Today we’d like to introduce you to Casee Safford.
Casee, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I didn’t set out to be an event designer. In fact, I didn’t know a job like this existed when I was in school. I grew up in the Dallas area and had the great privilege to attend Ursuline Academy and then TCU. I studied both Psychology and Painting at TCU with the full intention of becoming either a lawyer or psychologist. I always knew I was creative and had a passion for art, but never really saw myself in a creative career. As my four years came to a close, I really just needed a break from the classroom and decided to take a year off before attending graduate school for law or psych.
I (kind of out of the blue) took a position as an English teacher in a small city in South Korea (getting out of the classroom ha!). Before this time, I had only been to Mexico, and I don’t think my family really believed that I was moving across the world until I was in the security line at the airport. I spent the next year traveling, exploring, getting to know myself, and deciding that going through years of graduate school really wasn’t for me. I missed my creative outlet immensely! It was at that time I decided to reach out to a fellow Ursuline graduate I knew that was working in weddings with the renowned Todd Fiscus. Creativity, brides, and their crazy mothers!? This was for me!
I moved back to Dallas, spent eight months as an intern with Todd, and knew immediately that I had made the right choice in keeping creativity in the forefront of my career path. However, maybe not so much with the brides and crazy mothers. From there, I did a 180 and took a position as a Program Coordinator at a meeting planning company. Although the travel was nice and I made lifelong friends throughout the two years I was there, it wasn’t creative enough for me. I needed a role that was a mix of logistics and creativity. This brought me to where I am today as a Senior Creative Design Manager at Ultimate Ventures DMC in Addison.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This whole journey has really been one about self-discovery and honoring myself. In the beginning of my career, I developed anxiety and thought that maybe I wasn’t cut out for the fast-paced event world. I had to learn to really dig deep and try to figure out what was causing me to feel stressed and overtired. It turns out that I wasn’t in the right role. I want young women just starting out in their careers to know that it is OK to move on if you’re not being fulfilled by your position. If you are tired, dread going to work in the morning, or feel constantly like something is missing…you’re probably in the wrong place.
Don’t be afraid to try out different positions in different areas of your industry. In the events world, you can end up working for 19+ hours on your feet at a time. Whether you’re the planner, the florist, or the designer, If you are in the right role, you should be saying “that was fun, let’s do it again!” at the end of the day.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Ultimate Ventures story. Tell us more about the business.
I have been an event designer at Ultimate Ventures for almost five years. As the “Senior Creative Design Manager” my role is to design events and activities for corporate groups. Our attendees are seasoned travelers that come from all over the world to Dallas for various reasons, and most of them have “been there, done that”, It is my job to create events that make my company and my city stand out among the rest.
My personal design style is to push the envelope. I try my best never to repeat the same exact event twice. There is always new lighting innovations, new furniture, or a new entertainment element to include. The specific client I am designing for may have never seen the last event I did and it would be easier to just repeat it, but I don’t believe in cookie-cutter solutions. A client asking for, “red checked table cloth with hay bales,” is about the worst thing I can hear in a day. Let’s do it different! Let’s stand it on end! Instead of your typical western, or 80s, or Gatsby event, let’s think beyond that. Let’s forget about “themes” and create environments instead. I want to do what hasn’t been done before because THAT is what will be remembered.
In my career, this way of thinking has lead me to be nominated for and win several prestigious industry awards. Because of my work at this wonderful company and with this wonderful team, I also had the privilege of being named “One of the top 25 Young Event Professionals to Watch” in 2017. With me and with Ultimate Ventures, if you ask for creative, you’re going to get creative!
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
In my spare time, I am an avid reader and can’t get enough of true crime podcasts. These resources let me escape and help me to not obsess about current projects I’m working on. For work, I look to Better Homes and Gardens (believe it or not), BizzBash, The Special Event Magazine, and Pinterest for inspiration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ultimateventures.com/
- Instagram: @casaffordart
Image Credit:
Jessica Simmonds, Greg Blomberg
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