Stephanie Jayko, CSEP, is the 32-year-old chief experience officer at Knock Out Productions. She splits her time between Nashville and Boston.
What I do:
As an event producer, I help clients elevate their events and brand by creating great experiences for attendees. From strategy to design, consulting to production, the attendee experience is at the core of everything I do. There are many moving parts, but understanding our audiences and building for their delight and surprise is always at the heart of my process. I want to make sure that everything works in harmony to create an exceptional experience for every person that walks through the doors.
Why I love my job:
I am a people person. I love that my job allows me to dive into who people are. I thrive on working with teams and different groups on each event. And above everything else, I love that I get to create experiences that enable people to escape their everyday reality.
My career journey:
I started my career in live theater as a production and stage manager. After moving into the events industry as a freelance stage manager and technician, I realized that I had a knack for playing “event Tetris.” As I grew in the industry, I learned that this skill lent itself to being a producer. With the experience I’d gained from years of working in production and the extensive network of event professionals I’d built, I decided to marry my tech background and my love of building great events and open Knock Out Productions.
My greatest career accomplishment:
I’m certainly proud to be a business owner. I think it’s a great achievement to be able to see a dream you’ve had for a long time come to life. But the theater kid in me will always be most proud of the fact that I have managed a show at Carnegie Hall
How I helped my organization during COVID:
I was lucky enough to have had virtual, broadcast and video production experience before the pandemic, which allowed me to make the shift to virtual events a much easier process. However, the biggest opportunity, I realized, was finding new ways to understand how our audiences experience and engage with our events and with each other in our changing landscape. This compelled me to launch a new initiative to help educate our industry on the importance of the global attendee experience and cultural engagement.
The time I averted a complete event disaster:
Years ago I managed a series of fundraising events that toured around the country. One of the client executives had a friend who owned a production company in one of our tour locations. We were told that we must use this company without question. While I did everything I could to play well and support them in every way possible, their equipment offerings that were brought on-site were shockingly outdated or simply non-functional, and their staff was less than helpful in correcting the issues. With the entertainment and presentational nature of our event, the production was a terrifically important piece and we were greatly suffering for the lack of it.
After some very tense conversations with the client, in the last 12 hours leading up to the event I was able to tap into my incredible network of event professionals and production partners to completely overhaul the entire production for the event. By the time doors opened, none of the guests knew that we had absolutely nothing working just hours before.
My most memorable event experience in the past year:
I think the most memorable event in the past year would have to be my first in-person event since the pandemic shut down. In early 2021 I was very grateful to get a call from a long-time production partner asking if I would be comfortable coming out to manage the stage for an in-person event. I couldn’t say yes fast enough! The team had a sense of “family reunion” after such a prolonged feeling of distance and isolation. The audience also had an energy that was palpable, and I had a moment of “I’m finally home” after a long time away.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
The most pointed thing that an industry peer has ever said to me was “You can’t wait for it to be perfect to start using it. You’re a perfectionist, it’ll never be perfect.” My perspective completely shifted after that moment.
Impressive stats I’m responsible for:
Last year, I had a virtual event that truly blew my mind with the numbers. Fifty thousand attendees, broadcast to 14 countries, translation in eight languages, four days of content, 67 individual breakout sessions, 42 remote speakers, four virtual tech crews and … 1,500 cups of coffee (that may be a low estimate!).
What’s next?
I think I am most excited to have launched my LinkedIn Live series “Events Connect” this year and can’t wait to continue developing the conversations surrounding that. In addition, the return of “With Regrets” podcast that I co-host with Thomas Whelan is also on track for this spring as well. I’m also planning to complete coursework and earn a certification in international etiquette and protocol.
What I do outside of work:
I am very proud to sit on the board of directors of the SEARCH Foundation and volunteer my time to help raise funds for event pros in crisis. Outside of the industry, I am a big history fan and like to travel around the world to learn about the history of other cultures. I also love hiking and try to get out on the trails as often as possible. I even hike up a different mountain for my birthday every year.
Dream vacation:
I have a list the length of my arm of places I’d go, but I think the location at the top of that list has to be Mt. Everest South Base Camp in Nepal. It is said to be one of the most culturally rich and diverse places in the world due to the number of people who travel there from so many different places. I don’t have any desire to summit the mountain (I don’t think I’d make it), but I would love to experience the unique culture there and get to talk to the ambitious trekkers who pass through.
Favorite icebreaker line:
If money were not an issue and you could do any job outside of the one you do today, what would you choose to do?
Connect with Jayko on LinkedIn.
“Connect x BizBash 40 Under 40” is sponsored by VDA, an experiential marketing and event design agency based in Massachusetts that specializes in custom live, virtual and hybrid experiences.
