Today we’d like to introduce you to Arin Segall.
Arin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My sophomore year of college, I decided to finally pursue this burning interest I had been having for events, so I made the decision to transfer to the University of Houston, enrolling in the Conrad N. Hilton College for Hotel & Restaurant Management, where they had an event management track. I immediately engulfed myself in all things hospitality and events – never looking back.
Though I already had a strong foundation for customer service prior to coming into the school, as I had worked in restaurants and retail from the age of 14, it was also important for me to learn as many facets specifically in the event industry, as I could. From working for vendors, coordinating with event planners and taking on event internships throughout college, I really developed a strong understanding of the grit you need to have in order to make it in this field. My level of customer service and passion for helping others only strengthened as time went on, especially after my internship at Walt Disney World. Ultimately, I really loved that I was able to combine my passion for helping people with my natural sales ability, knack for marketing and more importantly, my eye for design.
After graduating Magna Cum Laude, I dived right into what would be a rollercoaster of a career, which continued in weddings and social, then found my way into the corporate sector. With each position I held, I gained valuable knowledge, which has made me more well-rounded, learned the different intricacies of the industry, navigated poor leadership and really began uncovering the unethical behaviors that have been adopted in this industry.
With my last role as a Senior Event Manager for a Destination Management Company (DMC) before I branched out on my own, I was responsible for the sales, design and execution of small to large-scale events associated with conventions/conferences coming into the city. Additionally, I snagged Houston’s first preferred DMC partnership with a new 1000 room hotel and serviced them as their main point of contact – an extremely difficult position to be in, but very rewarding. Though DMC’s are a widely used entity for corporate programs, I quickly learned that the structure is not one that supports employee success – it actually sets them up for failure with the amount of workload vs. pay, unrealistic expectations and typically poor processes that they are having to deal with. More importantly, the weak DMC structure has much more of a negative effect on the working dynamic with the clients than they may actually realize. All in all, it became clearer to me that DMCs magnify what I believe are the issues plaguing our industry as a whole and I felt it could be done differently.
I finally found myself at a crossroads like so many other people – I was at a high point in my career where I learned everything I could (even though you never really stop learning), there were not really any other jobs that truly interested (or challenged) me and I knew the knowledge I gained was better suited helping to change the industry and make people’s lives better – so here we are!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has the road been smooth? Definitely not and it still isn’t! But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe it comes with maturity, but I’ve realized that when you work harder for something, you appreciate it that much more when you finally get it.
Something else I have had to endure over the last few years, in addition to the extreme career pressures I have faced, is that I was finally diagnosed with a chronic illness after a long search for answers. The toll that the demands of this industry had on my body, mixed with an insane amount of stress and the physical conditions I was enduring became too much. I knew I had to finally accept this as my new “norm” but I still found myself trying to cover it up, putting a smile on my face and acting tough, but it was absolutely exhausting. I have to push myself harder than most people to do even the most basic of tasks but I have amazed myself at everything that I have been able to accomplish in spite of it. In fact, not many people know about my struggles, even to this day. I refuse to let it get in the way of my dreams and use it as a driving factor in the business – valuing determination, empathy and having a solid understanding of the devastating effects that stress has on our lives. This whole experience is something that tested my strength (and continues to do so on a daily basis), but has really taught me just how important is to celebrate your efforts and not take anything for granted.
I wouldn’t ever say my professional struggles are unique though – I think we all have navigated rough waters with bosses, been sold ideas that don’t pan out or learned tough lessons in who you can actually trust.
Being new to entrepreneurship, my challenges now are quite different than they were two years ago. You know it’s going to be difficult, but you never really know until your knee-deep. You really have to be flexible with change, open to feedback and letting things organically fall into place, especially as a new company. From finding quality people with a real drive to join our team to make sure we are getting in front of and properly educating potential clients on our business structure and everything in between, I don’t ever expect it to be a fully smooth road all the time – and that’s okay.
Please tell us about Event Sociétal. What should we know?
Event Sociétal stands out in the corporate event sector being that we excel in one area, instead of only being good or average in many. We focus on the design of intentional and unique brand experiences while letting our partners take ownership of their expertise in transportation, tours and team building. No more middle-men, things lost in translation or expectations not met. We also don’t find it fair to up-charge a client 20-50%+ more for doing half the work (since the vendors do a lot of the heavy lifting) with half the energy level because our plates are already full. It may be a different train of thought, but by compartmentalizing our skills, we’re able to put money back in the pockets of clients, while ensuring communication is more seamless and bring individually dedicated professionals back in as an integral part of the event process.
Additionally, our focus is also bringing authenticity back into our relationships with clients. A lot of our interactions in this industry have become stale and disingenuous – focusing on the sale or saying what we think clients want to hear vs. what they actually need to hear. The status-quo in the event industry has, in fact, created (and harbored) unrealistic working conditions and has done a poor job of promoting healthy boundaries, which we haven’t even realized, directly affects our clients. If we aren’t on the top of our game, we are not providing the level of service that our clients deserve (or believe they are paying for).
But really, the core of our business is not events, but rather the people (and the community we are working on building). We know this a completely different way of thinking, but we understand that they are ones that will be servicing the clients and ultimately make the events happen, so it’s imperative that they are taken good care of just as much as our clients (if not, better). We want to foster a culture that empowers and is truly fulfilling, so that when our team is on-site, the smiles you are seeing on their faces are completely natural, NOT forced or fake.
That being said, our clients will receive a more transparent, organized and authentic event process, with the goal to continuously show our value throughout. We live by the “under promise and over deliver” rule and believe life is too short to not enjoy the people you work with and as a client, you should never feel like just another number. All in all, every event company/professional can offer the same peace of mind or give the client more time to focus on other important tasks, but in regards to the real differentiators between companies, it comes down to the people, proccess(es) and performance (the 3 P’s), which we feel is something we are perfecting.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I was obsessed with anything design related and took a particular interest in interior design. From about age 10-14, you could find me at the computer for hours working on building floor plans and putting looks together.
At 13, after constantly complaining to my parents about my out-dated bedroom, they finally gave me full reign to re-design it. I had constantly been thinking of ideas of what I would want and searched endlessly to make that vision that comes to life.
I went through tons of color swatches that I collected at the paint store, sourced bedding, furniture and decor through magazines and visited store after store. At a certain point, I even talked to my parents into bringing in an artist to do a sketch on one of the walls. When it was all said in and done, I was beyond thrilled with the outcome. My parents’ friends even though they had hired an interior decorator to handle it, so needless to say, they were surprised to learn that I did it all myself.
Even now, I attack projects the same way – I become obsessed with what I’m working on and really hone in on the smallest of details. I love scouring for new vendors and pulling pieces together that are intentional, unique and perfectly paired.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eventsocietal.com
- Phone: 1.800.674.3514
- Email: info@eventsocietal.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/eventsocietal
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eventsocietal
Image Credit:
Eden Grey Photography
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