Staff Spotlight: Colby Wilkens
Staff Spotlight: Colby Wilkens
May 31, 2023
This month, the spotlight is on Colby Wilkens, an Event Coordinator in our Boston office! Colby got her start with Corinthian Events as an intern during her senior year at Endicott College and is now a full-time member of the team. In her spotlight, Colby shares how she ended up in the hospitality industry, her pick for the best views in Boston, and more!
Staff Spotlights are the place to learn all about the careers, passions, and personalities of our amazing staff. You can find other Staff Spotlight interviews right here on our blog.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A: The biggest piece of advice that has been helpful for me is to not be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Learning to lean on others is an important thing to remember in any industry, but especially in the event industry when there is always so much to be done in so little time.
Q: What was your dream job growing up?
A: For a long time, I thought that I wanted to be a pastry chef because I enjoyed baking and it seemed like such a fun job. Once I reached a certain age, I realized that I could never actually do it as a full-time job because I am too picky about food and that’s not a great trait to have as a chef!
Q: What three words would you use to describe yourself?
A: I would describe myself as dedicated and hardworking. I try to put all my effort and energy into the work I do so that I know the result is my very best. A third word I would use is curious. I have always loved learning and experiencing new things, and what’s great about the industry and about my job is that I do learn something new every day!
Q: What made you want to get into this industry and how did you get here?
A: In high school, I was in DECA, and every year we had a silent auction to raise money for our organization. I was in a leadership role in the club by my senior year, so I was one of the people who made sure the whole auction came together and ran smoothly. I remember running around all afternoon in the high school gym to make sure everything was set up and, at the time, being so stressed that it wasn’t going to all come together. But it did, and it was a huge success.
My mom told me that one of the parents of another student in DECA had made a comment to her the night of the auction, something along the lines of, “You know, Colby seems like she really has a knack for things like this.” And that was all it took! When I started college, I declared a concentration in events management, and the rest is history.
Q: Where do you think is the best view of Boston?
A: Some of the best views in Boston are from the rooftops in Seaport. When you’re on a rooftop like Deck 12 or The Lookout, and you can see the downtown cityscape as well as the water, it’s so beautiful. When the sun starts to set, and all the buildings reflect the orange glow it is an unreal view.
Q: What is your favorite part about working for Corinthian Events?
A: It’s a common answer, but I really do love our team. Everyone is so supportive and willing to help out others when they are struggling. It is refreshing to know that if I ever do need help, I have that support system that I can go to. At the end of the day, it’s so clear that everyone who works here wants to see everyone else succeed, and I think that helps contribute to a great work environment.
Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing meeting and event planners today?
A: The biggest challenge for event planners right now is finding a way to manage clients’ expectations and budgets with rising inflation. It can be difficult to put together an event for a client that will meet the standard they want if they aren’t prepared for the extra budget costs they will need to keep up with rising prices. It is a tough situation to be in, as planners always want to protect their client’s budgets while still putting on the very best event possible.
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