Meet Mike O’Hara | Co-Event Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike O’Hara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Tempe Sister Cities, is a 501 C3. charity organization operating under a United Nations Charter. We currently have 11 Sister Cities that span the globe. As part of this program we have; student exchange, educator exchange, professional exchange, and humanitarian relief programs.

Student exchange info

Student Exchange Program

Humanitarian info

Humanitarian Programs

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Special events are an interesting industry to be involved in. It is a multidisciplinary field. I think that is why I love it. It fully engages my mind. It affords me the opportunity to exercise the left and right of my brain. It is highly creative, freeform, analytic and structured. My co-managers Lauren Lamarre, and Paul Sheard. have the same creative, and analytic drive. Making the creative process enjoyable, and implementing it fun.

I got involved with the event 15 years ago. A friend was interning in the organization. The event needed someone at the event who understood logistic and traffic operations. I was working in the warehouse club industry. I came down to the event to operate the commissary area. As the event operated through the weekend I worked to make improvements in how tents were resupplied. On Sunday midday the Event manager at the time Larry West found me and asked “ what I was doing the following year”. That set the course for me entering into the special event industry.

I found that many of the skills I had were transferable to this industry. Operations were second nature to me. The important piece I worked to develop was an understanding of political and regulatory structure for events at the city permitting level.

People in events talk a lot about “out of the box ideas” for activities. Personally the only issue I find in that pursuit is that they think there is a box or limit in real terms to what could be done inside an event space.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love just hitting a trail, Arizona has some of the best local trail systems. I’d start with a hike in the South Mountain Park. It offers a great view of the city. Brunch at the Hillside Spot is a must if you’re in the area. Off to Tempe to do a local brewery and distillery tour. Taking time to hang out and catch up between stops. The Shop Beer Co is a must. Just down the road is Arizona distilling. A short ride away is Adventurous Stills. I would end it with dinner at the Amazing Four Four Peaks Brewing Company.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Four Peaks Oktoberfest @ Tempe Town Lake presented by Bet MGM is produced by and with the help of over 1500 volunteers. Without these amazing people we could not produce an event that has an energetic vibrant feel of a small town in a major city. It’s truly inspiring to see their efforts over the past 50 years bring this event from a potluck in the Tempe Library basement to a top 10 Oktoberfest in the nation. From sending 1 student on the program to now over 1,00+ students who have been through the program. Is because they care about their community.

Website: https://fourpeaksoktoberfest.com/

Instagram: @fourpeaksoktoberfest

Twitter: @FourPeaksOkto

Facebook: Four Peaks Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake