Jessica Stark

Event Strategy Manager
Poly

Based in the mountains of Santa Cruz, CA, just south of Silicon Valley, I have the amazing role of planning and executing tier-one tradeshows and events for Poly. The objective of course is to generate leads, but my underlying goal is to always put on a fantastic show! Some might say party-girl turned Corporate Event Manager…

From as early as I can remember, I would gather all the kids at family dinner parties, assign each one an acting or dancing part, as well as a job selling tickets or refreshments and put on a production, forcing all the parents to sit and attentively watch our show!

Fast forward many years, and my passion for entertaining and making sure every detail is met has never waned.

(My friends call me Julie, the cruise director from The Love Boat for those of you who might remember)

From my kid’s outdoor laser tag birthday party where even the cake I made was camo, or an Italian-themed dinner party where I collected chianti bottles from local Italian restaurants so that every table would have a classic wine bottle candle holder, to a Tech Tradeshow where my Platinum Sponsor company Poly presents our solutions to ~50,000 attendees! Each event I touch is done so with heart and soul, a lot of sweat, sometimes some blood and usually a few tears.

The tears are coming for a different reason these past few weeks though, and I’m sure you can all relate. Being in an event role during a pandemic where our events are being canceled, social distancing and shelter in place orders instilled, and the uncertainty of our livelihood feels stuck in our throats. The lack of control for a cruise directing, control freak is hard to swallow, so it comes out in tears and some anxiety which isn’t typical for me.

If there is any advice I can share from my experience of being sent home to become an expert in “Virtual Events”, while homeschooling my 8th and 10th grade unappreciat…er, uh kids, would be to lighten up just a bit. We may think we have control, control over our jobs, our households, even our children, but all of this is very much out of our control and all we can ask for is serenity to accept the things we cannot change!

I have faith we’ll get through this, not without challenges, a lot of changes and yes, even tears, but we’ll get through it, and when we do, we’ll be even stronger, more sympathetic and more resourceful than ever!

We’re going to need those gyms to open up first, since in my homeschool wisdom I heard cooking was a great alternative to math! My kids are baking non-stop! Pizza, cookies, calzones, brownies… after all, it’d be rude of me to not eat their culinary masterpieces.

Until I get to see your beautiful faces again- be well my friends.

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Executive Profile of the Month Features Platinum Member Gaylord Properties

Bob Zimmermann

Senior Sales Executive, West Coast Accounts
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center

What about Bob, you ask? As a longtime Marriott associate, I’m presently Senior Sales Executive for the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center just outside Washington, DC. Based in San Francisco, I cover the West Coast market with a primary focus on corporate and intermediary accounts. Prior to Gaylord, I enjoyed many years in a similar capacity at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.

Across the span of thirty-year career, I’ve worked in hotel operations, corporate conference planning, and on the third-party side, before returning to the hospitality world with Marriott. As a result, I’ve developed a unique understanding of the challenges my customers face on a daily basis. This wide range of experience has contributed significantly toward my success over the years.

Discovering CEMA and joining this community of like-minded, passionate professionals has been incredibly inspiring. The education and networking opportunities are second to none. I leave each gathering throughout the year feeling reinvigorated and armed with new industry knowledge. Hopefully we’ll still have the chance to reunite this July in Nashville.

In my spare time I take full advantage of Bay Area life and travel frequently around the country visiting family and friends. Favorite get-away spots are Sonoma, Chicago, Cape Cod, and Palm Springs. And on every football Saturday in the Fall you’ll find me glued to Notre Dame football on NBC.

We Can Do This – Together. Let’s Gather at CEMA Summit 2020

There has never been a more challenging time for our industry, and for many of us personally. Our current plan is to Persevere and Press On as we plan to unite, share and feel all we’ve experienced, and celebrate as a CEMA family. We are better together. We look forward to sharing our resilience and facing a new normal with you.

CEMA Summit 2020
Hosted at the JW Marriott
July 26th – 28th, 2020
Nashville Tennessee

Register Here

Please note you will be required to have an active CEMA membership to attend CEMA Summit 2020.

Providing us all the motivation we all need now, we’re thrilled to announce our Summit Key Note Speaker Jon Acuff.
Jon’s keynote is entitled: Finish – Give Yourself The Gift of Done
Sponsored by: SpeakInc.

He will share with us how to not just set the goal, but actually get to the FINISH line. If you’re tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time it will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done.

Seeking CEMA Summit 2020 Sponsors

We are certain CEMA Summit 2020 will truly be a special reunion for all of us. For those who’ve agreed to be a sponsor at CEMA Summit 2020, we thank you for your support. We have a limited number of sponsorship opportunities still available. To secure your organization’s opportunity to influence this exclusive membership, please contact Meg Fasy . For complete information, View the Sponsorship Opportunity Prospectus here.

These Are Truly Gold Members

The heart and soul of our community lives within the high rises, small offices, and whole variety of home offices across the country. This month we’re especially thankful for those member organizations who demonstrate a passion for excellence and continuously innovating. A round of applause for our Gold Members:

PCMA and CEMA Team Up to Offer COVID-19 Education Webinars

New York City’s Javits Center—working in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA and the National Guard—has set an example for how other event facilities nationwide can support their local community amidst this global crisis and reduce the burden on overwhelmed healthcare systems. For our part, NYC & Company is working hand-in-hand with state and local officials to provide resources and assistance to our community, partners, and planners.

As a convention and visitors bureau, we are looking to the future by building a broad-based coalition to jointly map tourism recovery plans. In the meantime, we’ve launched digital-first initiatives Virtual NYC and Dine in NYC to keep the five boroughs top-of-mind for those both near and far who are seeking to engage with and support the tourism sector.

Jerry Cito
Executive Vice President
Convention Development – NYC & Company

* For additional information, please read Javits Center’s Rapid Response to COVID-19.

Uniting Together to Offer Our Help

COVID-19 has had a tremendously significant impact on the live events industry. We are extremely proud of those in the CEMA family who have reached out in so many unique ways to help positively impact outcomes across the country and around the world. If you’re interested in helping, please read the following about LIVE FOR LIFE: Live Event COVID-19 Coalition.

Making the Most of Our Times and Exploring Virtually

• CEMA Platinum Member’s CEO Chris Meyers of George P Johnson shares a checklist of important things to consider if you’re moving to a virtual event model.
Exceptional insights are here.

• CEMA Gold Member meetings & incentives has produced a Webinar highlighting how you can continue to drive your business forward with a Virtual Meeting.
Click here to register for the webinar.