Trevor Mulholland, CMP
Chief Event Officer, Beyond Fourth
trevor@gobeyondfourth.com
Number of events in 2025: 20
Types of events: Annual association conferences, including career and technical education events
Average number of attendees in 2025: 2,000
What is your role associated with meetings and events?
As chief event officer, I lead the operational direction of conferences and events. My work centers on bringing a client’s vision to life through thoughtfully designed experiences that inspire connection.
I oversee the full event lifecycle, from strategy and budgeting to vendor management and onsite execution. My leadership extends to guiding dynamic teams of event professionals, fostering collaboration, and empowering others to deliver their best work in high-pressure environments.
What skills do you think are essential for planning successful meetings and events?
Successful event planning is all about balancing vision with execution. The best planners can see the big picture while still sweating the small stuff, the tiny details that quietly turn a good event into a great one. It takes empathy and decisiveness in equal measure: knowing what people need before they ask, making quick calls when things shift, and keeping your clients, vendors, and staff moving in the same direction.
What is your philosophy or approach to challenges
and unexpected issues?
No matter how detailed the plan, something unexpected always happens. I believe in staying solutions-oriented, and I prioritize building strong contingency plans during the planning process. Problems are inevitable, but how you handle them can define your reputation as a planner.
How do you keep up with industry trends, changes,
and cutting-edge developments?
I continuously observe what other planners, associations, and venues are doing. Our team’s work isn’t cookie-cutter, so I believe in experimentation and the need to iterate. Over time, that mindset has built a reputation for me as a creative innovator and someone clients trust when they want to challenge the status quo.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Events bring people together in ways few other industries can. I love the mix of strategy, creativity, and logistics; even more than that, I love seeing attendees connect, celebrate, and grow. What I enjoy most is the moment at an event when everything clicks; the energy in the room, the teamwork behind the scenes, and the realization that the months or years of planning led to something that truly mattered.
How would you describe your biggest professional success?
In 2025, Beyond Fourth committed to supporting two associations navigating significant staff transitions ahead of their spring annual conferences—each hosting more than 2,500 attendees. In the middle of our spring sprint, we were approached by a third association, which had unexpectedly lost its only full-time staff member just 34 days before its 5,000-person conference.
Our team immediately went to work, rebuilding timelines, coordinating vendors, and aligning every detail with the board’s vision. Over those five weeks, Beyond Fourth successfully brought six other conferences to life across five states, each executed with the same precision and care that we ultimately brought to this one just 34 days later.
What is the best professional advice you ever received, and what advice would you offer others in the industry?
A former colleague used to answer the phone with, “This is ____. How can I help?” That simple phrase perfectly captured what this industry is built on: service. It was a daily reminder that every interaction, no matter how small, shapes others’ experience working with you. Our field runs on relationships and reputation. How you treat people matters just as much as what you deliver.
My best advice is to listen more than you speak, prepare more than you think you need to, and see every challenge as an opportunity to build trust. This philosophy shapes how I show up for others.
What do you hope to achieve or look forward to as you plan events
in 2026?
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with incredible clients and assemble a team that shares a deep commitment to thoughtful, well-executed events.
As I look toward 2026, I aim to be more intentional about where I invest my time and energy, shifting my focus from volume to impact, and making space for the kind of work that allows me to think deeply, plan meaningfully, and make a lasting difference.
