What’s your job? Behind the scenes of special events with La’Creacia Thompson
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La’Creacia Thompson in action, helping supervise parking for a women’s volleyball game. Photo by Soren Goldsmith.
Long before fans make their way to UW-Madison for sporting events, concerts, commencements or conferences, La’Creacia Thompson and the special events team are hard at work, making sure every vehicle finds its spot and every staff member knows their post. For most people, parking is just a stop on the way to their event. For La’Creacia, it is the event, one that takes weeks of planning and precision to pull off.
As a Special Events Associate, La’Creacia holds a multitude of responsibilities that go well beyond event days. When she’s not in the field, she’s at her desk answering customer emails, processing permits, and coordinating visitor parking.
In the office, La’Creacia mainly works with the three-person Special Events team: Manager Tony Hansbro, Supervisor Jacob Wischmeier, and fellow Associate David Johnson. When she’s out of the office, her coworkers step in, and she does the same for them. For her, what makes the team helpful comes down to trust.
“I would say it’s about transparency, reliability, and being able to count on each other,” she said. “I was out yesterday, and I was able to count on both of them to have my back. Today, they were out, and they knew they could count on me.”
La’Creacia assists a customer with event parking. Photo by Soren Goldsmith.
On event days, La’Creacia is the main point of contact when she is supervising an event and coordinating decisions. The special events team includes temporary employees, many of whom are retired people working part-time.
La’Creacia’s yearly schedule changes with the seasons. Summer includes camps and conferences. Throughout the academic year, the schedule is packed with frequent sporting events and commencements. However, it’s this constant change and unpredictability that La’Creacia enjoys most.
“I always tell people, the best part of my job is that it’s different every single day,” she said. “You never know what you’re gonna get or who you’re going to meet. It’s always interesting. The people are great, the crowds are always different, and that keeps things fun.”
Event attendees rely on La’Creacia and the special events team when they come to campus, which makes her feel valued and knowledgeable. With all the work she does behind the scenes to make sure staff have what they need, she feels proud knowing the staff have the right information to help customers.
La’Creacia works alongside coworker Barry Wood from the Enforcement Unit during her shift. Photo by Soren Goldsmith.
Beyond coordinating internal operations, La’Creacia also works closely with external partners who support event staffing efforts. This includes working alongside groups such as the Navy and Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) branches, who assist with parking operations. ROTC members use the funds earned through this work to support educational costs and other branch expenses, while Athletics gets additional workers to help with parking during big events.
Many of her coworkers come through referrals. Some fans who attend events even know Special Events staff by name because they park in the same spots every season. When a familiar staff member isn’t there, people ask about them. The team is known for providing exceptional customer service.
One of the biggest events La’Creacia helped coordinate was the Morgan Wallen concert on June 28 and 29, 2025, the first Camp Randall concert in 25 years. The show relied on a sizable team of parking employees and precise planning. To keep operations running smoothly while allowing staff time for breaks, La’Creacia developed her most comprehensive break sheet yet. These guides help schedule rest periods for employees without leaving any shift uncovered.
La’Creacia trains her coworkers to be confident working independently, preparing them to handle busy lots and unexpected situations even when help isn’t immediately available.
What makes La’Creacia’s job special to her is the people she works with.
“They really care about each other,” she said. “That’s one of the things I have always noticed.”
From football Saturdays to spring commencements, La’Creacia’s work touches nearly every major event on campus. It’s demanding, detailed work, but for her, it’s also deeply rewarding.
By: Ashley Barrera
Ashley is a strategic communications student intern with FP&M Marketing & Communications. She is a senior at UW-Madison majoring in Journalism on the Strategic Communications track with a certificate in Digital Studies. Ashley has been working at FP&M since March of 2025.
