Today we’d like to introduce you to Genna Lasko.
Hi Genna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been a multi-passionate person. I grew up on the stage as a performer and I was deeply involved with local and international service projects. I started my professional career as a High School Theater Teacher. However, during my time as a teacher, I continued volunteering for non-profit organizations and social impact projects.
In 2010, I was asked to help direct and stage-manage a benefit concert to raise awareness about child sex trafficking. That experience provided the perfect opportunity for me to blend my love for the stage and passion for social impact into an exciting new career path.
Since then, I’ve helped produce impactful events, productions, conferences, and fundraising campaigns all over the world. I’ve worked as the concert director for The End of Polio Concert in Perth Australia. I’ve staged the Laudato Si’ Challenge in Rome, Italy. And, I’ve produced dozens of events state-wide including the Show Up for Utah launch event for Utah First Lady, Abby Cox.
Together with my incredible network and dynamic team, we executed major impact events, raised millions of dollars for important causes, and helped create shared community experiences for people worldwide.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Three months after officially launching my event production company, Genna Lasko Events, the world shut down due to covid. Events and gatherings were banned worldwide. All of the momentum I had built and my company’s potential for growth came to a complete stop in 2020. While I was able to pivot a few of my clients to host virtual events, all other client events were canceled. Additionally, the uncertainty of the time didn’t allow for any future event plans or forecasting. During this time, I changed my focus from event production to partner management and offered this service to my clients. However, it was a really unsettling time for me and my family–not only did my industry take a major hit, my husband was laid off from his job due to the pandemic.
Despite the challenging year, I am incredibly grateful we had enough savings to get our family through that time. And, after about 12 months and a major move out of state, we were able to successfully get our careers back on track! My second business, Collaborative by Design, was officially incorporated in January of 2022 with a dear friend and co-founder. Collaborative by Design offers both event production and partnership management for social impact organizations.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Collaborative by Design creates next-level results by building high-level strategy, producing impactful events, and managing quality partnerships for social impact causes. However, building genuine relationships is truly at the core of who we are as a company. Our unique approach to collaboration allows our clients to leverage their network and maximize their impact.
We’ve worked nationally and internationally on galas, benefit concerts, festivals, programming, and more. We’ve raised millions of dollars for non-profit organizations and corporate giving campaigns of for-profit companies whose mission’s range from economic and social-economic development, anti-child sex trafficking, peace and reconciliation, equine therapy, foster care, environmental causes, and more. We’re highly professional yet incredibly personable; and, we’re proven experts at identifying strategies, creating partnerships, building growth while executing successful teams, campaigns, and events.
Any big plans?
We plan to continue expanding our services both nationally and internationally. However, expansion is only possible so long as the capacity of our team and quality of our work stays first-rate. We care deeply about the clients we work with and caring for our exceptional team. We prioritize a healthy work-life balance to ensure our team doesn’t reach burnout–this way we are able to maintain the highest quality of work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.collaborativeby.design
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gennalasko.events
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gennalasko.events
- Other: www.gennalasko.com
