Monica Rossell | Enthusiastic Event Professional & Manager of START HERE Meetings & Events

From a very early age, Monica displayed a knack for planning and design. She would sneak into her grandma’s china cabinet and proceed to surprise them with amazing tablescapes, including unique napkins folds (Yes, this was way before there were videos that showed creative napkin folds!)  She realized then, that it gave her such a sense of joy to create such special moments for others.  Plus, the fun was also in dreaming up something new to surpass her previous ideas.  

Monica’s trust and power of belief convinced her that the world will open the right doors for you if you just keep knocking, and don’t give up.  She started with a ground-level position in the event industry, as a receptionist.  Her employer told her that the receptionist was the most important person in the entire company, as they would be the one to make the first impression to their clients.  Monica whole-heartedly embraced that concept and continued to strive for excellence in each new career responsibility.  She ultimately excelled to hold positions as Senior Account Executive and Director of Sales.  

Throughout her experience, Monica’s affection for event design has only grown stronger.  Now, after more than two decades of creating, designing, traveling, and producing high-level corporate events, she finally made the decision to launch her own business.  Many clients inquired, “I don’t know where to begin?”.  Her response, “START HERE!”

Monica sincerely cares about her client’s needs, the success of their program, and ensuring a positive experience for all the attendees. She puts in the extra hours and will always go above and beyond what is expected.  Her ability to take ideas and bring them to the next level is astonishing. 

On an initial walk-through, you can see the wheels in her brain turning as she designs the entire room right there in her head. She is always on top of industry trends and hunting down or dreaming up the next cool idea. 

Monica’s years of experience coupled with her unbridled creativity, passion for events, and organizational abilities makes her and the team at START HERE the perfect choice when it comes to selecting a partner for your next event. 

Rodger Church | Technical Director

Rodger’s career is a timeline of one magnificent event after another … literally. From 1983-1994 Rodger’s band, PM, was one of the most popular event, club, and road bands in Florida. At a time when most bands traveled light, Rodger set up a light show to rival “Big Stage” tours and carried a sound system that required a dedicated engineer.

In 1994, Rodger founded All Access Productions which provided stage and lighting design, along with full event production. All Access crafted large scale props and created corporate theme parties, setting a new standard for fashion shows, fundraisers, and society weddings staged at Southwest Florida’s most exclusive resort properties. In 1996, the company was purchased by Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa and Rodger accepted the role of Director of Special Events wherein he coordinated destination management for worldwide corporate groups.

By 2001, Rodger was ready for a bigger challenge, so he established Eventz Inc., through which he and his staff created social and corporate events(z) for their own clients in the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

There is no part of the “house” with which Rodger is not familiar. From the “Front Of”, to the “Back Of”, through “Management and Administration”, down the hall to “HR,” and even the “Green Room,” … Rodger has experience. The one room he isn’t allowed near is the kitchen. No one is perfect. 

Lizzie Lumley | Lead Project Manager

Lizzie Lumley is START HERE’s Lead Project Manager. Although, who can really be defined by a title? We like to tease that her brain is the storage vault for every small event detail that was ever mentioned, plus somethings you thought you wanted but forgot to mention. Not to worry, nothing gets past her.

With years of event production experience as well as a degree in Event Management from the University of Florida, she knows what it takes to bring the final vision to life. Once our team determines the parameters for your perfect event, Lizzie sets out to exceed your expectations. She is the main gear that drives our well-oiled machine. She orchestrates every logistical aspect from the beginning to end. If a challenge arises, as they certainly can (and will), Lizzie’s ability to react, assess the situation and quickly determine a resolution is what allows us to continually ensure event excellence to all our clients.

P.S. Lizzie also a twin sister, so we have a doppelganger who can fill in for her in a pinch!

We would be remiss if we did not shout out all of the behind the scenes team members at START HERE for without them, none of the event magic would happen. 

Event design and planning isn’t just our career, it is our PASSION. We love being able to use our creativity (and our type-A personalities) to organize and produce fantastic events. 

We Promise:

• Reliability: to consistently provide great service and products 
• Experience: to handle every aspect of the process
• Flexibility: to tackle those last-minute changes that inevitably arise

You can always count on us for prompt responses, creative ideas, and a can-do attitude. We like the challenge of making even “crazy” ideas come to life.