MARY K. HUTSON
Savannah,GA
Summary
Strategic event marketing leader with over a decade of experience driving significant revenue through B2B SaaS events. Successfully managed complex global portfolios, enhancing attendee engagement and optimizing processes. Expertise in budget management and vendor negotiations ensures impactful event execution and measurable business results.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Events Manager
Wellspring
04.2023 - 06.2026
- Led strategy, planning, and end-to-end execution of a global B2B SaaS event portfolio spanning trade shows, customer conferences, webinars, executive experiences, internal programs, and experiential activations supporting demand generation, customer engagement, and revenue growth.
- Managed portfolio of 15 trade shows, 30 webinars, 4 customer events, and 6 internal programs, coordinating timelines, budgets, stakeholders, and vendors while adapting to shifting business priorities across global markets.
- Owned complete event lifecycle from strategy to execution, including audience targeting, budget development, vendor sourcing, and performance reporting, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
- Partnered cross-functionally with Sales, Product Marketing, Field Marketing, Customer Success, Marketing Operations, and executive leadership to establish event objectives, identify target audiences, develop registration strategies, execute pre-event campaigns, and align programming with pipeline and revenue goals.
- Leveraged Cvent to support event registration, attendee management, communications, reporting, and attendee journey execution across customer-facing and internal programs.
- Built integrated attendee acquisition campaigns across email, digital marketing, webinars, partner channels, and Sales outreach, generating 600–2,400 qualified leads annually.
- Developed end-to-end attendee journeys spanning registration, pre-event communications, onsite engagement, lead capture, post-event nurture, and Sales follow-up to increase engagement, meeting generation, and conversion opportunities.
- Tracked registration pacing, attendee engagement, meetings, qualified leads, opportunities, pipeline influence, and ROI; compiled regular performance reports and communicated results, insights, and strategic recommendations to marketing stakeholders and executive leadership.
- Generated approximately $1.1M in confirmed event-sourced pipeline by connecting targeted audience acquisition, integrated event campaigns, Sales engagement, and disciplined post-event follow-up.
- Owned and managed an $800K+ annual event budget, including comprehensive budget development, forecasting, expense tracking, contract management, final reconciliation, and recommendations for future event investment.
- Negotiated approximately $90K in contract savings through strategic vendor sourcing and negotiations while maintaining program quality, attendee experience, and business objectives.
- Built, documented , and continuously refined repeatable event processes, planning templates, project timelines, reporting frameworks, communication plans, and cross-functional workflows to improve consistency, operational visibility, and scalability.
- Led global customer conferences attracting 100–140 attendees per region across North America, the United Kingdom, and EMEA, overseeing strategy, programming, registration, communications, production, vendors, logistics, and onsite execution.
- Translated company positioning, campaign strategy, and brand vision into cohesive experiential activations by collaborating with internal creative teams, production partners, venues, agencies, and third-party vendors.
- Proactively identified timeline dependencies, event risks, budget concerns, registration gaps, and performance challenges, adjusting strategies and priorities as business goals and market needs evolve.
- Developed integrated event campaign and experiential activation for Wellspring’s acquisition of Sopheon at InnoLead Impact conference, aligning messaging, storytelling, and engagement strategies to drive demand generation.
- Negotiated an expanded event partnership that included a workshop, lunch-and-learn, and keynote opportunity, increasing brand visibility and creating multiple prospect and customer engagement opportunities.
- Generated 63 pre-booked meetings through targeted pre-event campaigns, secured 12 additional onsite meetings, and contributed to 4 new contracts, 3 renewals, and approximately $500K in revenue impact.
- Mentored new hires and led monthly professional development trainings focused on event strategy, execution, operational consistency, scalable processes, and marketing best practices.
Production Manager, Experiential Marketing
Interluxe Group
Bluffton, SC
04.2022 - 11.2022
- Exceeded established campaign performance goals by 130%, demonstrating the ability to connect experiential marketing execution with measurable lead-generation and sales outcomes.
- Managed vendor relationships, production logistics, project timelines, and onsite execution for multi-market activations while ensuring brand standards and consistent attendee experiences.
- Managed vendor relationships, production logistics, project timelines, onsite execution, and multi-market activations while maintaining brand standards and consistent attendee experiences.
- Supported Maserati Grecale national roadshow across 35 dealership markets, delivering localized product launch experiences that generated qualified leads and vehicle sales.
- Collaborated with Sales and dealership stakeholders to establish performance goals, monitor results, and adapt execution strategies for improved market effectiveness.
- Supported strategy, production, and multi-market execution of luxury automotive and consumer experiential programs, translating campaign objectives and brand vision into high-impact customer experiences.
Director, Programs & Operations
Technology Association of Georgia
Atlanta, GA
03.2016 - 07.2017
- Directed strategy, operations, and execution of industry conferences, executive programs, sponsorship activations, and member experiences for a leading technology association.
- Partnered with C-suite executives, sponsors, technology companies, and industry leaders to develop event programming and experiences aligned with organizational goals and audience needs.
- Coordinated project timelines, budgets, vendors, event logistics, stakeholder communications, and onsite execution for multiple events.
- Collaborated with C-suite executives, sponsors, technology companies, and industry leaders to create event programming and experiences that met organizational goals and audience needs.
- Oversaw sponsorship pipeline and CRM engagement strategies that contributed to event revenue, membership growth, and sustained partner relationships.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Musical Theatre
Shorter University
Rome, GASkills
- Trade show management
- Event ownership
- Global event management
- B2B event marketing
- Event operations development
- Events planning trends
- Event campaign integration
- Attendee registration strategy
- Demand generation
- Event Analytics & Performance Reporting
- Pre-event strategy
- Lead capture workflows
- Sales & Marketing Alignment
- Event strategy
- Cross-Functional Project Management
- Budget Development
- Event analytics
- Forecasting & Reconciliation
- Contract Negotiation & Vendor Management
- Event Technology
- Experiential marketing
- Stakeholder communication
- ROI analysis
- Cvent
- Budget oversight
- Event Technology
- CRM & Marketing Automation
- Project management
- Project coordination
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Cross-functional teams leadership
- Staff oversight
- Event staff management
- Crisis management
- Event narrative development
- Team development strategies
- Event assessment
- Event collateral management
- Customer interaction
- Event risk management
- Logistics management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Leadership development
- Team mentorship
- Event logistics planning
- Event industry insights
- Brand storytelling
- Brand awareness
- Deadline management
- Customer engagement
- Experiential Activations & Brand Experiences
- Events planning trends
- Logistics planning
- Event technology
- Team leadership
- Venue selection
- Team mentorship
Event And Marketing Technology
- Event Registration & Management Platforms
- CRM Systems
- Marketing Automation Platforms
- Webinar Platforms
- Project Management Tools
- Marketing Analytics & Reporting Platforms
- Microsoft Office
- Google Workspace
Additional Leadership Experience
- Marketing Director & Operations Leader, Atlanta Event Center at Opera
- Operations & Events Coordinator, Computer Measurement Group
- Head Coach, Upper Iowa University & Buena Vista University
Timeline
Events Manager
Wellspring
04.2023 - 06.2026
Production Manager, Experiential Marketing
Interluxe Group
04.2022 - 11.2022
Director, Programs & Operations
Technology Association of Georgia
03.2016 - 07.2017
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Musical Theatre
Shorter University