Grad Plans Events for City of Smyrna

Theresa Galletta graduated from the Meeting & Event Management program in November 2008. She was excited to change careers, from working as a systems engineer at IBM for 20 years to pursuing event planning.

After completing the course and getting her certificate, she worked as an independent meeting and event planner with her own company, Meeting Street Events, LLC. Later, she heard that a facilities event coordinator was needed for the City of Smyrna and jumped at the chance to merge her two loves: preserving historic buildings and event planning.

Theresa currently manages three historic buildings which includes a cabin, a Victorian home and Brawner Hall, a grand banquet hall with a 10-acre park. These buildings get rented out for meetings and events.

“I enjoy helping people accomplish whatever goals they have for their meeting or event. I always remind my staff that, while this is a job for us, these are life events for our customers,” Theresa said. “There are no do-overs, so we strive to make all events the best that they can be.”

Working as an event coordinator, every day is different for her. Each day is packed with tasks and opportunities that are different from the day before, which is one thing that she loves about working in the field.

The City of Smyrna hosts a variety of events such as corporate team building, training classes, birthday parties, fundraisers, quinceñeras, baby and bridal showers, and family reunions. At any given moment, Theresa could be pulled into a different event with different challenges.

Over the last few months, Theresa has been involved in the renovation of the Reed House, a historic home built in 1910. This includes the acquisition and refurbishing of donated period furniture, interior design decisions, selection of kitchen equipment and everything in between.

Theresa is also responsible for marketing the historic properties and the events. She attends numerous meetings and conventions to spread the word. The facilities are open for scheduling seven days a week. Theresa and her team work around the clock to make sure all events go smoothly for their clients.

She has found there is never a dull moment in this industry. “The great thing about this job is that there really isn’t a typical day.”