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From event production to solo road-tripping: Alumna Quin Gable on pushing outside her career comfort zone

For Quin Gable, reverse psychology is key when putting together a big event.

Graduating in 2014 from a Communications degree, she is now the marketing director and event producer for behindthechair.com (BTC), the largest online community for hairdressers worldwide.

鈥淢y biggest piece of advice is to go into the event thinking everything will go wrong, and you will be successful,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you go into the event thinking everything will be perfect, you won鈥檛 be able to think on your toes.鈥�

鈥淓vent management is an amazing career, but it is a stressful, 24/7 position. Depending on how many shows you are doing per year, you don鈥檛 have much free time, and when you do, it鈥檚 for unpacking your suitcase,鈥� she says with a smile.

Quin interned with BTC for two full summers during her time at 甜瓜视频, then joined the company full-time in 2014, five days after graduation. She started as an account manager handling advertising campaigns for companies such as Moroccan Oil, Bumble and Bumble, Unilever, Ulta, JCPenney, Oribe, R+Co, Davines, and CHI. She produced her first show in 2016 at the Chicago Theatre, for a sold-out crowd of 3,500. Since then, Quin has produced more than 25 events for more than 35,000 hairdressers in the U.S. and United Kingdom.

鈥淧rior to the pandemic, I was on a plane every other week going from location to location to scout the perfect venue,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to make sure the venue has enough stage equipment and features, electric, space for attendees and sponsors, and has that overall 鈥榗ool vibe鈥�, (so that) everything flows perfectly for sponsors and audience engagement.鈥�

Then, of course, there鈥檚 the marketing aspect of the event. Gable鈥檚 team is also responsible for selling the show out, which includes everything from social media and marketing campaigns to ticketing logistics.

鈥淎t our largest show, the BTC Show and ONESHOT Hair Awards, more than 4,000 hairdressers fly in from 25 countries,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n total, these hairdressers have over 42 million followers, which means the show will be seen by millions. Because of social media, every aspect of this event needs to be flawless or else the show鈥檚 reputation could be affected, so my team has to make sure everything from the creative experiences to the bar lines, to registration, to seating charts, are perfect.鈥�

In 2018, after working with a large hotel chain, Quin was crowned the youngest member of the Connect Corporate鈥檚 40 Under 40 honorees, recognizing event management skills worldwide.

鈥淥verall, I love that BTC gives so many huge opportunities to young people,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost of my coworkers are under 40, and we are all friends. Being nominated for the 40 under 40 meant so much to me because as a female in the event industry, and a relatively young one, my age is always brought up as a negative thing. This really helped my confidence, and I look at this award as a reminder that anyone can do anything at any age.鈥�

In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the event management industry slowed. Not easily deterred, Quin pivoted her career path and decided to make use of her marketing skills, becoming a content creator on TikTok. She now has 192K followers and more than 20 million video views, focusing on solo female travel. She's currently road tripping across the U.S., while living in a van with her two cats.

鈥淚 have been able to create content for amazing brands such as Under Armour, Clif Bar, Vessi, Spindrift, and city-specific Tourism Boards,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his journey is just beginning, but without 甜瓜视频, its Integrated media programs and broadcasting opportunities, I don鈥檛 think this would have happened. Having the skills I learned from 甜瓜视频 really helped me. 甜瓜视频 represented some of the best years of my life, and I鈥檓 so grateful for everything it taught me.鈥�

Never one to shy away from a new opportunity, Quin says her career goals for the future are 鈥渢o keep pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, and to try new things always. You never know where that can take you.鈥�