Our Events Team

Courtney

Barnes, CMP

Senior Event Manager

Lover of all things food & wine, & dazzling theme queen.

Courtney Barnes, Meydenbauer’s fearless Senior Event Manager and seasoned hospitality expert, has been making client’s event dreams a reality since 2015. Prior to excelling at Meydenbauer, Courtney worked as a Scroll Mistress at Medieval Times, interned with SeaWorld’s Marketing Department and most importantly, she worked at the Walt Disney World Resort! In fact, Courtney has over 18 years of hospitality experience and 10 years of  experiencing working in events. In her free time, Courtney loves to travel, try fun new cocktails, and embrace every season to the fullest. She is also a dedicated dog mom and a Disney enthusiast.

Chanel

Lane

Event Manager

Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) enthusiast.

Chanel Lane is a talented Event Manager at Meydenbauer, who prides herself on positive client engagement. In fact, her business mantra is that attitude will determine altitude. Chanel received her college degree in Hospitality Management and entered the hospitality industry at age 20, where she gained over 10 years of invaluable experience. With her top-notch customer service skills and industry expertise, Chanel has actualized her vision of having a successful career in event management. In her spare time, Chanel loves to be outside, as she finds spending time alone and surrounded by trees to be healing and very elevating. Since moving to Seattle in 2017, Chanel has also discovered concert roulette, which entails finding a random show online and attending the performance knowing nothing about the artist. She has discovered some amazing music this way.

Hannah

Snow

Event Manager

Event planning enthusiast & coffee fanatic.

Hannah Snow is an expert Event Manager at Meydenbauer Center, with over 6 years of invaluable industry experience. Prior to calling Meydenbauer home, Hannah discovered her love for events in college while working as an Intern for Marketing and Events at the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce. Upon graduating from Saint Martin’s University and obtaining a BA in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing and Management, as well as an MBA in Business Administration, Hannah became the Marketing and Events manager at Saint Martin’s University and later became the Assistant Director of Marketing and Events. Hannah’s customer service mantra can be captured by the quote; “One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.” – Lewis Carroll. She serves her clients with that philosophy and always goes above and beyond to make events a memorable success. When Hannah is not making client’s event dreams come true, she enjoys painting, taking in suspenseful murder mysteries, and spending time in the PNW where she was born and raised.

Shehalee

Smyer

Event Sales Manager

Dot-connector, relationship accelerator, and lover of serving and building communities.

Shehalee Smyer is Meydenbauer’s dedicated Event Sales Manager. With over 5 years of industry experience, Shehalee works diligently to build relationships with her clients, that are forged in empathy, connectedness, and harmony. Prior to joining the Meydenbauer team, Shehalee achieved an Associate of Arts from Olympic College and a Meeting and Event Planning Certificate from Edmonds College. Shehalee then went on to become an Events Intern at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA), a Membership Coordinator at BIMA, and later, climbed the ladder to Development Manager of Signature Events at JDRF. One career highlight Shehalee is proud of, is fundraising $3.7 million at the 2023 JDRF Dream Gala to find cures for type one diabetes. It is with this invaluable work experience and work ethic that Shehalee serves her clients at Meydenbauer. In her free time, Shehalee loves growing dahlias, veggies, and houseplants. She also says her two cats Hyde and Seek, are her whole world and bring her interminable joy. A fun fact about Shehalee is that she and Shaquille O’Neal were the same height and weight when they were born, but he grew a little taller than she did.

Rachel

Hunter

Event Coordinator

Has a cup of tea in hand while sprinkling pixie dust over every event

Rachel Hunter is Meydenbauer’s skilled Event Coordinator. Rachel has over 6 years of industry experience with a focus in hospitality and customer service. Prior to joining the Meydenbauer Center team, Rachel obtained a Bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Brandman University. After graduating, Rachel worked at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge as the Private Event Services Manager. However, the highlight of her career was having worked at the Walt Disney Company for 5 years. It was through working at Walt Disney that Rachel feels she learned invaluable skills, and top-notch guest services training that helped to build the foundation she uses when working and connecting with clients today. Particularly, serving guests with a smile as she creates the foundation for a magical and memorable event. Rachel was born and raised in Washington, and is close to her family and friends. In her free time, Rachel enjoys giving back to others, being a Diversity and Inclusion Ally, and learning Sign Language. Whenever she gets the chance, Rachel can be found in her happy place, Disneyland. In fact, Rachel says if ever she can’t be found, Disneyland is the place to look for her.

Meydenbauer Center