Please note: Session is FULL - Join the Waitlist!

Most team-building activities induce eye rolls and sighs. Let’s turn those into laughs and real connections. Our DMC community is constantly tasked with the impossible and they always deliver. Why? They know how to make teams work.

The right kinds of team-building exercises can bring people closer together, help teams work more effectively, and identify gaps and strengths in individual members.

Listen to some of our leading DMCs share their best ideas for new team-building approaches to bring our new and tenured staff together.

After our education, we will have a Networking Reception at the Blue Lacy Restaurant hosted by the Origin Hotel. There will also be a special scavenger hunt to discover all the features of this new and exciting venue! Registration includes two complimentary drink tickets, and appetizers will be served. The registration fees are $55 for Members, $65 for Non-Members and $15 for Students.

Moderator - Lahoma Dade Events Unleashed	Elizabeth Alderson Austin Detours	Emily Kratt Innovatx Events	Christopher McAnany CIRCA Destination Mgmt.

Moderator - Lahoma Dade - Owner, Senior Event Planner, Events Unleashed

An award-winning entrepreneur, Lahoma Dade has always believed in lifting others and leading them to success. She ensures success at every step thanks to a multi-pronged game plan she cultivated throughout a career spanning operational management at a startup, event planning, and over a decade in the banking and finance industry.  

The CEO of Events Unleashed, a luxury-boutique event planning and consulting firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, Lahoma dedicates much of her time to working with marginalized and under-represented communities. Lahoma has a hand in making moments and movements happen, from cultural weddings to large fundraisers to bridge racial and social divides.

Speaker - Elizabeth Alderson -Chief Experience Officer, Austin Detours

Creator | Dreamer | Mom of twins and a toddler | World Traveler | Harley-Davidson rider | Adventure-seeker | Pickle-addict | Ringleader | Cheerleader | Creator | Lived in 7 countries | Visited 40 more | Fun | Outgoing | Eager to wow | Loves to meet new people | Ready for adventure.

Speaker - Emily Kratt, CIS, CITS - Managing Director, Innovatx Events
Emily Kratt, a New York City native, has been passionately working in the meetings, incentives and events industry for the last 18 years. Emily has worked at some of the nation’s premier event production and destination management companies since studying Special Event Management at New York University. In the summer of 2011 Emily traded in her stilettos for a pair of cowboy boots and relocated out to Austin, Texas where she continues to work with corporations producing award winning events.  

In 2014 Emily launched INNOVATX Events, a full-service global Meeting, Incentive and Destination management agency where her team services mainly fortune 2000 clients.  From 2013-2020 Emily has served on the SITE Texas Board of Directors and is a Past President.  Emily has also been nominated for best CEO in Austin from the Austin Business Journal in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  When Emily is not managing world class events, she is typically found cuddling on the couch watching true crime with a glass of California Cabernet and her three fluffy dogs.

Christopher brings over two decades of experience in the meetings and events industry as well as exhibition and conference services. He started his career working with the automotive industry in events and exhibitions throughout the Detroit area. Joining with esteemed partners such as GM Creative Services, HB Stubbs, and Carlson Marketing, Christopher contributed to the success of GM World and related events  for the first few years of his career. Over the years, he continued to transition from both the exhibit and event realms  to the DMC industry, eventually bringing resources from all those industries together. He has held executive  level roles as vice president of the east coast at both PRA and the former Kuoni Destination Management,  now MC&A. At Kuoni, he not only managed the eastern half of the US but collaborated on global strategy with the European division. Currently, he serves as a vice president at The RK Group leading the Circa Destination Management division.

This program has been approved by the Events Industry Council for 1 CEU (Continuing Education Unit) credit hour.