Mary Huddleston
Lindsey Grace Whiddon
In just over five years, full-service event rental company Please Be Seated has grown from a three-person operation to a 30-person company working out of a 100,000-square-foot warehouse.
This growth is a highlight for Mary Huddleston, who moved back to Nashville seven years after building her expertise in the event planning industry in Dallas.
"There is so much new business coming to Nashville daily that affects the hospitality industry, and my businesses have been fortunate to benefit from that growth," she says.
Huddleston's timely return to Nashville allowed her to find her "perfect fit" in the event industry.
"I believe I've truly found my calling and that I'm good at it. I wake up almost every day excited about my life and what I've accomplished over the years both personally and professionally,” she says.
Lindsey Grace Whiddon
“It’s the other vendors and people who are also involved in this business that make me love it the most. Everyone is truly passionate about their job, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the event world, as it’s one of the most stressful businesses to work in. However, those who are in it become like family to each other, and we all get to design and work together to create truly unique experiences and events in people’s lives.”
With such dedication to her craft, it’s not surprising that Huddleston’s business mantra is “with great risk comes great reward." While building her career, she learned not be afraid to take risks and recalls the times she held herself back out of fear.
"I've had many 'wrong' choices’ that I worried and stressed over turn out to be the most significant moments and decisions in my career.”