By Chelsea Royer
Heidi Loveall is split between communities. Living in Montesano, yet working on the Capitol Campus, doesn’t leave a lot of time to spare, but somehow she manages to make a difference in both cities while also impacting Washington State as a whole.
As the Events and Engagement Coordinator for Results Washington, Heidi believes she has the “best job ever!” Results Washington takes a look at government related agencies, such as the Department of Licensing (DOL), and asks the people of Washington what they can do to help improve their lives. Whether this means decreasing traffic-related deaths or developing faster customer service at the DOL, Results Washington responds to the voice of Washingtonians.
With a foundation of impacting lives all over the state, Heidi gets an even closer look at people affected through her event planning. Her largest conference of the year hosts Lean Management Training with over 2,000 people attending. Lean Training takes a project management approach to streamlining processes in order to make them the most effective they can be. This event is free for government agencies wishing to improve their customer service and performance. While useful, it’s not a thought that brings enthusiasm to many people. However, Heidi explains that the energy at such events is contagious.
From start to finish, Heidi’s event planning is people focused. With over 400 tasks organized on a spreadsheet and 80 volunteers to make it happen, Heidi manages to get 2,300 people through the door and to their seats in about half an hour. “I love detail and bringing order to detail,” says Heidi.
From breakout sessions to inviting guests to “do the wave,” Heidi brings enthusiasm and interest to the activities. “Energy is magic and needs to be acknowledged – even by something as silly as doing the wave,” Heidi giggles. This year, guests were invited to bring non-perishable food items to donate. The results brought Heidi to tears. “When you think about 2,000 people it doesn’t seem like a big deal until you see for yourself what a large number that is. We collected 3,230 pounds of food which equates to feeding eight families three meals a day for an entire year,” says Heidi.
By far, the event planning is Heidi’s favorite part of her job. Since the age of 17 and planning her first bridal shower, Heidi knew event planning would be the career for her. When Heidi isn’t at work, she plans birthday parties for her three children and occasionally helps with wedding or other event planning. Regardless of whether her guestlist amounts to 2,300 people or 15, she says the process is still the same. “It’s the same mindset – it’s all about the detail and thinking about the guests. I spend months asking, ‘what are the details that will make the event special? How do I infuse purpose into every detail?’”
Heidi’s event planning basics always begin with the first impression. “At the conference, my goal is for the first guest experience to be a smile and human interaction. I never want guests to arrive and have that moment of standing awkwardly not knowing what to do. I want guests to remember being taken care of.”
Heidi lives for the moment of seeing the look of enjoyment on the faces of her guests. “My favorite part of planning events is that whoever you’re planning it for, there’s almost always a moment where you get to see the look on their face. The feeling I get is the same as seeing over 2,000 people laughing and talking as it is planning a party for my kids. I do my decorating the night before and the moment my kids wake up and walk out and see it, they have this delight and they know it’s for them. And I can tell that I did something honoring to them – it’s really rewarding.”
Beyond seeing the results during the conference, Heidi loves hearing about the effects post-event. In the Results Washington workspace is “the great wall of sharing and inspiration” where positive feedback is displayed. This could be from an employee whose job situation has greatly improved because of the Results Washington team, or a citizen who benefited from the same.
Heidi’s focus whether at home or at work is on people. “You plan events for the sake of people, not merely for the sake of events,” explains Heidi. Though she enjoys every moment of creating spreadsheets, making lists and planning details, Heidi lives for the way it will ultimately impact the people around her.
