Someone You Should Know: Changing the community one event at a time

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - For Addie Kramer, event planning isn’t something new.

“My journey really started when I was eight years old,” said Kramer. “I saved up all of my babysitting money to host an after-school party. And we had a DJ hired, and I had catering. We had a venue, and just like any young entrepreneur, I had to offset expenses. So I charged people to get in, even at that young age. But I’d always had this passion for events. My mother and father hosted parties for us when we were younger.”

Combining her love for event planning and a passion for servitude, she created The Event Company.

“We started out in 2013 with a 133-square-foot office, and we slowly grew over the years by adding another state to host events, and then another client and another client. Well since then, we have hosted over 450 events in 22 different states. And because of that, we’ve had the opportunity to help fundraisers and organizations raise over $11.5 million in that timeframe. So if there are big galas or runs or other activities, our team is a part of helping to shape these organizations and to help fulfill their missions.”

Those who work with Addie say her welcoming personality is what sets The Event Company apart.

“Obviously, you meet a lot of people in this industry. One thing that I think makes her so special is that she remembers you, and she’s just so personable,” said Ariana Mount. “It might be easy to have a big ego when you have this company that’s doing so much in town, but people come up to her, people she met 10 years ago, and she remembers them — she’ll ask them about their kids and their family and their dog. And I think that people kind of relate to that and connect with her.”

Addie feels grateful to have been given the opportunity to improve this community and the world as a whole.

“When we see the lives that are being impacted — if they’re kids that my kids go to school with or at a church or an organization that we see walking down the street — those are lives that we’re helping to impact. Whether it’s another meal that we’re helping to provide, or they get to go to a diabetes camp — whatever it happens to be — I just never imagined that our impact would be as great as it is. Truly, I think everyone on our team has that same servant’s heart like I do. And we look for those same individuals to work with as well. We’re just really making the world a better place, and it’s all through events.”

From an eight-year-old planning a party to a woman with a very successful event company, Addie Kramer has kept her passion for helping others.

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