Executive Profile
Name: Staceyann Doria
Title: Founder/CEO
Organization: The Event Narrative
Location: Reno, Nevada
Birthplace: Bronx, New York
Education:
• Bachelor’s degree in PR from SUNY College at Buffalo
• Master’s of tourism administration in events, meeting and sports management from The George Washington University
Career History:
• Laerdal Medical, national tradeshow and events manager (2012–2017)
• WS Audiology, events and tradeshow director (2017–2021)
• Showpad, Inc., director of global events (2021–2023)
• The Event Narrative, owner and head narrator (2018–present)
Staceyann Doria has long known what it means to be an entrepreneur.
Doria is the Reno, Nevada-based founder and CEO of The Event Narrative, an event-planning company that focuses on corporate events. She was introduced to small business as a child, one of five siblings whose Jamaican parents owned a neighborhood electronics repair shop in the Bronx where everyone was expected to lend a hand.
“After school or on weekends, we would all go to the shop,” she said. “People would come in looking for a specific record needle or a cable antenna, and we’d have to find what they needed. Part of my history and my path was to be a business owner like my parents. They came here to make a better life for their family, so it’s really nice to follow in their path.”
Doria earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and her master’s in tourism administration in events, meeting and sports management from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. Her first job was working with 4-H, planning events as part of the entertainment tent at Muscoot Farm in New York.
“I didn’t even know that what I was doing was planning an event,” she said. “But event planning is all I’ve ever done, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Doria met her husband at a tradeshow and soon found herself leaving city life for Nevada’s high desert.
“I really do like Reno,” she said. “As a New Yorker, nature was not a part of who I was. Now I go for hikes all the time. It’s a different connection to the land, and I really appreciate the pace of life. Reno is up and coming, though — companies like Tesla and Amazon are coming here.”
Shortly after her move, Doria launched a full-service event planning company, The Event Narrative. She had a specific reason in mind.
“It was out of a need — I was doing corporate events and realized I wasn’t really able to focus on what I wanted to bring to the event, which is ROI,” she said. “A lot of the time when events are executed, especially in the corporate realm, there’s no focus on the ‘why.’ They’re looking at the event manager for logistics, and later they see only where they spent money and didn’t bring it in. We strategically align the event so that you can see where the money went and the ROI down the line.”
Doria’s mission at The Events Narrative is to show companies why partnering with a strategic planner will help bring in revenue and justify spending on the event. Even if a company hosts an event every year, Doria digs into key performance indicators (KPIs) and how the event aligns with those and what type of ROI a client wants to see.
“This is something I always talk about with my clients because it’s very individual and specific,” she said. “If you’re a brand that’s just starting out, it might be to create buzz around your brand and to create customer advocates to get your name out there. It could be someone who expects a financial outcome, maybe a product that moves. It’s understanding what you expect out of the event and strategically aligning the event to those goals and objectives.”
Tips from Staceyann Doria
• Partner with local businesses and planners. We’re all part of the same community, and the goal should be to uplift one another. When you collaborate with local businesses and planners, you’re not just creating a more connected event but also building relationships that benefit everyone.
• You didn’t get here alone. We all have a responsibility to mentor and share the knowledge we’ve gained. Be the person who helps others rise.
• Your education never ends. You’re never too old or experienced for a new certification, learning how to use AI to level up, or staying active in the events community. The moment you stop learning is the moment you fall behind.
