Ify Ifebi, 32, is the founder and CEO of Vendorspace, a gig marketplace that connects vendors with event organizers and keeps members updated on conferences, festivals and hybrid virtual events they may be interested in. She’s based in Atlanta.
How she spends her days: "I got started in the event industry while I was in college. At the time, I was managing go-go bands (a style of music from D.C.) and became notorious for hosting sold-out events on campus. Initially, the purpose of these events was to give my artists a stage to perform on, but I quickly fell in love with the art of bringing people together. What started as a hobby gave me the foundation to launch my first event production company.
I built a niche independently producing concerts, fundraisers, festivals and activations with corporate brands and notable organizations to promote social responsibility. The last festival we produced made me aware of the lack of resources in our industry. It required a lot of vendors, permits and staffing to build the experience we wanted—however, it fell short because we didn't know where or how to find the right people. This pushed me into event tech to build the product I knew was missing from our industry.
While I still produce events, my day-to-day role consists more of building and refining new features for our users, onboarding and event matchmaking."
Biggest takeaway from the past two years: "The biggest thing the pandemic taught me about the event industry is how creative we can be. The need to gather was so important it birthed innovative solutions in virtual spaces and hybrid concepts. Not only did we find a new way to host events, we also found more ways to connect globally. This really taught me the power of events. Whether you participate in creating it or just attending, people around the world share a love for meeting new people in new spaces. The events industry has done a great job of staying resilient and adapting to the changes our market needs."
Impact she wants to have on the industry: "I just want to make events easier. I’d like to take the stress out of organizing, no matter your level of event planning skills, and build a global network of event resources. I also want to use events to make positive changes in our communities. I have a knack for curating special events that celebrate community, culture and the common good. My biggest career goal is to be the Live Nation for social good."
Advice for her peers: "Diversify your network. The events industry expands across weddings, party promotions, corporate functions, experiential marketing and so much more. Meet more people and lean on the industry groups that exist to network with seasoned event professionals. You never know who can connect you with your next big lead or opportunity."
This year's "Fresh Faces" feature is sponsored by Glisser, an award-winning meetings and events platform developed by event industry veterans to go beyond basic video and screen-sharing tech to power inspiring, high-participation events of any size.
