Exploring Life & Business with Kimberly Bean of KBT Creative Support Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Bean.

Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.

My late mother, Nancy Marlin ~ instilled the love of entertaining in me at a very young age. Our home was full of excitement, friends, family, and parties ~ everyone was always welcome. I attended Mt. Juliet Elementary/Jr High and High School, eventually graduating from Lipscomb University in Business. I met my future husband, Truman while attending Lipscomb, married after graduation and settled in Green Hills.

I found a position in public relations with Brumfield-Gallagher Advertising/PR in Nashville and as a lifelong middle TN native ~ I really enjoyed learning more about local business, public relations, press releases and what made Nashville tick. Planning events for BGI ~ my first being a luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel (1,000 attendees); researching current and former news stories in the Tennessean clippings library (which was a smelly, dark and dirty basement way beneath the old Tennessean offices that had every clipping of every story written in the paper and filed by subject); maintaining updates from the Nashville Board of Realtors’ monthly closings & average home prices; working on the details of local and national political races that included the Republican National Committee ~ exciting and interesting opportunities. I stayed with BGI until my son was born and then chose to stay home, our daughter arrived 4.5 years later and our little family complete.

An elderly uncle had the dream of opening a gift shop in Green Hills after retirement and asked me to come on board as a partner to design, market, and buy merchandise. Working in the gift shop was flexible, as I could bring my young children with me. That experience led me to Atlanta and NY markets ~ working with sales reps and encouraging my interior design interest. I was fortunate to meet and become friends with Alexandra Stoddard, interior designer and lifestyle guru. I had begun volunteering for events and fundraisers at my alma mater, Lipscomb University which led me to invite Ms. Stoddard and her husband, Peter Brown Esq. to Nashville for a fundraising event for scholarships. Alexandra and Peter encouraged me to broaden my interests in creating/managing events.

Fast forward, working with the Nashville Public Education Foundation for 3 years connected me with many city leaders, non-profit organizations, up and coming venues ~ just as Nashville was blossoming into the national scene beyond music. My husband encouraged me to open my company, KBT Creative Support Services in January 2011 and I never looked back! I have worked with hotels, resorts, and venues all over the country ~ from California to Florida and in between. My clients range from global, national, local, non-profit, CEO executives, insurance, law, and destination weddings.

It has grown from word of mouth and LinkedIn, as I book thousands of hotel room nights each year all over the US! Most of my events and conferences range from 250-500, but I have many smaller meetings that lead to larger conferences ~ because of their referrals. I work hard to find the best fit for my clients and travel often to research hotels, resorts, and unique experiences. It is a dream career and I wake up every day knowing how fortunate I am to have these opportunities. Alongside those professional experiences, my personal life has grown exponentially due to my loving family ~ my supportive husband of 36+ years, my wonderful accomplished children, and now the blessing of two grandchildren ~ my heart could just burst!

Faith, family, and friends are at the center of everything I do. Entertaining family and friends is a joy and those moments bring me happiness. Family traditions are important and I love celebrating FAMILY! That also translates into my professional life ~ making certain my clients are pleased and have successful outcomes.

I am committed to excellence and continually learn more about the MICE (meeting, incentive, conference, events) world as I travel, tour, and meet other hospitality/travel professionals across the country. The hospitality industry is a group like no other, I have made many friends beyond my hometown and am grateful as it is a privilege and honor to work with this group of professionals.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh, it has been demanding ~ learning the finite details of planning/managing conferences, meetings, and events has been challenging and stressful at times ~ but I have grown from each experience and worked hard to earn the trust of clients and vendors alike.

This line of work provides an amazing array of opportunities beyond earning a living, rarely a week that goes by that I don’t hear from an industry colleague about an invitation to a hospitality tradeshow (as planners are carefully vetted). These shows are invaluable as these events provide introductions for planners to meet with multiple matched suppliers/vendors in a one-on-one meeting (often 15-30 meetings per show). We meet in beautiful cities, network, experience fine cuisine and offsite activities that range from “pink jeep tours” to culinary events to bee keeping. These opportunities provide creative options for clients beyond the boardroom or conference.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about KBT Creative Support Services?
“Meeting about Meetings … it’s my passion!”

KBT Creative Support Services is an independent meeting planner that creatively plans/manages/organizes/sources conferences, meetings, retreats, summits, events/venues, and incentives for nonprofits, corporations, associations, and government organizations in an efficient, innovative, and professional manner.

Advising travelers and collaborating with clients, while maintaining excellent relationships with a large network of hoteliers, DMCs, CVBs, transportation specialists, audio-visual experts, and caterers across the globe to ensure successful outcomes, while saving time and money.

I am a Meeting/Incentive/Retreat/Conference Planner, Event Strategist/ Designer, Hotel/Venue Sourcing, Smart Woman in Meetings Entrepreneur Award Winner, Smart Meetings Magazine; Meeting Pro to Watch ~ConventionSouth; Prevue Meetings + Incentives Editorial Advisory Board, and Branson MO Customer Advisory Board Member. Contact me anytime, I would be honored to assist in your organization’s vision.

Executive Profile ~ https://smallmarketmeetings.com/articles/meeting-leaders-kimberly-bean/

~ Event Specialist ~ KBT Creative Support Services
Conferences/Meetings/Retreats/Events ~ Planning/Management/Hotel Sourcing ~ Incentive Travel/Research/Logistics/Travel Advisor ~

*IATAN accredited Travel Agent *Leadership Brentwood.*

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My other loves beyond Faith and Family are:

1) My friends, I am fortunate to have an amazing group of girlfriends that span decades from the “Steel Magnolias” to the “Gal Pals” to the “Maui Jims” to “travel industry planners” ~ these women are from every walk of life, but would we would all drop anything to be there for one another in times of crises, births, celebrations, challenges, family issues, death ~ we are “no matter what” friends and that is a rarity in today’s world.

2) Traveling with my husband, family and friends is something I truly enjoy, learning from each trip all the interesting adventures available ~ it keeps me motivated to share with others.

3) Gardening, decorating, entertaining and go-cart racing are other interests! I’ve always enjoyed “keeping house”, decorating, redecorating, helping my friends decorate, table scaping (the art of setting celebratory tables), gardening and flowers, enjoying my yard, entertaining friends in my garden & verandah in the warmer months, and yes, go-cart racing has ALWAYS brought out the competition in me!

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlybeankbtcreativesupportservices

Image Credits
@kellipricephotograpy, @paigeoverturfphotography, @elizabethcovingtonphotography, and @lauriepearsonphotography