Ashleigh Cote, CMP, 33, works in Nashville, Tennessee, as creative events director of Macro Productions. As a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree, Cote discusses her passion for the events industry.
*Connect with Cote on Instagram.
What I do: At Macro, “creative events” encompasses a wide variety of meetings and experiences. I especially enjoy working with our nonprofit partners and helping them succeed in informing the public and raising funds. Working for a small(ish) company also allows me to contribute in many areas including marketing, leading Macro’s volunteerism efforts and overall client relations.
How I got here: I started working for the Michigan Restaurant Association in college to assist with its annual trade show. I helped transfer websites and bring a lot of exhibitor materials online. After college, I contracted for a German company that has a unique presentation-management system. It was very PowerPoint heavy and gave me my first experience at large conferences, interacting directly with speakers, and taught me more about PowerPoint than most people care to know! My love for live events continued as I transitioned to working on the AV and production side.
Impressive stats: I’m proud to have been a part of saving a client 35 percent on their AV budget (equaling almost $40,000 in savings for one event without losing production value or quality,) as well as providing ideas to increase their event marketing this year. Additionally, as a company we have maintained a client retention rate of more than 98 percent, a testament to the entire team.
Specific improvement I’ve made: Coming on board at Macro towards the beginning of the company allowed me the opportunity to establish and build our social media presence and blog.
What I am working on now: I’m excited to work with a new nonprofit this spring. We’re introducing a few new ways to recognize their sponsors digitally and increase the impact of their event without increasing the production budget. We’re also streamlining the silent auction area to make it easier for guests to see and interact with the auction items.
What I do outside of work: I’m currently serving on the MPI Tennessee Education committee and volunteer every Wednesday with teens in my community. I also enjoy traveling, water-skiing, yoga and running a small backyard farm with chickens and bees.
