As part of our on-going “5 Minutes With” series, every month we’ll introduce you to a new member of our Disney Meetings team at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Resort in California or Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii. Whether they work in our Disney Convention Resorts, Theme Park Operations, Catering and Convention Services, Sales, Entertainment or dozens of other event-support areas, these Cast Members and their teams are responsible for creating magical experiences and unforgettable events for meeting and event industry professionals, and their important attendees and guests, every single day.

Let’s meet Andrew Lammes, Senior Event Consultant at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida:

Hi Andrew, tell us about your role.

My role as an Event Consultant is to provide unique and engaging event solutions for meeting professionals hosting events throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. By gaining an understanding of their meeting purpose, content, messaging, networking and celebration opportunities, my fellow Disney partners and I explore creative and innovative event solutions to design a complete event experience—not just a standard meeting.

Can you tell us about a typical day at work?

I really don’t have any typical days! With creating experiences throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, and with each client and event having different needs, my days are usually very different from one to the next. Some days, I facilitate presentations showcasing unique Disney Meetings solutions available to prospective clients. I also co-host planning sessions with my services partners to capture an in-depth discovery of our client’s goals so that we may suggest and design personalized experiences. I participate in brainstorming meetings with my events team to help further develop solutions that excite our guests. Some days, I may be onsite and involved with the physical set-up and attending events that I have designed for my clients. Most often, my days include a combination of all of these, making each day different, exciting and providing variety.

How do you and your team work with meeting and event planners?

The Disney Meetings team goes through an in-depth discovery process with every client to identify each group’s purpose, goals and specific needs. With all of this valuable insight, we engage the right partners to truly personalize each event within a program. We have a great deal of creativity here at Disney, and you never know where the next creative spark may come from. One initial idea can start robust conversations on ways we may enhance our attendees’ experiences by weaving a theme or story throughout their entire program to truly make their experience unique. It is truly a collaborative effort. We capture ideas from culinary, production, entertainment, audio/visual, floral, educational content through Disney Institute, creative media, theme park events, team building activities teams and beyond to design experiences that engage all the senses. It’s amazing how one idea can take an event from ordinary to extraordinary.

How do you think food & beverage impacts the overall meeting or event experience?

Food and beverage plays a very important role in the overall design of any event. We can spend a great deal of effort in creating an environment with room decor, entertainment, floral and linens, but if the food does not complement the overall theme, the essence of the design falls short. We collaborate with our culinary partners to share the theme of our events to ensure that our food and beverage pairings - from the flavors, presentation and even the names of our menu items - help continue to tell the “story” to immerse attendees in a truly unique experience through sights, sounds and flavors.

What is your favorite part of your role?

Variety! Every group is unique; every event has different needs; and every location provides different possibilities, which makes every day and event different. I love collaborating with partners, researching and exploring solutions to design distinctive event experiences for groups. I have an added sense of pride and accomplishment in seeing the vision we have collectively created come to life and witnessing the delight of the attendees. It is a truly rewarding experience.