Amaia P. Stecker, 34, works in Alexandria, Virginia, as owner and lead designer at Pilar & Co. As a 2018 40 Under 40 honoree, Stecker discusses her passion for the events industry.
Connect with Stecker on Instagram.What I do: Pilar & Co. is an event-planning agency specializing in association and government relations events. With more than 10 years of experience working on Capitol Hill and nine years producing events for groups of 10 to 800, we have the connections, knowledge and expertise to create effective fly-ins and special events that further the legislative agendas of our clients.
How I got here: As a former scheduler in the U.S. Senate, I’ve always had a knack for organization, planning and seeing the bigger picture at the same time. I served as president of The Washington State Society, and after planning and executing my fifth Potlatch gala while simultaneously executing a consumer awareness event marketing campaign at my day job for a trade association, I decided to combine my strongest skills and ideas to help associations achieve their legislative agendas through fly-ins and events.
Impressive stats: For one client, I was able to increase their total number of meetings by an additional 80 meetings across 18 teams over 1.5 days, simply by changing their request strategy and messaging.What I do outside of work: I am a registered yoga teacher and find time on my mat with my yoga practice to be the best stress reliever. I am also involved in the Northern Virginia Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma, recently completing my term as president. I also volunteer as a Junior Friend of The Campagna Center in Alexandria.
