Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524031
B M & T ••• July/August 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 9 "WE PARTY FOR A LIVING. " BY SETH ISAIAH PICKENS . Founder of Forums Meetings and Events Katrina Ruff has been working in the event planning industry for the past 30 years, and according to her she loves what's on her schedule everyday. Ruff started her professional life in engineering, earning an Electrical Engineering degree from Prairie View A&M University. However, according to Ruff she "didn't like [engi- neering] at all." She continued, saying, "I did it as a tribute to my father, when my father passed, I realized [that] I hate this field." Her career in event organizing started with the planning of her son's first birthday party, which was celebrated blockwide. A neighbor who happened to work at Pepsi Bottling Group, witnessed Ruff's event planning prowess firsthand and rec- ommended that she plan for them. She's been working in the event industry ever since, starting her business Creativity on Tap which was rebranded to Forums Meetings and Events. Since then, Ruff and her team at FM&E have gained decades of experience in handling program management, reg- istration, ticketing, attendee service, on site services, billing and reconciliation, and more, allowing them to precisely exe- cute events from beginning to end. Ruff's quality of service has allowed her to work with many large corporations, includ- ing but not limited to: Change Healthcare, Pepsi, Nissan, and Boston Scientific Magazine. According to Ruff, she works "both in and on her busi- ness," meaning she handles executive and managerial deci- sions while still making time to plan individual events. As a certified Incentive Specialist and Meeting Planner, Ruff uses her expertise to manage her team of "13 powerhouse Black women" and work with them to maximize their customer sat- isfaction. Like many other big names in the industry, Ruff attends IMEX, the premier annual trade show for the events and travel industry. It was at one of IMEX's yearly exhibits where she met Black Meetings & Tourism's very own Solomon and Gloria Herbert. They have since built a strong relationship, with Ruff working on BM&T's internal planning, and worked together to bring more representation to IMEX. "The reason that there weren't a lot of Black planners that go [to IMEX] was because they have among the criteria that you have to plan international events," Ruff said. " We don't always get those opportunities, so we do a hosted buyer group and as long as they can prove that they are doing productive events in the United States they don't have to meet that inter- national criteria. IMEX pays for their airfare and hotel and we show them what the world of event production can be." Ruff wants to give younger Black people the opportunity to grow in the industry that she has come to love. She says that, even though it is one of the most stressful to work in, the event industry is one she is glad to work in. "I get up and I love what I do everyday," Ruff said. "My day is full of things like having to pick wine for an event, or picking through fabulous foods, or flying to a luxury resort to see if it's luxurious enough. Those fabulous kinds of things are my work, and I just didn't think that enough young Black peo- ple had the opportunity." M E E T I N G P L A N N E R P R O F I L E