Today we’d like to introduce you to Dara Hall.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I discovered a love and talent for writing early on. College allowed me to narrow the field by a process of elimination. I spent time as Editor of my college newspaper; I interned with a major consumer magazine; and, after graduation, I landed my dream handling the press for the Dallas Market Center. I was responsible for the media relations for 5 industries as well as corporate communications. Nine months later, a re-organization changed my position from a single-function focus for all industries to a vertical focus in which I handled all aspects of marketing (media/advertising/ events/public relations) for one industry.
The DMC was a fertile learning ground for the development of young leaders – especially young women. Our team of industry marketing directors were relied on to be the subject-matter experts for our assigned industries. We were entrusted with healthy budgets and encouraged to take calculated risks if we believed it would elevate the Market Center’s competitive advantage.
The environment encouraged creativity. The more unusual, the better. This is most assuredly where I caught the “bug” for event planning. We introduced many “firsts” including Oscar-type events for jewelry design and decorative accessories; frequent buyer programs (before airline and hotel reward programs came onto the scene), and shocked the whole buying world by combining the timing of our two largest shows to accommodate the cross-over buyer.
I was a Vice President by the time I was 27 and five years later I was traveling the country leading the Retail Development efforts for all industries. It was an exciting time. But, I had also had two babies during the time and wanted to find a new challenge that did not require as much travel. As luck would have it, while at lunch with my now business partner, who was our “go to” vendor for decor and entertainment, I was offered the opportunity to focus my energies on the event planning side of marketing.
That was in 1996 and I have not looked back nor have I regretted my decision. My company has expanded our services to plan meetings as well as events for all industries anywhere in the world. Every time the telephone rings, it is a different client with a different set of needs. I was lucky to have found my niche in this ever-changing, ever-evolving environment.
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?
The main challenge I faced when I left the corporate world and joined a small business was the realization that those functional departments I took for granted (i.e. IT, accounting, HR, etc.) no longer existed. You wore all those hats. And finding a balance between your clients’ program deadlines and your internal marketing and accounting deadlines can be problematic without the proper support.
Since our company has been in business since 1988, we have seen and weathered many bad economies. I became a full partner in 2009, at a time when the economy was at one of its lowest points. In times like those, you have to be willing to re-invent yourself/services/pricing/etc. and have faith in yourself if you are going to survive. Many of our colleagues did not survive. We were lucky; but, being small allowed us to re-group and re-focus. We branched out into a new field and became a preferred contractor to the government which now accounts for nearly half our business.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Event Source Professionals Inc. (ESP) is a certified woman-owned small business that provides a diverse network of clients with the ease of one contact and the support of an entire company as it services all levels of meeting and event planning, site selection, on-site support, security and risk management with unparalleled service. With long-term relationships come trust and growth, and over time, ESP has provided total meeting solutions for its clients – nationally and internationally, in a variety of industries. The team’s expertise in planning, marketing and operations management allows our clients to enjoy the inherent benefits of hiring one dedicated ESP staff supported by an entire team of professional meeting and event planners.
ESP has a proven history of simultaneously managing multiple projects for multiple clients. We accomplish 50-75 meetings and events per year, including medical investigator meetings, product launches, sales meetings, training meetings, incentive programs, medical industry conferences, advisory board meetings and industry trade shows. Our program attendance per meeting/event ranges from 10 to 15,000. ESP has managed city-wide events for 15,000 participants and stand-alone client retention events for 4,000 participants.
Having been awarded a GSA Schedule in 2010, which identified ESP as a preferred vendor to the Government, we understand Federal Per Diems, And we approach negotiations for our corporate and association clients with the same tenacity as we do for our government clients. We have been dubbed the “Meeting Miracle Workers” and have been touted as providing white-glove services at per diem prices.
What were you like growing up?
I was a “corporate kid”. My dad was responsible for sales and marketing for a major manufacturer of mainframe computers. We would move to the branch with the worst performance and given 5 years to turn that business around before moving to the next worst performing branch. A quiet kid and only child until 10 years old, I was forced at an early age to introduce myself to strangers with each move across the country. Although I would not consider myself an extrovert, my background has definitely allowed me to conquer the anxiety inherent in the field I chose.
I was an insatiable reader as a kid which dove-tailed into my love of writing and the creativity designing events requires.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.esp-usa.com
- Phone:8172676698
- Email:dara@espinc-usa.com
- Twitter:@espiesuprplanr
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