We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Briana Weatherspoon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Briana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Eventgers came to be as a random download from Spirit/The Universe and it is one of the best ones I have had to date.

I had already been in the Events industry for about 7 years and was a contractor working under my old DBA ‘Busy B! Events & Special Occasions’ in Los Angeles, CA. I knew I wanted to build a solid standing and name in the industry so I was focused on getting as much hands-on experience as I could, working with different Event Planners/Producers/Departments to not only keep fine-tuning my skills but get a sense for the different kinds of events (and there are MANY) being done and which ones were ‘me.’

2019 was one of my greatest years as I had the opportunity to move into working with large-scale events (festivals, conventions, public events) and I was HOOKED! At the end of 2019 I was excited and READY to have a successful 2020 continuing work with the festivals and conventions I picked up in 2019 and adding more Clients to the roster. All was going according to plan….

And then COVID-19 hit in March 2020.

In a matter of one week I saw all existing contracts and discussions about upcoming events dissipate. It was one of the most terrifying things – to see your whole life go up in flames with no ability to control what is happening. After a few weeks of processing, accepting and giving myself grace I decided I would do my best to focus on what I could do at that time.

And at that moment? It was ensuring bills/rent would be covered, exercising to help battle the waves of stress and anxiety that would come about as it became apparent pretty quickly the Events industry was completely decimated and wouldn’t be coming back for some time, meaning I was going to have to get used to sitting tight.

Once I figured out the financial aspect of my life (which took a good few weeks to a month) the days were spent keeping ‘busy’ – exercise, Netflix, Amazon Prime. That and talking with other event professionals, doing our best to encourage each other to have faith. It was during this time I was really beginning to reflect on my life and career as an event professional – working as I have I was able to learn a lot from the different people I have worked with, noting the things I liked and wanted to emulate, the things I DIDN’T like and what I would do differently. I also know I was frankly tired of having to depend on other events/their schedules in order to work. I knew the goal was always to build a business/brand/following of my own but at the time I didn’t think I was ‘ready yet.’ I also knew at the pace I was going in 2019 I was going to be always on the move so I didn’t see myself having the time to start from scratch at that time. But there I was, with all the time in the world! It was at that time the seed was planted….

Fast-forward a month or so and I was fully immersed in watching Marvel movies/being my nerdy self. I was watching The Avengers with a significant other at the time and becoming totally obsessed with comics when I remember all of a sudden telling him ‘wouldn’t it be awesome to have the name of a company be The Eventgers? And it would be a team of event professionals that worked together on events?’ We both went quiet and looked at each other and I knew at that moment that The Eventgers was my company/brand, it just FELT right! I spent the rest of that moment excitedly writing things down and the rest is history.

The Eventgers concept has evolved since that time as it is now a brand that has its sights solely on the large-scale event industry/productions.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Howdy, yall!

My name is Briana Weatherspoon ‘Busy B!’ and I am the Managing Partner + Lead Producer of The Eventgers. I am a 33-year-old Black + Salvadoran American. I was born and raised in Los Angeles (Valley girl!) and am currently living in Austin, TX. I am also a model. My hobbies include boxing/hiking/exercise, cooking and watching movies (horror specifically!). I have a lot of interests and I am always actively pursuing them. My moniker is Busy B! after all!

I got my first taste for Events while working for a film company as a Marketing Assistant in 2011. One of my tasks was handling logistics for the company’s calendar of yearly tradeshows and for the 2 years I worked for that company I grew to realize I truly enjoyed that line of work. When the company downsized late 2013 I recognized it as the opportunity to make a career jump and so I went!

My mentality is vibes/energy is EVERYTHING. I learned early on in my career that working with others who you work well will/’vibe’ with is the difference between a good and bad event – that the energy will be felt and seen during the event itself. Utilizing my knowledge in the different aspects of events I truly think through all the details as much as I can to make it as seamless of an experience as possible.

I truly believe in the power of events with great energy and take it seriously that people trust me! I am proud of how far The Eventgers has come and look forward to working with larger productions and creating more experiences (locally for now, national one day!)

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I feel staying open to opportunities, being honest/transparent, a strong communicator and having follow-through/being a woman of my word has been a big part of building my reputation. I am dedicated, hardworking and stay calm + collected + bubbly in even the toughest scenarios so I feel people I have worked with/Clients have recognized that.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My whole journey is a story of resilience – starting your own business in an industry that is inundated with options in one of the largest cities and trying to figure out how to standout is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do! COVID-19 completely killing the events industry in 2020 was a moment where one would think you would go for a ‘regular job’ but since I’ve been on this journey I’ve known in my heart this is what I am meant to do at this time in my life. I feel so strongly about this and so no matter what has come my way I have strived to stay myself and push forward with my head up. And so far? It was worked for me. I’m still here!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eventgers.us
• Instagram: Business: @eventgers.us| Personal: @brianaweatherspoon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eventgers.us/
• Linkedin: Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaweatherspoon/ | Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eventgers-us/

Image Credits
Phographers: Greg Taylor, Taylored Eye Photography (DSC03172) Lisa Wolniewitz (55, 01)