ERIN
BRANHAM
the boss
erin branham is the founder & president of a2 events, an event design, destination management, & production company based in south florida.
as the daughter of the founder of ballet palm beach, erin quite literally grew up backstage. from an early age, she had a front-row seat to the creativity, dedication, & countless moving pieces required to bring meaningful experiences to life. combined with a family history of entrepreneurship on both sides, those early experiences shaped both her appreciation for exceptional beauty & her desire to build something of her own.
after graduating from the university of miami in 2006, erin began her career with a local nonprofit organization, where she discovered her passion for planning while producing festivals, retreats, galas, banquets, & national conferences. her work helped support the organization's growth, fundraising efforts, & rebranding initiatives, while reinforcing her belief that thoughtfully designed experiences have the power to inspire, connect, & transform.
after working on series of flash ballet mobs with ballet palm beach, erin was inspired to take a risk & founded apartment two events. more than a decade later, the company—now known simply as a2 events—has evolved into a full-service event agency trusted by fortune 500 companies, associations, & luxury hospitality partners throughout the united states.
today, erin leads the strategic vision of a2 while remaining actively involved in client relationships, business development, marketing strategy, & event design. under her leadership, a2 has become known for creating immersive experiences that blend flawless execution with meaningful hospitality. at a2, we often say that events are our art form. the team approaches each event as both a craft & a creative pursuit, believing that the most memorable experiences are those that leave guests feeling genuinely cared for.
erin lives in west palm beach, florida, with her husband, jimmy, & their two daughters, isabelle & evelyn. outside of work, she loves to travel & marrakech is her favorite to date. their family also entertains regularly in their historic home that they recently renovated. cocktail hours is an open door experience at the branhams’.
Fun Fact: Erin
erin cheered for the U & often stood on the sidelines with very famous nfl players whom she never recognized because she doesn't like football.
SUSAN
SAUBY
the glue
susan helps keep us organized as a2's office manager & director of accounts receivable. she grew up in oshkosh, wisconsin. people always say, "oh, oshkosh b'gosh?" & yes, that is the home of the overalls. she attended the university of minnesota where she received a b.a. in theatre arts. since then she has lived in atlanta, south carolina, back to minneapolis, alabama, and then chicago.
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having moved so much, she became quite good at renovating, buying & selling real estate. since 2010 she has taken root here in south florida where she is married to her husband eric & raises her daughter, elizabeth. in her free time she enjoys yoga, long walks with her miniature poodle henri, reading, cooking & travel.
Fun Fact: Susan
susan has the best recommendations & has had some incredible experiences, including the one time she flew on the concord with van halen.
VAL
VANDERFORD
the designer
val is A2’s Director of Sales & Creative. since joining the team in 2017, she has helped shape the look, feel, & storytelling behind countless events, bringing equal parts creativity, organization, & attention to detail to every project.
A south florida native, val was born & raised in fort lauderdale & is a proud graduate of the university of florida. she first joined a2 through the company’s internship program & made such an impression that we convinced her to stay just two months later. nearly a decade on, she’s still dreaming up ideas & bringing them to life.
around the office, val is known for her creative instincts, color-coded organization, & a famously fast email response time.
when she’s not designing event experiences, val loves traveling — her favorite trip so far has been a week in greece — & spending time with her husband and her chocolate lab, charlie. charlie has yet to attend an event, but we’re confident she’d crush it.
Fun Fact: Val
val has danced on stage with flo rida & had sushi with blink 182. blink 182 was at another table.
ALEXA
KAILING
the detailer
alexa is our director of operations & meetings. She was born in new jersey & moved to florida where she graduated from ucf’s rosen college of hospitality management with two b.a.s in event management & hospitality management. after graduation, she worked at numerous resorts in the orlando area growing event sales & client relationships. in 2019, she became a certified meeting professional and expanded her passion in meeting planning & logistics.
we were introduced to alexa through a former colleague of hers, and we knew right away she would be a huge asset to our team!
in her leisure time, alexa enjoys traveling the world with her husband, alex (a2!) and recently moved to Tampa, FL where she loves spending time with friends and family.
Fun Fact: Alexa
the first international country alexa ever visited was china because she found a groupon.
LOLA
ALOIA
the influencer
lola is a recent graduate with a masters from the university of Florida and is a program manager. she was born in argentina and raised in miami, making her fluent in english & spanish. she also spent 11 years learning french, making her a trilingual threat. a proud graduate of the university of florida, she is currently expanding her education with an online master’s degree in tourism, hospitality, & event management from uf.
being the oldest of three girls, lola loves to spend time with her family and help around the house. Her younger sister's autism diagnosis started a family goal of fundraising for the cause over the past 16 years. though her immediate family is in miami, she frequently travels to argentina to spend time with her extended family.
lola's background in competitive dance led her to start a varsity dance team in high school. her corporate event experience has driven her to aim for larger & more impactful events. known for her love of organization & scheduling, lola loves the challenge of overcoming obstacles to make sure everything runs smoothly. in her free time, she is a huge foodie, currently crafting her own food instagram page.
Fun Fact: Lola
Lola always has a crazy story to tell—if you don’t believe her, just ask!
BAILEE
ROBINSON
the implementer
bailee is our newest addition as an event coordinator. born & raised in south florida, she recently graduated from the university of florida with a degree in tourism, hospitality, & event management, along with minors in public relations & business management.
before joining the team full-time, bailee interned with a2 Events for a year, gaining hands-on experience in every aspect of the event planning process, from designing proposals & managing logistics to executing events on-site. her time as an intern helped her build a strong foundation in both corporate & private events & deepened her passion for creating seamless and standout experiences.
with a background in competitive dance, bailee brings discipline, focus, & creativity to everything she does. outside of work, she enjoys painting, crafting, spending time on the boat, & relaxing at the beach.
Fun Fact: Bailee
Bailee danced in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. it was freezing but worth it
COORDINATOR TEAM
charisse thompson
fun fact:
charisse loves crashing weddings—she’s basically a professional plus-one at this point!
ashley cochran
fun fact:
ashley once had 24 hours' notice to pack a bag and flee a country… you’ll have to ask her why!
mikiya fitzgerald
fun fact:
mikiya collects $2 bills like it's her full-time job—she’s sitting on a stash of over 100!