Lauren Carro

PRIORITIZING LISTENING TO EVERY GUEST & ELEVATING THEIR EXPERIENCE…
After earning a double major in Sports Management and Marketing from McKendree University, Lauren began her career with the St. Louis Blues through an internship that led to a ten-year tenure with the team. She started in building operations, gaining valuable hands-on experience in the venue's operations, before transitioning to Guest Services, which aligned more closely with her passions. In 2021, Lauren moved to the HR team with the Blues as Manager of Culture and Experience and also became an adjunct professor at her alma mater. In 2023, Lauren joined the Pacers as their Director of Guest Experience, where she has seamlessly combined her passion for creating exceptional guest experiences with her love for facilitating training.

Lauren believes the most important skill she trains her staff on is listening. Whether in a positive or challenging situation, she emphasizes that most issues are resolved simply by allowing the guest to speak and feel heard, regardless of the circumstances.

Lauren believes one of the greatest challenges in creating exceptional event experiences today is the difficulty in standing out. With everything being so connected, it’s easy to see what other venues are doing to make their events special, making it harder to find your own unique identity. She emphasizes the importance of offering niche experiences that make a lasting impact, citing the iconic blowing of the horn at a Minnesota Vikings game as an example of how unique offerings can make an event unforgettable.

BEYOND THE EVENTS:
Outside of work, you will find Lauren spending time with her daughter and husband, working out, or gardening —a hobby she picked up during the pandemic. She’s currently looking forward to the spring planting season.

Lauren has had a lifelong love of sports, growing up with two older brothers who always had control of the remote and kept SportsCenter on. Now, she enjoys the same as her go-to background noise at home. She finds it exciting that her passion for sports has aligned so perfectly with her career.

Growing up, Lauren dreamed of playing basketball for Pat Summitt. Today, she finds joy in seeing the same kind of excitement in young fans that she once felt as a child. Reflecting on her time with the Indiana Fever last summer, she notes how unique and special the experience was. Despite the higher demands compared to a typical Pacers game, seeing girls show up to each game provided her with an incredibly rewarding feeling.