Athena Ascione

Senior Events & Marketing Leader

Pasadena, California, United States

About

A Marketing, Events, and Project Manager with a passion for all things lead generation, customer engagement, and process. 8+ years of experience in the following areas: event management, marketing strategy, account-based marketing, partner relations, process improvement, asset production, and content curation. I am a very punctual, organized, and determined worker in every task in which I commit myself to. My experience in managing a heavy load, while still giving 110% to all tasks makes me confident in my ability to be a beneficial asset to any team.

Experience

  • Senior Manager, Event Marketing at Lightyear
    Nov 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

    • Own the end-to-end event marketing strategy, including selection and management of the annual event calendar, budget ownership ($300K+), ROI analysis, and process optimization to drive pipeline growth (leading to a 3:1 pipeline-to-spend ratio) • Lead multi-format event programs — trade shows, webinars, podcasts, client dinners, and award programs— confidently managing multiple high-impact workstreams in parallel • Support go-to-market execution for product launches, partnering with Product and Sales to develop marketing launch assets and coordinate timing across channels • Build and manage analyst relations, including briefings, inquiries, and research participation with analysts to strengthen Lightyear’s market positioning (achieving Gartner Market Guide insertion) • Partner cross-functionally with Sales (SDR/AEs) to develop integrated event and outbound campaigns, including pre-event, post-event, and re-engagement sequences • Collaborate closely with Go-to-Market leadership on timelines, project plans, and strategic initiatives across demand generation and brand awareness programs • Contribute across the full marketing mix, including copywriting and producing case studies, project managing design , securing PR placement, managing social channels (LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter), and supporting content strategy and thought leadership

  • Convoso (3 yrs 3 mos)
    • Senior Events & Marketing Project Manager
      Mar 2023 - Nov 2023 · 9 mos

      • A multifaceted role acting as both the Marketing Team Project Manager and the Events Manager. • Owned and executed a comprehensive event strategy across in-person and virtual formats (conferences, VIP events, roadshows), delivering consistent revenue and KPI growth over 3 consecutive years • Managed and mentored a team of 2 (Coordinator and Intern) to deliver high-impact programs on-time and on-budget • Oversaw full-cycle project management across marketing channels (events, content, digital, product), aligning deliverables with business goals and coordinating with executives and stakeholders across departments • Led operational planning & departmental budgeting for 2022 and 2023 fiscal year, optimizing resource allocation and spend effectiveness • Championed process improvement efforts, including intake workflows and cross-team project systems, increasing team efficiency and throughput • Managed a variety of special projects simultaneously, including: account-based marketing campaigns, customer referral programs, freelancer coordination, partner marketing initiatives, and more

    • Marketing Project Manager and Events Manager
      Sep 2021 - Mar 2023 · 1 yr 7 mos

      • Oversaw deadlines, schedule, and project completion for core marketing channels: content, digital, design, video, product, and operations. • Led a variety of special projects including account based marketing efforts, customer referral program, freelancer coordination and more. • Promoted to the official Convoso Events Manager; leading the event strategy and end to end planning (B2B). Responsibilities include but not limited to: budget management(+500k); content and sponsorship fulfillment, promotional planning, asset creation, and the overall execution of a flawless event • Established & built the event marketing team from the ground up including: process building, event brand and more • Launched company hosted events with regional roadshows and customer advisory board meetings

    • Marketing Project Specialist
      Sep 2020 - Sep 2021 · 1 yr 1 mo

      • Responsible for planning, overseeing, and leading various projects on the Marketing team at Convoso, an industry leader and innovator of web-based omnichannel contact center software • Maintained projects from the Marketing team; identifying and defining project requirements, scopes, and objectives, coordinating project schedules and deadlines, and ensuring that the Marketing Department is on track to meet deadlines and deliverables. • Supported the planning, development and execution for virtual events during COVID-19 • Collaborated with third party agency to launch programmatic and vertical specific account-based marketing campaigns • Supported partnerships team with printed and digital collateral, email newsletter, and partner webinars • Manage summer intern as direct report: overseeing their assignments, schedule, and development • Led weekly marketing team and sales meetings • Fostered content calendar development and coordination

  • Marketing Associate at Douglas Elliman Real Estate
    Dec 2019 - Sep 2020 · 10 mos

    • Responsible for a minimum of 20 marketing projects a week (traditional and digital marketing); coordinates, inputs and manages a project from conception to completion, owning schedules, outlining key milestones, and acting as liaison with design team and project stakeholders • Supported the West Coast Division of Marketing as the primary coordinator for the following areas in Southern California: Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Montecito, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs • Responsible for the tracking and successful completion of print and digital advertisements in various publications including the LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Lifestyle Properties, and the MLS Caravan - Identified and implemented process improvement for advertising; creating process documentation and best practices, identifying gaps/process blockers • Provided marketing support for 250+ individuals’ print and digital marketing needs, proof-read/review all assets, copy writing as needed • Acted as a brand ambassador for Douglas Elliman at all times to ensure the brand is upheld on all marketing collateral and promotional campaigns

  • Bluebeam, Inc. (2 yrs 6 mos)
    • Event Marketing Specialist
      Jan 2019 - Dec 2019 · 1 yr

      • Responsible for plan development, timelines, budgeting, project management and execution of experiential events for a nationally recognized software company • Developed and executed marketing plans for all 2018 to 2019 trade shows (+300K Budget) which includes: - Cross team collaboration to produce show strategy to support larger business objectives and the creation of pitch decks outlining the key objectives of each show - Coordinated all show logistics, show communications and the production of all assets to ensure the event is successfully executed and on budget - Identify new trade show opportunity; determining the process and criteria for attending a trade show - Organize targeted digital outreach to drive event traffic and work closely with Demand Gen. to create social media campaigns • Managed show schedule and curated content for annual conference (2018 and 2019) with over 100 external speakers reaching over 1000 attendees; defining content curation process, identifying areas to improve the content structure • Developed and maintained programming of International (2018) and Domestic (2019) Reseller Summit (+$90k Budget) • Developed and executed on the live production of Conference Awards Ceremony • Creator of the Global Events Calendar - a company-wide resource to be used for tracking of various marketing initiatives • Managed various levels of internal communication including writing copy for internal newsletter and updating the company and leadership team on major team milestones and other relevant information • Daily responsibilities continued to include helping the Experiential team fulfill any request as they come up, negotiating with vendors/partners, identifying areas for process improvement, creating presentations and event metric reports, data entry, and tracking experiential marketing collateral inventory

    • Event Marketing Coordinator
      Jul 2017 - Jan 2019 · 1 yr 7 mos

      • Assisted team members on various marketing projects, activations, and events ; working directly with the Customer Engagement Director and Experiential Marketing Manager • Perform general administrative duties including but not limited to answering telephones, calendar scheduling, expense reports, office and marketing collateral management, conducting various research reports, preparing slide decks and handling travel arrangements. • Assisted in the execution of 2017 – 2018 calendar year trade shows; researched and pitched new shows for the team to attend regularly • Identified and implemented effective process improvement throughout the Customer Engagement Team and larger Marketing team • Participated in web page creation and development- Wrote copy and provided constructive creative feedback to help drive over 1000 attendees to register for the event

  • UCSB Collaborate Student Support Center (2 yrs 5 mos)
    • Supervisor | Special Projects: Event Coordinator, Research & Development
      Aug 2015 - May 2017 · 1 yr 10 mos

    • Consultant
      Jan 2015 - Aug 2015 · 8 mos