Faces of Shift with the Team of E5 Events
Shift Corona was excited to sit down with the team of E5 Events this month and learn about their organization, what inspires them, and how they juggle the balance of work and play. The core team is made up of Wesley Guzman, Vice President, Chloe Neumann, CMP, Sr. Account Manager and Joel Villezcas, Operations Manager.
E5 Events is the destination management and full-service event division of Epicurean’s family of businesses that include Catering, Venues, Sports and Restaurant divisions. They have leveraged Epicurean’s 37 years of event experience into a new, energetic business in Colorado.
A destination management company is the local expert for out-of-town guests visiting Denver or Colorado. E5 has experience in events for up to 10,000 guests as well as managing incentive trips, meetings and events all thought-out Colorado including Denver, Colorado Springs, Aspen, Beaver Creek, Telluride…basically everywhere in the beautiful state of Colorado!
Their services include full brand execution, concept design, catering, entertainment, room CADs/flows, transportation, airport arrivals/departures, budget management, timelines, venue selection, décor design, permitting, A/V design, speakers/presenter, event security, contingency, lodging and emergency plans.
The E5 Events team has an extensive background in their industry. Wesley Guzman studied at the Colorado Institute of Art. Upon graduation, he was able to intern with MCI in the communications department which handled events, employee incentives and community relations. He stayed with MCI for 9 years, eventually managing the entire team. While at MCI, Wesley used Epicurean Catering for local events and was impressed with the ownership and vision. In 2004, he made the jump from client to colleague and joined the Epicurean team. He began as an event designer, and over the last 15 years transitioned to senior event design, and ultimately Vice President of Catering. In 2015 the idea of E5 Events was born. Wesley was fully involved with the development, concept, branding and execution of E5 as he moved to oversee and manage the newest division of the company.
Wesley is inspired by design and concept. “I am a huge fan of pop culture and the ever-changing notion of what is “in” and twisting that element into something new, different and exciting.” He went on to say, “I am most inspired immediately after the event or program (usually driving home) where I can fully reflect in our success and the feeling of did, we really just do that? I can’t wait to do it again!”
Chloe Neumann always knew she wanted to be an event planner since she found out that it was an actual career path in high school. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Sports/Entertainment/Event Management from Johnson & Wales University Denver. Most recently Chloe received her Certified Meeting Professional designation from the Events Industry Council. Throughout college she made her way up in the world of hotel banquets and after some thought she decided it was time to expand her career to something new and different. She was hired on to Epicurean Group while the early stages of E5 Events were in the works. As Senior Account Manager, Chloe fosters client relationships and serves as an expert liaison between clients and vendor partners to make sure each client’s return on objective is met with each event. Chloe enjoys seeing things come together the day of the event. She discussed how she is truly inspired by a successful event. “It’s incredible to see the vision I helped curate with the client become a reality.”
Joel Villezcas started working for Epicurean Catering in 2009. After executing numerous weddings, mitzvah’s, and everything in between, he accepted a promotion as an event designer. In 2015, Joel was named their senior event operations. While his job is solely corporate business, he always enjoys coordinating and executing social events.
Joel’s inspiration stems from the ability to work alongside such talented, self-driven event architects. According to Joel, “to make a client’s dream and visions come to fruition is my passion. The most successful event is the one that achieves your goals and exceed your expectations.”
With such busy careers, we asked the team about how they juggle their work life balance. Wesley said, “loving your career and having a fun filled home life balance is not too difficult. When I am at work, I am 100% focused on work and at home, 100% fully engaged on that part of my life.” Wesley has had success with ensuring his work life does not affect his home like and vice versa. His attitude is if you are fully engaged with the task at hand you seem to have time for everything and enjoy it a lot more.
Chloe’s approach is a little bit different. She says, “there are times of the year that we are absolutely swamped with events, so I generally make plans for my personal life pretty far in advance, but when I do make those plans, I am committed to keeping them. During our slower times I make sure to really take time for me and my family.”
According to Joel, “everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, how you manage your time is a choice. Being part of a company with core values that align with my work and personal life make work-life balance a seamless transition”. He goes on to say, “nurturing community relationships as well as passion and dedication to its employees and their families is the prime example of cultivating culture.”
The E5 team was based at Epicurean’s corporate headquarters in Centennial, CO. As most of the E5 business and contacts are closer to the downtown area, Larry DiPasquale saw the need for the team to be in closer proximity to the convention center, hotels, etc. and went on a hunt for a coworking space where E5 could grow and flourish. They found that Shift Corona had all the elements that they were looking for and close to the downtown area for easy access for E5 to get to meetings or for clients to come to E5. They have found that the E5 core team can be more creative if they surround themselves with motivated entrepreneurs and thrive on the energy and youthful vibe of a co working space.
In five years, E5 will be the leading destination management and event planning firm in Denver and all of Colorado. They have the vision, talent, and a 5-year plan that the entire company has implemented to grow as a company and as event professionals.
They are excited about the company’s plans for 2019. The E5 team gets most excited for their programs in the mountains. They have some amazing events coming up in the next few months in Aspen, Vail and Snowmass that they are working on with some top international companies! They are also looking to expand the team in 2019 so that is very exciting too!
To learn more about E5 and their services, visit their website. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
