Expert Profile: Dianne Devitt
Last summer, during our Planner Master Class at Rosebud on Randolph, Dianne Devitt led a 3+ hour workshop and round-table session, focussing on Creative Leadership and owning the responsibility that comes with planning and leading a team.
Producer, speaker, author, educator, creative strategist, Dianne is an industry leader, visionary, and personality with global experience as a producer, speaker, author and educator. Dianne’s dynamism, coupled with the innate ability to help people and business see and identify possibilities to make effective change, find solutions, and unleash the power of creativity for growth is supported through her belief that “No Idea is Out of Reach.â€
Global Speaker
An innovative thinker, Dianne is one of the original pioneers in the experiential industry, having owned a premiere event production company. Throughout her career, she has spoken globally on topics from inspiration, motivation and the power of people coming together. Her background in theater and developmental drama impacts the spontaneity and engagement reflected in her presentations.
The author of What Color is Your Event?, a global resource for creative planning, Dianne also co-authored Called to Lead: Success Strategies for Women, with 17 other women. Dianne has worked and liaised with four US Presidents, astronauts, CEO’s, city and government officials, and heads of state. Always seeking what’s next, Devitt identified the focus and importance of non-verbal sensory communication and produced the SenseUP! Summit.
As an Adjunct Professor at New York University for over 30 years, Dianne has created and taught over six different courses in the hospitality and tourism sector in the Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism where she was honored to receive the Award for Teaching Excellence. Dianne believes in the power of associations,
training and networking having served on local and international boards throughout her career. Dianne enjoys the arts, theater, cooking, recreation and her yoga practice.
Meet Elena Martin, Our New Director Of Events
Elena joins the Ateema team after serving 5 and a half years as Associate Director of Marketing & Events at the educational nonprofit for first generation college students from under-resourced communities in Chicago, Chicago Scholars.
Elena was first introduced to Ateema after she attended a Chicago Planner Master Class event in early 2020. Networking with other event industry professionals and learning about new vendors who could put a creative stamp on her events, showcase the brand in a new way, and create unique and memorable moments for attendees was exciting and a valuable professional development opportunity.
Elena: "I was one of the only staff on my team that planned events, so having a chance to speak with other event professionals and discuss best practices was helpful to my career." Planning events for young high school and college age students meant she needed to stay on top of new ways to keep her events engaging and fun. "I'm excited to provide the same high level of support to other planners that I received at my first Ateema run Chicago Planner Master Class event and keep pushing the industry to innovate in new ways by working together."