After more than 22 years of steering our ship through stormy weather, more sound checks than anyone should endure, and thousands of meaningful and life-changing events, our co-captain, Michael “Murph” Murphy has earned his retirement. Murph’s fingerprints are permanently left on Event 360 and on all the people here who love, admire, and respect him.
Those of us who have had the privilege of working with and learning from him wanted to share what he’s taught us and what we’ll miss from Event 360’s real-life superhero.
There’s no Murph manual — could you imagine what that could contain?! — but because he showed up and quietly did the work, we’ve absorbed his wisdom just by being close to him as he masterfully executed every task he completed. Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned:
- “Touch it once.” These three words, Murph’s mantra, have impacted the way many of us work at Event 360. Do it right the first time and don’t create more work.
- Stay calm when everything is on fire — sometimes literally. Murph’s level-headedness amidst chaos, uncertainty, and the unpredictability of live events grounds us and gives us the confidence to move through every challenge. This video is a classic example of Murph dispensing this advice.
- It’s always okay — and maybe even encouraged — to call bullshit. Murph taught us to be direct and honest. He helped move challenging conversations with clients and vendors along by calling out the obvious with respect and candor.
- Carry cash. It helps solve challenges like nothing else can and you never know when it may help expedite an on-event problem (like, maybe with a tent vendor😉).
- A good laugh goes a long way. Laughing with Murph and being lifted by his infectious laugh are core memories we’ll be holding onto. His well-timed sense of humor made the hard days survivable and the good days something worth remembering.
In addition to the lessons we’ve learned from Murph, it’s the way he led and the feeling his presence created that will stick with us. He took the time to show us how to handle things — generators, trailers, whatever the situation called for — so we could find our way out of a pinch. Above all, he made us feel safe, protected and confident.
These memories from a few Event 360 colleagues say it best:
- One of my favorite memories of Murph is when I was running the slideshow for the 3-Day Opening Ceremony, he’d come by each time and just give me a gentle tap on my shoulder, so I knew he was there and that I was good. It was such a simple gesture, but it always made me feel confident I knew what I was doing but if I needed anything, he was there for me. —Cyrena Hillyard
- Murph has such an incredible way of remaining calm on event no matter what comes up. Every time I worked alongside him, he made me (and everyone staffing) feel like we could manage and overcome any obstacle thrown our way. That feeling is worth a million bucks in the event production world, and Event 360 is so lucky to have had someone like Murph steer our ship for 20+ years. —Abbie Peterson
- Mike never hesitated to share advice, guidance, or a hard‑earned perspective, and he did it with the kind of sincerity you don’t come across often. He’s the guy who would give you the shirt off his back, no questions asked, because that’s simply who he is. —Jason Page
And what will we miss? Almost everything! But a few things stand out:
- Extraordinary, detailed stories from a life well-lived. He has more stories from the world of live events than anyone has a right to carry and we’ve loved being witness to his masterful storytelling!
- The annual Thanksgiving message that forced many of us who don’t typically check work email on holidays to log in just to read it. It was funny and thoughtful and a little rough around the edges. This cherished tradition became not just a ritual, but a thread that connects our whole team. Even teammates who have moved on find a way to get a copy forwarded to them! And in an act that captures who Murph is perfectly, he ensured that tradition doesn’t fade when he retired. He picked someone to carry it forward in 2026 (who then gets to pick the person who writes it in 2027 and so on) making sure something good keeps going and isn’t dropped.
- The things he said that brought us all comfort: “Hey Kiddo,” “Listen, Gang” and his well-timed “HEEYAH” used to start a meeting. It’s safe to say that we’ll all be hearing his voice in our heads, especially this classic line from Murph: “I think we need to look at this differently.” This simple sentence ensured we looked at things from multiple angles, considered every possible outcome and looked under every rock.
We are deep in our feelings about Murph’s retirement. But the sadness we feel equals our gratitude for having been mentored, led, and loved by him. And while we know there is no replacing Murph, we are confident veteran and new Event 360 teammates will step up and use the wisdom we’ve absorbed under his guidance.
Murph, congratulations on a more than well-earned retirement. Go enjoy your family, rest a little, and know that what you built here keeps going. We’ll see you down the road!
We love you. Cheers.
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