Experience matters.
A team you can count on.
Our Story
Since 1997, based in the Philadelphia area, Lead Dog Meeting & Event Management has been creating memorable meetings and “wow” moments for a variety of clients spanning many different industries. Under the direction of founder Mary Susan Milbourne and partner Carmel Rose Caporale, CMP, our clients count on the Lead Dog team to consistently exceed their expectations.
Maybe it’s the decades of experience that the Lead Dog team has in the industry, or maybe it’s the never-say-never attitude we pride ourselves on. Whatever the reason, we’ve gained the loyalty of countless clients and unleashed the potential of every meeting and event we’ve planned.
We are continually evolving our services and knowledge of trends and technology in the industry to put our clients’ meetings and events at the head of the pack. In fact, we have been managing hybrid events for over 5 years and have also added virtual conferences to our repertoire.
What else sets Lead Dog apart? We become a collaborative member of each client’s team, contributing expertise and bringing an insightful perspective to each project. As one of our clients said, ”Your ability to define and implement creative solutions is unmatched. Lead Dog’s professional expertise and guidance has been instrumental in improving this program each year.”
A dynamic industry member with offices in Swarthmore, PA, and Haddonfield, NJ, Lead Dog is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). And that’s not all — we maintain membership in other key industry groups including Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB).
Mary Susan Milbourne, CMM (she/her)
Mary Susan Milbourne, CMM, Lead Dog Meeting & Event Management’s CEO, has been actively involved in the meeting planning industry for more than 20 years. She produced events and managed the event planning staff for one of the world’s largest travel management companies before leaving to found Lead Dog. Mary Susan has led Lead Dog since its inception and has guided the company and its clients through many exciting innovations in the meetings industry. She thrives on helping our clients succeed with less stress and always aims to be a point of pleasure in each client’s day.
Mary Susan loves solving puzzles, both the jigsaw variety and those related to business. Her super-power is finding things - which is really just another type of puzzle!
Carmel Rose Caporale, CMP, CMM
Carmel Rose Caporale, CMM, CMP, Lead Dog’s COO, is a member and past president of the Philadelphia Area Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (PAMPI) and has earned both the Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) and the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designations. Carmel Rose’s interest in event planning goes all the way back to high school where she planned a highly-successful 24-hour Dance Marathon to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House.
Today, Carmel Rose’s favorite part of the meeting industry is the people. She thrives on spending time with colleagues, suppliers and clients - getting to know them and devising plans and solutions to benefit all. But most of all, she loves the sense of fulfillment that comes from seeing the impact our work has on the attendees as they leave an event saying, “This was a great experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life!”
Carmel Rose enjoys traveling, trying various cuisines and spending time in the mountains and at the beach. As a Parrot-head, she is also on a quest to find the finest margarita available!
In addition to the leadership above, the Lead Dog team includes a group of highly experienced, project-based program managers.
Many people ask us…
“Why are you called Lead Dog Meeting & Event Management?”
There’s a special meaning to our name. We chose it because we wanted an identity that would match our client philosophy.
Lead dogs are the ones at the head of the pack, who set the pace and steer the team in the right direction. We see ourselves as our clients’ guidance system - helping them to achieve their goals— by staying focused on the process, always looking ahead, avoiding pitfalls and taking their success personally!
But there are no dogs in your logo!
True! The swooshes in our logo represent movement and gathering - moving people to meetings, gathering people together to achieve goals. Rarely is the meeting design process a straight line, so the swooshes also represent the iterative process of discovering just the right strategy for each unique client. Finally, the swooshes show that we are always, always, striving for continuous improvement.