Sharon Crichton Joins PRA as Chief Operating Officer, Strengthening National Operational Leadership and Experiential Innovation

Well respected Industry leader to elevate operational excellence, advance team alignment and enhance client impact nationwide.

CHICAGO, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PRA, a leader in the business events industry, today announced the appointment of Sharon Crichton as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Crichton joins PRA with more than three decades of global experience in experiential marketing and operational leadership, most recently serving as COO at Jack Morton Worldwide, one of the world's premier brand experience agencies. Her appointment reflects PRA's continued investment in building a cutting-edge leadership team, adding a visionary leader who seamlessly integrates creative excellence with operational discipline, to deliver transformative business events nationwide.

As COO, Crichton will oversee PRA's operational strategy across Destination, Creative, Production and Digital services, working closely with the executive team to strengthen efficiencies, profitability, and innovation across the organization. She will focus on elevating consistency and integration throughout PRA's services lines, enhancing financial performance through disciplined planning, and building scalable systems and metrics that support long-term growth. Crichton will also champion workforce development initiatives, including expanding networks in key markets while advancing new approaches in experiential, production, and digital capabilities.

Throughout her career, Crichton has developed strategies that not only meet but consistently exceed client expectations by uniting data driven insights, scalable systems, and high impact creative thinking. Her ability to conceptualize the big picture and translate it into clear, actionable solutions has positioned her as a trusted leader to the clients served. In her previous role, she led high-performance operations and production teams across more than a dozen global markets and created enterprise-wide transformation initiatives that enhanced creative innovation and delivered award-winning experiential results.

"Sharon's depth of experience in experiential marketing and her proven ability to scale operations globally bring tremendous value to PRA," shared Ariane Coldiron, Chief Executive Officer, PRA. "She has a remarkable talent for turning insights into action and for building systems that support both creativity and value. Her global perspective, operational strength, and people-first leadership style are instrumental as we continue to expand service capabilities that elevate our entire organization. We are truly excited to welcome her to PRA and look forward to the impact she will make."

Crichton is known for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to build environments where teams feel empowered, aligned, and supported. She thrives on fostering cohesion, leveraging insights and processes, and guiding teams toward successful outcomes — qualities that align directly with PRA's values.

"PRA has long been a trusted partner to leading brands, creating experiences that connect people and drive real business impact," said Crichton. "I'm thrilled to join this incredible team and collaborate with such talented colleagues across the country. Together, we'll build on PRA's strong foundation, elevate our capabilities, and continue delivering work that inspires and delivers strong business results."

About PRA
PRA is a leading U.S. business events and destination management partner that designs and delivers conferences, incentive programs, sales meetings, tradeshows, and more nationwide. Our integrated services span strategy and creative, content and production, destination programming, and end-to-end logistics, helping clients turn the power of place into innovative results that move people and transform outcomes. With 40+ years in the industry and coast-to-coast coverage, PRA is trusted by blue-chip organizations for programs in every major U.S. destination and, through select partners, around the world. Recognized repeatedly among Special Events "Top 25 DMCs," PRA brings seasoned expertise, rigorous execution, and local insider access to every engagement. Learn more at pra.com.

Media Contact: 
Laurie Knapp
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SOURCE PRA