Sara Ann Straw

About Sara Ann Straw

Senior marketing and events leader with 18+ years of experience building and scaling global event, experiential, and field marketing programs for high-growth B2B technology companies. I specialize in designing experiences that drive measurable business outcomes including pipeline creation, expansion, customer engagement, and long-term brand trust.I currently lead Corporate Events at Kong, where I’m responsible for defining the global corporate events strategy and reimagining flagship experiences to support company growth, a developer-first brand, and a global customer community. I operate end-to-end across strategy, positioning, execution, and optimization, with a strong focus on scale, efficiency, and impact.Previously, I held senior marketing and events leadership roles at RingCentral, Deel, Sage, and F5. Across these roles, I led global user conferences, executive summits, internal events and incentive programs, regional field events, and integrated campaigns in close partnership with sales, product, partners, and executive leadership. Alongside global events, I’ve also led international, full-stack marketing initiatives and bring experience in analyst relations and customer advocacy, giving me a holistic view of how experiences connect across the customer journey and influence revenue, retention, and credibility.Outside of my corporate work, I’m the founder of Solo Travel Woman blog and podcast, and the author of the Ultimate Solo Travel Woman Guide. After nearly 20 years living and working around the country and internationally, I’m now based in Buffalo, NY. I’m an aunt to 25 nieces and nephews (spread far and wide), a lifelong solo traveler, and an unapologetic Buffalo Bills fan.What I’m Known For- Building global event and experiential strategies that drive pipeline, expansion, and executive engagement- Leading flagship conferences, corporate events, and global summits from vision through execution- Operating as a strategic partner to Sales, Product, Partners, and Exec teams- Connecting events to the full customer journey, not treating them as standalone moments- Bringing a data-driven, ROI-focused mindset to experiential and field marketing- Scaling programs globally while maintaining quality, consistency, and regional relevance- Elevating customer advocacy and credible third-party voices within event and GTM strategies- Balancing strategic leadership with a hands-on, execution-oriented approach- Building, scaling, and leading global teams to support events, international marketing, and regional GTM execution

Experience

1. Senior Director, Corporate Events

   Kong

   Feb 2026 — Present · Buffalo, NY, US

   The AI Connectivity CompanyI lead Kong’s global corporate events portfolio, overseeing the strategy and execution of our flagship experiences and high-impact programs that bring together customers, partners, developers, and industry leaders.My focus is on building premium, narrative-driven events that strengthen Kong’s brand, support product launches, grow community and ecosystem engagement, and drive meaningful business impact. I partner closely with product, marketing, GTM, and executive leadership to deliver experiences that scale globally and create long-term value.

Education

• Hutchinson Central Technical Highschool

  Regents/Electrical HS Diploma and the Motor Control Design Certificate, Electrical Engineering

  1999 — 2003

• Erie Community College

  Associates, Liberal Arts

  2004 — 2006

• Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University

  M.B.A. with Distinction, Marketing

  2009 — 2012

• State University of New York College at Fredonia

  Bachelor of Arts, Theatre/Theatre Arts Management

  2006 — 2008

Skills

• Photoshop
• B2c
• Marketing Strategy
• Social Media
• Travel Management
• Direct Sales
• Marketing Communications
• Facebook
• Illustrator
• Sales Management
• Marketing Research
• Pinterest
• Networking
• Budgets
• Mailchimp
• Time Management
• Crm
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Event Management
• Wordpress
• Marketing
• Event Planning
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Marketing Management
• Microsoft Word
• Leadership
• Product Marketing
• Social Networking
• Social Media Marketing
• Press Releases
• Public Relations
• Restaurants
• Hospitality
• Linkedin
• Indesign
• Trade Shows
• B2b
• Twitter
• Training