We are beyond elated to be profiled in Entrepreneur this month, during International Women’s Month. Our fearless female founders, Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce, have grown more than their share of big ideas and dreams into big realities and we could not be more excited to see them featured for their decades of dedication, vision, creativity, and open-hearted leadership.
The pair started Engage! Summits back in 2008, when there was nothing in the world like it. They sought to create a place where the global elite in weddings and events could gather, share, connect, inspire, and learn…and celebrate too! At the time, they focused on an intimate group with leaders in the industry (like Marcy Blum and Preston Bailey!) teaching attendees and sharing stories. The day culminated with a small post-event celebration in a hotel lobby, and budding relationships cemented. Recognizing the void in the market for something like Engage!, and quickly seeing the demand for more, they thought bigger. Since then, the very first Engage! Summit in their backyard of Celebration, FL has since evolved to almost 50 events around the world in bucket list destinations at the finest hotels and resorts. With attendees from over 45 countries and most of the United States, Engage! is now a global trendsetter and hub of this multi-billion dollar industry.
Fun fact! Rebecca and Kathryn met while building the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings division. (Rebecca is a co-founder of this $100+ million dollar segment of Disney!) Although their paths ultimately sent them in different directions after Disney, they were brought back together years later and have been inseparable ever since.
It’s true that women with a purpose, leading with big hearts, can be and stay friends throughout it all. Kathryn and Rebecca are not only business partners, but best friends. And they have been since the 90’s.
To read their full story, check out the profile here. And there are more females to mention. Not included in this story is the multi-generational impact Engage! has had. Rebecca and Kathryn’s four daughters, respectively, have all worked at past Engages during their school years. And Rebecca’s daughter Annie, now works in the wedding industry full time.
Thank you Entrepreneur for empowering and inspiring women and featuring female founders for future generations to see!
