**BTW, my calendar at the show is on pace to be filled up in the next week so please reach out to Jo Ellen Verna (https://america.imexevents.com/participants/381505) for an appointment. She knows just as much as I do and will be very helpful

I have spent more than four decades in hospitality and live entertainment, working every side of the business, from the stage as a performer to the boardroom as a founder. In 2011, I launched Onstage Entertainment Group to bring a new standard of quality, accountability, and creative partnership to the corporate meetings and events industry.

Today Onstage is a nationwide entertainment agency, engaged by leading resort brands, destination management companies, independent event producers, and Fortune-level corporate planners. We personally vet every act that wants a place on the roster. Most don't make it. From general sessions and welcome receptions to incentive programs and closing-night celebrations, we're trusted to deliver the entertainment moment that shapes how attendees remember the event.

My perspective in this space is a little unusual. I was classically trained as a musician and worked as a drummer long before I became a business owner, so I understand the artistry and the operations behind every act on our roster. That dual fluency is why planners come back to us year after year. I speak the language of the meeting professional and the language of the artist, and I make it my job to protect the interests of both.

I am an active voice in the industry on the future of live entertainment, the responsible use of AI in event production, and the case for treating entertainment as strategy rather than décor. My view is straightforward: entertainment, done right, is the single line item on an event budget with the power to define the guest experience.

I'm based in Phoenix, Arizona, and the work doesn't stop at the U.S. border. Onstage operates nationwide and takes on international engagements on a project basis, including consulting with hotel and resort brands abroad on their entertainment programs. Wherever the event is, that's where the work takes me.