Pasadena Convention Center Executive Director Naz Sabripour Earns Smart Woman in Meetings Award

Smart Meetings, a national media company for meeting professionals, has announced Naz Sabripour, CEM, CVP, Executive Director of the Pasadena Convention Center, was awarded a Smart Woman in Meetings Industry Leader Award.

The accolade came as part of Smart Meetings’ eighth annual feature of women who inspire others in the hospitality industry.

The feature showcases the stories of women who have overcome challenges, added value and found their passion in the meetings industry. The feature aims to celebrate and empower women during Women’s History Month and beyond.

In the issue, Sabripour is quoted as saying that her “Aha!” moment came earlier in her career when she started working as an Event Manager at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. She realized that she enjoyed the work and wanted to learn as much as possible about all aspects of venue management.

Sabripour told the magazine she believes that being open to pursuing opportunities that are outside of your comfort zone and engaging with people with different points of view are essential traits for career advancement and personal growth.

Her advice: don’t lose focus and keep your eyes on the prize.

Sabripour’s next goal is to allocate more time for community service, as she believes it’s important to give back to the community and industry and invest in the youth and future leaders.