Karen Ogden
Mid Pacific Regional Manager and Event Coordinator

Karen is originally from beautiful Vancouver, Canada.  After high school, Karen studied and became a pharmacy tech in the largest hospital in western Canada and remained in this position for 12 years. During her stint there Karen visited Latin America on a vacation to Mazatlan. When she stepped on the tarmac that first time she says her soul was filled with joy and she knew one day she would live somewhere in Latin America.  Many journeys later throughout all of Mexico and Central America, she visited the town of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica and as she says, it was “love at first sight”. While visiting, she was offered a job to manage a very successful beachfront hotel.  Karen accepted the position, went back to Canada, packed up her life and moved back to Manuel Antonio where she has lived ever since.  Karen managed the hotel for just over 5 years. During this time she fell in love with Costa Rica and with a Costa Rican, Alvin, whom she married in 2003 in the mountain town of Cartago.  A few years and two beautiful young children later, Karen and her family are very much settled in Costa Rica.  As much as Karen loved the hotel and working in the tourist industry, her job did not offer her the challenges that she was seeking in her professional life. At that time, Tropical Occasions was actively looking for good people in the region and Karen’s experience and personality were a perfect match. Karen began as an assistant manger and then very soon after took over as the manager for the entire mid pacific region. Karen’s a true gift to the company as she leaves no detail unchecked and her ability to be both personable and very professional make her a natural at planning events in Costa Rica. She also has an excellent knowledge of her region and the country as a whole.  Karen is an amazing lady who somehow manages to be a full-time event planner as well as a wife and mother to two young children.  When asked how she does it she replies, like any good event planner should, “good organizational skills”!