Lauren Rios, 38, is vice president of sales and marketing for Platinum XP. She's based in Kansas City, Mo. A quote from her nomination: "Lauren exemplifies what it means to be a dynamic leader and an advocate for progress in the events industry. In her four years with our company, she has emerged as a trusted leader, an inspiring colleague, and the gold standard of professionalism among her peers."
My day-to-day: "Overseeing sales, marketing, and media for a full-service agency, I find myself working directly with clients across industries on everything from meeting production and creative brand activations to photo/video shoots and more. I am mostly in-office in Kansas City and work with an incredibly collaborative team and environment that makes it fun, even on the hard days. As a working mom, I juggle client meetings, tight deadlines, and the delightful chaos of parenting—all in one day!"
My career journey: "After majoring in art, I began my career in events fairly soon after college with an MLS team that was going through a full rebrand and rebirth. I gained experience in everything from creative event design and execution to venue sales and management. It was truly an invaluable experience that I was lucky to be a part of.
"I’m living my dream job at my current agency where I get to help craft experiences and still flex my creative muscle each and every day," Rios says.Photo: Lauren Rios
Admittedly experiencing a period of burnout, I decided to take a leap and bet on myself working as a full-time artist for some time. I leveraged my expertise in planning and built out my own art shows, guest lists, and marketing plans—being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart!
I returned to corporate events, actually falling into a job by somewhat accident but fully realizing that the event industry is where I thrive. Now, I’m living my dream job at my current agency where I get to help craft experiences and still flex my creative muscle each and every day."
What inspires me: "My family. I grew up with a pretty impressive role model in my working mom who seemed to do it all. I am proud of myself that I have built my own path, which has led me to where I am today, and hopefully my kids will think I am a true badass."
My greatest career accomplishment: "My biggest career accomplishment is my ability to evolve. In an effort to continually grow and trust in my capabilities and integrate valuable experiences, I've successfully navigated new challenges and truly believe I've enhanced the effectiveness of every team I've been fortunate to be a part of."
"I've successfully navigated new challenges and truly believe I've enhanced the effectiveness of every team I've been fortunate to be a part of," Rios says.Photo: Lauren Rios
The advice I would give my younger self: "Follow your gut—you've got good instincts!"
My most memorable events: "It is one from quite a while back but probably one of the most unique. As a planner for an organization named LiveKC, we were tasked with throwing some truly memorable special events that the city had never seen. My favorite, and likely most stressful, was an event called Fiery Stick Open.
It consisted of a trendy country club-style day party for thousands of attendees on the lawn of one of the city's most notable monuments, full of activations, dozens of food trucks, VIP experiences, and capped off with a full-on PGA-certified hole-in-one opportunity for attendees—a million-dollar opportunity, that is. The insurance required for a million-dollar prize—whew! The day party ended and night came where we concluded with a concert from a nationally recognized DJ on a stage whose backdrop was the city's skyline. It was pretty incredible."
My leadership style: "Open and honest. I'm all about the team, and you will rarely find me utilizing words like 'me' or 'my' when it comes to work. I'm here for the team in whatever way they need support in order to be successful."
Some impressive stats I'm responsible for: "In the almost four years that I have been with Platinum XP, we have experienced more than a 100% increase in revenue and a 40% expansion in personnel. I can't take full accountability for that, but it is an exciting time to be a part of the team."
