Who We Are

A legacy of providing integrated B2B marketing services

Yes, we’re that Carabiner, with an established reputation as strategists and marketers in the B2B space. Carabiner Events is our brainchild to deliver event experiences that forge genuine connections between your brand and core audiences.

Turn up your brand storytelling with strategic, creative events that resonate.

Meet The Team

Knowledgeable, responsive, balanced, and vibrant authorities in event strategy and management

Strategy, Experiential Marketing, Lead Generation

Peter Baron

As co-founder of Carabiner Events, Peter is a lead-generation expert who also applies his significant experience in helping companies build and reinforce brands to create events that engage audiences at every touchpoint. Working with clients from creative concept through to flawless execution, Peter and his team deliver events that build community, create lasting impressions, turn ambivalence into enthusiasm, and transform prospects into buyers.

Peter is also the founder and principal of sister company Carabiner Communications, which since its founding in 2004 has evolved to become one of the top marketing and PR firms in the Southeast. The firm stakes its stellar reputation on helping B2B technology and healthcare companies “get connected” to their target audiences—a mission that carries through to Carabiner Events as well.

Peter began his career at a large PR agency in New York City and later held executive positions at Alexander Communications (acquired by WPP) and within the corporate world. Prior to launching Carabiner Communications and Carabiner Events, Peter also founded Atlanta-based SocketPR, which was acquired by a leading global communications firm in the early 2000s.

Developer

Michele Cramer

Michele is an experienced communicator and planner who is skilled in leading teams as well as planning and executing results-oriented, strategic events.

Raised in the Bay Area of California, Michele Cramer began her career in Silicon Valley, where she helped to create and grow some of the industry’s best-known tech brands. She was later recruited and spent six years on the corporate side of a leading global communications company. During her tenure, she helped the company define and lead the market, grow rapidly to over 2,000 employees, and also played an instrumental role in its IPO. Later, Michele helped launch a new virtual platform company before deciding to return to her agency roots.

Now offering both agency and corporate perspectives to her clients, she is an experienced communicator who is skilled in leading teams as well as planning and executing results-oriented, strategic events. Most recently, Michele was highly instrumental in executing a virtual event for clients and prospects of a leading online fraud prevention company. The successful event featured speakers from high-profile companies such as Facebook and included the sending of artisan products to attendees’ homes to enjoy during the event.

Strategy, Integrated Marketing, Campaign Development, Creative Concepts, Attendee & VIP Engagement

Steve McAbee

As co-founder of Carabiner Events, Steve brings more than three decades of experience in integrated marketing, event strategy and management, and customer community engagement to the agency and its clients. He applies his trademark skills of problem solving, creativity, and flexibility to produce experiential events and meetings that fully leverage the power of client communities, generate brand loyalty and captivate audiences.

For the first half of his career, Steve held positions at Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T, MCI and Lucent Technologies before starting his own agency 15 years ago. Steve has led several marketing and events initiatives for enterprise clients including Infor, Manhattan Associates, Mazda, Reebok, the National Restaurant Association, and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, as well as numerous meetings and events for small and medium sized businesses.

With a keen focus on how attendees experience the client’s brand at every touchpoint, Steve helps companies transform standard meetings, conferences and other events into impactful programs that result in unparalleled return on investment, meaningful interactions and actionable attendee intelligence.

Sylvia Baker

A natural storyteller at heart, Sylvia Baker specializes in creating thoughtful, creative events that inspire audiences and build positive brand reputation.

A natural storyteller at heart, Sylvia Baker specializes in creating thoughtful, creative events that inspire audiences and build positive brand reputation. Among her many achievements, Sylvia planned and executed Mazda Miata’s 20th anniversary national charity tour event in Atlanta, and also played instrumental roles in fundraising events for the Fish and National Wildlife Foundation and National Restaurant’s “Dine for America” fundraiser benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Offering 15 years of campaign and agency experience, Sylvia is detail oriented and has the planning and interpersonal skills to ensure that each facet of a client’s event is flawless. Additionally, she is a media relations specialist who is adept at garnering coverage for fundraisers and other events as needed.

UX Designer

Dana Cogan

A take-charge leader, Dana offers the attention to detail, oversight, and team management skills to ensure that special events are well-planned and flawlessly executed.

Dana Cogan is a skilled marketer and event strategist who also serves as general partner of Carabiner Events’ sister agency, Carabiner Communications, where she leads PR and marketing programs for clients. A take-charge leader, Dana offers the attention to detail, oversight, and team management skills to ensure that special events are well-planned and flawlessly executed.

Dana began her career coordinating trade-show participation and user events for an advanced interface design tools company, and also managed meetings and networking events for a large software industry professional organization. In addition to her agency roles, she currently serves on the board of directors of the Atlanta Innovation Forum.

Mary Chiaffredo

Over the course of her career, Mary has planned and managed myriad business events across multiple industries. Her experience includes C-level dinners, trade shows, user conferences, roadshows, and other customer-focused gatherings.

Her experience includes researching and selecting conferences and shows for clients to attend, booth design and branding, booth setup/breakdown, show logistics, and implementing creative ways to boost corporate presence at key events.

Prior to Carabiner, Mary’s career also included director of marketing positions at SaaSOptics and Siemens.

Virginia Cochran

Virginia offers event planning and event management experience encompassing strategy, budgeting, creative, venue sourcing, logistics, and food and beverage. Her work for a client in the building products industry included planning and executing behind-the-scenes hospitality tents and VIP events during production of the ABC television show “Extreme Home Makeover.”

Virginia was also director of Marketing and Sales for a hospitality company where she ensured the successful execution of events ranging from intimate gatherings to those with hundreds of attendees. Among her high-profile projects was a “welcome home” party for Nashville musicians in correlation with the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

Additionally, Virginia has significant experience in PR, communications, and brand reputation projects.

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Lisa Whitman

Lisa Whitman has spent 30 years exploring, writing, filming, and sharing the stories of people, companies, and brands. Her ability to bring a narrative to life is the cornerstone of many clients’ content and video-marketing strategies.

A successful event begins long before the host welcomes the audience, and a key aspect of that success is creating a strong video strategy both pre- and post-event. Lisa Whitman has spent 30 years exploring, writing, filming, and sharing the stories of people, companies, and brands. Her ability to bring a narrative to life is the cornerstone of many clients’ content and video-marketing strategies.

Having been a video journalist in Moscow, Russia, a writer for an award-winning women’s magazine, and a television host, Lisa has a broad business perspective, has served in multiple brand strategy roles, and has overseen video strategy for events in multiple industries. She is also active in women’s mentoring organizations and is an advocate for women in business.

Lisa’s skills as both a video strategist and storyteller are invaluable in helping clients’ events come to life. She has a strong eye for creative concept and event production and can also produce video segments at live events for repurposing as marketing content.

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Sara Wakefield

Sara Wakefield has provided support for events of all sizes, from ones large enough to attract thousands to smaller gatherings focused on select VIP audiences.

Sara Wakefield has provided support for events of all sizes, from ones large enough to attract thousands to smaller gatherings focused on select VIP audiences. She played a key role in planning, marketing, and promotions for the Atlanta Science Festival’s inaugural event that drew 45,000 attendees. She was also instrumental in executing the first Great American Worker campaign event for Georgia-Pacific and helped to coordinate an event promoting author Michael Tchong’s new book “Ubertrends: How Trends and Innovation are Transforming Our Future.”

Previously, Sara directed marketing for a dental technology solutions provider. In her role there, she managed all aspects of trade-show planning and management for dozens of events annually. Her work also included the planning and execution of a large women’s retreat for hygienists—one of the company’s core audiences—and an annual charity event to raise funds for the nonprofit Give Back a Smile.

Earlier in her career, Sara was part of the event-planning team for Auburn City Fest—Auburn, Alabama’s largest outdoor free festival. She has also planned and coordinated smaller networking and dinner events, including a series of outdoor wine tastings for a metro Atlanta-based restaurant where her duties included everything from event setup and promotion to gaining the proper permits from local government.