What are you most proud of professionally right now?
I’m extremely proud of the work that Catch Des Moines is doing and the impact we have on this community. Our team works day in and day out to secure new events and meetings and visitors for the region – and those events and visitors shop in our stores and visit our attractions and stay in our hotels and eat in our restaurants. All of that makes a big impact on businesses, the people that work in these spaces and supports the vibrancy of our city. This past year has been a lot – obviously we’ve had a change in leadership internally, but we’ve also faced a cut to our funding. All while our competing cities are leveling up, there’s pressure to host the next big thing, etc. The team is rising to the challenge, and I’m proud of that impact and spirit.

What does a typical day – or a great day – look like in your role?
One of the things I love about this work is that everyday is different. But each day has a mix of internal meetings – from individual meetings with staff to leadership or department meetings, and some external meetings – with community leaders or businesses that support or want to be involved with Catch Des Moines. I get to speak regularly to community groups, am involved with site visits when our team brings meeting planners in, spend time regularly on event planning for things that are upcoming. The most important part of my job is making sure our funding and future is secure, and that our staff is supported, so those priorities dictate a lot of what my days look like.

What’s a challenge you’re navigating that others might not see from the outside?
On average, Catch Des Moines spends between $1-$1.5 million annually on bid incentives. This includes covering convention center rental, or paying for soccer tournament fields, or housing officials or cash sponsorship. It’s a numbers game, and we compete with cities across the country for business. Nearly every competing destination has funding to support events—through lodging taxes, state funds, or a combination of revenue sources. This competition isn’t new; there’s always been varying levels of of funding/support for events. However, while we are navigating funding challenges, many other destinations are increasing their emphasis on events, making economic development decisions that enhance their competitiveness, or identifying ways to financially support events to gain an edge.

For Catch Des Moines to remain competitive and continue attracting impactful, high-quality events for our community, increasing funding and support for events is critical. The challenge lies in protecting our existing funding while also identifying sustainable new revenue options.

At the state level, we are working with our state tourism partners on Tourism Improvement District (TID) authorization. This state enabling legislation allowing communities to create districts that increase occupancy and room rates for lodging businesses. Participating hotels assess a fee on hotel stays with revenue reinvested into tourism promotion or development. TIDs are designed, governed and supported by lodging businesses. This is a stable funding source protected from future government level changes.

What are you most excited about in the next 12-18 months?
We have a lot of exciting things happening in this community. In this role, people ask me all the time, “What’s the next big thing?” In 2026, our list of events includes the AAU Junior Olympic Games, the National Mock Trial Tournament, International Women’s Conference, Granny Basketball, Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Conference, Farm Progress Show, and US Youth Soccer Region II President’s Cup to name a few. As we look ahead to 2027, one of the most exciting things is the Iowa Airshow, featuring the Blue Angels.

There are so many events I could highlight for the next couple of years, and the next twelve months will bring more event announcements. Beyond events, the investment that our community is making in attractions and assets is something to brag about. The impact the Des Moines International Airport expansion will have on our ability to host new meetings is a good example. We track lost business due to airlift and I have no doubt this expansion and the ability to add seats and larger planes will allow us to secure some of what we’ve historically lost.