Washington, D.C.

I Build the Strategy.
The Numbers
Tell the Story.

Integrated marketing leader with nearly a decade of experience turning audience insights, brand strategy, and data into campaigns that drive measurable results.

Event Marketing GTM Strategy Brand Marketing Campaign Execution Team Leadership
Get in touch → View my work
Kayla McCloud
~65%
Year-over-year
attendance growth
250+
Events marketed
annually
200K
Views across livestream
& social content
About

Finding the story
inside the complexity.

I'm an integrated marketing leader with nearly ten years of experience building consumer-facing brands, multi-channel campaigns, and live experiences for high-visibility, fast-moving organizations such as POLITICO and GovExec.

My career has been built on translating complex subjects like policy, national affairs, and cybersecurity into compelling narratives that reach the right audiences and drive measurable outcomes. I obsess over data, partner closely with creative and sales teams, and build systems that allow great strategy to execute at scale.

Currently, as Senior Advisor, Event Marketing & Audience Strategy at Tenning, I bring this same approach to a broad roster of clients, shaping event programming and audience strategy that connects brands with the right audiences. At the end of the day, it's about getting the right story in front of the right people, and proving it worked.

Currently
Senior Advisor, Event Marketing & Audience Strategy
Tenning
Location
Washington, D.C.
Education
B.A. Communication
The George Washington University
Recognition
Collaboration of the Year, POLITICO (2024)
Rockstar Award, GovExec (2020)
Icon Award Nominee, GovExec (2022)
Expertise

Core skills & capabilities.

Strategy & Planning
Integrated Marketing Strategy Go-to-Market Planning Brand Positioning Audience Segmentation Campaign Planning
Campaign Execution
Multi-Channel Campaigns Email Marketing Paid & Organic Social Digital Advertising Content Amplification
Analytics & Performance
KPI Development Campaign Optimization ROI Measurement Audience Insights Data-Driven Decision Making
Leadership & Collaboration
Team Leadership Agency Management Stakeholder Management Budget Management Cross-Functional Alignment
Platforms & Tools
Cvent Aventri Bizzabo Splash ON24 Sailthru Mailchimp Salesforce WordPress HTML
Experience

Where I've done the work.

July 2026 – Present
Tenning
Senior Advisor, Event Marketing & Audience Strategy (Contract)
July 2023 – April 2026
POLITICO
Director, Audience Engagement
  • Led end-to-end event marketing strategy for global POLITICO Live programs, driving qualified registrations, attendance growth, and measurable ROI across multiple markets
  • Executed multi-channel campaigns across email, paid/organic social, digital marketing, and post-event content amplification driving year-over-year attendance growth of ~65%
  • Defined and tracked KPIs including registrations, attendance rate, audience quality, and engagement, using data insights
  • Partnered cross-functionally with Sales, Editorial, Product Marketing, and Client Management teams to align messaging, sponsorship deliverables, and audience strategy
  • Managed one direct report
Mar 2019 – July 2023
GovExec
Associate Director, Event Marketing & Strategy
July 2022 – July 2023
  • Designed overall marketing and audience acquisition strategy for GovExec's 250+ digital and in-person events
  • Managed and mentored a team of four event marketers, consistently earning top ratings in internal manager effectiveness surveys
  • Revamped marketing processes, reducing manual effort by 100+ hours annually and improving campaign tracking
Senior Marketing Manager
Dec 2021 – July 2022
  • Led a team of four event marketing associates responsible for audience acquisition for editorial and client events
  • Developed ticketing, pricing, and gate revenue strategies for paid events, optimizing conversion models to drive attendance and grow event revenue
  • Executed comprehensive marketing strategies including email, social media, and digital tactics for editorial tentpole events and large client summits
Audience Marketing Manager
July 2020 – Dec 2021
  • Led overall marketing strategy for both editorial and custom client events garnering audience numbers ranging from 50 to 500 people in person and 125 to 1,600+ people virtually
  • Managed one event marketing associate
Audience Marketing Associate
Mar 2019 – July 2020
  • Developed email marketing campaigns through HTML design, audience cultivation, and performance analysis
  • Modified event pricing structure to optimize growth opportunities and increase gate revenue
Jan 2018 – Oct 2018
Hanley Wood
Marketing Coordinator
  • Designed and implemented marketing content for emails, websites, social media, and digital, print, and online ads for all client events
  • Managed marketing budgets ranging from $2,000 to $18,000
  • Secured promotional partnerships with American Institute of Architects chapters, U.S. Green Building Council chapters, city governments, and other relevant associations
Contact
Let's connect.

Open to new opportunities in integrated marketing, brand strategy, and campaign leadership. Based in Washington, D.C.

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