Rachel Bandarenko works in New York City as director of business development at INVNT. As a 2019 15 Over 50 honoree, Bandarenko discusses her passion for the events industry.
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What I do: II partner with clients to ensure that their meetings and events reflect their vision and strategic goals, while creating goose-bump moments and memorable experiences for attendees.
How I got here: I’m a late bloomer. I began my career in the meetings and events industry at the age of 44 after a prolonged stint as a stay-at-home mom. My first gig back in 2012 was at an entertainment start-up in New York City, where I launched the corporate events division. From there, I moved into the global meeting and events industry and NYC destination management. I currently find myself at an incredible live events agency.
Greatest career accomplishment: Clients consistently tell me that my events are their all-time favorite events/meetings. And I love that! It’s so important to me, not only that the attendees enjoy their experience, but that the planners I partner with also have an incredible experience. It’s my job to make the planner the hero of their event.
Impressive stats: I’ve created two divisions at two separate companies from scratch, and both generated multimillion-dollar revenue within the first two years of launching.
What I am working on now: I have a number of national sales meetings on tap for 2019. Say I’m crazy, but I love producing sales meetings
What I do outside of work: I love an old-school dinner party! I love planning them and attending them.
