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Our Team
| Mary Carvotta, Partner |
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 Mary brings the perfect resume of experience, relationships and personality to Perfect World Events. Her background includes over 15 years of national event, meeting planning and destination management experience. Most recently, Mary served as president of a San Francisco destination management company, where she was responsible for leading a staff of up to 28 and directing the company's sales and implementation activities. Her client list of hundreds includes Mervyn's, General Electric, Jim Moran & Associates and Amgen to name just a few.
Prior to joining the professional world of destination management, Mary was planning more than 200 meetings and events annually in the role of vice president of marketing for Insurance Marketing & Management Services.
Mary's diverse background and unmatched experience is partnered with an enormous amount of creativity, knowledge and professionalism. A Bay Area resident since 1995, her hands-on knowledge of the region and its unique and diverse offerings enables her to develop customized programs tailored toward her clients' individual needs.
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| Dan Houdek, Partner |
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 Dan Houdek has spent the last 20 years servicing the most discriminating clientele. His experience includes all sides of the business, including over 14 years delivering on the exceptionally high standards of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. In the demanding luxury market, Dan has delivered hundreds of successful group programs by tailoring unique and exciting itineraries for his clients, many in the Fortune 500. Never satisfied with anything but the best, Dan helped build The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, into the only AAA Five Diamond resort in the Bay Area.
His broad experience includes a deep and intimate understanding of what the San Mateo Coast and Greater Bay Area (San Francisco, Wine Country, Silicon Valley) have to offer. His knowledge, exclusive arrangements and contacts offer many options that other destination experts don't know or can't offer - the result of years of research and an unceasing desire to create unforgettable experiences.
Valuing continual improvement and best practices, Dan continues to expand his expertise through his hospitality-related board and committee work. Dan is known in the industry for his integrity, his ability to listen carefully, research extensively and then deliver the right solution that matches the unique needs of the client.
Dan's enthusiasm for the uniqueness of the San Mateo Coast spills over into his personal life. A resident for many years, Dan supports the community through sports coaching, scouting, school fundraising and beach clean-ups.
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| Bob Elliott, Partner |
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 Bob brings more than 20 years of domestic and international event management experience to Perfect World Events. His credentials include having directed event management and implementation activities for a blue chip roster of clients including NBC Sports, Nike, National Basketball Association, Heineken, National Football League, AT&T, PGA Tour, Southwest Airlines, Major League Baseball, MasterCard, National Hockey League, Taylor Made, Toyota, Gatorade, American Airlines, Isuzu, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and many others.
Bob has also played a key role in the creation and production of numerous made-for-television events including the PGA Touršs EMC Golf Skills Challenge (NBC), Compaq College Football All-Star Challenge (FOX), NFL Lineman Challenge (ESPN), First Plus Financial Celebrity Golf Invitational (FOX), and the Toyota Golf Skills Challenge National Championships (Syndication).
Bob has extensive business experience, serving as managing director of a joint venture between the NBA and Host Communications in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as establishing Pamplona Marketing and Events, a Dallas-based lifestyle marketing company. He has also served as president of Sport and Social Clubs of the U.S., an $18 million lifestyle marketing company with offices in 18 cities.
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| Kat Wright, VP of Operations |
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Kat brings to over 13 years of diverse hospitality experience to Perfect World Events. As an account executive at a San Francisco-based destination management company, Kat served as a liaison between clients and vendors developing all program aspects including, theme proposals, transportation, leisure activities, menus, entertainment, audio visual requirements, room configurations, electrical requirements, production, and everything in between. Kat's background also includes seven years in the San Francisco restaurant business where she learned to exceed the standards of the most discriminating of tastes.
Kat's broad set of resources include familiarity with the area's prestigious destinations and vendors from Carmel to Calistoga and beyond. She brings extensive knowledge of food and wine, group program operation, including orchestration of large-scale events, and importantly, a cool, collected work style, even under extreme stress. A detail-oriented person with a vision to make things happen, Kat brings focus and energy to each Perfect World Events program.
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| Lisa Anderson, Director of Finance |
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Lisa brings more than 20 years of accounting and auditing experience to Perfect World Events. Prior to joining the PWE team, Lisa served as the chief financial officer of a $50 million company that owned and operated multi-facility continuing care retirement communities. In this capacity Lisa directed the firm's accounting, finance and human resources departments.
Before that she was an auditor for the FDIC, a corporation that insures bank deposits and PACCAR, Inc., a diversified, multi-national company engaged in the manufacturing and financing of heavy duty vehicles.
Lisa's extensive experience provides our valued clients with strong financial and reporting mechanisms designed to work in concert with our event operations department.
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| Karin Priou, Sales and Account Director |
 Karin brings to Perfect World Events more than ten years of hospitality experience with an emphasis in food and beverage. Before joining PWE, Karin worked to bring a Reno, Nevada-based restaurant concept to life. In this capacity, Karin coordinated many roles - driving the restaurant’s conceptualization while at the same time hiring, training and ultimately setting the company’s service standards.
Since graduating from California State University, Chico, on the dean’s list with a degree in Psychology, Karin has split her time between the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Enjoying and excelling in the resort and fine dining environments, Karin has managed, coached and developed a staff of 120, executed over 140 weddings, and has opened and led many successful venues.
Her roots firmly planted in San Francisco, she continues to frequent the Lake Tahoe area to snowboard, savor time outdoors, and spend time with friends and family. When in San Francisco, Karin relishes in the fact that she is in one of the most epicurean-centric parts of the world, and spends much of her free time exploring in the Wine Country and all that it has to offer.
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| Clinton Berg, Operations Account Manager |
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 Clinton comes to the Perfect World Events team from the luxury resort industry and brings strong client service and event hospitality experience. Clinton is a former golf professional, and before joining PWE, worked exclusively with the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay to host the most luxurious, full-service events in the area.
Prior to moving to San Francisco, Clinton worked for the prestigious Pebble Beach Company, where guest service and hospitality are unrivaled. High-profile events Clinton helped coordinate include the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AM, Pebble Beach Invitational, Ronnie Lott Celebrity Golf Invitational, and numerous other high-end corporate programs.
Coupled with his background in events and luxury resorts, Clinton is passionate about creating exceptional experiences for his clients and feels that Northern California is the perfect palette for exceeding expectations.
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| Marie Cooper , Operations Account Manager |
Marie joined Perfect World Events after working as an event management coordinator for Abbott Vascular in Santa Clara, California, where she developed a passion for developing and implementing special events.
Working for Abbott Vascular, Marie directed high-profile national sales meetings in San Francisco and Austin, as well as major incentive programs in Maui and Nevis, West Indies. There she worked across all organizational levels developing her unmatched customer service skills and strict attention to detail while executing flawless projects.
Marie received a Bachelors Degree in Speech and Communication from San Francisco State University where she was also recognized for her academic excellence. She is currently the Volunteer Events Coordinator for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) and in her free time she enjoys spending time with her friends and amazing family.
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| Cara VanHootegem , Operations Account Manager |
 Cara brings to Perfect World Events extensive expertise in event program operations and audiovisual services. Prior to joining the PWE team, Cara’s lifelong love of the Bay Area led her to become director of event technology at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay. Additionally, Cara possesses a great understanding of the Silicon Valley, having worked at the Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, for such high profile clients as Palm, Genentech, and Google.
Prior to living in San Francisco, Cara served as director of event technology for the Willard InterContinental, one of the most prestigious hotels in Washington, DC, where she has planned and operated hundreds of programs, galas and political events for foreign dignitaries.
Cara’s passion for travel took her skydiving over the Swiss Alps and wine tasting in Chile and Argentina. These days she enjoys her home off the sandy beaches of Pacifica and snowboarding in Lake Tahoe. Cara is a proud graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Marketing.
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| Lark Floresca, Client Services Manager |
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 Lark brings to Perfect World Events more than 10 years of hospitality and event experience with an emphasis in food and beverage management. Prior to joining the PWE team as an Account Manager, Lark worked as a banquet manager for a prestigious San Francisco restaurant where she continually developed her expertise in food, wine and presentation.
Before moving to San Francisco from New York City, Lark worked at the National Basketball Association (NBA) where she assisted in the coordination of such high-profile events as the NBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Playoffs and the NBA Draft. Much of her tenure at the NBA was spent implementing marketing and hospitality programs for partners such as AT&T, Gatorade, Coca-Cola and Nike.
As a dedicated team player with strong communication skills, Lark has the ability to tailor a client's needs and deliver outstanding service, all with a New York City quickness blended with Northern California charm.
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| Jamie Ziskin, Client Services Manager |
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 Jamie Ziskin joins Perfect World Events directly from the luxury hotel and resort industry. Her experiences at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay; The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa and The Fairmont San Francisco have run the gamut from guest services to group and social events to sales. She has worked with top level clientele ensuring seamless execution of prestigious events for Fortune 500 Companies and specializes in providing the utmost in personalized service.
With over 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Jamies expertise also extends to concert venues, restaurants, promotions, weddings, event planning and concierge services.
Jamie attended the University of Colorado at Boulder majoring in Business Management and Tourism. Jamie is passionate, professional and dedicated to exceeding expectations and creating perfect events.
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| Andi Wilkie, Consultant |
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 Andi brings over 7 years of meeting and event planning experience to Perfect World Events. Andi worked for Fortune 100 Wachovia and Bank of America executing their many meetings and incentive programs. Most recently, Andi worked for a San Francisco-based destination management company where she worked with clients to develop creative and exciting events and activities. Some of her major clients included BMW, Mary Kay and Wachovia Securities.
Andi has a wealth of knowledge of what clients are looking for and how to obtain the extraordinary. Her natural Southern hospitality combines well with her in-depth knowledge of Northern California locations and venues. Andi strives for perfection and will bring that to each Perfect World Events program.
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| Katy Grant, Consultant, Event Alchemy |
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Katy Grant is one of the Bay Area's most experienced and sought-after event planners. Katy brings a unique energy and commitment to successful events down to the last detail. Her excellent communication skills and extremely energetic spirit singles her out as one of the best event planners you will find in this business.
After graduating Cum Laude from California Polytechnic University, Katy began her career as the event lead on the Microsoft Office and Windows 95 launch with a 76-city road show across the U.S. At McGettigan Meetings Plus in the Bay Area, she served as a Director of Operations after producing and successfully maintaining up to 25 accounts per year. Katy expanded her experience by joining the high tech firm, Commerce One, as Senior Manager of Marketing Events where Katy and her team produced multiple worldwide user conferences and dozens of seminars, sponsorships, web programs and internal events. Katy began her own event planning consultancy in 2003 and is a partner in Event Alchemy, an event planning company which specializes in strategy, planning and implementation of corporate meetings and events
Katy is active in triathlon competitions and fundraising campaigns for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Katy lives in Walnut Creek with her husband and is the proud parent of a new baby daughter, Morgan.
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| Kenny Watanabe, Consultant, kdub, inc. |
Kenny has worked with Perfect World Events since our inception and handles all our client-related creative services and IT needs. Kenny has created every imaginable printed piece including thousands of logos, invitations, customized menus and comprehensive conference materials for our clients.
He has also creates customized websites for conference and activity registration and serves as a liaison between our clients and venues with regard to IT-related services such as wireless access, computer networks, printing, remote server access and other technology related issues.
With over 20 years of graphic design work and 15 years of IT related work experience, Kenny has helped both Perfect World Events and our clients in both areas. Kenny graduated from the University of Utah and is an active alumni at their sporting events around the country.
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