The Basics: Alexandra Rembac is the founder and creative director of Los Angeles-based Sterling Engagements, where she's been producing corporate and social events for high-profile clients since 2005.
While Rembac—one of the event pros on this year's The BizBash 500 list—originally planned to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, a chance internship at an event production company made her fall in love with the excitement of live events. After one particularly challenging 18-hour event day, she remembers, “All I could think about was how excited I was to do it again. I was physically and mentally exhausted but the adrenalin I experienced from being a part of something so epic has truly been the driving force as I’ve developed my career and built my business.”
After college, she began producing events for a law firm to broaden her corporate experience while also developing her own company on the side. “Within a couple of years, I became busy enough where I left the firm and committed to going full time,” she says. “The rest is really history.”
2020 Highlight Reel: Never one to sit still, Rembac jumped into action when the pandemic brought live events to a standstill last spring. She quickly became an advocate for her beloved industry, getting involved with the Live Events Coalition, a nonprofit organization created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on events. “Building their voice early on while working alongside our PR team to really unite the industry was so gratifying,” she says. In August, Rembac led production on the California Events Coalition’s “One Voice” activation in Los Angeles.
Rembac led production on the California Events Coalition's "empty event" in Los Angeles in August. It included an eye-catching art installation utilizing mixed media and florals to spell the words "12 Million Strong"—aka, the number of Americans who make up the event industry. The formation of empty tables spelled out "One Voice" from above, and an empty red carpet set included a lighting installation with 48 fixtures, each representing 250,000 industry professionals. See more: Empty Events Around the Country Continue to Highlight Out-of-Work Event ProsPhoto: Maya Myers Photography
More recently, Rembac is one of the co-founders of the upcoming LEVL UP Fest, a benefit concert that will raise funds for the event industry and highlight the many people it takes to produce a live gathering. She’s also one of the founding members of the Experiential Guild of America (EGA). It’s all about “coming together with our colleagues and partners to rally for one another, consulting on ways to shift or pivot to survive and thrive,” she explains.
Rembac and her team have also been busy producing drive-by graduation and prom celebrations as well as virtual events; this year she also launched a new corporate gifting division called SE Expressions, as well as a line of custom linens called Luxe at Home by Alexandra Rembac, a collaboration with longtime collaborator Dahlia Wexler, president of Luxe Linen.
“The biggest highlight has really been that we kept going and kept our foot on the pedal. We adapt, we shift, and we grow,” she says. “Anything I can do to give people work, purpose, and income, to me is a win.”
Last spring, Rembac produced a series of design-forward, drive-by celebrations on clients’ lawns. For a graduation-themed event in Orange County, Calif., entertainers on stilts was a cheeky nod to the 6-feet-apart requirement. See more: Can Socially Distanced Pop-Ups Help Bring Back Live Events?Photo: Maya Myers Photography
Event Philosophy: “Our events and experiences are very personal,” Rembac says. “We approach everything we do with so much passion and creativity as well as strategy. … Everything we do is very purposeful, with a unique sense of style and a variance of innovation.”
Goals for the Future: Despite her busy schedule, Rembac says she’s grateful for the slight pause this year has provided. Looking forward, she’s looking to rebrand her company to better capture the range of services she provides. “I’m excited to unveil our new brand and enter this coming new year with an abundance of energy and excitement for all it will bring—especially after a year like 2020,” she says.
Back to the Most Innovative People in Events 2020 list, sponsored by Pathable
