When Dawn Eisenberg was in university, she made money by promoting her own events and working as a children’s entertainer. After graduating she was hired to help open an events division for a company which lead to more similar contracts before she decided to strike out on her own in 2005 with Jodi Lieff.
“For as long as I remember I was always deeply passionate about events,” says Esienberg, owner and CEO of Pop! Events Group. “I love that my ability to be creative directly correlates with my ability to make a living. I also love working with my clients and helping curate and develop their events. Most of all I love my team. They are truly the best in the business and I feel grateful for them every day.”
Like many in the industry, she had to pivot the company quickly during the pandemic and was able to thrive by building out an entirely new division of the company focused on virtual and safe events. The removal of COVID-19 restrictions and return of in-person events this year is good news but has created several issues.
“There is a backlog of events resulting in very high demand. Pair this demand with a struggle by companies to find capable event staff and you’ve got a serious operational challenge on your hands. There was also a massive surge of demand in the second quarter of 2022 with no warning or ramp up time,” she says.
In 2021, Eisenberg was recognized by BizBash in their list of the most influential event and meeting professionals.
What are some of your biggest achievements?
Building Pop! Events Group from the ground up. Building a comprehensive website that now ranks in the top three results for most relevant Google searches.
What types of training/education has been helpful for you?
I never received formal training for events, back then this type of program was not common. I had natural talents for events, operations, program development, human resources, marketing and business. I read as many books as possible about event planning and created my own set of programming, standard operating procedures and policies, as well as training manuals for staff.
What advice/tips would you offer others entering the industry?
VOLUNTEER! Get as much experience as possible. Not only because it looks good on your resume but because it is the best education you can get. You will also learn what parts of the industry interest you the most and you will make great connections. I should also mention that you may learn that the events industry is actually not for you. The events industry is fun and creative and can be really rewarding but it’s also tough with long hours at times. You are often doing stressful and thankless work. You really must have a passion and natural talent for it.
