Robert Krumbine is the man behind the scenes of Charlotte’s fantastic uptown
events. As the Senior Vice President of Events at Charlotte Center City
Partners, he uses his creativity and unique perspective to inspire Charlotte
to grow in a positive way and to bring our community closer together.
Q: What are the goals of your company, Charlotte Center City Partners?
A: The mission Charlotte Center City Partners is to promote the cultural and
economic development of the urban core. It is our job to make sure that we
have a vibrant urban core that provides a place to do great business, to
play hard, and to live. It is important to us that the center of Charlotte
does well, because we believe if the center is thriving, the rest of the
city will follow.
Q: What is your role at Charlotte Center City Partners?
A: I am the senior vice president of events. I handle pretty much the
animation of center city. I do the things that fall under the category of
play. I get to work with other event planners that come in and bring events
like Speedstreet and Taste of Charlotte, and I also get to create new events
like Charlotte Shout and holiday events.
Q: What is a typical day like in your position?
A: My primary job is coordinating fifteen events a year. I have a small
team of four people. A typical day includes looking ahead to the next event,
always trying to make sure that we’ve got our planning going, and then
putting out small fires as they come along. I do more than just event
planning here. I am involved in a lot of things going on in the community
from the cultural side. We deal with things with venders, signage and
ordinances as well. A typical day is hard to describe because it’s different
every day, but it is always wrapped around this goal of keeping all of the
events on track, especially because we have a lot of really big events that
are close together.
Q: Tell me about your background
A: I am originally from Miami, Florida. I graduated from the University of
Miami, moved several times to Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and then I came
to charlotte in 1988. I have been in the event business for about 25 years.
I have traveled all over the world producing special events. I have done
events for four presidents, corporate theater, and pretty much done
everything from cocktail parties to half time shows. I started off as a
musician and fell into coordinating. I originally came to charlotte to run a
small company that wanted to get into the event business. They were a small
talent agency, and they wanted to add events as a component. The first big
event I ever did in Charlotte was the grand opening of the coliseum on
Tyvola road.
Q: Who or what motivates you to succeed? ?
A: My motivation for success comes from trying to do the most creative
things that I can. Everything I do is based out of the creative world. I
have these ideas that are just constantly swirling around, and I try to do
things that are really different to stand apart. I think I have been
motivated in Charlotte specifically to just see it grow. I want to try to
leave a legacy. I hope that people can look back and say, “He had something
to do with where we are today.” I believe that large-scale events are very
important to a city to celebrate your community, to celebrate the highs, the
lows, the sports teams, and the successes. What really drives me is to
continue to build community through events and try to touch as many people
as I can and bring them together.
Q: What is the toughest part of the event coordinating business?
A: The toughest part of this business is money. It’s very difficult to put
on these events without enough funding. Ideas require more funding. You have
to reel in the ideas sometimes. You have to put on or produce what you said
you were going to do, but sometimes it becomes a whole different picture
from what you originally planned. Our funding is sponsorship based, so we go
out and raise the money through grants and we look for people who want to
make their mark in this growing city.
Q: What career advice do you have for individuals who aspire to become
involved in the event coordinating business?
A: I got in the industry when I was a college student. Like most, I was
sitting around figuring out what I was I going to do with myself, and I
created my own internship. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to
put together a three-week tour of Europe with a band. I did everything from
raising the money, coordinating the hotels, the food, the travel, the whole
9 yards. That was a pretty big undertaking. I did it all myself, and that
was how I always worked. If there’s something I want to do, I don’t wait on
anything, I just go out and get it. The best advice I can give is to really
seek out opportunities, to apply yourself, and to show the world what you
can do. Be as open to just doing and not always expecting somebody to give
you something.
Q: What does STYLE mean to you? ?
A: For some people, style is about clothing or way you look. For me, Style
is about who you are and how you present yourself to the world. My style is
my sense of humor and the fun nature I have about me. I like to create
things and do really weird and unusual stuff.
Q: What item do you carry everywhere, your STYLISH obsession that you cannot
live without? ?
A: My style is very eclectic, so I like all types of things. I like things
that tend to be bright, edgy, colorful, and catch your eye. My office is
just full of toys. I’m a huge Disney fan so I’ve got all kinds of Disney
paraphernalia. I’ve got a shelf full of knick-knacks - you name it - it’s
there. My surroundings tend to be rather loud even though the way I look
isn’t. My office is very busy. For most people it would be a difficult
office to work in because I have so much stuff. I’ve got a giant Icee cup
sitting on my desk, and on the other corner I have Kermit the frog sitting
on a pedestal. I like crazy, fun toys.
Q: What do you like about living in Charlotte? ???
A: I have raised two children in Charlotte and I think it is a great city to
raise a family. There are wonderful attributes that you really can’t find as
regularly in other places. There are a lot of green spaces, it’s a warm
city, and it feels like a place that you can be yourself. I feel like the
restaurant scene is still growing - I’d like to see more in that, but there
are a lot of good offerings there. Cultural activities are important to my
family and I, so we like to attend different events and shows. I think
Charlotte is a really great city for trying to be who you want to be.
There’s a lot of opportunity and there’s something here for everyone. You
really don’t feel like you would be excluded.
