25
years
“Events are in my blood – I truly grew up in the event industry. Attending events from a young age and learning from the very best in the business, my mother, has allowed me to forge my own path and take Paulette Wolf Events to the next level.”
As an over-25-year veteran of the events industry, including the last 5 as CEO, Jodi leads the Paulette Wolf Events team in producing multidimensional projects from ideation to meticulous planning and flawless execution.
Through her tenure with PWE, Jodi’s specialty is ground breakings, grand openings and product launches, as well as big name entertainment production. She has served as Executive Producer for grand opening campaigns for the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Galter/Feinberg Pavilions, The Prentice Women’s Hospital, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The McDonald’s Air & Sea Show, The 1060 Project for the Chicago Cubs and most recently, has overseen multiple product launch campaigns for numerous Tech firms. Additionally, as an experienced entertainment producer, she managed the 1996 Summer Olympics project in Atlanta, which saw the company produce over 250 live performances over 33 days in six different venues simultaneously. She was also a key contributor in PWE being the first outside producer of The Oprah Show for it’s World’s Largest Baby Shower episode, filmed on location at Fort Campbell for over 600 expectant military wives. More recently, she has presided over performances by Imagine Dragons, Maroon 5, Stevie Wonder and Sting, as well as keynote presentations by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Jodi has also contributed extensively to the foundation industry, managing initiatives for the Michael Jordan Foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, the American Heart Association and The Nature Conservancy and most recently for Camp Kesem and The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
She is the co-author of Event Planning Made Easy that hit the shelves in 2005, which reveals the secrets of successful planning for every occasion.
Jodi has been featured in/contributed for publications like BizBash, Ladies Home Journal, People Magazine, Redbook, Successful Meetings, PR Week, Medical Meetings, Special Event Magazine, Retail Traffic, Staging Rental Operations, The Advertiser, Business Ledger, Event Solutions, Selling Power Magazine, Today’s Chicago Woman, Executive Association, Rental Management, Successful Promotions, Exhibitor Magazine, Midwest Meetings, Enterprising Women, Banker & Tradesman, Crain’s Chicago Business, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Corporate Event Magazine.
Her speaking engagements include BizBash, The Special Event, Event Solutions, National Association of Catering Executives, International Special Event Society, and The Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
Jodi was also instrumental in helping PartySlate launch their platform. She currently serves in an advisory role for the organization.
Since becoming CEO in 2015, Jodi has sought to create an elevated standing for the firm, attracting the nation’s largest corporations, municipalities, sporting events and foundations. Cultivating strong creative partnerships with a powerful roster of new and long-term clients continues to be both her primary focus and reward.
In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, and the near-complete shutdown of the events industry, Jodi joined the NACE COVID-19 Task Force IL & Chicago Steering Committee. Through this committee, she directly advises state & local government officials on the best practices to quickly and safely re-open the events & hospitality industries.
During her career at Paulette Wolf Events, Jodi has been involved in acquiring and producing nearly $300 million in musical acts, entertained millions of guests/consumers and produced thousands of events.
What event are you most proud of & why ?
The more complex the event, the more accomplished I feel at the end. There are three events that I am most proud of in my career.
The Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, where we produced over 250 live performances over 33 days in six different venues simultaneously for the athletes, coaches and officials. I spent 3 days every other week in Atlanta for 16 months during the planning phases of this project and watching it all come together in the midst of the Olympic excitement was amazing. Watching language, cultural and political barriers crumble as they went through this unique experience and then enjoy a program that we put together was incredibly rewarding.
The Ft. Lauderdale Air & Sea Show is number two. When I think about the fact that we produced the largest 2-day spectator event in the world with over 4.5 million people – it still gives me goose bumps. I love that it was all about saluting and honoring the U.S. Military.
Last, but not least is The Grand Opening Campaign for Northwestern Memorial Hospital. We got to be part of the NMH team from the ground breaking ceremony to the topping off to the campaign culmination kickoff to the grand opening celebration of 14 events over 10 days. The CEO of the hospital acknowledged us at every single event thanking us for our contribution to the overall campaign success.
Who inspires you?
My mother is my inspiration. She started this business at a time when less than 10 percent of all businesses were women-owned. Her first account was a big one — McDonald’s. She produced a series of anniversary events nationwide for the company and things just continued from there. I literally grew up in the business. She put me to work early on. At age 10, I was wrangling name entertainment. At 18, I was pitching new business in Hawaii to a room full of potential sponsors and media. At 21, she made me work in every part of the industry, so I could become fluent in all aspects of events. I worked at a hotel learning to pre block rooms. I worked at an entertainment venue in the green room learning the ins and outs of hospitality as well as learning how to be the voice of god. I worked for a catering company learning how to put menus together and how to put a sterno out. I also worked for a tenting company & a designer learning how many people fit in each tent size. She knew it would give me an incredible education in events that I wouldn’t get any other way and helped me earn respect in the industry.
What is your favorite thing about being in events?
I love what I do! I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love that every event is different and has its own unique personality. My favorite thing about being in the event business is getting to know a client/brand and becoming so fluent in their language that they don’t need to communicate their goals and initiatives to us anymore. I love becoming an extension of the team and brainstorming – it is how the best plans come together.