About Us
Honesty. Integrity. Compassion.
The Event Concierge, an event planner, offers the ultimate experience in meeting management and event planning services to our clients, planning both social and corporate events in the local and national markets. The name exemplifies the company’s strong commitment to providing unparalleled service with a personal touch through its extensive service offerings. Established in 2006 by founder Julie Wong, CMP, a seasoned professional in the hospitality industry, The Event Concierge attributes our growth and success to our ability to provide exceptional value to new and existing clientele. The Event Concierge team keeps three core values in mind when planning an event – honesty, integrity and compassion. The team excels in trustworthy relationships, problem solving, fiscal accountability, strategic planning, communications, and customer service.
Meet Our Event Planners
We are here to help you every step of the way.
Focused. Successful. Confident.
Julie Wong, CMP
Meeting and Event Planner
Focused: For as long as she can remember, Julie has always been fascinated with event planning and the hospitality industry. An Arizona native, she attended Northern Arizona University and earned her Bachelor’s degree in hospitality. While at NAU, she was accepted into its prestigious Hospitality Exchange Program which sent her abroad to study in Switzerland. Upon return to the United States, she participated in a work-study internship with the PGA at various golf tournaments including the Phoenix Open and the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. Successful: With a proven track record working with resorts, private golf clubs, corporations and catering companies, Julie gained the business savvy and the expertise she needed to provide premier event planning and consultation services. Through her personal and professional experiences with numerous events, involvement in the community, passion for planning, and entrepreneurial spirit, Julie opened The Event Concierge, a minority and woman-owned business, in April 2006. In 2010, Julie was accepted into Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange and traveled to Australia to network and educate/learn from other professionals in hospitality in their country. Confident: From coordinating the colors of the flowers on the tables to making travel arrangements for a group of five hundred, Julie enjoys all the aspects of planning. Her attention to detail is the back bone behind the company’s success. Nothing makes her happier than to see the final event come together, and knowing she’s had a hand in the personal or professional successes of her clients.
Leader. Objective.
Efficient.
Michael St. Peters
Event Operations Manager
Leader: With over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry, Michael knows the definition of a leader. Originally from Massachusetts, he has worked throughout the U.S. in various positions within food and beverage. Having the experience and knowledge to back his success, he is a leader and teacher for those that wish to follow in the industry. Michael knows what it takes to be successful in planning and managing events and can alleviate the stress for those that have concerns. His organization, coordination and operational skills are key attributes that are the perfect fit when planning events. Objective: Michael has learned to be objective over his career having been involved in all sorts of events. From his first serving position on Cape Cod working traditional “New England Clam Bakes” to managing catering staff at The Capitol in Washington, D.C.; the details are different however the objectives of successful events are the same. Considering all the components involved with events, Michael understands the end result and what is expected. He knows what needs to be done and makes it happen. Efficient: Having worked for his fathers’ electrical business during college, Michael learned time is money and being efficient is what matters. He has held on to these work ethics and has maintained this approach throughout his career. Having worked for numerous companies in the hospitality industry; boutique hotels, large resorts, catering companies, restaurants, country clubs, and venues, Michael has seen what works and what does not work. Along the way he has picked up a few pointers as well as initiated his own strategies for being efficient. Michael now ensures any and all events operate efficiently and effectively.
Experienced. Flexible. Organized.
Jennifer Schwartz
Meeting and Event Planner
Experienced: Jennifer received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing from Roanoke College in 1989. After graduating, she spent over 25 years in the mutual fund industry. At Vanguard, Jennifer worked for 18 years in direct client contact roles, first as a customer service representative and later as team leader and manager. She spent the last seven years of her career as a project manager working on multi-site small, medium, and large scale projects. Her newest “project” is The Event Concierge’s Office Administrator who will keep our office running like a well-oiled machine. Flexible: As a customer service representative, team leader and manager, Jennifer had to make quick day-to-day decisions on meeting client needs and exceptions. Along with her 25 years of corporate meeting experience, she will put those well-honed flexibility skills to use in her new role with The Event Concierge. Organized: After leaving her career with Vanguard, Jennifer has spent her time balancing numerous volunteer activities that support her two kids and their school district. She is a Girl Scout Troop Leader responsible for meeting planning and fundraising through Cookie and Fall Product sales. Her 12-year- old daughter was #5 in the state for 2017 cookie sales earnings. Jennifer serves as the Vice President of Programming for United Parent Council, responsible for bringing monthly educational programs to parents in the school district. She is also a member of the several PTA’s.
Qualified. Creative. Dedicated.
Rhapsody Canepa
Event Coordinator
Qualified: Rhapsody began her early career in restaurants and catering as her family is deep-rooted in the Arizona restaurant industry. She received her Bachelors in Business Management and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2000 and 2002 respectively. With her love for learning, she pursued her Masters of Science in Leadership at Grand Canyon University. She spent 20 years at JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) in many different roles, her last six years at JPMC as a Control Manager working with senior managers to create and test controls to mitigate risk. In this role, it was imperative that she be focused on details and documentation, plus it revealed a true love of spreadsheets! Rhapsody is happy to bring these skills to The Event Concierge! Creative: As someone who loves to learn, Rhapsody is constantly learning new ways to be creative, such as taking webinars and online courses in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and others that can allow her creativity to flow. She is able to use this love of creativity in her role at The Event Concierge as she works with clients’ and their needs. Our newsletter and social media are ways she applies these talents. Dedicated: Rhapsody has always been dedicated to anything she commits to. She served as the president and vice president of a local women’s organization for eight years and was committed to helping execute an annual women’s conference for 600+ women with the help of a great team. She is also a dedicated wife to her husband of 10 years and mother to her son. In addition, she has always remained dedicated to her son’s school through PTO and volunteering. Since leaving JPMC in 2019, she became a dedicated stay-at-home mom and has enjoyed being able to focus on managing the family home.
Ambitious. Customer-centric. Innovative.
Angela Lepore
Project Coordinator
Ambitious. Prior to being an entrepreneur, Angela had a successful career in Human Resources including corporate HR, recruiting and outplacement. Throughout her career, Angela worked for companies with increasing responsibilities including Oral-B Laboratories, MRI Recruiting, Siebel Systems and Drake Beam Morin. Angela was driven to learning and understanding about each company’s products and culture, which results in her ability to create a social media presence that reflects our company’s mission. Customer-centric. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Arizona State University, Angela has always had a strong focus in listening to an individual’s needs and determining a way to exceed expectations. This talent allows her to understand client needs in order to deliver exceptional service. Innovative. Angela owned a local business for 14 years with her husband. Realizing the opportunity to expand their business with other products, they outgrew the home-based business and built an awarding winning company that was recognized by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business.