In this episode of VistaTalks, host María Roa is joined by Carolene Méli, a renowned operations coach and consultant for events and entertainment companies. Carolene has spent a significant portion of her career specializing in VIP experiences for global entertainment giant Cirque du Soleil.

She has led over 50 guest experience teams in 17 countries throughout her journey and continues to do so today from her base in beautiful Cyprus. Carolene has a unique flair for creating engaging events and creative and highly practical keynotes that help audiences to enhance the operational excellence of their events and entertainment experiences.

Carolene’s entertainment and events industry journey has been diverse and global. From managing the Entertainment Department on a cruise ship, contributing to the opening of two Lululemon Athletica stores in Australia and the UK, to helping an entrepreneur launch a luxury villa experience in Portugal, Carolene has applied her operational acumen to create high-quality experiences for guests across a wide range of settings.

Carolene’s approach to operational excellence is as intriguing as it is effective. She works with companies to develop each layer of their operation, then works with the team to plan and use them effectively while adding flair and creativity. Her expertise has seen her create VIP events and employee development programs at Cirque du Soleil, community wellness events at Lululemon Athletica, one-of-a-kind VIP Lounge evenings on the Marella Explorer cruise ship, and remote team retreats for Nomadic6.

When it comes to roles and contributions, Carolene is a consultant for Carolene Méli Consulting, where she provides expertise to events and entertainment companies seeking to improve their operations and guest experiences, and as a fractional Head of Experience at Nomadic6, where she aids in the creation of unique and engaging experiences globally.

Other experiences include being the fractional Chief Experience Officer at iXperience™, where she is responsible for designing all of the brand’s key experiences, and as a Senior Consultant at ROI (ή) Operations – The Social Good Consultancy, where she works on various consulting projects in the social good space.

Carolene aims to help organizations enhance operations and create unforgettable global guest experiences. She offers her insights through her weekly email, which aims to provide inspiration and practical advice for improving in-person experiences.

Companies can also work directly with Carolene to enhance their specific experiences or hire her for a keynote or presentation on creating operational excellence for international in-person experiences.