Erica Pavlov is the director of marketing for Erie Events.
Erica Pavlov’s paper planner is old-fashioned, but it works. So do her color-coded email flags and her ever-growing to-do lists. When you’re the director of marketing for Erie Events, overseeing strategy for five distinct venues—including UPMC Park, Warner Theatre, and Erie Insurance Arena—staying organized isn’t optional.
“You have to be able to set priorities,” said Pavlov, a 2016 graduate of the Communication program at Penn State Behrend. “What needs to be done now? I focus on that first.”
The job demands versatility: One day she’s collaborating with promoters on a concert at Erie Insurance Arena, and the next she’s helping design VIP experiences with specialty cocktails or analyzing ticket-sale data to understand why a show’s digital impressions didn’t convert.
Pavlov manages advertising, marketing, public relations, and promotions for Erie Events, which delivers programming to more than 650,000 fans annually. And since she arrived in April 2024, she’s led the organization through major upgrades to its email and ticketing systems.
The scope would overwhelm most people. But Pavlov has handled plenty on her own before.
Shortly after college, she worked as a marketing assistant for Scott Enterprises. Then she moved to the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority, where she weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, handling crisis communications as routes shut down and uncertainty mounted. She also had marketing roles at Erie County Community College and Truck-Lite.
When Erie Events created a new position for a marketing director, Pavlov wasn’t intimidated. She was excited.
“I enjoy a challenge,” she said. “I was able to build out the department, figure out the strategy, and decide what to do.”
Erie Events now has a marketing budget for the first time, giving Pavlov real power to shape how the organization reaches audiences.
She has worked to build a unified brand identity across all five venues while preserving each property’s distinct personality—the colors in each venue’s logo mirror the Erie Events palette, and the tone of promotional materials stays consistent whether it’s a Broadway show at the Warner or the 8 Great Tuesdays concert series at the Rebich Investments Amphitheater.
As a lifelong Erie resident, Pavlov knows her market. Country concerts and Disney on Ice reliably sell. Comedians do well here, rock concerts are still a draw, and up-and-coming acts like Teddy Swims bring multigenerational crowds.
When working with promoters, Pavlov develops appeals to household decision makers—typically women aged 35-50 within a 50- to 100-mile radius.
That local expertise—combined with her jack-of-all-trades skill set—makes her a great fit for Erie Events.
Like many college students, Pavlov assumed she would leave Erie after graduation. But opportunities kept appearing, and each role built her capacity for the next. Looking back, she credits her Communication degree with preparing her for all of it.
“I am artsy, social, and I like to talk to people,” she said. “Communication fit my strengths.”
The program’s hands-on approach—graphic design classes, video editing, PR case studies, crisis communication, and writing advertising plans—honed practical skills that she uses daily.
“I wanted a career where I could be creative, but I’m also interested in the business side of things,” she said. “With a communication degree, the sky’s the limit.”
Her career is evidence of that. In less than a decade, Pavlov has gone from entry-level roles to directing marketing for an organization that touches nearly every major entertainment and sports venue in the region. That footprint will soon grow even larger: This year, Erie Events will continue to develop the area on Presque Isle Bay known as Bayfront Landing, near Dobbins Landing, including the construction of a market house.
“There is a lot to be optimistic about the future here in Erie,” Pavlov said.
For someone who once planned to leave, she’s now helping to build something worth staying for.
Erica (Nowak) Pavlov at a Glance
Degree: Communication, 2016
Certificates: Advertising and Public Relations
Current Role: Director of Marketing, Erie Events
What She Oversees: Marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, and promotional activities for Erie Insurance Arena, Warner Theatre, UPMC Park, Bayfront Convention Center, and Rebich Investments Amphitheater.
Advice to Current Students: “Don’t write Erie off. There are a ton of opportunities here.” Also: “Try new things. Pick up a minor or a certificate (or two).”
Personal Life: Married to Nick. Has a five-year-old goldendoodle named Dutch.
Student Involvement: Vice president, Lambda Pi Eta (the official honor society of the National Communication Association); radio DJ and webmaster, BVZ Radio; public relations chair, Greener Behrend.
Book Recommendation: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Comfort Show: Seinfeld
Guilty Pleasure: Salt and vinegar chips
Favorite Erie Show: “Anytime I’ve gone to a Broadway in Erie show, it has been amazing. Rent was my favorite.”