BGSU education serves as launchpad for alumna's decade of success in event management

Leah Market ‘15 has planned high-profile events across the country, from top brands in Georgia to her current role with the Gates Foundation in Seattle

Growing up in the small, tight-knit and seasonally isolated community of Put-in-Bay in the Lake Erie Islands, Bowling Green State University alumna Leah Market ‘15 was introduced to the importance of social gatherings, communal interaction and keeping life interesting.

That foundation led to her majoring in tourism, hospitality and event management at BGSU, which has served as a springboard to an exciting and fast-paced career that has taken the 2015 graduate to posts in Georgia, South Carolina and Washington.

That 15-minute ferry ride from her tiny hometown to the mainland was never a bridge too far – not even close.

“I attribute my love of planning and staging events that bring people together to my time growing up at Put-in-Bay,” she said. “I saw that activities, events and get-togethers were always a part of the community, and I saw what that does for people. The events brought the community together.”

Market interned at a resort in South Carolina during her senior year at BGSU and then returned to the Palmetto State after graduation to work in guest services at a golf course. She later took on a role as the event concierge at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Savannah, Georgia.

She then joined a team launching a new Hyatt property in Seattle, working on event services and banquets in a facility with an abundance of event space.

“I wanted to keep climbing the ladder and growing my career, and there is something very exciting about bringing a new place alive,” she said about the move to Seattle, where she would plan events for up to 10,000 people.

Following the pandemic-related slowdown in the industry, Market went to work for a boutique hospitality company in Seattle and then transitioned to managing events, meetings and retreats for Opus Agency, a global events and experiential marketing firm.

She continues in that role today, working primarily with the Gates Foundation, planning and orchestrating its off-campus retreats and tech events.

Market said her experience in the classroom and with the extracurricular opportunities at BGSU prepared her for the challenges and complex planning situations she faces in her career. She was president of UAO (University Activities Office) during her junior year at Bowling Green.

“Being involved in UAO showed me that putting on events was something that I loved,” she said. “I learned that I could manage, delegate and lead a team. That experience gave me the framework for what I do now.”

Market said the curriculum at BGSU puts students in real-life situations and helps them develop additional skills in public speaking, finance and management.

“Bowling Green gave me such a great foundation in tourism and hospitality and showed me that you can move along a variety of career paths,” she said. “People don’t realize that with this education and degree, there are just so many options out there.”