A Golf Prodigy Turns Pro at Eventique MEET THE DIRECTOR OF CLIENT EXPERIENCE KYLE CUNNINGHAM
Kyle doesn’t play much golf these days, but he uses his well-honed conversational skills regularly as the director of client experience at Eventique. He maintains constant communication with clients, handles event pre-planning, and works closely with production team to bring events from the drawing board through execution. “Deadlines are the most important thing in my job, not only for myself but the whole team. I make sure we hit them and projects are delivered on time. That’s the name of the game,” Kyle says. A career in event planning may seem out of left field for a golf prodigy, but Kyle’s father (who runs Cunningham Air Duct + Chimney Services) isn’t the only entrepreneur in the family who influenced him. His mother owns a luxury wedding planning and event business called Sincerely Yours Events, and Kyle pitched in from an early age, handling daily tasks, communicating with clients and vendors, and reining in overzealous bridezillas. Kyle met Chris Mattina, Eventique VP of Operations and Event Experiences, through Sincerely Yours, and Chris immediately saw his potential. As early as 2017 — when Kyle was studying economics, marketing, and advertising at University of Miami — Eventique contracted him for work on the IPsoft Digital Workforce Summit. That success led to work on other events like the Executive Conference on Real Estate (eCore) and eCap Summit. Kyle joined Eventique full time in May 2022 after working at Cunningham Air Duct + Chimney Services as a project manager and the head of sales. “I decided to choose a career I was passionate about — something I loved and could wake up every morning happy about. At Eventique, what I love about event planning and production is seeing your vision and your hard work come to life. I get the chance to talk to clients on a daily basis and use my creativity while doing it, and that was a big piece of the puzzle for me,” Kyle says. Kyle’s fascination with problem-solving certainly comes through in his work: He once coordinated an installation for the NFT company Alpha Girl Club in Times Square that had to be managed down to the foot and the minute. He pulled it off seamlessly, managing to squeeze two massive canvases and a live muralist into a modest 10-by- 20-foot space.
Kyle Cunningham grew up the son of two entrepreneurs, and from an early age, he had a role to play in his father’s business: the smallest professional on the golf course. Kyle started playing golf at just 2 years old and entered his first competition at age 5. He eventually played in three world championships and placed in the top 25 golfers in the world for his age group. As you might imagine, even as a tween he could hold his own against any adult on the green — and his dad loved to prove it. “I started playing golf with [my dad’s] clients when I was 10 years old,” Kyle remembers. “I played with CEOs and some other individuals who were all older. … They definitely gave my dad some looks when he brought a 10-year-old — but when I beat them, everything completely changed!”
The comments about “babysitting” turned into a discourse on technique, giving young Kyle a seat at the business table.
“Golfing gave me the ability to talk to people, keep up a conversation, gauge reactions, and learn how to act in front of people [from an early age]. It was one of my most important life lessons, and I’m forever grateful,” he says.
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