Amy Sant, 34, is the regional director of sales and events for Columbia Hospitality’s Bell Harbor International Conference Center. She’s based in Seattle.
My career journey:
I began my career in the culinary industry with a passion for cooking and party planning for my friends. That combination of interests and the start of my family led me into all aspects of the events and hospitality worlds, eventually leading me to the path of event sales and planning for hotels, resorts, and now large specialty venues. I still love every aspect of chef life and working side by side with some amazing chefs and culinary teams to curate amazing experiences for our guests.
What my day-to-day looks like:
An average day for me consists of multiple different facets. First, I work directly with our large VIP clients on pricing, menus, contracting, site visits, and overall guest satisfaction. Also, I actively work side by side with my sales and event managers with training, revenue management, new and updated processes, prospecting new clients, hiring and growing the team, contractual terms and conditions, new menus, and event planning details. On top of that, my position handles the bottom line for revenue growth; weekly, monthly, and annual reporting; as well as ownership management and multiple unique jurisdictions that come with managing multiple government-owned venues and operating cruise terminals.
My leadership style:
I have a very relaxed leadership style overall while still striving to continually train and develop the future leaders that I have on my team. I work side by side with my team, and I hope that’s one thing they all take with them! You are no one if you are not able to get your hands dirty and do the same that you expect of your team. I want every single team member that works for me to want to take my job someday, and to strive to put themselves in positions to always be learning and growing!
I directly manage a sales and events team of eight people at the senior or manager level, and about 120 hourly team members.
Sant couldn't pick just one time she averted a complete event disaster. "As event professionals, averting disaster and being ahead of the game is our middle name," she quipped.Photo: Courtesy of Amy Sant
My greatest career accomplishment:
I think my greatest career accomplishment would be in 2022, when I booked the highest contracted value event in our company’s history, at $1.87 million. I also planned and managed the highest revenue event in our company’s history, at $3,190,167, and closed the year as the "most profitable" ever in the history of our venue's history, by $1.1 million.
My most memorable event:
There are so many memories I have from my career thus far to only choose one! I could say my favorite wedding was a multi-day, multi-ethnic grand wedding in Santa Barbara—I still keep in touch with the father of the groom! Or, helping so many amazing nonprofit organizations host their galas and hit and exceed the fundraising goals; or, most recently, the very first multi-day Breakthrough Energy Summit that brought together innovators, government officials, and numerous companies looking to the future and developing the solutions needed to reach net-zero emissions.
A time I averted a complete event disaster:
This question makes me smile! How do you pick one situation in the event industry in which you averted an event disaster? I don't know if that is possible! As event professionals, averting disaster and being ahead of the game is our middle name. I think to a point, the challenge is what keeps us going! We live for the change—for the unexpected—and this is what shows us that we are who we are, even if we pretend like we hate it sometimes!
One of Sant's greatest career accomplishments was booking the highest contracted value event in Bell Harbor International Conference Center's history, at $1.87 million.Photo: Courtesy of Amy Sant
What inspires me:
This is a tough one for me. I think the main thing that inspires me in life as a whole is happiness—whether that applies to seeing the happiness on my daughter’s face at home or the happiness of my clients and their guests when we close out an amazing and successful event for them. That is truly what I strive for in all aspects at work and at home!
The advice I would give my younger self:
Just keep going and don't give up! Your goal is reachable! You will get there, and you will do great things along the way!
My ideal day OOO:
My ideal day spent out of the office always includes one-on-one time with my daughter Sydney, who is almost 10. We love spending time exploring the outdoors, trying new restaurants, cooking together, watching movies, and traveling!
What’s next for me:
I think my next career goal is to one-up my own records! Let's shoot for a single event contract value to exceed $2 million!
BizBash's 2023 40 Under 40 list is sponsored by VDA, a Massachusetts-based experiential marketing and event design agency that specializes in custom live, hybrid, and virtual experiences designed to drive business growth through client collaboration and creative thinking.
