What No One Tells You About Starting a Career in Events

Students and other incoming events industry professionals are typically told it’s a fast-paced, exciting industry that’s full of opportunity. But they’re rarely told how steep the learning curve can be, how much confidence they’ll need to build or how unclear the path forward might feel at the start.

In this episode of Eventualists, co-hosts Taylor Smith and Hannah Elston are joined by Tyler Sturdivant, assistant manager of events at Inspire Brands, to explore what new professionals can really expect when entering the events industry. From navigating uncertainty and imposter syndrome to understanding workplace dynamics, career progression and how to earn trust early on, the Eventualists unpack the realities that aren’t written in the job description.

[Related: The Inaugural Episode: What Is an ‘Eventualist,’ and What Is This Podcast About?]

This episode is about acknowledging the gap between expectation and reality, and what both emerging professionals and industry leaders can do to bridge it.

Listen now: 

Meet Our Guest: 

Tyler Sturdivant is an assistant manager of events at Inspire Brands, where she contributes to the strategic planning and execution of major franchisee conventions, large-scale meetings and internal events for brands such as SONIC, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’ and others. Her work centers on shaping attendee registration processes and leading event communications, ensuring that each experience aligns with organizational objectives and delivers measurable impact.

A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in hospitality administration, Sturdivant began her career as a 2021 Inspire intern. She quickly distinguished herself through strong organizational skills, collaboration and a commitment to continuous learning—qualities that propelled her from intern to events coordinator in 2022, and to assistant manager in 2024.

Dedicated to supporting and inspiring young professionals in the events industry, Sturdivant brings a thoughtful, future‑focused perspective shaped by her hands‑on corporate events experience and hospitality foundation.

Beyond her corporate work, Sturdivant remains deeply connected to her K–12 community, frequently returning to speak with students about career pathways in the events industry. She also gives back to her former summer camp, sharing her professional journey and encouraging the next generation to pursue their passions.

Transcript:

Editors note: The following transcription was exported from Microsoft Teams and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.

Taylor Smith  
Welcome to eventualists, real stories, eventual experiences, a new Meetings Today podcast for tomorrow's talent and today's leaders co-hosted by me, Taylor Smith.

Hannah Elston  
And me, Hannah Elston, the eventualists, sheds light on the unexpected realities of life as a business events industry professional. And today we are excited to welcome our first guest to our podcast. But before we do, Taylor, let's just talk quick. How do you feel the reaction has been to eventualists so far?

Taylor Smith   
Hannah, this has been crazy so far. I don't think either one of us anticipated right away this excitement and eagerness from our peers in the industry who are so supportive already. And I think that has really uplifted me and made me feel even more excited to take this on.

We've already gotten some emails from people who have reached out to share their thoughts, and it's just the most rewarding feeling ever. How do you feel about it all?

Hannah Elston    

Oh my gosh. I mean, it's been so good, as you say, to see the support online. And just one of the things I love is feedback that it wasn't long enough because people could listen to us talk for longer. And I was like, well, great, because these episodes moving forward are going to be much longer.  

So that made me feel good about this for sure, and I feel like we also should drop in something new that we've done. We have now created the eventualists podcast Instagram account, so we will be sharing clips from the podcast on there. So hopefully you'll see us pop up in your reels. Give us a follow on Instagram. And that's where you can keep up with all the latest eventualists news. But Taylor, outside of work, just give me a little bit of highlights. What's a highlight from February? And then tell me something that you're looking forward to in March.

Taylor Smith

So, February, I feel like saying the eventualists is obviously what one highlight was. But outside of that, there was this really great fairy brunch at the Sheraton Riverwalk in Chicago that I got to go and volunteer at with my mom and my aunt. And there were a bunch of little girls dressed as fairies, and it was the cutest thing ever to see how the hotel put that on. It was literally like walking into a fairy tale dream world.  

You walk through like this tunnel of balloons. They did a really great job and I felt like I was a little princess fairy again just dancing around. So that was probably a highlight from February. I need your highlights now. Highlights from February, highlights from March.

Hannah Elston  
Well, we had our event in February in Orlando, which was a crazy and surreal experience, but so much fun. And then I got to celebrate at the Epic Park in Orlando with some butterbeer, really good roller coasters and I had such a great time. So that would be my biggest win for February. For March, I'm going skiing. I'm going to Tignes, the French Alps. I've only ever been skiing once before and I hit my top speed sliding down a mountain on my backside, not the most physically fit right now either, so it's going to be a struggle, but at least the outfits will be cute, right?

Taylor Smith  
Yes, all the Instagram photos.

Hannah Elston    
So, Taylor, without further ado, should we bring our first guest in for the podcast?

Taylor Smith    
I think we should. I think it's time.

Hannah Elston    
Exciting. OK, well, allow me to introduce Tyler Sturdivant, assistant manager of events at Inspire Brands, who began her career with Inspire in 2021 as an intern, and in just five years has carved out opportunities for herself to advance into a managerial role. Now Tyler is here to talk to us about the steep learning curve that comes with being a next gen professional in this fast-paced, exciting industry, one that's full of opportunity but sometimes unclear to navigate on your own.

Taylor Smith    
Dedicated to supporting and inspiring young professionals in the events industry, Tyler brings a thoughtful, future-focused perspective shaped by her experience in corporate events that Hannah and I felt was ideal for a conversation on the eventualists podcast. And beyond her corporate work, Tyler remains deeply connected to her K-12 community.

Frequently returning to speak with students about career pathways in the events industry, she also gives back to her former summer camp, sharing her professional journey and encouraging the next generation to pursue their passions. Hannah, I don't think there's a definition out there better than that for eventualists.

Hannah Elston    
Right. Tell me about it. Tyler is joining us for this episode to explore next gen expectations and the reality of starting a career in business events, realities that aren't always written in the job description. So, before we really dive in, snaps for Tyler, please.

Tyler, do you want to just take a moment to introduce yourself to our listeners today and then maybe share a bit more about your story and ultimately what inspired us to have this conversation with you on eventualists?

Tyler Sturdivant   
Of course, I'm so excited to be here. This is a superb topic and something I feel like is really needed for those that are coming up in the industry. I was born and raised in Atlanta all my life, and then I went to school at Cornell University for hotel administration.

Within those four years, I learned a lot about business, hospitality, hotels, of course, restaurants. But I really found that my niche probably lived in events. It's where I found the most creativity. It's where I found this kind of yearning to do something in this industry.

So following my graduation, I started an internship with Inspire on the events team, working the events, learning the ropes, just jumping right in and doing what I could. And I let the years go by and it was like, this is where I was meant to be. 

I'm really fond of going back to my community and expressing how rewarding this career has been and teaching students and upcoming graduates about a different side of the world.  

You know, when we go into these professional or undergrad organizations, there are the typical career paths that you think of. So, teachers, lawyers, doctors, XY and Z. But there's this whole entire world of professions that exist that people sometimes just don't know about. And so, I love being able to share more about my story and how I landed here and just all the good things that have come out from working in events.

Hannah Elston   
My gosh, I love that. And I feel like you've kind of already answered this question, but what about your story makes you an eventualist?

Tyler Sturdivant   
Oh my gosh. What makes me an eventualist, I think, is just my desire and my dreams of not only becoming a motivator and a mentor for younger people as I grow in this industry and can provide more resources and more learnings.

But even just sharing that with other people in the other industries and learning how they're doing things and finding that crossroads of where we can intersect our skills, where we can learn from each other, where we can show our strengths, there's so much to grow and learn within events that you can really apply it anywhere. You can apply it in all areas of your life. And so, I think being an eventualist is taking these skills that you learn in events and applying it everywhere.

Taylor Smith    
I love that. And I think if there's one thing that being in the events industry has taught me too, it's that there's a place in the industry for everyone, no matter your skill set. It is such a wide-ranging industry that we need everyone, whether you're a writer like me or an event designer and architect like you, there's so much that is possible in this industry and being an eventualist is not only opening it up to those that follow us, but being open ourselves to learning and adapting as well. So, I think you do a great job of doing that, Tyler.  

When you were studying hospitality at Cornell, what did you think starting a career in events would look like? And what surprised you most about it? What parts of the job kind of feel less glamorous than you expected, maybe?

Tyler Sturdivant  
While I was an undergrad, to be completely honest events to me was positioned as picking out linens, doing florals, scheduling a meeting, setting up a conference, the very tactical things which are important. But that was all that was really described. That was all it was painted to be. I think jumping into my internship and getting ingrained in the processes and all the work and all the things that happen before you get on site months, months in advance, that was a big surprise. Like learning that events weren't just events, it's strategy, it's being creative when resources are limited, it's learning people and learning their vision and sometimes telling people what they want even when they don't know they want it.  

So those were all really surprising factors. I was like, this is more than just taking orders. This is really creating big things and big experiences that people take away and remember forever. Some of the less glamorous things that you don't really think about before you get there are the long travel days, the long days on your feet, making sure you have good footwear. Many of my beginning days, I had on flats or no support and I really regretted it. So major learning there and sometimes managing different work personalities and different ways of working and learning how to juggle that.

Hannah Elston  
I love that so much. And Tyler, I feel like that's such an important piece of advice for every eventualist is: wear comfortable footwear, right? We've all made the mistake and I know you look fabulous in your heels, but we can all promise you it is never worth it. Get the Sketchers. It's OK.

Tyler Sturdivant
I remember coming down from my room one of the first days of my first events and I had on like these really cute short heel shoes. And my manager at the time was like, ‘do you think you're going to last?’ And I'm like, ‘yeah, of course you don't think so.’ I was in for a rude surprise at the end of the day.

Hannah Elston    
Oh yeah, and I always have blister plasters with me onsite as well because, oh my gosh, there is nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of the show floor.

Taylor Smith   
I didn't know what blister plasters were until I was in the UK and I was like, what are these? They're genius and now I won't go to IMEX without them.

Hannah Elston   
Do you know what? That's something I love about IMEX is that they put comfortable shoes as a part of their campaign. They always say, ‘wear the shoes that you feel comfortable with.’ And I'm like, hell yeah, I'll wear my beat down sneakers.

So, you know, we've spoken about the less glamorous side of things, but going back to when you first started that internship at Inspire Brands, what was it that you really enjoyed about the role that encouraged you to stay?

Tyler Sturdivant   
When I first started, I think the thing that stuck with me the most and really solidified this is the place for me is the agency I felt at such a young age and in such a young state of mind. I really felt like I owned what I was working on. There was this superb balance of tactical tasks but also creativity that I got to bring forth, that kind of allowed me to put ideas together and showcase how I thought about things or explore why things may or may not work.  

It was really something that I learned was projects that I could take be proud of and really take ownership of. And that there was something that kind of kept me confident that this is where I wanted to be.

Hannah Elston 
So at heart, you're a creative.

Tyler Sturdivant   
Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

Hannah Elston  
Yes, I love that. What would you say is your favorite creative element to your role?

Tyler Sturdivant   
We do a lot of events that are the same over and over again. Of course, details change, the dates change, the locations change, the audience may change slightly, but overall the format doesn't really change. However, there's always that moment in the initial stages of planning where we sit and we say ‘OK, how can we make this different? How can we take survey results and change up the format just a little bit or just enough to meet the new goals of this audience or allow them to network more or integrate new experiences?’  

So, taking those moments to think about different formats and different exciting ways to host a meeting, or do we do it on the show floor instead of in a meeting room? Those brainstorming sessions where you're really pressured to think outside the box and stretch the norm a little bit. Those are my favorite kind of things.

Taylor Smith   
I feel like that kind of ties into our next question for you pretty well. And we talked about this a little bit already with how much room there is for creativity and a variety of skills in this industry. There's so many different roles and career paths that exist in business events to follow down to the role that you're in, right,  

You could be a meeting planner planning an entirely different meeting for one client than you are for the other, and your role in itself is changing that way. So, when you saw all those opportunities, did that change how you saw your own future at all?

Tyler Sturdivant  
Absolutely. I think going into it, I was like, OK, I'm a meeting planner. I do events here at Inspire. This is what I do. My trajectory is continuing to do events and doing that for the rest of my life, which I want to be in the events industry, but seeing all the hands that were that were touching our projects and impacting them in different ways and being involved in the hands on planning to make this come to reality. It was like I don't have to just be a part of it one way.

I can explore more creative sides. I can get into more hands-on things. There are trade show teams, there are production companies, there are destination management services teams. There are so many avenues to take it and you find that you can become really well-rounded in this industry and learn so many things in whatever way you want to go, in whatever way you want to have your career be brought out.

Hannah Elston    
And there are so many crossover points as well, right? Like I know specifically in my role right now, I'm a marketer, but as everyone says, I have about 10 different hats, but I get to dabble in a little bit of everything, right? A little bit of the content, a little bit of the planning. With all these different options, it is quite easy to get overwhelmed, right? And think, am I making the right choice when there's so much to choose from? But I think what's always reassuring about the events industry is you can always touch on quite a few and get to know what it is that you really enjoy and what you really like.  

And I'm so happy that they have you at Inspire because you're clearly very set with knowing that you want to stay in the industry. This is what we love to hear. We love to hear about eventualists progressing forward and so speaking of that, you know your commitment at Inspire, your internship was extended multiple times before you actually became full-time as we discussed. So, what do you think it was that helped you earn that trust from Inspire that made them say, ‘we’ve got to keep Tyler on our team.’

Tyler Sturdivant   
Yeah, I think when I sit back and truly reflect about my time as an intern and as an intern in those extension periods, I think there were a few main things that really gave the team confidence that I was wanting to be there and was a great addition to a team. I think one is just being a self-starter. Being able to predict the needs of the team and the needs of what needed to be done before it was even told to me, that was a great way to show that I was really ingrained in the process and really loving what we did and what we produced.

Just asking questions like coming out of a meeting, I would ask the simplest questions like ‘why did that person say that or? What does this word mean or why do we do things that way?’ Questions like that, although they may seem simple, I think they really allow you to learn the processes all the way to the details, but they show your team members or your managers or whoever you're working with at the time that you're really wanting to be a part of the process and you want to learn and you want to see ways to grow the team.

Lastly, just really taking feedback and implementing it. We can often get caught in a cycle of gathering the feedback, but not really translating that through in our actions moving forward. So, I would always write my feedback down, maybe post it at my desk or keep it in my notebook on the very front page. So it was a constant reminder of like, OK, as I'm doing new things, let me implement this so it can really change how I work, change my mind and then even showcase to my team that I'm really taking what they're offering me seriously.

Taylor Smith   
I love that as someone who is a visual learner and needs to see things, to be reminded like, oh, that is something I should be working on. I've got all my written notepads and sticky notes all over my desk, because having that constant reminder is a way to hold yourself accountable. You're not letting it slip your mind or anything. And another thing that I think is really important that you said is we are so intimidated sometimes to ask questions because we think asking a question is going to tell our employers or higher ups that we don't know something or that we're not qualified enough to do something or be in our role. I think that's where a lot of imposter syndrome can sneak in, and I think young professionals need to be more aware of the fact that asking questions does not mean you're unprepared or underqualified or you don't know. It actually shows how passionate you are and how eager you are to learn.

That was one of the biggest things that I learned in college classrooms. You feel scared to raise your hand. You don't want to be judged by other students. You don't know if the professor's going to be like, well, I just talked about that, why weren't you listening 5 minutes ago? And it's like, Oh my God, well, I didn't learn this stuff in the classroom. I do have a question about how the company does XYZ and no one's going to teach me that if I don't ask right now.

Tyler Sturdivant   
And I think, Taylor, sometimes if we just take a step back and realize I wasn't growing or I wasn't coming of age and these people just hopped in the world at the age and the knowledge that they're at. They went through this process too. They had to ask the same questions too. It's not a foreign thing or a showcasing of not being capable if I ask the question, because more than likely they've already asked the questions too.

Hannah Elston   
And I just think as well, like when it comes to asking questions, wouldn't you be concerned if a member of your team was asking zero questions like, oh, all of a sudden you feel like you know everything straight away off the bat that you don't need to ask anything? And I think that that is, you know, such an important thing that we need to do to get clarity on our organizations, and I think you are just spot on with that is the best way to build trust is to show that you genuinely care to get it right, right.