How many meeting planners consider sea turtle breeding grounds in site selection research? Or save a client’s money by handcrafting speaker gifts that even Martha Stewart would rave about? Blake’s done both. She calls herself a “get-it-doner and a make-it-happener.” The entrepreneur launched and manages her own event—Roam Mobile Food Conference, for the booming food truck industry in Portland—and is working on a new food blogger conference called Indulge. “I love all things planning-related,” says the hospitality management graduate, who started in corporate marketing doing incentive trips and sales meetings and then moved on to a third-party events agency. She is at her best when she’s busy, whether that’s serving on MPI committees, mentoring community college students interested in the meetings industry, feeding 14,000 techies at a conference or figuring out a way to make a sea turtle-filled beach the perfect location for her next event.
