The 5 W's of a WAG (Widely Attended Gathering)

Melissa Woodruff is a seasoned meeting professional with over 20+ years of experience in the hospitality and meetings industry.  Melissa started her hospitality career with Marriott International at the Boston Marriott Copley.  In the ten years that she worked for Marriott, Melissa worked her way from a hotel reservations agent to a Senior Event Manager.  While at Marriott, Melissa planned anything from small meetings to city-wide conventions, large galas, Inaugural Balls and weddings. 

After Marriott, Melissa went on to work for Destination DC, the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Washington, DC.  As a Convention Services Manager, Melissa assisted meeting planners in all aspects of their meeting in our Nations Capital.

Melissa eventually made her way to meeting planning by working for Maritz; the Association of the U.S. Army; a government contract planner for the US Army Chaplains Corp; and today as Director of National Security and Defense Events for AFCEA International.  As a meeting planner, Melissa loves working with different people and organizations to see plans and dreams come to life.  She thrives under pressure and does not accept the word “no.”

When Melissa is not working, she enjoys traveling; attending live concerts or comedy shows; wineries and breweries; long walks/hikes and boosting the career of her Instafamous cats Luna, Michael and Betty (@luna_mikey_betty).