ILANA BLUMBERG

ABOUT ILANA

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Food and Beverage Director, Cannonball Productions  
Large scale event and festival production company

  • Food & Beverage department manager, oversee a team of 3-5 fulltime employees
  • Execute simultaneous multi-market large-scale food festivals hosted in stadiums and arenas
  • Reduced operating budget by 10% while increasing production, streamlined on-boarding process and reduced cross department redundancies
  • Production manager for onsite events, ranging in size from 1,000-15,000 attendees, 50+ vendors
  • Public liaison with local municipalities for all legal, permitting and safety related issues
  • Program, design and execute Experiential Marketing events for sponsors and clients

Partner & Co-Founder, Corkscrew Consulting                                                                    
Hospitality consulting firm concentrating on business growth, product development, and restaurant openings

  • Founded consulting firm focused on food, wine, restaurants, education, evaluation of supply chains, food systems & policy, import/export, design, and brand identity
  • Provided operational timeline and staffing model for 1,000-person workplace conference; onsite supervision of check-in process and escalation of problems
  • Create sponsorship channels and marketing events for Original Sin Cider
  • Increased visibility of Joe & Misses Doe with targeted digital programming; Increased web traffic by 30% with redesigned website
  • Coordinated vendors, rentals, transportation catering for multi-location out-of-state conference
  • Consulted on special projects and brand identity for Terroir Wine Bar/Paul Grieco
  • Developed new revenue stream and operations for JAMD Events
  • Conceptualized food & beverage development plan for NYC neighborhood

WeLive Project Manager & Logistics Lead, WeWork
Real estate, technology and community company focusing on collaborative workspaces and community living

  • Inaugural team member for the development and new product launch of WeLive, a $100+ million-dollar residential real estate co-living startup within WeWork
  • Fostered dynamic partnerships with small business members of the WeWork network to promote their brands within WeLive physical spaces
  • Designed and executed monthly programming for WeLive members
  • Planned the WeLive brand launch party for both locations, utilized local vendors, partners and venues
  • Hosted sponsored events to promote WeLive brand at events throughout the building; partnered with food, beverage and liquor companies to embed products throughout the spaces
  • Generated budget, procurement, distribution and installation processes, warehouse management and staffing models and implemented across multiple WeLive locations
  • Drafted the initial Handbook of WeLive Standard Operating Procedures
  • Contributed to the WeLive App and internal social network
  • Targeted community outreach to WeWork members and outside networks to achieve sales goals

WeWork Operations Lead, WeWork                                                                                               

  • Project Manager for opening of several global WeWork locations in Northeast U.S. and London, U.K.
  • Collaborated with Sales and Growth teams to achieve 100% occupancy on opening day at each location
  • Developed targeted events in line with corporate standards for worldwide locations
  • Created local weekly TGIM (Thanks God It’s Monday) calendar events- including budget, catering, theme, event location, scope and scale
  • Coached 30+ community managers & support staff on WeWork policies, procedures, brand and vision
  • Developed events & program management for WeWork Labs (a technology incubator)
  • Ensured facilities and programming complied with WeWork brand standards

Director of Operations- Little Sal’s, Silver Spoon Hospitality
80-seat casual Italian-American restaurant located in Union Square, NYC

  • Project manager for renovation and product relaunch of 5,000 sq ft Union Square restaurant
  • Programmed all music, lighting, and material to create a 1905’s style Italian-American restaurant
  • Designed and executed all marketing collateral and design elements
  • Contributed to all aspects of pre-opening, including: construction, menu, staffing, systems, infrastructure, and service
  • Created neighborhood buzz with outreach to neighborhood associations and nearby institutions

Consultant, Clark Wolf Company, LLC
Food, restaurant and hospitality consulting firm in New York City and Sonoma County

  • Developed strategic brand and marketing materials for restaurants, media, digital publications, CPG
  • Prepared budgets and staffing models for hotel and multi-unit restaurant operations
  • Provided support for: brand analysis; competitive intelligence; new product development; social media;
    client management & solutions; marketing consulting; targeted market research; traffic-flow analysis;
    budget analysis; menu review; price analysis; trend research; tabletop review

Owner, IB Cooking Private Catering
Catering company focusing on in-home private dinner and cocktail parties

  • Built robust clientele list via targeted marketing, experiential programs, social & school calendar events
  • Planned and executed weddings and special events ranging in size from 20- 250 guests
  • Generated budgets; designed event décor; planned menus; hired staff; coordinated and managed schedules among staff

Legal Assistant & IT Administration, Kurzman, Eisenberg, Corbin & Lever LLP 
Mid-size Trusts & Estate law firm based in New York

  • Prepared and executed legal & financial documents for real estate closing, trusts, wills and grants
  • Negotiated partnerships and vendor contracts for office and operational related systems

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EDUCATION

Master of Arts, Food Studies & Systems, Steinhart School, New York University, 2014
Certificate, Classic Culinary Arts, French Culinary Institute, 2006
Bachelor of Art, Japanese History & Asian Studies, University of Denver, 2005