Chapter 5: Going Global!

The next chapter to discover our personal brand spanned 4 years and took me far beyond familiar borders and into the exhilarating, unpredictable, and deeply rewarding world of international meeting planning.

From the bustling streets of Manila to the historic heart of Berlin, from the rich cultures of Ghana, Zimbabwe and the Cote D’Ivoire to the unforgettable landscapes of South Africa, I had the privilege of orchestrating global conferences in some of the most vibrant corners of the world. Planning events in developing countries revealed some of the greatest lessons of my career: humility, flexibility and the power of human connection.

Navigating language barriers, time zone challenges, and infrastructure shortfalls required creative problem-solving, cultural sensitivity, and above all, grace under pressure. Whether it was simultaneous interpretation across multilingual sessions or managing vendor contracts that looked very different from U.S. standards, every experience sharpened my ability to lead with empathy and execute with excellence.

There were a few wild (and 100% true) stories too:
👮‍♀️ I almost got arrested in Abidjan International Airport (thankful for my French in that moment!)
🚿 Our hotel’s entire water system went out in Abidjan, during a heatwave of 90°F and 100% humidity (cue the water bottles!).
🤝 Planning four large-scale highly complex events back-to-back, in two different countries, in two different languages, all within two weeks!
🛏️ An oversold hotel in Accra, Ghana where we had to get very creative with accommodations!

One of the most poignant moments came when I planned a conference in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the very city where my parents began their married life. Walking those streets decades later as a professional brought a sense of full-circle meaning that’s hard to put into words.

Global meeting planning taught me the delicate balance between control and surrender. You can plan every detail down to the second, but you must always be ready to adjust, adapt, and pivot when reality has other plans.
It’s where I learned that joy can thrive amidst uncertainty, that collaboration surpasses control, and that our differences are often what make experiences most memorable.