Shannon Kasakevics, CMP
President/Owner

Award-winning event producer, Shannon Kasakevics, has been producing entertainment, wedding, and Fortune 500 company events for over 15 years. Her experience includes marketing, public relations, business development, and executive-level administration for top companies and executives.

 

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Shannon grew up in a large family of 10. This is where she first learned to share, take care of others, and problem solve on a daily basis. After high school, Shannon moved to Seattle, Washington where she attended college. She then moved to San Francisco and over a period of several years, worked for an investment firm, multi-media company, and country music radio station. During this time, she was also a member of the West Bay Palo Alto Opera Company and was performing in many country music night clubs around the city. As the winner of a huge singing contest in the Bay Area, Shannon was convinced to pursue her dreams of becoming a recording artist, so once again, she packed up and moved to Nashville, TN where she landed a job working for the Country Music Association’s Executive Director.

During her tenure at the CMA, Shannon became a Senior Manager in the events department overseeing quarterly board meetings, PR and marketing events at 5-Star hotels and venues, such as The Peninsula, The Ritz Carlton, The Four Season, The Regent Beverly Wilshire, The Beverly Hills Hotel, and The Park West Theater. These meetings and events were held throughout the U.S. for 62 “music row” industry presidents, major entertainment, PR, and marketing executives from LA, D.C., Chicago, and NYC and involved Country Music talent, such as Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Trace Adkins, Diamond Rio, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd, Teri Clark, Phil Vassar, and many others.

 

Shannon’s responsibilities for the CMA Awards Show included the Pre-Telecast Reception, which was designed specifically for board members, dignitaries, artists, and entertainment executives from CBS. She also planned, co-designed, and executed the CMA Post-Awards-Show-Party for over 2,000 guests at Opryland Hotel. Her involvement with the first-ever CMA Awards Show held in NYC at Madison Square Garden included strategy sessions with board members, NYC’s planning committee, and CMA’s executive staff. She was also heavily involved with the budgeting process, as well as managing multiple contract negotiations with hotels and venues. Shannon made many business trips to NYC for the purposes of research and procurement and also provided logistical support for the press conference involving NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg and CMA Officials. She also wrote and created all preliminary schematics and documentation needed for the logistical administration of this project.

Having had the opportunity to witness board member strategy sessions, think-tank sessions, and the political maneuverings for projects, such as relocating the CMA Awards Show to NYC and also moving the Awards Show to a different network, her abilities to think outside the box grew tremendously. These work experiences not only developed her adept abilities to manage critical details, but also encouraged her to become a big thinker as well. Some of her big picture efforts include securing the opening float for the nationally live-telecasted 2004 Macy’s Day Parade involving millions of viewers, a $250,000 sponsorship, national PR coverage for the upcoming CMA Awards Show event in NYC, and securing the talent for the special guest artist performance on the opening float of the Macy’s Day Parade.

Shannon also managed CMA Music Fest’s Opening Ceremonies. This project involved working with the FAA to ensure timely military aircraft flyovers, the Marine Corp. Color Guard, and talent, such as LeAnn Womack, Ronnie Milsap, and Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap. Her on-going responsibilities also included CMA staff events and VIP/Board Member services throughout the year.

 

After working in the music industry for over 10 years, Shannon pursued a career in corporate America working as a Marketing Manager for Fortune 500 Company -- Healthways, Inc. During her time there she utilized her Hispanic business leaders and government official contacts throughout the U.S. to make headway in Healthways’ endeavor to open an office in Puerto Rico. She also produced events, was on the development team for the company’s first-ever CRM program, created and developed original commercials for entertainment purposes, and developed and designed marketing materials for business development. During her time at Healthways, Shannon was recruited by multi-millionaire, author, and entrepreneur, Tom Black, to become the Executive Director of the Tom Black Center for Selling. As the Executive Director she oversaw the company’s operations. She also co-produced the Build Your Mega Success event with author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Mark Victor Hansen, which included writing and recording radio and television spots to promote the event. Shannon also headed up efforts to re-vamp the company’s press kit and website. She managed sponsorship development strategies and oversaw all creative processes for the first edition of Tom’s book Quotes: Success Quotes for Sales People.

Shannon has been a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) for 10 years and was Tennessee’s 2004 Meeting Planner of the Year. During her service as a board member for the TN Chapter of MPI, she secured the coveted Newsletter of the Year Award for Best Layout and Design, which was also recognized by the Tennessee Society of Association Executives (TSAE). She also developed and produced TN MPI’s first-ever, multi-cultural meeting with local Hispanic business leaders. She is currently a board member of the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC) and is also serving on the Education Committee for TN MPI. She was also the recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Continued Service Award, which was presented during the National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration held at the Country Music Hall of Fame for raising over $20,000 for the chamber, as well as many other leadership contributions.

Shannon’s decision to create Leave Them Speechless Events stems from her passion for service, her expertise in logistics, and her excitement to think big and outside--the-box. The partners she has chosen to help build and develop her company reflect and represent her same dedication, work ethic, professionalism, and commitment to excellence.