Ellas Events LLC
Why Do Experiences Matter?
People remember experiences.
We spend a lot of our lives in the same places, in the same routines, doing the same things, surrounded by screens. But the things people remember aren’t always the things that were scheduled.
They remember:
The place.
The people.
The story.
The challenge.
The surprise.
The laugh.
The moment.
An event gets people together.
An experience gives them something to share.
When creating an event for my clients, I’m guided by five principles:
1. Change the environment.
Get people out of the place they’re always in. A conference room isn’t the only place work can happen. A holiday party doesn’t have to be in a restaurant banquet room.
A trail can change a conversation. A new venue can make someone feel more comfortable being themselves. A different city can change perspective.
2. Create connection.
People don’t connect simply because they’re standing next to each other. They connect because they’re doing something together.
They’re sharing a struggle, a success, or a moment.
Give them something to experience.
3. Be present.
Give people a reason to put the phone down.
Let them try something new. Give them a reason to pay attention, participate, and laugh.
Make them grateful they chose to be there.
4. Build community.
People want to come together. Let me create the environment where they can.
We all want to belong. What is something you can find in common with the person next to you?
How can you celebrate what is the same while honoring the differences?
5. Make it memorable.
The best event isn’t necessarily the biggest one.
It’s the one people are still talking about afterward.
It’s the one that creates a friendship.
It’s the one they come back to next year.
Why Nature?
I’ve spent years working in and seeking out nature.
When I lived in LA, I hiked Temescal Canyon two or three times a week. The three-mile hike helped me change my perspective and ground my thoughts.
After large events, I would wake up at 5 a.m. and drive five hours to the back of the Eastern Sierras to hike 13 miles and jump in glacier lakes. This reminded me I could do hard things and that there were bigger and colder challenges ahead.
When events shut down after COVID, I knew nature was calling me. I started working in the Colorado mountains and Utah deserts with young adults.
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My work as a wilderness guide, role modeling and growing alongside those who were naming their feelings, addressing their traumas, and exploring their role in their families was one of the most impactful and rewarding jobs I’ve ever had.
I’ve spent years working as both an event producer and a wilderness guide.
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Those may sound like two very different careers.
They’re actually not.
Both are about people.
Both require planning.
Both require adaptability.
Both require reading the environment.
And both have taught me the same thing:
Change the environment, and you change what’s possible.
I’ve watched people who barely knew each other become a family on a trail.
I’ve watched students discover things about themselves because they were removed from the environment they were comfortable in.
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I’ve watched people put their phones away, look up, and actually talk to each other.
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That’s why I believe nature can be such a powerful setting for business retreats, family experiences, and team experiences.
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Not because every organization needs to go hiking.
Because sometimes people need to get out of the environment they’re always in.