How does a woman end up in the CEO position of an AV solutions company?

In the male-dominated industry that is AV solutions, a conversation with Laurel feels like a breath of fresh air. That’s because she and her team bridge the gap between a technical industry and frequently non-technical clientele. In working with Seamless Events, clients don’t have to worry about making sense of proposals written in tech code because they’ll be with you every step of the way.

Typically, leadership roles in AV get their start in a linear way — as a technician in the field; across the board, anyone working at an AV business will speak tech first and human second. This can leave the relationship between AV and event planners feeling dry and driven by jargon over anything else.  

With Seamless Events, clients love that, from quote to event execution, they won’t have to worry about getting lost in technicalities; Laurel understands exactly what they need.  Client Jen Saliba (Rhino Consulting) says, “If I tell her… how a space is going to be utilized and how attendees should be experiencing the speaker… I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, she looks out for my best interests. She doesn’t put more; she doesn’t put less. When I look at [other AV] proposals, I can’t even read them. And that’s with 13 years’ experience [in events].” That’s because Laurel and her team go beyond the proposal to give you a relationship you can count on.

Laurel has always prioritized the relationship over the transaction. Every interaction is a reflection of the long-term commitment that Seamless holds with each and every person — client or not. 

Ironically, she encountered the business world via the Peace Corps as an English teacher. At 23 years old, with no concrete business experience, she realized that she was more excited by the business volunteer program. It was there, in Gyumri (2nd largest city in Armenia), that she helped would-be entrepreneurs to write their business plans — with the best ones being awarded grant funds to start their businesses. Laurel felt the spark of something new — starting a legacy from scratch and building something from the ground up was exciting.

This was her stepping stone to an MBA from UCLA.

From there, she entered the traditional world of employment to oversee and manage go-to-market strategy for everyday brands. Having worked with marketing budgets that ebb and flow over time, Laurel has utilized short- and long-term levers for quick wins and long-term impact; the ongoing result is usually a blend of both. Meanwhile, the spark from her Peace Corps days was still alive and, ultimately, she took the step from supporting household brands to building her own. 

Events are one piece of the marketing puzzle and one of the most expensive; as marketing manager for 15 years, Laurel had seen them play out over and over again. Whether you’re running events for profit or building brand loyalty, you get to see the whole thing come together with finite point-in-time tangible results for yourself and your community.

In fact, join us here to get more insights and support around successful event execution.

Laurel (and everyone at Seamless Events) gets to play with and around the bottleneck that often results between vision and budget. Pair this with her core value of prioritizing relationships and people, and you have the perfect set-up for supporting your next event (and more!).

Reach out today and see for yourself! Quick tip: don’t be surprised if you hear the yelps of a pandemic puppy with a big personality. He’s fighting for a seat at the table, but he needs to work on his chewing habit first.