Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Gryglewska.
Hi Anna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve spent more than 16 years producing events and experiences, but many of the skills I rely on began much earlier as a NCAA D1 swimmer. It taught me discipline, preparation, teamwork, and how to remain calm under pressure; all qualities that continue to shape how I lead today.
I began my career at Octagon, a global sports and entertainment marketing agency, where I spent 8+ years producing high-level hospitality programs for Fortune 500 companies around major experiences such as the Grammy Awards, UEFA Champions League, PGA Tour events, Rugby World Cup, and Beyoncé world tours.
I eventually stepped out on my own and built an event and retreat agency, producing executive experiences, conferences, summits, retreats, and intentional gatherings. Through that work, I began to recognize a consistent industry gap; companies were producing more events, but the systems, team structures, and operational infrastructure behind them were not evolving at the same pace. Too often, important knowledge lived in one person’s head, tools and processes were disconnected, and organizations lacked a flexible way to access the right event expertise.
That realization led me to co-found KNO Events Collective with my business partner, Shelby Crisan. Today, as Co-Founder and President, I’m helping build a new model for how organizations plan, staff, and operate their events—combining event strategy, fractional talent, technology, onsite support, and full-service management.
My work has evolved from producing individual events to helping organizations build stronger, more scalable event programs while creating experiences that genuinely connect people.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. One of my biggest challenges was experiencing burnout after years of working in a high-pressure industry and building my own business. For a long time, I believed that continuing to push forward was the only way to succeed. Eventually, I had to recognize that stepping back, slowing down, or taking a break did not mean I had failed. Each time, it was exactly what I needed to gain clarity about what was working, what was not, and what I wanted to build next.
My business has also evolved several times. I started with a traditional event agency, shifted more deeply into retreats and intentional gatherings, and eventually began building KNO Events Collective around a much larger industry need. Each evolution required me to release parts of the business I had invested time and energy into, even when they no longer aligned with where I was going.
Those experiences changed how I think about success. I no longer see changing direction as starting over. Every chapter taught me something, strengthened my perspective, and led me closer to the work I am doing now. I’ve learned that growth is not always about doing more or moving faster. Sometimes, it comes from creating enough space to make a more honest and intentional decision about what comes next.
We’ve been impressed with KNO Events Collective, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
KNO Events Collective builds experienced event teams for growing companies, internal event teams, agencies, and brands.
Our Collective brings together event strategists, producers, operators, onsite producers, and brand ambassadors to support fractional event work, full-service event management, and onsite execution. Rather than approaching every client with the same predetermined team or service, we look at the actual work, the organization’s internal capabilities, and where additional leadership, expertise, or capacity is needed. We then build the right team around those needs.
Every engagement is managed by KNO Events Collective and supported by the KNO Platform, our centralized event operations workspace. The KNO platform gives clients and event teams one shared place to manage budgets, timelines, vendors, F&B, room blocks, and key event information. This combination of experienced people and shared operational infrastructure is a significant part of what sets us apart. The technology creates greater organization and visibility, while our event professionals bring the judgment, adaptability, and hands-on experience required to move the work forward.
Our support can range from a strategist or producer embedded within an internal team to a fractional team managing work across an event calendar. We also provide skilled onsite teams for live brand execution and offer full-service event management when a client wants KNO to lead the entire process from strategy and budgeting through production, onsite delivery, and post-event reporting.
What I am most proud of is that we are building a model that benefits both clients and event professionals. Organizations gain a more flexible and reliable way to access experienced event talent without having to make another permanent hire or outsource everything. Event professionals gain access to meaningful opportunities, stronger infrastructure, and a Collective designed to support the way they work.
Ultimately, KNO is not simply filling roles or producing individual events. We are building a more connected and scalable way for organizations to assemble event teams, manage their work, and deliver exceptional experiences.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I would not describe myself as someone who takes risks impulsively, but I have become much more comfortable taking calculated risks when I know staying where I am would mean ignoring what I have learned.
One of the biggest risks I took was leaving Octagon after 11 years to build my own business. I was walking away from an established career, a strong network, and a structure I understood to step into entrepreneurship, where there were far more unknowns. Since then, I have taken additional risks by allowing the business to evolve, stepping away from ideas that no longer felt aligned, and choosing to build KNO Events Collective around a new model for the industry.
Building KNO is a different kind of risk because we are not simply creating another event agency. We are combining experienced fractional event teams, onsite staffing, full-service event management, and a centralized operations platform. That requires us to challenge familiar ways of working and build something people may not have seen before.
My relationship with risk has also changed through experiencing burnout. I once associated progress with constantly pushing forward. I now understand that pausing, reassessing, or changing direction can be its own form of courage. Sometimes, the greater risk is continuing down a path simply because you have already invested time in it.
I think about risk by asking whether a decision is aligned with the future I want to create, what I could learn even if it does not unfold exactly as planned, and whether I would regret not exploring it. I may not always feel completely ready, but I have learned that clarity often comes through taking the next thoughtful step, not from waiting until every uncertainty disappears.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.knoevents.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-gryglewska/
