Robyn Green is the founder of Kai Event Management, a Vancouver-based event and wedding planning company that evolved from Robyn’s love of organizing and designing experiences for her friends and counterparts. Find out more in today’s YEDaily…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
Running an events company is truly the perfect balance of social interaction and hard work. I coordinate a client’s event from start to finish, and look after all of the details in between.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
For years, I would plan personal parties for friends, sometimes for up to 200 to 300 guests, just for fun. When approached by a friend to start our own event planning company, I jumped at the chance to finally get paid to do something that I love.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Every day is different; one thing this job is not, is monotonous! I am fortunate to deal with amazing, inspirational clients and colleagues on a daily basis and have learned from each of them.
Perhaps the most challenging part of my job is ensuring that I never let the glass balls I’m juggling in the air drop and shatter. Incredible organization skills are necessary to be in this career.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Besides sitting on a beach in Greece with Ryan Reynolds? I would hope that in five years, I would continue to be running a boutique event management firm that coordinates a nice balance of return client events and new, exciting ones.
What does success look like to you?
Success to me is being able to look back at the past year, five years, even ten years, and not regretting the decisions that I have made. Whether or not this company is still running 20 years from now, I already consider myself successful in choosing to follow my dreams.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Getting asked to coordinate the Vancouver launch of Skinny Girl Margaritas and having the opportunity to meet Bethenny Frankel herself. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but she really is an inspirational figure for women. And I know I’m not alone in thinking that, given the amount of people who waited outside in the rain to meet her too!
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Don’t be afraid to sit back and re-evaluate your career aspirations. And never be discouraged. Everything takes time and in the end, all of your blood, sweat, and tears will be worth it! Put your horse blinders on and take one step at a time.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Salvation Army – Every year, my family and I work on Christmas Day in the East Vancouver location to serve dinner to hundreds of cheerful guests. I look forward to hearing their stories and chatting with these individuals who have been met with hardship in their life, for varying reasons.
Saints – I am a huge animal lover and this non-profit organization creates a home to senior or special needs animals who have found themselves in a local shelter or whose owner has passed away or is unable to care for it. These animals get to live the duration of their life in a loving, caring home surrounded by new friends.
The Cinderella Project – I look forward to “Boutique Day” every year. It’s a full day that is wrought with emotion; happy and sad tears. The students that I have had the honour of meeting are always incredibly inspiring and hard working.
What is Notable to you?
Notable to me is all of the amazing entrepreneurs I have had the fortune of getting to know in Vancouver.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iPhone, though I am in dire need of a crash course in using it to its full potential! I really should just stick to a landline…