Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Collins.
Hi Anna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My background is pretty eclectic. I grew up in a large family that moved a lot. I have eleven siblings, and my youth saw us bouncing mostly around Europe with a little time in California, so I got used to change and upheaval early on in life.
I spent most of my teenage years working with an aid organization in the Balkans during the war there, did three seasons on a factory trawler in the Bering Sea in my early twenties, studied interior design in college after that, and then spent time in both the banking and real estate industries before settling into a more traditional corporate career in my late twenties.
That career was primarily in the logistics, Global facilities, and events space, which provided a natural jumping-off point for the creation of Anna Collins Events.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ha! No… smooth would not be the right word. Every venture has its challenges, and starting a premium events business is no different.
We began with very boutique, high-end events that started as just a flicker of an idea, with a price point that we were unsure people would buy into, and over time, those became a bucket-list item for top-level professionals in that space, but developing a reputation for maximum quality and no drama isn’t easy.
At the start, it was essentially just me and my husband running the show, learning as we went. Now we have a staff and the experience to make each event better, but you still learn lessons every time.
Pivoting from boutique events to adding large conferences to our portfolio was a big leap, as you can imagine. The first time I took the lead in a larger setting was a 400+ person conference in Dallas that was the first in its industry to return live in 2021. Managing the usual stresses of running a large event on top of the background of a global pandemic was a trial by fire, but despite having to put out some of those fires behind the scenes, it looked great to the audience, was a deeply cathartic experience for those who had been isolated so long, and we managed to do it all while keeping the attendees healthy.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Anna Collins Events?
Anna Collins Events manages a portfolio of boutique luxury retreat events and large conferences for professionals in various fields. The company began in the voiceover/voice acting space, working with some of the most famous cartoon and video game voices in the world, along with those you hear on the air every day in commercials, movie trailers, and other genres, as well as talent agents, casting directors, producers, and other industry luminaries.
We are now starting to add other industries to our portfolio and are excited to reproduce the same level of quality and success of our core business in new verticals.
It’s that quality that sets us apart. As a family, we have been blessed to experience many of the finest hospitality experiences and venues in the world, and we bring that understanding to our brand. It’s about the details, personalized service and care, and a perspective where no one is seen as a number, but every event participant, attendee, presenter, whatever their role may be, represents a unique set of needs that we work to accommodate.
We feel like so much of the world is cutting corners and reducing service these days, and we want to buck that trend and remind people what first-class truly means.
What makes you happy?
My husband and son. Our two dumb rescue dogs.
Because family is everything, and from that core of happiness springs forth the desire to share joy with others.
Traveling, exploring new places and cultures. I love trance music, opera, art, and history. I find that exploration and experiencing new places helps my soul continue to find new meaning. It helps me recharge and get ready for new challenges. That’s also where I find new ideas for events.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annacollinsevents.com/
Image Credits
Zach Deloach
