Erin Stiteley Found Her Second Calling

By Amanda N. Wegner

Erin Stiteley’s career took a turn when volunteer work revealed exciting new opportunities in the meetings and events industry.

“I got started doing volunteer event planning for a local young professionals networking organization. It was on-the-job training,” says Stiteley, who now co-owns Madison-based Blueprint Events, LLC with Kennedy Turner. “I got to figure out what it was like to work with vendors, locations, caterers, all of that — I loved it and found my passion.”

Stiteley began working with Blueprint Events “on and off” in 2018. In 2019, she left her career as a financial advisor to join the firm full time and became a partner three years ago.

She says planning fits her skill set. “I’m very detail-oriented and customer service-focused, and as a financial planner, you need similar project management skills,” she says. “But it’s a different industry. Instead of playing a role in one’s livelihood and retirement, I’m helping clients see and build their vision for an event. I enjoy working with clients and seeing that vision play out from idea to day-of execution.”

ABOUT BLUEPRINT EVENTS

Blueprint Events is a full-service firm specializing in business and corporate event planning. While the firm has branched out to work on events nationwide in the last year, Stiteley notes all clients are local to Madison or Wisconsin.

Among Stiteley’s favorite events is a benefit concert at Madison’s Sylvee concert venue. With four days of concerts, the event attracted about 2,000 people per day, with about 6,000 to 8,000 total in attendance.

“There are events that are more or less fun to attend; there are events that are more or less fun to plan,” she says. “But to be at that event, talk with local and well-known musicians and to work in that atmosphere is amazing.”

Stitely says the key to Blueprint Events’ success is the co-owners’ attention to detail and focus on clients and deadlines.

“Some of our newer clients have thought our deadlines are too early, but when we work with them the next year, they see why we have these deadlines … so they’re not so stressed the day or week before or scrambling at the last minute,” she says. “That’s what comes from being good at deadlines and details.”

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE

Stiteley says she believes today’s events are becoming more interactive and intentional.

“Clients aren’t just having an event to have an event,” she says. “They typically have a clear purpose and vision. Clients are more conscious of timelines, speaker selection, attendee activities and what key takeaways there will be to ensure participants find it worthwhile to attend.”

They are also becoming more conscious of their spend. For instance, Blueprint Events has seen clients moving away from traditional florals toward interactive centerpieces and design elements that create conversation and engagement. If there are giveaways, they are more meaningful and useful, not something attendees will toss when they get home.

“Overall, money for in-person events is not being spent as freely as it may have been in the past. If they are investing in something, it’s tied to a clear and intentional goal,” she says.

Stiteley reminds those who are new to the industry that event planning is amazing because it’s very dynamic and rewarding. But it’s also not for everyone.

“It can be mundane and frustrating at times — it is not all tastings and site visits like in the movies. You have to manage high expectations, handle stress, be able to navigate the unknown and be OK with manual labor. During event days, you’ll see our team at the A/V table, managing speakers and volunteers, helping with centerpieces, but also moving heavy tables and cleaning up after people. You have to be comfortable wearing a lot of different hats.”