the Immediate Past President of the Alamo Chapter and as a Chapter Leader Council Mentor. During her spare time, Stephanie enjoys traveling, golfing, wine tasting, and attending music festivals and sporting events.

Christie Osborne, proud data nerd, is the owner and founder of Mountainside Media, a consulting firm devoted to using market research, data, and analytics to support event professionals as they develop scalable marketing strategies to grow their business. Christie is dedicated to guiding the industry in a direction that ditches tired, old sales pitches and turns its focus on what really matters: turning data into dollars. Her penchant for all-things-digital and a knack for critical thinking have made Christie into the analytics master that she is today, always prepared to dig into web metrics and refine a marketing strategy based on its ROI. Her approach marries website stats with social media data for an effective one-two punch of real, concrete analytics that is invaluable to her clients. Beyond data-driven marketing analysis, Christie frequents the national speaker circuit where she shares her expertise onstage for organizations like NACE, Catersource, WIPA, and ABC. She is also a regular contributor to industry publications, including Special Events, Catersource, Sage Wedding Pros, and Wedding Business Magazine.

Shannon Tarrant is on a mission to help event industry businesses shake things up. A professional go-getter, she has a distinctive 15-year background in developing companies into the top of their local market. As an off-site caterer and then venue manager, she developed both companies into local powerhouses by following the same system for success. Shannon is a highly regarded coach, working alongside vendors while running her own wedding business - Wedding Venue Map, a resource helping couples to find the perfect venue. Her successful system includes strategic planning, goal-oriented sales, outside-the-box marketing, and exceptional vendor relationships. Shannon has been featured on Catersource, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Special Events. No matter which hat she's wearing, her goal is simple - to empower companies to differentiate themselves and drive measurable results using a proven system of small changes with big impact. Shannon tells it like it is, whether you’re ready for it or not.