Denver, CO · Open to new roles

Lauren Taft

Event Planning Project Manager leading large-scale corporate events, leadership offsites, and internal programs end-to-end — from contracts and budgets to on-site execution.

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About

A hospitality-rooted project manager who runs corporate events like programs, not parties.

Hospitality & Tourism Management, Roosevelt University. Based in Denver.

I started on the floor of a James Beard–awarded restaurant and a five-star Chicago hotel, then moved into agency production for Fortune 100 audiences. Today I lead internal events and communications at DaVita Kidney Care — owning leadership offsites, monthly Town Halls, and large-scale corporate programs end-to-end.

I'm at my best embedded with leadership teams that need a partner on timelines, budgets, vendors, and the run-of-show — not just a coordinator.

Experience

The roles, in order.

Mar 2024 — Present

Denver, CO

Project Manager, Internal Events & Communications · DaVita Kidney Care

Lead end-to-end planning and execution of large-scale corporate events and leadership offsites — hotel contracts, AV, and complex rooming lists.
Manage and reconcile complex event budgets, negotiating with venues, vendors, and hospitality partners to optimize spend while delivering premium experiences.
Partner with cross-functional leadership to define event objectives, manage project timelines, and deliver seamless programs from concept to completion.
Produce monthly Town Halls and leadership meetings that drive teammate engagement and alignment with organizational goals.

Jun 2023 — Mar 2024

Littleton, CO

Community Manager · Shift Workspaces

Supported 100+ members through hospitality, vendor management, and on-site operations.
Drove meeting-room sales through local outreach, averaging $13K in monthly sales.

Mar 2022 — Jun 2023

Denver, CO

Client Sales Representative · Peak Beverage

Built and maintained client relationships for private and corporate events of 50–1,000 attendees.
Owned contracts end-to-end and partnered with on-site operations to deliver service as sold.

Apr 2018 — Dec 2019

Chicago, IL

Production Coordinator · Agency EA

Produced large-scale corporate conferences and live programs for 300–5,000 attendees.
Partnered with Lead Producer on venue sourcing, F&B, giveaways, and contract staffing.
Key clients included Google, Intuit, Hilton, and The Obama Foundation.

Mar 2017 — Mar 2018

Chicago, IL

Sales Coordinator · The Peninsula Hotel

Built proposals and contracts for events of 500+ attendees at a five-star hotel.
Hosted site visits and coordinated with internal teams to ensure seamless event production.

Selected Work

Programs I've helped bring to life.

Project Manager — End-to-end Owner

Leadership Offsites

DaVita Kidney Care

Hotel + AV contractsComplex rooming listsOn-site logistics

Own planning and execution from venue sourcing through on-site delivery.
Negotiate vendor and hospitality contracts to optimize spend without cutting experience.

Producer — Internal Comms

Monthly Town Halls & Leadership Meetings

DaVita Kidney Care

Recurring cadenceCross-functionalExecutive audience

Produce monthly programming that drives teammate engagement and alignment.
Partner with leadership to translate strategy into clear, on-brand programming.

Production Coordinator

Fortune 100 Corporate Conferences

Agency EA

300–5,000 attendeesGoogle · Hilton · IntuitThe Obama Foundation

Coordinated venue sourcing, F&B, giveaways, and contract staffing at scale.
Partnered with the Lead Producer on logistics across multi-day live programs.

Toolkit

What I bring on day one.

Tools & Platforms

Cvent
Yardi Property Management

Event Planning

Corporate event planning
Leadership offsites
Town Halls & internal programs
Run-of-show
On-site logistics
Rooming lists
AV coordination

Vendor & Budget

Vendor negotiation
Hotel & venue contracts
Budget management
Reconciliation
F&B sourcing

Working Style

Cross-functional partnership
Client & executive management
Hospitality-first service
Calm under pressure

In Their Words

What collaborators say.

Lauren is the person you want in the room when the timeline is impossible. She rebuilt our event ops from the ground up and made it look easy.

[Reference Name]

VP, Corporate Marketing · [Company]

Calm, organized, and unbelievably thorough. Our executive team trusted her completely — which is the highest compliment we give.

[Reference Name]

Chief of Staff · [Company]

Best PM I've worked with on the agency side. Clear briefs, fast decisions, and zero drama on-site.

[Reference Name]

Executive Producer · [Agency]

She turned a chaotic global summit into the smoothest production we've ever run. Every detail was anticipated days in advance.

[Reference Name]

Head of Events · [Company]

Lauren has a rare ability to hold the big picture and the smallest detail at the same time. Our launch was flawless because of her.

[Reference Name]

Senior Director, Brand · [Company]

Working with Lauren feels like having a strategic partner, not a vendor. She elevates every project she touches.

[Reference Name]

Founder & CEO · [Company]

Unflappable under pressure. When the unexpected happened on show day, Lauren had three solutions ready before anyone else noticed.

[Reference Name]

Director of Marketing · [Company]

She built systems that outlived her tenure. Our event team still runs on the playbooks she created.

[Reference Name]

VP, Operations · [Company]

Lauren brings warmth to high-stakes environments. Vendors, executives, and crew all want to work with her again.

[Reference Name]

Production Lead · [Agency]

Easily one of the most organized people I've worked with — and one of the most creative. A rare combo.

[Reference Name]

Creative Director · [Agency]

She managed a seven-figure budget and a thirty-person team without ever losing the plot. Total professional.

[Reference Name]

CFO · [Company]

Lauren made our user conference feel intentional from the keynote to the coffee breaks. Attendees still talk about it.

[Reference Name]

Head of Community · [Company]

Sharp instincts, clean communication, and a genuine care for the people she works with. I'd hire her in a heartbeat.

[Reference Name]

Chief Marketing Officer · [Company]

She translated vague executive vision into a concrete, on-budget production plan in under a week. Remarkable.

[Reference Name]

Chief of Staff · [Company]

Lauren is the standard I now hold every event producer to. Steady, sharp, and quietly excellent.

[Reference Name]

Global Events Lead · [Company]

Contact

Hiring for an event role? Let's talk.

laurentaft26@gmail.com

/in/laurentaft

Resume

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