Experiential Producer · Event Strategist · New York
I’m Sarah Bess, an experiential producer and event strategist based in New York City. I specialize in bringing ambitious ideas to life through thoughtful storytelling, hospitality, and meticulous production. Over the past 8+ years, I’ve worked across corporate events, brand activations, product launches, immersive experiences, and private events—partnering with brands and teams to turn big ideas into experiences people remember.
My Background
My career has always lived at the intersection of production, hospitality, and experience. I currently lead event production and venue operations at Lightbox NYC, where I manage complex, high-touch experiences for brands across technology, beauty, fashion, finance, entertainment, and food & beverage.
Before moving fully into experiential events, I worked across brewing , restaurants, and weddings, giving me a strong foundation in hospitality, service, F&B operations, and the details that shape a guest experience. That background continues to influence how I approach events today: I care as much about how an experience feels as I do about how smoothly it runs.
I've worked with brands including Adobe, Deloitte, Visa, HelloFresh, La Mer, Time Out, and emerging technology and AI companies, producing everything from product launches and executive gatherings to immersive dinners and large-scale brand activations.
Event & Experience Production
End-to-end event production · Experiential activations · Product launches · Corporate events · Immersive experiences · Private events · Weddings
Project & Operations Management
Creative & Experience Strategy
Storytelling · Guest journey · Brand integration · Spatial experience · Creative collaboration · Experience design
Client management · Budgeting · Vendor management · Production schedules · Run of show · Venue logistics · Staffing · F&B · AV & technical production · Onsite execution
Client & Team Leadership
Cross-functional collaboration · Stakeholder management · Agency partnerships · Vendor relationships · Executive communication · Team leadership
AI + Technology
Technology has become an increasingly important part of how I approach both event production and my own workflow. I actively use AI tools to streamline project management, research, documentation, communication, and day-to-day operations—looking for ways to reduce manual work and create more efficient systems.
At the same time, I've produced events centered around AI products, emerging technologies, and tech brands, giving me firsthand experience translating complex or emerging technology into engaging experiences for real audiences.
I've also pursued formal AI education through Coursera certifications and continue to explore how emerging tools can improve the way events are planned, produced, and experienced.