Mike Ferreira, 33, works in Las Vegas, as owner and founder of Meetings Made Easy. As a 2018 40 Under 40 honoree, Ferreira discusses his passion for the events industry. 

*Connect with Ferreira on Twitter and Instagram. How I got here: After completing my hotel degree at Cal Poly Pomona, I was recruited by Bellagio in Las Vegas to participate in their management associate program. Once the program ended, I was hired into convention sales, and after a few years moved into hotel sales. The hotel sales and CS departments allowed me to understand the need for a great relationship with all of my clients. After working with many third parties, I realized there was a need for a new, more modern way of doing business that was less transactional, so I created Meetings Made Easy.  Impressive stats: In our first year, Meetings Made Easy sourced more than 50,000 room nights and brought on five meeting brokers. What I’m working on now: We’re currently looking at social media and how we leverage it to ensure we’re making our clients’ lives easier. Right now, we’re a team of six. Our goal for 2018 is to grow the team, as well as relationships with our clients. What I do outside of work: If you know me, you know I love hockey! I attend as many Vegas Golden Knights games as possible and play in a local adult league. I also love spending time with my wife, traveling and hanging out with our animals—we have five: Cheese, a bulldog; a mixed-breed named Baxter (after the movie “Anchorman”); two cats, Lucy and TC; and a chinchilla named Soot.