Meet Elizabeth Slossberg | Owner and Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Slossberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
That is such a fun way to start as I was never cut out for the hospitality industry, “or so I thought”. I am first generation Greek and my father and grandfather (Papou) owned restaurants my entire life. My sister and I worked every day… and I thought I wanted nothing to do with it. I was going to be a lawyer…save the environment. I moved to Aspen to see snow for the first time at 21 years old. I planned on staying for three months. I started working in hotels, then ran a catering company, took over as Special Events Director for the City of Aspen, then started my own event planning business EKS EVENTS, 22 years ago. My Daddy would say in Greek “serving and taking care of people is in your blood”. Oh he was so right. I tell my children over and over …, “if you can find a job that makes you half as happy as I am every day you will be perfect!
My passion is creating memories for my clients, their family and guests. We are so lucky to be able to do this all over the world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
You will need to sit down for this one… I have 9 children.. a very special blended family that keeps me on my toes. The last of the children was just accepted to college, so I am a taking a deep breath on this question and thinking back on what they may have learned and how I have impacted their childhood. I would hope I have taught them the value of giving back. This is not only financially, but in sweat equity. Give back to what is important to you and your community. I would love for that to be my legacy. I also hope through my work, I have taught them the importance of making memories!

As I am always teaching my kids, they are in turn always teaching me… Balance is an ever-changing scale depending on what I need to prioritize. At the beginning of starting EKS EVENTS the boys were little, so my office was in the basement of our home. I would be in the sandbox playing with tonka trucks and 2 minutes later I would be on a call with the Vice President of American Express. As the children got older and my company grew, we moved out of the house into a proper office and tried to separate church and state..home life vs work life. This has always been a challenge. I would not take on many out of town events until the children were older ….and as they grew, the business grew and we moved to destination focused. It is what I say so often to my clients.. and I try to practice it myself in creating balance, “STAY IN THE MOMENT!” If I am working be 100% there and if I am parenting be 100% a parent! Easy to write harder to achieve.

Additionally, taking risks has driven my career, both personally and professionally. Risks are important and always terrifying. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is never easy! Our business has grown from mainly events throughout the US to destination focus and creating events all over the world. This was very scary and risky at the beginning, and I remember thinking “how can I do an event in Italy when I don’t speak Italian”. Wow.. looking back pushing our team out of the known and into the unknown has certainly been a business changer. I am thankful for our amazing team & partners for all the support when we take on a new location.

Over the years, I have learned that with money comes responsibility. This is what my Daddy taught me and what I believe in, to my core. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you have, giving back is the greatest lesson we can teach and learn. At EKS EVENTS, we have created an environment of giving, and we spend a lot of time choosing the charities that are important to our team. We pick 5 to 7 charities that mean something to us personally and for our community. We support a lot of non-profits involving education, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Community Health, Aspen Valley Ski Club & of course the Animal Shelter (I currently have 2 dogs and 3 cats adopted from doing their events). We also do a great deal of work with the Gill Foundation, which focuses on equality for all. They impact lives all over the US.

Above all, I believe what makes EKS EVENTS successful is loving what I do and a lot of hard work. I absolutely love it, I thrive in the project based model of my business. I love that each event/celebration/wedding is created, designed, and produced based on each client. There will NEVER be 2 events that are the same. Our success also lies in the amazing vendors in our industry and the partnerships we have fostered and will continue to create. I am amazed daily by the talent that is out there!!
I also certainly could not do any of this without the support of my family. When the ship could sink…. they are the first phone call and with my big family there is always a crew that comes in to help!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I am based in Aspen, I will focus on this area….I will focus on Summer:

EATING (my favorite past-time):
Of course The Little Nell, The Hotel Jerome and The St. Regis… then… Cache Cache, Campo di Fiori, Matsu, Catch, and Steakhouse 316. BIG WRAP is a staple and Spring Café, too!

DRINKING: Anything and anywhere AspenX does a Pop Up. Also, The JBar, Woody Creek Tavern, Sterling

CLUBS & DINING: Caribou Club, Casa Tua

Highlights:
Belly up to see ANY live music
Hiking/Biking anywhere with my dogs
Maroon Bells is just stunning
Saturday farmers market in Aspen Sunday market in Basalt
Paddle Boarding up the pass
Waterski down at Kodiak lake

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Papou (my Dad) deserves so much credit! He taught me that everything is possible with hard work, trial and error, and creating a team environment. He also taught me to give back and share my knowledge. My Mother passed away when she was 39, and left these two young girls for him to raise. He is my hero!

Instagram: @eksevents

Image Credits
Allan Zepeda Aaron Delesie Jonathan Ducrest Valorie Darling Ryan Ray Abby and Lauren Adonye Jaja