Cheri Jones
Event Manager, Walmart Inc.
Rogers, Ark.
Describe your job.
I manage all aspects of meeting and event planning for Walmart and Sam’s Club (events ranging from 10 to 10,000 people) to include all theme/day of flow, contract negotiations, transportation, food and beverage, rentals, hotel management, registration, travel, security, logistics, ancillary events, and décor.
What made you choose the meetings and events industry?
The summer of my freshman year of college, I went home to work. The owner of the company (and my mentor) told me about talking to a resort general manager about how the hospitality industry was an incredible career. I researched what I could (Google wasn’t around then!) and changed my major. I never looked back! I loved the classes, the professors, and what I was learning.
How did you get started and what got you from there to today?
I wasn’t scared to learn, and I’m still not, even after three decades in this industry. For my required Kansas State University internship, I started a resort banquet area and loved it. My first job out of college was as a hotel catering administrative assistant. After six months, I was promoted to convention services manager. After four years, I wanted to try my hand as a catering sales/wedding coordinator, and I survived the wedding industry for two years. The six years I worked in hotels gave me an incredible foundation to then go into meeting planning. I look at my career as if it were a wheel. The hub is my love for people, my love to learn, and my love for this industry. The spokes are the areas of the industry I have worked: association management event planning, production, rental/printing, third-party planning, and corporate event planning. The actual wheel is the industry that continues to move!
How do you keep up with industry trends, changes, and cutting-edge developments?
I am a proud member of PCMA, belonging to the Heartland Chapter. Our chapter headquarters is in Kansas City, Mo., and I co-chair the Communications Committee, which I can do remotely, so that I can be involved and active. I read several magazines online, follow many companies and organizations via social media,
and listen to podcasts. I enjoy calling colleagues I have worked with in the industry, asking questions, sharing experiences, and being open to recommendations.
What essential skills should every industry professional possess?
■ Be organized.
■ Don’t ever let anyone tell you the details aren’t important.
■ Stay flexible.
■ Strive to learn something new each day.
■ Be able to multitask.
■ Stay positive.
■ Be a good communicator and a better listener.
■ Ask questions.
What is the philosophy or approach to work that gets you through stressful times?
There are times when many things need to be done simultaneously, but I remind myself to do one thing at a time. I work to stay positive and keep smiling. It is okay to ask for help or ask for opinions if you don’t know how to handle a certain situation. That is one amazing thing about our industry, we love to help others.
What is the best professional advice you ever received, and what advice do you have for others in the industry?
Always ask yourself who needs to know when you receive a change. That way, you are communicating to all areas of the planning team. My advice is to be kind to everyone. Our industry is stressful enough; if you are kind to others and spread your positivity, it will become contagious. It is imperative to genuinely appreciate every staff member you work with no matter what their role.
One more thing: I jokingly tell those who are new to the industry to eat a box of rubber bands each morning. This will keep you flexible, and that is key. With any meeting or event, there will be changes, but if you stay flexible and anticipate changes, you will do just fine.
Describe your biggest professional success.
In no order: I was asked to be an adjunct instructor for the University of Arkansas. Raising the next generation of industry leaders is imperative. I am honored to do this and to share my passion for our industry.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have my own company, but after COVID, I took the risk and did just that for a year as a third-party planner.
Finally, now working for the largest retailer in the world on their events team is surreal. We are challenged every day to create memorable experiences for our associates.
Share an anecdote about a meeting or event that did not go as planned (something funny or odd) and how you handled it.
When I was a wedding planner, a bride and groom planned to enter the room with the wedding party and be seated on a stage in front with candelabras and two large chairs, almost like they were each sitting on a throne. Once they were seated, everyone in the room took plastic eggs filled with confetti and threw them to the ceiling. Confetti went everywhere! Of course, this was never mentioned in planning; hotels and confetti don’t mix. I had just gotten over the shock of this, when I saw that the bride’s veil was on fire! I got the banquet manager’s attention, and he was able to quickly put it out. It was a wedding to remember. (And, yes, the wedding party stayed and cleaned up the confetti to avoid a fine.)
What is the best part of your job?
Every day is different. One moment, I could be helping an executive, and the next, I am helping the caterer place box lunches, showing volunteers what to do, or printing name badges. I get to touch every aspect of our meetings and events, and it is thrilling to see the end product. Meetings aren’t about just sharing content anymore; people don’t want to be talked at. People want a memorable experience.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to be with my family. My husband and I enjoy going to flea markets and antique stores, and I enjoy gardening and making jewelry. I want to learn to play golf at some point.
