The venue consultant duo that helps you hustle and gather — so you can build a thriving event business.
We’re Dana & Courtney, and we’re on a mission to empower and educate event professionals like you.
You’ve got the drive to make your event venue the best it can be. The passion to transform your team into a strong, happy, skilled group of employees. You’ve got the “hustle” part down pat. As event business owners and venue consultants, we’re here to help you reach your business goals, whether that’s through team training, 1:1 consulting, or attending one of our events conferences.
Our journey through the event industry..
We started our entrepreneurship journey over a decade ago, in 2006. As most event business and venue owners know… this path is not easy. When we were starting out, we leaned on each other for support, but we had no experts to give us advice, and no professionals to fix our mistakes. (Which we made a lot of.)
Today, we own three successful event businesses in the Raleigh area. We’re professional speakers, podcast hosts, and perpetual entrepreneurs. But we got here because we kept going. And, because we’ve been in your shoes, we want to use our knowledge and expertise to help you achieve your goals for your event or venue business.
Let’s get your event business and/or venue where you want it to be, and let’s build a team that you can truly rely on to run things with you (and for you!). As event business and venue consultants, we’re here to guide and support you along the way with practical advice, transparency, and real talk.
Are you in?
The Hustle & Gather Brands
The hustles that got us where we are today!
C&D EVENTS
Wedding planning services in North Carolina
Our OG wedding planning team of experts specializes in elevated design and detailed logistics.
THE BRADFORD
European countryside meets hometown comfort
On 16 acres in the quaint town of New Hill, NC, effortless elegance meets approachable luxury at our wedding venue: The Bradford.
ANTHEM HOUSE EVENTS
Luxury wedding planning for high-end, multi-day events.
All-inclusive wedding planning services for those who want every moment of their special day carefully curated and celebrated.
Meet Your Venue Consultants
Courtney Hopper
Courtney taught science to 7th graders for nine years before moving full time into planning and venue ownership.
Now, Courtney owns and operates three event businesses in Raleigh with her sister, Dana. They also co-host the Hustle & Gather Podcast Show together.
As a professional speaker, Courtney specializes in talks about authenticity, leadership, and using data for your business. She also has a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Meredith College, which she now has returned to as an adjunct in the hospitality program.
Her superpowers include: noticing and supporting others’ strengths, hyping people up, and her sarcastic sense of humor. When she’s not working, you can find Courtney on her yoga mat, walking her doodle, taxiing her kiddos, or crafting an amazing cocktail!
Dana Kadwell
While building C&D Events with Courtney, and teaching chemistry and physics to high schoolers (putting Chem and Math degrees to good use), Dana realized that she loved and was passionate about the events and hospitality industry.
Now, Dana co-owns and operates three event businesses and Hustle & Gather with Courtney, as well as the Hustle & Gather Podcast Show.
As a professional speaker, Dana specializes in presentations on company culture and finding your path.
Her superpowers include: her ability to connect with others, scaffolding and explaining information in a digestible way, and her Type A organization skills.
She’s received many accolades for the roles she’s played in events, but her most favorite is winning NACE National Member of the Year.
When she’s not working, you can find Dana cheering on her kiddos at ALL the sporting events, being a chauffeur to said children, lounging in her backyard, or planning the family’s next big vacation.
Ready to gather, train, or get to work? Let’s do this.
Join our next venue conference
Connect with us and a community of other business owners like you to learn, create, and take action.
Get 1:1 biz support
Let’s get together to meet a goal, tackle a problem, or strategize for your business. Whether you pick a 1/2 VIP Day or Full VIP Day, you have 100% of our attention
Train your team
We’ll get to know your employees, dig deeper into your company culture, and host team-building exercises that actually work.
Need professional speakers for your next event?
Book us to speak! We specialize in presentations on leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and the hospitality industry. We can customize a presentation for your event and audience, too.
We’ve spoken at..
