Meet Melissa Estepp | Owner of Premier Events By Melissa

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

Hi Melissa, how do you think about risk?
I think risk is definitely apart of my job description as an owner of a business! I would say that it is a risk to start your own business . It is a risk to step out and start selling a product or service that your giving your all to. There are tons of risks in starting your own business. Especially for me this last year there has been even greater risk with my business doubling in size, to then take the necessary steps of hiring staff to maintain the next levels of growth.

I have learned so much from taking risks, that as scary or nervous as they may seem sometimes, I have seen only great things come from those decisions. Not that every time it has worked out perfectly! I have fallen on my face with risk many times. However, I would have never learned or grown from those experiences, if I hadn’t taken the risk in the first place.

In 2020, as an event planner my whole business model was based on in-person events. In March 2020, Premier Events by Melissa took a hard turn when all of my clients panicked and canceled their events throughout the rest of the year.

Being on the brink of extinction, I worked on the challenge of completely changing my business model. Through a well networked plan, I found a virtual event producer in a different state that gave me resources to study. I then found classes, courses and virtual events to attend and put in over 100 hours of training to execute and produce virtual events. In April 2020 Premier Events by Melissa launched their first Virtual event for a nonprofit and helped them raise $115,000 in a half-hour virtual event model.

Since then, my company has gone out to non-profits and helped them virtually re-imagine their events by giving them a successful online strategy and engaging people’s attention by adding back in the human elements. Our virtual events model has received praise for inspiring, encouraging, and empowering attendees through virtual experiences. As well as, helping non-profits think outside of the box and creating engaging events that keep their audience buying into their companies and organizations. As the world began to open and in-person events came back, we created a unique hybrid event experience that allowed people to attend an event at their level of comfort.

In 2021 we were sought out by many organizations to help them pivot to the virtual event space. We helped organizations stay strong and lead during the pandemic . As well as helped nonprofits raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In January 2022 I was asked to be a guest speaker at an International Event Managers conference to talk about my virtual model and tips on how to be successful with virtual events.

If I had never taken a risk on the change I wouldn’t be where I am today and I am not sure how my business would have withstood the pandemic. Sometimes leaning into risk, though work involved, will take you to some incredible places that you never thought possible.

What should our readers know about your business?
About Premier:

Premier Events By Melissa partners with nonprofits to help them through strategic fundraising plans to get the most potential from their events. We pride ourselves on customer service and relationships that we build with each and everyone of our clients. When you hire our company we become apart of your team and together we partner to make successful events. We deliver quality event that will create amazing memories for your donors to remember your organization by. We work with our A+ vendors and partners to bring you everything you need for your event success. We take the stress out of events and give you back your time to do what you do best, build your nonprofit!

How I got to where I am today business wise.:
A lot of learning, training, making mistakes and a WHOLE lot of networking. I believe my network is my net worth and I value relationships above all else. I support those around me and help them succeed. I believe we are all on this journey together and we should support each other along the way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a Colorado Native, what’s not to LOVE! I can never get enough of the city life. Downtown Denver has some amazing sights to see and some amazing restaurants. But I would also love Glenwood springs. It holds a special place in my heart with my family. Fun hotels, hot springs and amusement park, skiing, cute shopping centers and awesome restaurants! I am honored to live in Colorado and there are so many cool places to adventure to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my family, friends and community! To the women in my life that encourage, challenge me to keep moving forward, thank you! To my mentors that have listened to me complain and cry then tell me to stand back up and keep fighting, THANKS! To some amazing collaborations and partners I have had the opportunity to work with these last couple of years, THANK YOU! To an amazing staff that helps make my event planning business come to life each and everyday, couldn’t do it without you, so THANK YOU! To all the incredible clients we get the opportunity to work with, THANK YOU! I am so THANKFUL for each and everyone of these supports in my life to make my dreams possible.

Website: premiereventsbymelissa.com

Instagram: @premiereventsbymelissa

Facebook: @premiereventsbymelissa