Encore’s Women in Audio Visual Events (WAVE) Community is redefining what leadership looks like in event technology. Grounded in the belief that community fuels possibility, WAVE creates intentional pathways for women to connect, grow and lead in the event technology industry.
Through recruitment, education, mentorship, experiential learning and community partnership, WAVE bridges the gender gap while elevating women at every stage of their careers. Encore’s sustained investment in this work has resulted in women representing 20% of event technology hires over the past three years, demonstrating measurable progress and momentum. More than a program, WAVE is a movement—amplifying representation, accelerating innovation and shaping a more equitable future for live events.
We asked WAVE participants how they define their wins and inspire those following in their footsteps.
Cecilia Mullins
Technical Lead
Three verbs that fueled your hospitality career momentum.
Help, Accelerate, Lead
Your biggest win in 2025.
Going from Technician to Tech Lead.
One way you empower others.
Being a part of my region’s tech council and being a voice for technicians in Baltimore.
What future generations can learn from your journey.
It is OK to ask questions and to ask for help. Never be afraid to do something that scares you because you will learn from it.
Valentina Gonzalez
Project Manager
Three verbs that fueled my hospitality career momentum.
Build. Lead. Elevate.
Building high-performing teams, leading through transition, and elevating operational standards have fueled my career in hospitality and event technology.
Biggest win in 2025.
My biggest win in 2025 was building and strengthening a team of technicians while expanding my own leadership path from Director of Operations into my current role as Project Manager. Developing talent while simultaneously evolving my own career required strategic thinking, resilience, and trust in my vision. Seeing the team grow in skill, accountability, and confidence — while earning a promotion into a more strategic role — was a defining milestone. It reinforced that strong leadership creates momentum not just for one person, but for everyone around them.
One way I empower others.
One way I empower others is by leading with both competence and personality. In an industry that can sometimes feel rigid or intimidating, I believe it’s important to show that you can be technically sharp, strategically strong, and still fully yourself. As Project Manager at the Marriott Marquis and through my involvement with WAVE Events, I make it a point to lead authentically — allowing my personality to show while maintaining high professional standards. That visibility matters. When women see someone confidently owning both their expertise and their individuality, it makes leadership feel more attainable.
What future generations can learn from my journey.
You don’t have to shrink to succeed in this industry. My journey has shown me that technical expertise paired with decisive leadership creates opportunity. Growth often comes during uncomfortable seasons—rebuilding teams, navigating change, stepping into larger rooms. Those moments are not obstacles; they are invitations. Future generations should know: master your craft, understand the business, protect your standards, and don’t wait for permission to lead
Lauren Holsey
Event Operations Supervisor
Three verbs that fueled your hospitality career momentum.
Resilience, Faith, Service.
Your biggest win in 2025.
Overcoming mental, physical and spiritual battles.
One way you empower others.
I always do my best to uplift those around me, especially other women in the industry. I don’t want anyone to feel defeated, unmotivated or neglected. Therefore, I strive to speak life and positivity to others every day.
What future generations can learn from your journey?
Don’t ever give up on yourself nor on the Dreams and Visions God gave you. You have everything you truly need inside of you; Therefore, You must steward the gifts and talents you’ve received responsibly. Always Love & Respect yourself, as well as other people. Remember that growth and wisdom develops over time. Trust the process, Embrace it.
Laura Massas
Show Producer
Three verbs that fueled your hospitality career momentum.
If I had to choose three verbs that have fueled and continue to fuel my career, they would be anticipate, communicate, and collaborate. Anticipating needs for both clients and crew is something I keep at the forefront of how I tackle the planning process with the goal of having plans in place for a smooth event execution. Communication is a key facet of all phases of my career to ensure clients know what to expect for their event and my crews know what the client vision and expectations are so we can best bring everything to life. Finally, the clear communication leads to my favorite of these three which is collaboration. Collaborating with clients on building the reality of their vision is an exciting process no matter the size and scope of the event. Collaborating with my crew feels like magic coming to life before my eyes as they are subject-matter experts in each of their disciplines. The mutual trust that comes with collaboration translates into shows that are executed at the highest quality and with enthusiasm and passion.
Your biggest win in 2025.
In the summer of 2025, I was the show producer for a rather large show that had an intricate run of show including entertainment acts as well as several vendors participating in various portions of the production. Throughout the planning process, there was a high amount of education needed, clarifications of roles, expectations, and scope, and a plethora of additional conversations and collaboration needed to ensure all aspects of the event were moving forward and we had plans for the things we anticipated going in potentially a different way.
Fast forward to being on show site, after rehearsals and a successful show kickoff the client pulled me aside during a break and thanked me for all the support throughout. They said they didn’t quite grasp my role during the planning but once they saw me in action during rehearsal and how the presenters and crew alike responded to how I was running things, they finally understood every question and every clarification I had given them throughout.
They went so far as to ask for us as a company to come to the table in the post-show debrief with what it could take for us to take over all aspects of production. Going from having 4-5 different vendors in the show production space to gaining the client’s trust in such a way that they wanted us to take over all production was a huge win and something that wasn’t done in a vacuum. That win came about from my efforts as well as my planning colleagues and my on-site crew clearly communicating, collaborating, and anticipating the client’s needs to demonstrate our strengths and value.
One way you empower others.
I believe in empowering others by meeting them where they are and showing them different paths to consider as they continue their journeys. From one-on-one conversations with Associate Producers and Production Coordinators to participating in the WAVE Summit Orlando as a panelist, I love to talk about my journey as well as observations made of those around me through the years to bring different perspectives for how to navigate career options. I believe knowledge is power and being informed as well as self-reflecting can lead to a fulfilling career.
What future generations can learn from your journey.
I encourage future generations to stay curious and ask questions. Arming yourself with knowledge can only help in the long run and will create an environment for great collaboration. There have been times that from the outside, my career path looked like it was taking a strange turn or even a wrong turn- I knew in those moments that they were the right turns for me and I can proudly say today I have a job I love in a career that I might have stumbled into but that I feel blessed and passionate in being able to continue to pursue. Find where you feel you can be your authentic self and watch how your passion for your work takes you to heights you might not have dreamed of- that’s the journey where I currently find myself.
