Elizabeth Allen

BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth Allen is from Northern Virginia and has been planning weddings & special events since 2014, when she began her career in the Hospitality Industry. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from George Mason University. She continued her academic journey at Virginia Tech and completed her Master of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2020. Throughout her tenured career, she has had the opportunity to plan thousands of events throughout the Washington DC metro area. Although she has experience in planning various types of events, she specializes in weddings.  In addition to her full-time career as an Event Planner, she teaches Event Management in the Virginia Tech MSBA HTM program. Elizabeth enjoys bringing her practical experiences into the classroom, while sharing everyday examples of what a career in event planning encompasses.

TEACHING

• HTM 5984- Event Management

EDUCATION

• Virginia Tech – Falls Church, VA, Master of Science and Business Administration (MSBA) Tourism & Hospitality Management, 2020
• George Mason University - Fairfax, VA, Bachelor of Science Hospitality Management, 2019

PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT

Previous Teaching Experience:

• ADJUNCT PROFESSOR | GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY HTM UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

Industry Experience:

MARKETING OPERATIONS ANALYST | 2021 to Present

BECTON AND DICKINSON – Sparks, MD  (Remote)

• Leads sales campaign strategy and manages execution throughout the fiscal year
• Updates and reconciles POC Marketing Budget Tracker regularly
• Collaborates with Digital Marketing Manager and Digital Agency to oversee community management on social media channels and campaigns, supporting the management of the digital response matrix and content updates on social media channels
• Provides day-to-day management of marketing processes such as Veeva documentation management, MLR review and approval
• Coordinates and updates Showpad content, ensuring appropriate marketing assets are updated
• Strategizes POC order Management through Allocations and communicates effectively to BD distributions centers, supply chain, sales associates and channel partners
• Reports POC inventory position to wider sales team and leadership weekly
• Ensures that all activities are consistent with the BD core values and comply with relevant internal and external corporate, legal, regulatory, and ethical standards

LEAD EVENT PLANNER | 2021 to Present                                                                             

WOO, LLC - DMV

• Coordinates events to include weddings, corporate events, and social gatherings
• Executes comprehensive Social media management (FB, Instagram, twitter)
• Acts as a liaison between vendors
• Partners with clients to identify their needs and ensure customer satisfaction
• Organizes facilities and details such as decor, catering, entertainment, transportation, location, invitee list, special guests, equipment, and promotional materials

DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS | 2019 to 2020                                         

International Country Club - Fairfax, VA

• Oversaw the operational aspects of the venue's private events and activities
• Strategized ways to grow the Catering Department while meeting targeted projections
• Ensured the highest levels of client satisfaction is obtained while communicating and collaborating with all departments to make sure that the member and client's special needs were exceeded
• Increased banquet and club event revenue by 40%
• Achieved budget for the Catering Department and exceeded sales goals by 5-10

DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING | 2017 to 2018   

Uptown Alley – Trifecta Management -Manassas, VA

• Strategized and managed marketing goals and objectives for the 2017 fiscal year while overseeing the private events and marketing team
• Improved private event and group event sales by 70% over prior year sales
• Implemented marketing plans to increase corporate business sales by 20%
• Created direct marketing strategies with “I Heart Radio” to grow awareness
• Monitored competitor products and services and maintained relationships with industry influencers and key strategic partners to identify improvement areas and grow customer base
• Established and maintained consistent and vibrant corporate image through all product lines, represented company at trade events and developed strategic relationships with key prospects

Banquet Director | 2015 to 2017

Dominion Valley Country Club -Toll Brothers - Haymarket, VA

• Planned private events at DVCC while leading a team of banquet staff.
• Achieved Wedding Wire's highest award of “Couples Choice” in 2015.
• Wedding Wire 2016 & 2017 customer ratings were at 4.9 stars out of maximum of 5.
• Employee of the Quarter” First Quarter 2016 for all Toll Brothers golf division country clubs.
• Exceeded revenue 111% in 2015 and 104% in 2016 even with Toll Brothers increasing revenue budget 20% from previous year.
• Improved employee attitudes with employee retention remaining at less than 5% annually.

Certifications

• Women WIN (Women's Initiative Network) Associate resource group- Co Lead 2021- Present
• Customer Service Certified- Manage First-2020
• International Business and Cultural Summit Award - Virginia Tech – 2019
• Serve Safe Certification – 2020

Industry Interviews & Newsletter Articles

“Trends in the Wedding Industry” Pamplin College of Business/Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management/Feiertag Collection/VT

Trends in the Wedding Industry Podcast HTM Untiled VT