It was 2004 when our William Fogler rolled into town. An event design and planning aficionado from Denver, William was ready to make his mark on the Atlanta scene. He founded WM Events and quickly became known in the city for designing and producing affairs from corporate events to weddings and everything in between. Through the tumultuous years of the Recession and the beginning of the pandemic, he has moved ever forward, developing his firm into one of the city’s top full-service event planning and design companies.
Thanks to incorporating new skills and offering new services since 2020, at WM Events, we are thrilled that we can report significant growth today. This movement in the right direction is best seen through the welcoming of several new team members who have joined us with the goal of expanding the possibilities even more.
We’re excited to introduce you to each one:
Kristy Cook, CMP – Director of Business Development
Kristy holds the Certified Meeting Professional credential and comes to us from Affairs to Remember, where she was Director of Sales. She hails from Sylvania, Ohio, and earned a degree at The Ohio State University. Kristy loves sparkling cocktails and has a serious passion (read: obsession) for yoga and popcorn.
Liz Aguillon – Director of Operations
Liz earned a degree at Kennesaw State (go Owls!) before launching her career in hospitality with Nuevo Laredo Cantina, where she worked as a manager for more than eight years. From there, she moved to Peachtree Tents & Events as Senior Account Executive and honed her event skills for seven more years. In her leisure time, you might find her shooting the Hooch or salsa dancing the night away.
Eduardo Ramirez – Operations Manager
Eduardo comes to WM Events from Bold Catering & Design where he spent a dozen years honing his behind-the-scenes event skills, and you can bet that along the way he learned anything there is to know about operations. When he’s not coordinating big events, Eduardo enjoys catching up with the latest sports news on 92.9 The Game, hiking High Shoals Fall or searching the city for the best tacos.
Latoya Johnson – Senior Event Planner
You may already be familiar with Latoya — she worked with WM Events as a Design Assistant and Event Designer from 2017 to 2020. We couldn’t be more pleased that she is back and has moved into the role of Senior Event Planner. Latoya is a bigtime foodie, who previously operated her own catering company before shifting into nonprofit work. She has a Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu and a B.A. from Smith College. Right now, she’s really into neon signs and loves hiking the Silver Comet Trail.
And in case you haven’t already met our three 2021 hires, here’s a bit about them!
Sara Gagnon – Floral Manager
At WM Events, we love flowers and were elated when Sara joined our team last summer. She has had an extensive career in floral design and event sales, having worked with well-known companies like Saratoga Event Group, A Divine Event, B&G Florist and A Floral Affair by Sheree. With her vast experience, Sara has much to draw from when designing everything from the smallest centerpieces to massive floral displays. In case you are wondering, her favorite flower is the lily of the valley because it is small and delicate but hardy enough to survive colder climates.
Olivia Allen – Event Planner + Designer
Olivia is about to celebrate her one-year anniversary with WM Events, and in her short time, she’s already made a huge mark on our team. She graduated from UGA’s Terry College of Business, then set off to see the world, working in places like Spain and Malaysia. We’re glad she settled in Atlanta and brought her marketing skills and excellent aesthetic to our projects. She has a lifelong love of a good murder mystery party and a serious penchant for peonies.
Tigest Gashaye – Event Planner + Designer
Tigest joined WM Events in the fall of 2021, coming to us with a background that ranged from catering sales to nonprofit work to wedding planning and real estate — just about every skill we could ask for. Before launching her professional career, Tigest earned a degree in sociology from Georgia State University. She’s a lover of a good brunch and enjoys walking the Belt Line and gathering with family for an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
Bonus info – Olivia and Tigest are two of our WM Events team 2022 brides, along with Leigh. Be sure to follow the details of their wedding planning adventures in our blog series!