When you picture the architects behind unforgettable experiences in mid-size cities, who do you see? Likely, there’s someone orchestrating logistics, reading reviews, and championing connections. In the heart of Greenville, North Carolina, Rachel Whitten embodies these qualities. And the story she shared on the Event Pro Show provides a captivating journey through hospitality, leadership, and the art of crafting great events.
Let’s see how Rachel is making Greenville, Pitt County, a mid-sized destination, stand out on the map for meeting and conference planners everywhere.
Rachel’s earliest event memory isn’t from a convention center or a bustling hotel ballroom. It’s her family’s Christmas Eve party, a tradition predating even her current childhood home. Each year, neighbors would gather after the church service, turning a simple get-together into a sprawling block celebration. Rachel’s mother engineered the evening with meticulous preparation: homemade eggnog, candies, the famed shrimp mousse (a recipe shrouded in secrecy) and the originality of chilling beer in the washing machine on the rinse cycle.
As she recalls in the conversation, “everything that could possibly be done ahead was done before we went to church at 5:30.” After church, the family hurried home, orchestrating a culinary and social production that made their house the pulse of neighborhood festivities.
While this tradition eventually reached its close (requiring a “you’re not invited because we’re not having the party” notice to break the news), it stands as a formative experience. Rachel was steeped in the power of hospitality from an early age, learning firsthand how thoughtful planning cultivates cherished memories and enduring connections.
She never set out to work in tourism or events. Early jobs at a local lunch counter and a sports bar taught her determination and people skills, key assets for anyone in hospitality or event work. Her stint as a birthday party host (yes, sporting a mute alligator mascot costume) and first-time waitress put her in the thick of guest interactions, even before she knew “hospitality leadership” was a formal career path.
What set Rachel apart early on was her hunger to work and grow. She jokes about her parents’ financing rules in college: “Don’t call me and ask for money unless you have a job,” her dad stated. Taking a friend’s advice to “work somewhere that sells what you want,” she initially applied at a movie theater, then switched gears when she noticed a job opening at the Hilton. The draw? Recognition that more expensive salads meant better tips.
This lesson kicked off a journey through all corners of hospitality, working breakfast shifts before dawn, transitioning to banquets, then leading as banquet captain at the newly-expanded Hilton. When the adjacent convention center opened, Rachel joined the team and became part of its inaugural run, laying the groundwork for event service at a city-defining venue.
Whitten’s arc from convention center to the wider world is marked by curiosity, adaptability, and a drive to say “yes” to new sectors. She spent time with a nomadic apartment leasing company (“Sketchy Inc.,” as she dubbed it), hopped over to managing food and beverage for boutique hotels, and eventually worked for a major beverage wholesaler. In each role, she faced tasks from managing sales teams to overseeing logistics for multi-county delivery. She absorbed nuances about operations, people, and marketing.
Later, marketing for a global hammock manufacturer, Rachel coordinated brand activity from creative photo shoots to national retail collaborations. Every experience added context and a new set of capabilities, giving her a unique and layered perspective. Each chapter contributed to a deep knowledge of what it takes to nurture partnerships, manage teams, and make organizations shine in competitive settings.
It was only when the local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) reached out, repeatedly, that she considered bringing these skills back home to Greenville. Rachel finally applied for the role of Director of Sales. When asked why she’d stick around her college town, she answered honestly: “I understand this might be an opportunity for me.” That decision proved pivotal, both for her own career and for the future of event hosting in Greenville Pitt County.
Greenville may not be a metropolis, but as Rachel points out, that’s one of its greatest assets. She now serves as Vice President of Sales and Services at the CVB, where the scale of the place works in every planner’s favor. “You get me and Josh,” she laughs, highlighting the direct access and attention clients receive.
In Rachel’s approach, working with a mid-market city doesn’t mean compromising on quality, it means amplifying hospitality. Compared to larger cities, where multiple conventions compete for attention, Greenville clients are “the thing happening.” This translates to top-tier service, custom solutions, and team members who genuinely care about event success.
Greenville’s venue campus offers walkable facilities, a 30,000-square-foot exhibit hall, and over 400 guest rooms seamlessly connected. But what sets the destination apart is its people-focused approach and southern welcome: “We do work a little harder,” Rachel admits, “and we do a little bit more services than people necessarily do in bigger tier-one cities.”
Rachel is quick to advise new planners: begin your journey by reaching out to the local CVB. “Start there first,” she urges, explaining that the range of support- site visits, recommendations, relationships, on-the-ground troubleshooting- can be transformative. CVBs know the local pulse, which venues are hidden gems, and which experiences are must-dos (or should-be-avoided).
She compares contacting a CVB to sitting at a bar and talking with the bartender: “You can learn more about what’s going on than if you Googled for three hours.” Local knowledge isn’t just more efficient; it protects against common pitfalls and helps planners achieve home-run results.
As tools like AI-generated reviews make researching destinations easier yet less personal, Rachel and her team double down on authenticity. They provide event organizers with honest feedback, insider recommendations as well as gentle warnings. “Everything through them is going to be a home run,” says Rachel. Local expertise simply can’t be replaced.
Perhaps the best demonstration of this spirit comes from Rachel’s stories of state conferences, events where she and the team roll out the red carpet for tourism professionals and city planners from across North Carolina.
For one standout gathering, the team transformed Pitt Street into a festival, closing off traffic to host food, craft drinks, live music, and bites from Greenville’s favorite chefs. Local breweries collaborated on signature brews with custom labels and the area’s famed “crush” cocktails (fresh-squeezed fruit juice mixed with house-distilled vodka) made their rounds.
All logistics, from branded beverage tokens to accessible shuttle transportation, were orchestrated with the precision of a banquet captain and the flair of a longtime resident. Rachel recalls the nervous anticipation around weather and the moment when a skeptical committee member confessed, “I didn’t think you could do it. I didn’t see how it would work. But this is incredible.”
This sort of partnership, a CVB and planner coming together for an unforgettable event, isn’t a rare exception. In smaller cities like Greenville, it becomes the expectation. Relationships with local restaurants, craft beverage makers, colleges, and makers mark the difference between an average event and a truly exceptional one.
Rachel’s message to others in events or related fields rings clear: every step in your professional journey, even detours outside your chosen industry, can contribute to your skillset. There’s no “one way” into hospitality or corporate events. Instead, success often comes from curiosity, openness, and a willingness to collaborate with the local community.
Ready to connect with Rachel Whitten? Find her on Linkedin or Email.
For more real stories, tips, and hands-on wisdom about creating outstanding events, especially in cities that surprise you, keep tuning in to The Event Pro Show. Your next remarkable collaboration might be just a conversation away.