Event Coordinator Specialist, Tiffany Shurts

By Jayse Nelson



Prior to coming to OU, my mom set up a lunch meeting with a friend of hers, Kaye Burkhardt, President and Founder of Dallas Fan Fares, Inc. (DFF). After meeting with Kaye, I became determined to find a career in the Event Coordinating Industry. Three years later, I received the opportunity to work as an intern at DFF. This is where I met my supervisor, Tiffany Shults.

Tiffany attended the University of North Texas and graduated with a degree in Hospitality management. After college, Tiffany became a consultant for the Alpha Phi chapter at Cornell University. Her job there was to help Alpha Phi rebuild their chapter. She later moved back to Texas with hopes of breaking into the Event Coordinating industry. After spending a lot time researching the industry on the Internet, Tiffany sent her resume to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Her persistence paid off when she received a job with the Dallas Cowboys as their Catering Manager. Her colleagues there introduced her to an organization entitled, Meeting Professionals International, where she is still a member.

Tiffany is currently employed by DFF as the Manager of Operations and Development. DFF is a global event company specializing in meeting management, incentive travel, sports hospitality, and destination management. A big part of Tiffany’s position at Dallas Fan Fares is "quality control"—ensuring that all procedures and services are an efficient portrayal of DFF’s standard of quality. As a result of being in the Event Coordinating Industry for nearly 10 years, Tiffany enjoys being a beneficial resource to her company and the employees. Her main challenge at DFF is when clients desire an event or meeting bigger and better than their previous one, however the client provides a smaller budget.

Tiffany’s advice for individuals seeking to break into her industry is for them to, “Keep in mind that this industry takes a certain type of person to succeed in it.” An individual must be detail-oriented, organized and have superior customer service skills. Furthermore, because this is becoming a very popular industry, Tiffany suggests that individuals do their homework on companies and be persistent in their efforts in acquiring a job.