1. The Portfolio of
Kristan Vasquez
512.517.0507
kristanthevasquez@gmail.com
“If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it
is giving, give generously. If God has given you
leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others,
do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really
love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is
good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take
delight in honoring each other.”
Romans 12:8-10

2. In 2007, the City of Lewisville approached a group of animal shelters to build a special
“pet friendly” area for the Holiday at the Hall event. I was privileged to be asked for
my event planning assistance in getting this great program off the ground. Rhonda
Hurst, owner of the Texas Tailwaggers Rescue Group, worked closely with me on
coordination of booths for various animal vendors to display their fuzzy friends and
fun facts about their pets. The area, referred to as “Tailwaggers Ranch,” featured
hourly shows from the Search One Rescue Team, a doggy cake walk with edible
goods for pets and their owners and a photo booth where Fido could take a picture
with Santa. The event was a hit. To our amazement, the first year’s display was seen
by over 15,000 people. Since then, the City of Lewisville has continued to build pet
friendly events into their town celebrations. I continue to help Rhonda in her
planning, and am proud to say I helped get the snowball rolling.

3. The Door Dallas is where event planning became a lifestyle for me. At the ripe age of
15 years old, I began setting stages for acts such as Switchfoot, The Afters (Blisse) and
Thousand Foot Crutch. I volunteered for almost three years and learned everything
from lighting to contract negotiation. It’s amazing what you can pick up by jumping
in. The Door, at the time I began, was just one club that kids from all over traveled to
for a glimpse of their favorite Christian bands. The Door has, since expanded into
four locations, and opened three alternate concepts. It was a pleasure working with
them and I will never forget all of the amazing things I learned.

4. During my course work at Collin College, it was suggested that I interview a person in
the industry that I admired. After a few emails and phone calls, I landed a position as
a one day volunteer for the Vans Warped Tour. More specifically, I stumbled into a
spot as the owner’s personal assistant. This position grew into a three year adventure
during which I worked as a coordinator for bands from all over the world. The tour,
on a typical day, saw nearly 100,000 people and visited various U.S. cities for nearly
three months each summer. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Kevin Lyman, owner
and founder, worked directly with me as a mentor. He showed me the how-to’s of
anything from building accommodations for large traveling groups to meal planning
for over 500 personnel. The position stretched and molded me into the fantastic
planner that I am today.

5. In my final year at Collin College, I was asked to work as an intern for an amazing
church in Frisco Texas, just north of Dallas. As the church event planner, I worked to
build on regular services, summer retreats and a fun filled holiday event called “Carols
by Candlelight.” The church was only three years old and not widely known in the
area which made my position very important. During my internship, I am proud to
say the church membership doubled and broke the 100 member barrier. The Carols
by Candlelight event, which takes place at an outdoor park, is open to the public for a
night of Christmas Carols and family memories. The event features performances by
local musicians and actors, along with a special reading about the birth of Jesus. The
event was a great success. Since then, the church has continued to grow and I still
assist them with events.
While working as an assistant for Dowdey, Anderson & Associates, I was asked for
input on the company Christmas party. In the past, the event did not have a great
history for attendance and the owners were struggling with whether it would be worth
organizing at all. I came up with a game that was played by associates for three
months prior to the party. The game used Monopoly money as a reward between
associates who wanted to complement each other on a job well done. The company
party featured a poker theme where employees could take their monopoly money and
play various games to win prizes. It was such a hit that we had to look at a larger
venue for the Christmas party. With the exception of two people, the entire company
showed up for the festivities.

6. During my free time in college, I had the pleasure of working for Starbucks Coffee.
Moving beyond just a general barista, I worked closely with one store manager to
create a grand opening party that drew hundreds of local residents. As Starbucks is
known for working closely with it’s community, I created a letter writing campaign for
local military members currently stationed in Iraq. I also had a series of local
musicians come and play for patrons that decided to enjoy the café. There was
sidewalk chalk and balloons for the children and coffee tastings and book reviews for
the adults. Also during my time with the company, I became known as an event
planner and assisted with other store events. I did everything from movie promotions
for café’s located by movie theaters to promotional events highlighting new products.

7. As an opening team member at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, I had the
opportunity to build and maintain everything in the Catering Department from menus
to client databases, diagrams to brochures. Under the guidance of Sonya Villarreal, I
have had an opportunity to work weddings between 50-500 people as well as
conferences and receptions for sizes up to 2,000. In my position I have learned that
every detail counts.

8. Since 2012, I have been honored to participate in the Homes for Our Troops Dallas
Sporting Clay Shoot Committee. As a member, I help coordinate the events for the
day including event layout and design, catering, guest speakers and even hospitality for
the heroic wounded veterans visiting the event. I joined the organization in its third
year and I’m proud to say with such a determined network, it has become a huge
success.