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EVENT PLANNING IN THE BIG APPLE:
AN RPTA ALUM'S EXCITING CAREER

By Anthonia Edgren (RPTA '13), Editor, The Report

RPTA alumna Jennifer Brown has been hard at work in New York City since she graduated Cal Poly in 2004. Since leaving San Luis Obsipo eight years ago she has had an amazing career working for the New York City Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Community Events. She serves under New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She started as an event coordinator and eventually worked her way up into her current position as Associate Director.

Working for the Office of the Mayor, Brown coordinates many of the events that the Mayor hosts in the city. It could be anything from a breakfast or dinner to the annual 9/11 ceremony to the NFL Championship Parade. There are usually 2-3 events per week, and Brown generally helps directly coordinate 3-4 per month. This year, Brown had the opportunity to help plan the New York Giants Celebration Parade after their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.

Her prior experience planning the 2009 New York Yankees Championship Parade as well as the 2007 New York Giants Super Bowl Celebration Parade made this event familiar for Brown. A big part of putting on an event this massive is working with city agencies. Brown said,"A lot of city agencies help coordinate the event and work with our office to make it all happen." For the Giants Championship Parade, the 10 people who work in Brown's office had 48 hours to plan the parade. "We had to have all the right people in line to set everything in motion," added Brown.

For Brown to be successful she constantly stays on top of what is relevant by watching the news and reading the paper. "If a marching band is featured in Queens, maybe they will then be invited to play at an event. Everything happens really quickly, and we are constantly having meetings and checking in with City Hall to see what they are doing and approving."

Brown attended Cuesta College and then Cal Poly, earning an RPTA degree with a concentration in Event Planning & Management. She got her start interning for two summers in New York; one summer working for a publishing firm and another for the Parks and Recreation department. Knowing she wanted to live and work in New York City after she graduated, Brown knew it was in her best interest to intern in New York and learn the city. Although these internships were unpaid, she gained valuable experience that helped her gain an internship with the New York City Mayor's Office her senior year.

Over the years, Brown has gone from planning small scale barbecues to large scale events. She says her most memorable event was the first one she was fully in charge of: A Mayor's speech on Earth Day at the Natural History Museum with 1000 people in attendance. However, Brown states that she has also enjoyed planning events that people will remember for many years such as the emotional 9/11 event every year and the Pope's Visit. Brown feels lucky to have the opportunity to plan events that are a part of the city and our nation's history.

When asked about the hardest part of her job, Brown responds, "Patience, not that it's hard, but you can plan everything for six months and things can change the day before. There is a lot of troubleshooting involved and there just never seems to be enough hours in the day." She says her favorite part of her job is, "The relationships I’ve built and being a part of the city. Being in the city you often forget how special it is, and it’s neat being a part of historic events."

Brown has several tips for current RPTA majors:
"Be open to doing anything; if you can Google a job, it's probably not the coolest job. I never thought I would be the event coordinator for the mayor of New York City, but it's important to think outside the box." Brown also says, "Always ask questions. Having someone work on something and not understand can be a problem, don’t be scared to ask." She also says that finding balance is key, "My first year working I didn’t make any plans. I love what I do and I have a great team. The balancing act of it all just takes time and as you get better at your job, you understand the priorities. I make lists every day, and at the start of each day, I make a fresh list so I know exactly what I need to take care of that day."

Jennifer Brown is a true testament to the RPTA major and demonstrates that hard work, dedication, and passion are key to success. Thank you Jennifer for contributing to this edition of The Report and best wishes in your work at the New York City Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Community Events.

Photo 1- Brown updating Mayor Bloomberg at the Interfaith Breakfast
Photo 2- New York Giants Parade
Photo 3- Brown at Gracie Mansion with Mr. Met for the Mayor's annual Tee-Ball tournament.

Photo credits: Office of the Mayor, New York City

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