Nancy Shaffer, 64, is president of BRAVO! Events and president of the Live Events Coalition, which provides advocacy, resources, and a network for the 12 million live events professionals across the United States. She is also a founding member of the DC Events Coalition, and sits on the board of EnventU, a pipeline to professions in the event industry for youth. She's based in Washington, D.C.
How I got here:
Some people know exactly what they want to be when they grow up, while others take a far less direct journey to arrive—and mine was not the direct route. My first career was in sales and marketing, and I achieved great levels of success, but not much passion came from it.
In the mid-’90s, following a girl’s night out at a bar that was giving dance lessons, I found a world I did not know existed—country western and swing dancing. First I learned to partner dance, which was beyond fun, and that evolved into competitions. As with any hobby or passion, there is a subculture of like-minded people, and dance was no different—you could go to a competition every weekend in cities all over the country. Washington, D.C., at the time, had several of the top dancers in the country and beyond.
I became a part of the community, and while I competed once, I (and the event directors) realized that my talent and passion was in producing these events. So, for the first five years of working in the event world, most of my clients were competitions with 500-5,000, taking place every weekend around the country. At the height of this, I was the event coordinator for eight to 10 of these annually, including the UCWDC World Championships.
While not the most traditional way to learn a skill, I treasure the lessons learned juggling so much. As I evolved as a planner, my interest evolved in how I could use my event skills and my marketing skills to support the corporate, association, and nonprofit worlds. While these events did not include massive custom-installed dance floors, competitors, instructors, and judges, the skills I learned and nurtured were the same for all events: an eye for details and planning, the ability to tell a story, multi-tasking as second nature, an innate ability to think critically and on my feet, calmness under pressure, creative thinking, teamwork, enjoying all types of people and bringing brands, stories, and experiences to life.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was still producing one dance event, but my client base had otherwise turned to where it still is today: bringing an organization's mission, goal, objective, and brand to life through an event. Dance opened the door to a world I did not know would be the foundation of my second career. In 1997, I started BRAVO! Events and have never looked back
Greatest career accomplishment:
This is not an easy question to answer. As I look back, there have been several events I will never forget and am beyond thankful to have produced for their complexity, impact, or honored guests. But when I look back at what has been most important to me—and I believe it always will be—is the partnerships I have made and the remarkable people I have had the opportunity to work side by side with. The teams that have gone over and above, performed miracles, laughed with me, and survived no worse for the wear. These are moments I will relive in my memory forever.
The other accomplishment I am beyond proud of is being part of creating the Live Events Coalition, the voice of our industry. The all-volunteer advocacy 501c6 fighting for all the people and the hundreds of businesses in the live events industry was founded when we were shut down due to the pandemic and realized no one was speaking for all of us.
This was and continues to be some of the hardest, most humbling work I have ever done. Being elected as president of this organization is an honor I don’t take lightly. The pandemic was hard and continues to present unbelievable challenges to our industry, but together this little engine that would not take no for an answer has made sure to continue to advocate for us and never allow us to be “invisible” or misunderstood again. Everyone should be a member!
A specific improvement I’ve made:
When I began in this business, we were still figuring out what being an industry was; it was still seen as the party industry, and my role was “party planner.” That was so far from what and who we are, and I have made it one of my missions to make sure not only our clients, but also the community and our industry understand our value and worth. This has not been easy, and continues to this day.
We are the invisible industry—the months, weeks, hours, and days it takes to create an experience are pretty much not seen. We all did our jobs so well that we have had to come from behind the curtain over the last challenging few years to be seen. I have had the honor of being part of that movement in my role as president of the Live Events Coalition.
In addition, my ability to mentor and educate the next generation is how we will continue to grow.
The biggest change I've observed in the industry:
Technology. The easiest way to show that is when I started, all events had a notebook—normally with 25+ sections, and never weighing less than what felt like five pounds and as much as 20. Today, while I may still need paper, everything is found on my tablet or laptop. I can collaborate in real-time, and creating for clients is faster and more detailed because of technology.
The other change that is significant is people’s interest in being a part of the industry!
What I do outside of work:
When I am not working, I spend time with my husband and our puppy, Archie, and travel, spend time at the beach, cook, and be with those I love most: family and family by heart!
My No. 1 piece of career advice I'd give my younger self:
You are good enough! Being kind is far more important than you know! Relationships are key. No one is perfect—but as long as you are honest, own your mistakes, give it your all, and give yourself grace, that is your perfect.
Connect with Shaffer on Instagram and Facebook.
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