About - Birch Events

The Story of Birch

Authenticity is the throughline at Birch. It’s what’s taken us from a balloon shop in Brooklyn to the world’s stage. Those who follow us know we like to serve the real behind the pretty, and the story of our Birch beginnings is no different.

Hear the full story

The Birch Edge

We are an empathic, wildly talented, and uniquely positioned design and production house. Backed by substantive knowledge and an easy approach, working with us unlocks a world of benefits at your disposal. Explore below the characteristics that separate Birch from the rest.

A Team
Powered by
Empathy and
Humility

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Our Executives

Josh Spiegel

Founder + CCO Toggle Full Bio

Lance Emanuel

CEO Toggle Full Bio

Oved Lib

CFO/Ops/HR Toggle Full Bio
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“ALL IN” is a mindset. It's showing up each day ready to bring your best, showing up for your clients, and, most importantly, showing up for each other.

Our Team

Design

Emma Scmidt

DESIGN ASSOCIATE Toggle Full Bio

Leigh Lloveras

Senior Event Designer Toggle Full Bio

Bridget Murphy

Event Designer Toggle Full Bio

Fabrizio Cuomo

Senior Event Designer Toggle Full Bio

Vikram Panicker

Senior Event Designer Toggle Full Bio

Suki Herbert

Event Designer Toggle Full Bio

Operations

Mariah Berkowitz

Event Producer Toggle Full Bio

Kate Westa

Event Producer Toggle Full Bio

Kendall Lach

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Toggle Full Bio

Chloé Rudez

Social Media Manager Toggle Full Bio

Alexa Greco

Procurement and Logistics Coordinator Toggle Full Bio

Ariel Kerrigan

Event Producer Toggle Full Bio

Trevor Hildebrand

Senior Floral Operations Manager Toggle Full Bio

Anees Joya

Technical Designer Toggle Full Bio

Cat Saint-Jean

Event Producer Toggle Full Bio

Chuy Rodriguez

Head of Floral Production Toggle Full Bio

Jose Najera

Design Associate Toggle Full Bio

Michaela Petigrow

Event Producer Toggle Full Bio

Steaven Nieto

Warehouse Operations Manager Toggle Full Bio

Sales

Kelsea Olivia

Head of Brand Toggle Full Bio

Harper Drew

Account Executive Toggle Full Bio

Sal Racicot

VP of Sales Toggle Full Bio

Jamie Lee

VP of Corporate Sales Toggle Full Bio

Josh Spiegel

Founder + CCO
Josh Spiegel, New York-based Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Birch Event Design, revolutionized the luxury event industry with a high-touch approach to bespoke decor, floral design, and production, and has gained international acclaim for transforming spaces into stunning, memorable experiences. Under Josh's leadership, the BIRCH team specializes in crafting moments by which all other moments are measured. Birch has been featured in leading style publications including Vogue, Harper's BAZAAR, People, and Brides, cementing his status as a trailblazer in the luxury event space.

Lance Emanuel

CEO
Lance Emanuel has spent more than a decade cultivating seed and early-stage companies into multi-million-dollar enterprises. He has a seasoned background overseeing critical aspects of business operations in highly regulated markets, including as a high-level executive in the technology and premium cannabis sectors.

Oved Lib

CFO/Ops/HR
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Minimal, clean lines, and warm.
Describe your ideal day off.
Not getting a single phone call or message and being out in nature.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
If I'm not for myself, who will be? In other words, sustainable inspiration can only come from within.

Emma Scmidt

DESIGN ASSOCIATE
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
Artsy and whimsical; a mix of bold, bright, and natural elements.
What's your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Water, stay hydrated out there.
Where do you get inspiration from?
Interior design, art museums, imaginative worlds.

Leigh Lloveras

Senior Event Designer
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Dirty martini, three olives.
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
I’m an unapologetic lover of anything interesting and unexpected. Whether it be with color, moodiness, print, or shape - be loud, be irreverent, and strive to do something special. Be anything but boring.
What's the best part of your job?
Getting to tell a whole new design story with each client and dream with them to make it unique and totally them.

Bridget Murphy

Event Designer

Fabrizio Cuomo

Senior Event Designer
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Creative, elevated, and curated.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Trust your gut, you are usually never wrong.
Where do you find inspiration?
Fashion, photography, architecture, wine and my cat.

Vikram Panicker

Senior Event Designer
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Generally lean more refined in my personal style and design sense.
How would you describe your ideal day off.
What’s a day off?
What's the best part of your job?
Seeing it all come to life is gratifying. There’s something incredibly special about being a part of a milestone moment in someone’s life.

Suki Herbert

Event Designer
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
I love moving between and playing with a variety of aesthetics. For me, my focus is always to seek originality, to tell a story, and to harmonize elements to create a truly sophisticated design.
Describe your ideal day off.
Ideally it’s a spring day spent out and about. Head to the flea market to hunt for art and antiques, then a picnic in the park with my friends and family.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere and anywhere. You can always find something of beauty in the least likely of places.

Mariah Berkowitz

Event Producer
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Crisp Glass of Sancerre
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
I am all over the place, to be honest, that's why I am a producer! I love a Scandinavian Boho style, but I also adore an Ornate Gaudí style. Josh will kill me!
Where do you get inspiration from?
Live theatre and concerts truly inspire me! I am a musical theatre girl at heart!

Kate Westa

Event Producer
What is the best part of your job?
Working with such a talented and passionate team to bring cutting edge experiences together for our amazing clients.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration from movies - set design, costuming, and color stories spark my creativity, as well as thinking about the amount of planning that went into bringing the production to life. An American in Paris, La La Land, and Poor Things immediately come to mind as inspirational in both design and production.
What is the best advice you ever received?
Don't let perfection be the enemy of progress.

Kendall Lach

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
What is the best part about your job?
The chance to collaborate with an incredibly talented team to bring our clients' visions to life, fostering creativity and innovation while building lasting relationships.
Describe your ideal day off.
Exploring a new city alongside friends or family, fully immersing ourselves in the local culture and savoring the delicious cuisine.
What is the best advice you ever received?
It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Chloé Rudez

Social Media Manager

Alexa Greco

Procurement and Logistics Coordinator
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
A lemon drop martini or a diet coke.
Describe your ideal day off.
A nice warm but not too hot summer day relaxing by the pool, soaking up the sun, sipping a cocktail and ending the day dressing up for a fun night out or spending the day crafting and sewing!
What's the best part of your job?
Getting to collaborate with such a fun and creative group of individuals. While my role is more behind the scenes, getting to see each project be designed from just an idea, to a proposal and finally to see it in production is truly something remarkable.

Ariel Kerrigan

Event Producer
Describe our ideal day off?
A rare occurrence! Early morning walk with a matcha, a workout class, hitting the farmers market, and spending time with my family and friends.
Best part of your job?
Constantly being kept on my toes and that every day is different. Finding calmness in the chaos and creating memorable moments for clients that exceed their expectations.
Where do you get inspiration from?
EVERYWHERE! I personally gain inspiration from dining out, travelling, shopping, farmers markets.. you name it and I find joy in it.

Trevor Hildebrand

Senior Floral Operations Manager
What's the best part of your job?
Getting to collaborate with a brilliant team in order to provide new and unique designs for every clients vision.
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
A dirty gin martini...or 2!
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
I am a maximalist through and through. I love color and texture and finding that balance that makes you go "I never thought that would work but wow it's singing."

Anees Joya

Technical Designer
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Masala Chai.
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
My design aesthetic revolves around translating conceptual designs into 3D visuals and generating detailed CAD drawings, measurement charts, and construction methods. This approach serves as a guide for a successful manufacturing process. We aim to ensure the final product attains the highest quality standards and meets all necessary specifications.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Learn every day.

Cat Saint-Jean

Event Producer
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
I like anything lush with a whimsical and romantic feel.
Describe your ideal day off.
Somewhere in Mexico soaking up the sun.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Let your light shine so bright that others can find their way out of the darkness.

Chuy Rodriguez

Head of Floral Production
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Long Island Iced Tea.
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Rule-breaking and innovative.
Where do you find inspiration?
Nature and big cities.

Jose Najera

Design Associate
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Espresso Martini because I’m basic.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Stay humble.
What's the best part of your job?
Getting to see the end result and the client's face when they walk into the room you worked on for hours.

Michaela Petigrow

Event Producer
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Shamelessly, a cold DC (otherwise known as a Diet Coke).
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Work smarter, not harder.
What's the best part of your job?
Getting to work on so many different types of events each week, sometimes 5+ at one time. My day is never the same and I live for the chaos!

Steaven Nieto

Warehouse Operations Manager
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Something citrus with Mezcal.
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Neo Caribbean (Steaven’s Version).
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Don’t be a smartass.

Kelsea Olivia

Head of Brand

Harper Drew

Account Executive
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Quiet luxury! I love a neutral palette, single blooms and heavy candlelight.
How would you describe your ideal day off.
Traveling with friends and family, exploring a new city, finding a local restaurant with a great book and people watching.
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Tito's martini up with a twist -- no vermouth.

Sal Racicot

VP of Sales
How would you describe your ideal day off.
Golfing or hiking followed by a BIG dinner.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
There are plenty of ways to get into a pool… the stairs ain’t one of them!
What's the best part of your job?
Most days we're intricately involved in crafting a major milestone in people’s lives. To be trusted in creating such a memorable day for someone and their closest friends and families is something I take extreme pride in.

Jamie Lee

VP of Corporate Sales
What’s your go-to drink after a long day of Birching?
Martini with a twist.
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
Anthony Vaccarello. Phoebe Philo. Nicholas Ghesquiere. Gustave H.
What’s the best advice you ever got?
Generosity is the key to creating your best work.

Out, About & In Studio

Birch is beyond brick and mortar. Though we have desks in NYC, our workspace is as roaming as we are. The Birch studio is a nomadic one, powered by hustle and heart, launching us from busy cities to serene landscapes and everywhere in between. The Birch studio is never bound by street names and numbers – only creativity and imagination.

Ready to dream something different?

Let's Play.

Inquire Here