February 2022 - Hope Koehne

Hope Koehne Lead Event Producer Chick-fil-A, Inc.  Member since 2017

MPI Georgia would like to welcome Hope Koehne who joined the Georgia chapter in March 2017. She is currently serving as a Lead Event Producer at Chick-fil-A, Inc. where she plans and manages a variety of events serving numerous internal clients whose events range from 30 attendees to 3000. The primary objective of her events is to bring staff together to build community, honor tenured staff, create solid relationships between staff and vendor partners, and deepen the CFA culture.

Currently Hope is most excited about an event that brings all CFA staff together for one day. “It’s exhilarating to feel the energy of this day. This is my first-time using Mercedes Benz Stadium which I’m eagerly anticipating!” While the stadium may be quite a large facility Hope continues to be amazed at large-scale productions. “Right now I’d love to have dinner with the event manager for the Olympic opening ceremony. So many details, perfectly timed and breathtakingly beautiful…very inspiring!”

Hope has a BS in Advertising from the University of Florida and has had three distinct careers beginning with advertising, then 11 years in corporate training and development in the banking industry, and presently event management which has been her focus since becoming part of the Chick-fil-A family almost 10 years ago. When asked about a rookie career mistake she recalls one that stands out. “When I was brand new to events, I was holding a retreat at Barnsley Garden and completely missed the whole objective of a rooming list which could have been a very costly mistake. Ginny Izydore, whom most of you may know, was the sales contact and saved me from disaster. I will always remember the grace she showed me and that experience helps me stay humble when working with clients who may not know much about the event industry.”

Hope lives in Peachtree City with her husband of 26 years, Steve. They have 23-year-old twin boys one of whom graduated in Dec. from Mississippi State and has begun his first job here in Atlanta. In her free time Hope enjoys walking, SUP (paddleboarding), yoga, entertaining family and friends, and is currently taking golf lessons. She loves to travel and frequently visits family in her hometown of Neptune Beach, FL (Jacksonville).

Last October her very healthy husband had a stroke out of the blue and they have been working diligently to get to a new normal. When he is ready and Covid is not interfering with travel plans he gets to choose their next trip. The last international destination was Ireland three years ago and while there  they talked about visiting Scotland. “As long as it is somewhere I’ve never been before and a new adventure, I’m game!”