Innovation, Collaboration, and Inclusion in the Events Industry

Feb 23

featuring Carol Galle, Co-founder, President, and CEO of Special D Events

Carol Galle is the Co-founder, President, and CEO of Special D Events, a live and virtual strategic event management agency. As a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), she has launched the Detroit Events Council and University Event Planners and is a frequent contributor to industry publications. Carol was recently named by BizBash magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the events industry.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Carol Galle discusses her career background and how she founded Special D Events
Special D’s core values and how they are embodied
Carol shares her ideal clients and projects
How Detroit has shaped Carol’s work and company culture
Educating events professionals about industry trends and developments
How to incorporate diversity into the events industry
The challenges of transitioning back to live events

In this episode…

Event management is a niche industry that is often overlooked and misjudged. During the pandemic, the events space endured some of the more pressing challenges compared to other industries, requiring innovation among significant losses. Additionally, audiences and clients are more diverse than ever, yet the barrier to entry for this field is high. Learn how one top expert is propelling the events industry toward progressive change.

Carol Galle believes in the power of collaboration to achieve a common goal. When you share ideas with other professionals, you can solve industry-specific issues and demonstrate value to clients and audiences. Carol also advocates for education training in schools to present event management as a viable career path for all individuals.

In today’s episode, Paige Buck welcomes Carol Galle. The co-founder, President, and CEO of Special D Events discusses how she is moving the events industry forward. Carol also talks about Special D’s core values, how living in Detroit has impacted her perspective on work and company culture, and the challenges of transitioning back to live events.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Kennedy Events.

Kennedy Events creates stress-free conferences and events, providing expert management and design for all your corporate event needs — from in-person to hybrid and virtual events.

To learn more about our services, visit our website at www.kennedyevents.com and schedule a consultation today to find out how we can guide you in making your event successful.

Transcript

Below is an AI-generated transcript, full of all sorts of amusing foibles and mistranslations. Take it with a grain of salt!

Paige Buck 0:02

Okay, welcome to The Kennedy Events Podcast. I'm your host Paige Buck. past guests include Pam Perez of the chase center, Julie Liu of Ave Point and Elaine Honig of Studio 4Forty. Today, I am delighted to have Carol Galle, the co founder, president and CEO of Special D Events, and national meeting and event management agency. She has also launched two industry organizations, the Detroit Events Council, and University Event Planners, and is a frequent contributor to industry publications. Most recently, she was named by Bizbash Magazine as one of 100 most influential people in the events industry. Before I dive in with Carol, today's episode is brought to you by Kennedy Events. We create stress free conferences and events, providing expert management and design for all your corporate event needs, from in person to hybrid and virtual. And you can learn more about us at Kennedyevents.com. So Carol, hi. Hi, great to see you. Great to see you. And I feel like I'm amongst industry royalty, when you make that big boss 100 list. You didn't think it? Did I send you a crown? Do you get a

Carol Galle 1:12

very small one, right? It's something of a signature by email. Now I can just put that in there. So

Paige Buck 1:17

Oh, a little logo lockup even just as good as a crown. So tell me a little bit about how you got started, what were the early days of your career look like? How did you come to start your company? Sure.

Carol Galle 1:29

So I'm really grateful for the experiences I had. My original education intended for career was to be a journalist. So I was going to school for that. But the same time I was working for General Motors, and I was in their education training department. And somehow by process of elimination, I got to be the one that started coordinating the new dealership training program, which was an eight week program across a 12 month period that would allow dealership, sons and daughters essentially, you know, the folks that only dealerships would send their sons and daughters to this course to learn how to run a family business. So with a wonderful resources that General Motors had, while I was coordinating all these world class business speakers that would come in for eight weeks, and teach us because I was in the back of the room teaches how to run a business. So at some point, I figured out that I should do something with this education. And I also figured out that I love planning events. So I was planning these this training sessions. So we combined the two and started my own agency. And GM was my first client.

Paige Buck 2:24

Oh, my gosh, what an awesome origin story. And you hit on something that's like a, to me an unexpected bonus of being in this field, which is like all of the education you pick up when you're in the back of the room?

Carol Galle 2:36

Yes, yes. And we're great people that have a party at a party, right? Because we know a little bit about everything. And we can talk about things. We've heard things in the halls. You know, it's great. So

Paige Buck 2:46

yes, yes. Good party guests in that regard. Bad party guest in the like, you notice everything and you enjoy yourself because you're bussing the tables? Exactly. We're bad wedding guests. No. So then what were the early days of launching Special D like,

Carol Galle 3:07

so I actually knew that I had the marketing and the events background, but I didn't really have the finance and HR. And I felt like I needed that. So I ended up enlisting a co worker of mine. And we shook hands over a Coney Island hot dog. And if you know, from Detroit, you know what that is. And we decided to both jumping into this business. So we started off out of her home. And in about 90 days, we were so successful, we realized already a that we needed to get office space. So we moved out. And, you know, started our own office. And it was just it was great. It was honestly, I feel like this is there's a low barrier to entry to our business, I always look at the people who open restaurants or things and I'm so impressed with the you know, the commitment and the depth and everything that goes into it. But I feel like, you know, Manning, it was a pretty low lift to happen there. And at least at that point and make a success of it. So skills,

Paige Buck 3:56

I think you are 100% right, in that. I mean, my my business partner will say like, yeah, this was at my dining room table with. And it was because she and I used to share a landline between us and sit across from a table together in the very early days. Yeah, yeah. And then you just, you figure the rest out as you go. Right? Absolutely. lessons that you learned from them and go on. What are some, like big milestones or turning points between then and now for you.

Carol Galle 4:26

Um, the biggest one that comes to mind is when 2007 2008 came around and we had the recession, we realize that events are going to be one of the first line items to go on our clients budgets. So we wanted to make sure that we would endure and we decided to create a division of our company called The Anniversary Company, in which we focus specifically on our clients, corporate milestones, so when they hit 5075 100 Oftentimes there was a celebratory event and you know, as part of that, honoring that milestone, but there's also a lot of other things you can do from marketing, communications, you know, standard and so Um, we figured that if a company may decide not to do their holiday event or their employee party, but if they're 100 years old, they're still going to do something in that recession. And that really kept us alive during that time when we still do specialty projects through the anniversary company, which are really interesting.

Paige Buck 5:15

That is brilliant. And I wonder did that set did that creative mindset of like making something marketable, that would sustain you, I bet that also served you really well when the pandemic hit, and we all had to go know what?

Carol Galle 5:34

Yes, because we, you know, I ended up I was very fortunate to get the PPP funds, and I use those to sort of bring everybody back. And I split the company into and said, Okay, half of you, we're gonna go off and figure out what kind of events can we do? Can we do them virtually? Can we have that as a stream of revenue? And the other half can say, how are we going to build the anniversary company? And what can we do because again, even though there was a pandemic, if your organization is celebrating its centennial, there's going to have to be something. So absolutely, we use both of those routes to bind our pathway through the pandemic.

Paige Buck 6:02

That's amazing. That's really great. And so it sounds to me, like I was about to say, Who do you learn from in this world, and you're, you know, many, many places you draw from. But it sounds like one opportunity you have is learning from your team, like giving them a place to go direct their energy and bring you back ideas and solutions?

Carol Galle 6:23

100% I never want to be the smartest one in the room, because we're not going to go forward. Right? We need I need a lot of diverse opinions, a lot of diverse backgrounds. So absolutely. That's

Paige Buck 6:35

right. Before we started recording, we were talking about core values, what are your core values that Special D,

Carol Galle 6:41

collaborative, accountable, and empathetic, and roll with it? And roll with it is everyone's favorite? I mean, as a planner, because that's what we do. Right? So people love that one? A lot. It

Paige Buck 6:52

was so how do some of those play out? I guess? The question I I'm always really curious about is how do you think those resonate for your clients, where they come into play for your clients?

Carol Galle 7:04

I think particularly with the role or the core value of empathetic, we really believe in attendee, per attendee focus, event design. So it's really, it is what's important to you and your role and your boss, but it's also really what's important to the person in that seat. And are we being empathetic to them? Are we thinking about, you know, what's the right adult learning principles to consider? Are they going to be able to consume all this content in a short time? Is this the right location, the timing, and really focusing on the attendee perspective? And I think at the end of the day, that's going to make that a better event, and more successful for you or your organization. So empathetic is one I think that transfers translates really well to our clients and certainly roll with it. Yeah, if the only constant is change, particularly in the event world, and we're the ones that figure it out, right? We feel the fear, and we just figure it out.

Paige Buck 7:51

And that's what everyone can count on us for. It's like, they're freaking out. And we're like, we got it. We don't know how, but we got it. Exactly. In the in the early days of COVID, went well, in the mid stages of COVID. When we're like we have a solution. We were trying to express like, we are only 15 feet further down the path and you like Yeah, but we have, we have a flashlight, we have a little hand drawn map. It's all we got. But but you're you're coming to us just because we we can see a little further down the path. Not we've got it all figured out. But we're gonna we're gonna figure it out together. Yeah,

Carol Galle 8:31

and we've made the investment to to crowdsource solutions, right? Because when we started doing virtual events, for instance, the last thing I wanted to do was go out there and promise something that we really weren't sure we could deliver, even if we know that was needed. So one of the first things we did was invest in the event Leadership Institute in their virtual event Media Management Program. And I had everybody certified senior management on down so that we really could confidently go out there. And so yes, yes, we can do this virtually. So we did have we use them as my as our flashlight, I guess to

Paige Buck 8:59

Yes, yes, I felt like event Leadership Institute I've known of and had on my radar. And, you know, for a long, long time, but only just appreciated what an amazing asset it is for our industry.

Carol Galle 9:14

Yeah, I think they do a great job of, you know, really balancing the practical knowledge and the academics. Because at the end of the day, we need to get our job done, too. So there's a little bit of you know, we just need to do it.

Paige Buck 9:26

At some point, you have to just dive into the deep end of the pool, right? Yeah. Yep. Well, we were talking about core values. Do you ever use them as a lens to measure your clients by like whether they are a match

Carol Galle 9:39

for you? Yes, absolutely. We do. We had to make a really tough decision earlier this year to terminate a relationship with a client. Because of that, it just at the end of the day, it wasn't a good match. And certainly we use it to to hire people and to gauge their performance. So it's very much a part of who we are.

Paige Buck 9:57

Yeah, it's really threaded through everything. ng Yep. What makes like an absolute gem or, or delight of a client or project for you.

Carol Galle 10:08

We always say it's someone that understands that it takes time to do to plan events. I mean, takes, you know, overnight, we can do it, it's not good, right? Time to plan, someone that is a decision maker, ideally. So that we're, you know, the more people involved more layers of decisions, the longer it takes to plan. So, and then someone is that is also empathetic and collaborative, and really is focused on the attendee experience.

Paige Buck 10:35

Yeah. And I imagine you form like, a, you know, when you're fortunate you form really long term relationships with these clients with like, project over project year over year. So you want it to be mutually beneficial and warm?

Carol Galle 10:50

Absolutely. We're an extension to their staff, right? We get to know them. And so we've been in business for over 30 years, and our longest client relationship, I believe, was 24 years. So it's, yeah, it becomes a marriage if you do it, right. And you have to work like any marriage. But

Paige Buck 11:05

so you're based in Detroit, and we are based here in the Bay Area. And even though we both can, can undo produce national events. And I imagine we occasionally internationally, I don't know if that's true for you as well. But it sounds like we you also look at or sometimes have the lens or the context of the place where you came from. So you had the auto industry as your background and your first client. And I imagine that for you in like, Oh, 708. That was one of the reasons why that was also particularly hard because your industry in your region, were so shaken by that downturn. Are there other ways that Detroit has shaped you and your team and your perspective that you that you could share?

Carol Galle 11:53

If you haven't heard the phrase, Detroit hustles, harder, that is something all the time here to try out. And I think that going back to collaborative, I think the Detroit area is we value connections, and we lean on each other. So I think that collaborative spirit of Detroit certainly informs the way that we do work with our clients.

Paige Buck 12:16

I love that, you know, what I might think of as second cities or under appreciated, cities are having a I feel like, at least in my heart anyway, they're having a moment. I'm like, excited to bring a project to Milwaukee next year. And I'm like, let's do all of I want to go to Baltimore and Detroit and Milwaukee and Nashville, and, you know, places that that I feel like they the people who come from them hold incredibly dear, and have a real like strong sense of place. I think it's because I live in a more transient, youthful, the Bay Area people come and go from

Carol Galle 12:54

Yeah, well, I think you know, you think a lot of times you think events, you think of resort cities, right, and Milwaukee and Detroit and things are not resolved cities. But I think also that the trend is really to, you know, when you take an event to a city is to get out of that hotel ballroom as much as possible. It started with finding unique venues. And maybe now it's more unique tours that aren't just looking at the more traditional things. It's looking at the history of the city and why it is the way it is. So there's sort of the cities with good stories that you don't always hear. That's why I think people are excited to come to Detroit, and Detroit's got some amazing stories and, and has had some amazing growth also last, you know, 1015 years. Yeah, you were

Paige Buck 13:33

talking about sort of attendee focused design, too. And I think it's something we crave in this moment as a sense of like, a bigger sense of connection. So when you can create that sense, connection to place and people. Yep, that's really powerful, too. Hard to do in Vegas? Yes, it is. It's

Carol Galle 13:51

a different animal out there.

Paige Buck 13:52

Right What to do in Vegas, I made the mistake of trying to walk between two properties in Vegas, and I was it was regrettable. Right? Yeah. So you are you're an industry leader, Carol, and you are making lists, and you're sharing your expertise? What do you most enjoy sharing and teaching with others in our, in our space?

Carol Galle 14:16

I think bringing people together around a common goal. I know that sounds kind of generic. But the whole concept behind the Detroit events council was that let's create a group of people who are really interested in moving the Detroit events industry forward. We all at the end of the day, whether we're a caterer or an event planner, production company, we all want people to leave the city with a great impression of us and what we can offer. So let's talk about that as an industry. And so we've done that. But there are a couple of examples recently the things that I'm kind of trying to cook up where I just, I'm a big fan of collaboration overall, right? We there's enough business for all of us that just, I'd rather just learn from each other and take this opportunity. So I love any opportunity to bring those people together in a room that might not normally be together. Right.

Paige Buck 15:01

Yep. I like to say that you pointed out like, you never want to be the smartest person in the room. Well, I spent the first 20 years of my career, thinking I had to pretend to be that, but not the smartest, but but incredibly smart. Got it all together. I don't need to ask any questions. And then the second 20 years of my career, and the rest of my life will be undoing that, like perfectionistic tendency, and saying, like, I don't know, Carol, do you know? Who else might know? How can I learn? And I get a lot of joy from that. And it's, it's like a Yeah, it's a bomb against the, you know, my, my more knee jerk behavior of like, No, I know. I know.

Carol Galle 15:47

Absolutely. Cuz you're trying to prove yourself right at first. Yeah. I think pandemic probably push that a little bit as well, because we're all admitting we don't know the answer. Let's figure it out together. Right?

Paige Buck 15:57

Yeah, it's powerful, when you can just be like, and no one has all of the answers like and if they say they do you mean can look at them sideways? Right? Exactly. Yeah. So tell me some of the things your other specific things you're curious about and really want to learn from others right now.

Carol Galle 16:15

I'm really interested in this whole. I don't know if you saw the news in the last couple of weeks about AI. And there's a specific tool out there for net

Paige Buck 16:25

dt is that.

Carol Galle 16:28

That's very interesting. Again, I'm a writer by trade or you know, by originally, and the idea that this could be used to draft articles, and also then event briefs and event communications. And that is very fascinating to me.

Paige Buck 16:44

Fascinating, and distressing and exciting all at once.

Carol Galle 16:49

Right? Well, it wants I'm curious if I was gonna go?

Paige Buck 16:51

Yes. Yeah, me too. We've also spoken a little bit, I am very curious, and ready to say I don't have the first idea, as a, you know, as a white sis woman, how to encourage, inspire, collaborate with and bring in much more diverse voices and backgrounds. I am inspired whenever I get to be in the room with people who don't look like sound alike, or come from the same places as me. And I would like to ask them, How can we make space for you in this industry? Because I don't think they're enough have enough of them?

Carol Galle 17:32

100% I know you and I've had those conversations, I think it often it has to start at like even the high school level. You know, when I was in high school, I had no idea that planning was a career, I still think there's a big gap there today. And really getting that down to high schools in all areas of the country and really bringing that as an option, and then carrying it through to where are the programs that are being offered right now in colleges? Are they only being offered in, you know, in our case, white sort of rural, you know, communities, I mean, our colleges are like MidState, we have a wonderful university in Detroit called Wayne State University. And there's nothing, no mention of event planning on there, you know, as a course. So I think it's just carrying it back as far as we can go, and then bringing people along.

Paige Buck 18:13

I think that's a really good instinct. And, and often, I think, I mean, it's, it's like we are and aren't a niche, as you said, like, the barrier to entry is really low. But broadly, it kind of gets wedged under hospitality and Hospitality Management. And, you know, you have to look, you have to dig pretty deep beneath, like, hotel management to get there. And that's where you're being taught in our region.

Carol Galle 18:39

Yeah, or PR, that's oftentimes to right. And there's a lot of different it should be an education training, it should also be in that realm, too. Are you training people? How are you setting that up? So a lot of different ways into the park, but we need to make sure that all those ways are, you know, that they're obvious to people and they're comfortable for people.

Paige Buck 18:57

And as you say that about PR there's there's a place that is more even more glaringly. Yes. uniform. Now I have when whenever we are working with PR teams, it is a 99%, female 80%, blonde, all white all the time. And it's yeah, it's very much like I can't distinguish the Britney's from the Chelsea's from the numbers, there are five of each of them.

Carol Galle 19:28

And our audiences don't look like that. So how can we possibly be leading them and helping them to gather when we don't have that diversity on our side? Right? We have

Paige Buck 19:36

and I wonder if you do as well, you know, maybe 20% of our clients are in the nonprofit sector. And that's where I am delighted to be in the room with much more diverse much more diversity and inclusion, and it's what I look to that's when I love being in the back of the room and soaking everything up as a sponge. Now, how are you doing this? How, where are some parallels

Carol Galle 19:59

we see In our corporate clients to we see far more diversity. I was just reading something the other day about the number of Chief Diversity offer officer positions, I feel like they said something like has gone up 60% In the last five years or something. So we see it in corporate, we see a nonprofit, we don't see it on the agency side of event events agencies.

Paige Buck 20:15

Right. Right. So what it's challenging, I think, for really small businesses to move the needle in the same way. I mean, this is maybe a horrible parallel, but but in the same way that we know that like, we're not going to fix climate change by like the recycling that we're doing at home, do it, by all means, keep doing it, keep doing it. But the solution has to come from bigger, bigger places. So I think you're right about like, the very earliest moments, I think that's a really smart, and you're inspiring me to think about where I have connections in my community to support that.

Carol Galle 20:53

I think we, when you look at social planners, social impact is just much more diversity there. Because they're planning in their own community, no matter what community they're part of. So I think drawing, drawing those folks in to the corporate planning world, would be helpful.

Paige Buck 21:07

Yeah, that's a really good insight. So what's challenging about this moment, and you know, this is automatically going to make this podcast not as evergreen, but we're not post COVID. But we are, post some really hot some real hardship and some real challenges, and folks are going back to live. What are you experiencing? And what do you what are you challenged by?

Carol Galle 21:30

Well, I think a lot of this year, we were dealing with events that had been pushed down the road, right, they were supposed to happen in 20. And we kept pushing them forward. And in a lot of cases, the budget for those events was still stuck in 2019. So now we've gone through that. And there's also been inflation and changes in the economy. So I think as we start setting budgets and making plans for next year, it'll be a much more realistic scenario, which will be helpful for all of us. And still short turnarounds, I think we, you know, there were a lot of people, even the beginning of this year that weren't sure, you know, what they wanted to do, and they push things to the false or fall was really busy. But I'm hoping that maybe next year, it'll smooth out a little bit, we'll have some confidence, and hopefully, that the recession will be mild, if there is going to be one. And people will feel more comfortable, you know, booking of venues and wanting to move forward.

Paige Buck 22:15

Yeah. Do you think a lot of your clients, they have a more realistic perspective now, but they're still being asked to do more with less luck that they're not being given the budget that they need?

Carol Galle 22:28

Yeah, I mean, I think that's always going to be the case, I feel like you know, throughout, that's just always is and you just have to work a little harder. But, you know, part of the, the ammunition I think that my clients have when they go back to senior leadership, is remember what it was like when we couldn't get people in the room. Remember how we suffered and remember how much people were so grateful, and what kind of business happen once we did get them in a room. And that's why you need to put a little bit more each one more money toward them. So they've got more, you know, more ammunition so

Paige Buck 22:55

to speak? Do you spend much time helping as in that trusted advisor role of helping your clients make the case to their leadership?

Carol Galle 23:05

Yes, yeah. And I think that comes from long term relationships to that we have with them, we understand what pushback they've received in the past. And we understand their leadership and what's important to them, the longer we work with them. So it helps us be a much more trusted advisor and get them through the the difficult questions to ask and make

Paige Buck 23:23

for sure. So I'm curious to hear about some folks you admire in our profession.

Carol Galle 23:29

So we're talking about event Leadership Institute, and definitely Howard Gardner, who founded that I just am a big fan of him and respect that Rafat Ali is another person that I follow on LinkedIn. And we talked about Adrian Seeger earlier again, you know, just a level, you know, reading what he has to say, we had a really unusual experience. A few years ago, it was just a wonderful experience, where we had a client that said, Look, we really want to look down the road with event, event management, and as far as adult learning and communications around events, and we want to know, the absolute best practices out there. So they engaged us to do a year long study, and produce a white paper in which we get to interview like 25 Different people around the world, in the different areas of like event design and communications around events and adult learning and just met a lot of really interesting people. And Adrian was one of them. We interviewed him at that point. So so many so many passionate people in our industry, it's hard to choose, right.

Paige Buck 24:22

So go and one of the things I love about Adrian is he is I wonder how much he feels like Sisyphus, pushing a rock uphill perpetually, because there are so many people who give him incredible credit for his perspective on you know, the way the way we're doing this isn't working the way you're doing. It isn't working. Once this, and everybody says you're absolutely right, and then keeps on doing it.

Carol Galle 24:51

Exactly. Yep. Martin Van Ness is another one who coined the term meeting architect or meeting architect. I love him and I think for years he's been saying Look, meeting planners can and should have a you know, stronger role and a bigger, you know, more strategic role in an organization we, we represent things that we produce things that are the face of your organization, right, let's talk about the strategy behind it, let's just put the check in the box and say we held this this meeting. And he's been saying thing, making those types of suggestions for many years. So

Paige Buck 25:21

I think you're really fortunate to have a client who anticipated and saw the value of that and wanted that information instead of like, thank you very much. We know, no one's gonna lalala. I don't know how often you experience clients coming to you saying we want to do something different, with a lot of space for learning and lots of opportunity for connection and you start going down the unconference or the really like, open structured thing, only to have it slowly. mission creep right back to something you everybody recognizes.

Carol Galle 25:57

Preserve the brakes, preserve the brake time, right. I mean, people need moment to process to take care of bodily functions to check their email, whatever it if you don't, if you don't give them at time, they're going to find the time in the room, they're going to stop paying attention, you know, and so you start off with 30 minutes. And then someone says, Well, if we add the speaker, we can do 20 minutes. And next thing, you know, you have 15 minutes, and people are running back and forth. And that does not serve the attendee, which at the end will not serve the meeting objectives.

Paige Buck 26:23

Right. And I felt if anything, this fall, folks learned by doing that, even where they've created spacious breaks, people are so delighted to be with one another. And like, yep, you've got the right people in the room, and you know, what they want to do? They want to talk with one another. By, you know, mid day, the second day, you've got no one in the plenary and everyone in the lounge, and you've just had to embrace it. Yeah.

Carol Galle 26:54

Yeah, those hallway conversations, right. I mean, that's they they're so valuable, and even more so now. But I also think it's a real shame if there are some people that come to your event and end up having gone to those sessions, and done what you ask them to do. But, but somehow, we're so introverted, they didn't, they didn't participate those companies and they walk out at the end of the two day conference, and they really not connected with anyone. That's our fault. Yeah, it's on you on us to make sure that, you know, just because you're not happy in a cocktail situation and chatting or whatever. There's other ways to engage in let's find those so that everyone walks away, having a positive experience.

Paige Buck 27:29

Oh, look at that, that comes back to your empathy core value, you're likely looking after the whole of the attendee experience. Yeah, I think especially the introverts. I'd like I recognize myself. I heard at a panel recently where a woman said, I hate networking events. I need this to grow my business, but you will find me in the bathroom, you will find me slipping off to the bathroom. And I'm like, I've made friends in the bathroom. How can we facilitate that Carol? Like those are the opportunity?

Carol Galle 28:05

Absolutely. Right. There are ways there are

Paige Buck 28:07

ways. That's right. Oh, well, thanks so much for your time. today. I'm going to close us out at I've been delighted to be speaking with Carol Galle, who is the co founder, president and CEO of Special D Events. Thank you, Carol.

Carol Galle 28:22

Thanks for having me.

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PAIGE BUCK

Paige Buck is the co-owner of Kennedy Events, a large-scale event management company based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. Our team creates stress-free conferences and events with a positive impact, which allows our clients to resonate with their audience. Kennedy Events specializes in producing flawless product launches, award ceremonies, fundraisers, and multi-day conferences while keeping our eye on retention and engagement goals.

About Kennedy Events

Kennedy Events began with one goal in mind—to produce high-level corporate events with just as much strategy as style. Maggie founded the company in 2000, found her match in Paige, and in 2011 the two became official partners. Since then, these two resourceful and brilliant creatives have pooled their strengths to build one one of the most the most sought after corporate event companies in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.