On August 4-8, 2025, Visit The Woodlands will join the Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA) to commemorate National Celebrate Services Week.

The Visit The Woodlands Sales Team, featuring Josie Lewis, Ryan Greenwood, Julie Quinn, and Ashley Fenner. They are dressed business professional, standing between a window at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott (overlooking a lush green copse of trees) and the Visit The Woodlands information booth set up for the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters' 49th Biennial Convention. On the table are metal bins full of individual bags of flavored popcorn as well as rack cards, a vase of peach and white roses, and other promotional items.

The Sales Team for Visit The Woodlands

THE ART OF EVENT SERVICES

Event service professionals are a cornerstone of the hospitality industry, and ESPA created National Celebrate Services Week not only to champion their efforts but to advocate for the profession, create networking opportunities, and give back to the community. The theme for this year is Together We Create: Honoring the Art of Event Services to highlight the collaborative spirit and creativity that event service professionals bring to every experience.

RECOGNITION THROUGH SERVICE

Visit The Woodlands is proud of its servicing staff, partners, and their efforts to ensure the success of client events in The Woodlands. In lieu of a traditional Sales and Marketing Committee Meeting, the committee will honor their local servicing professionals by volunteering at the Montgomery County Food Bank on August 5. Servicing Specialist Julie Quinn deserves particular attention for her dedication during two milestone events that took place earlier this year.

Twelve people stand in front of a fire truck at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott for the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters (TSAFF) 49th Biennial Convention. Featured are: two male firefighters, Ryan Greenwood, Josie Lewis, TWPFFA President Erik Secrest, Julie Quinn, Fire Chief Palmer Buck, Linda Nelson, (a man in a gray suit), Ashley Fenner, Elizabeth Eddins, and another firefighter.

TSAFF, TWPFFA, and Visit The Woodlands at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott

TEXAS STATE ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS

In July 2025, The Woodlands Professional Fire Fighters Association (TWPFFA) welcomed the 49th Biennial Convention for the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters (TSAFF). TWPFFA organized ancillary events like a golf tournament and the President's Banquet but enlisted Visit The Woodlands' aid with enhanced servicing efforts, such as coordinating a pub crawl, developing event collateral, and running an information booth during select days of the convention.

The camera faces the long side of a black food truck with two sliding windows, both open for business to a crowd in comfortable clothes. Between the two windows is a large, wood-textured, Texas-shaped logo with bright blue lettering that reads, "BRANDON'S BAR-B-QUE." On the far right, toward the front of the truck, is a white board menu and various stickers advertising Conroe, TX.

Brandon's Bar-B-Que Food Truck at LPSC

Four people smiles at the camera under a green VTW pop-up tent. From left to right: Julie Quinn, Ryan Greenwood, Ashley Fenner, and Josie Lewis. The three on the left are wearing matching blue T-shirts. Julie and Josie are wearing matching black hats with a white VTW logo.

Visit The Woodlands' information booth at Food Truck Village

LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE

In March 2025, The Woodlands Waterway Marriott hosted the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). While there are multiple restaurants near the convention center, accommodating roughly 2,000 attendees at once can be a challenge. To lighten this load, Visit The Woodlands collaborated with conference organizers to create a "Food Truck Village" featuring more than a dozen trucks and a variety of cuisines from Texas barbecue to traditional Filipino fare. LPSC has returned to The Woodlands annually for more than 20 years now due in no small part to efforts like these.

Interested in bringing your next event to The Woodlands? Submit an RFP! Already booked in The Woodlands? Reach out to Julie Quinn, Servicing Specialist for support in executing an outstanding event.

IDEAS FOR CELEBRATING YOUR SERVICE PARTNERS

Looking for unique ways to recognize your event service professionals? Consider these ideas below!

DESTINATION NETWORKING EVENTS

  • Invite local event professionals to explore your destination! Align with this year's theme by touring an art gallery, hosting a painting party, or throwing a themed mixer.

EDUCATION OR TRAINING LUNCHES

  • Plan a lunch to learn about fellow ESPA members. Cater from local partners, watch a recent webinar on topics impacting the service industry, then follow up with a Q&A session to make the most of this fantastic networking experience. You can access past presentations though the webinar archive in the My ESPA Portal.

F&B EVENTS

  • Give back to local partners by planning an event where they can show off their current offerings.

HEALTH & WELLBEING EVENTS

  • Focus on your wellbeing and that of your network. Organize a walk around town, rent bikes to explore local nature trails, or relax with a yoga / meditation class.

COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENTS

  • If your network is interested in giving back to the community, unite your efforts and volunteer at a local organization in need.

Insider Tip: Once you have set up your event, register it with ESPA Headquarters. They will spread the word to their members!